Will it be a slow week in Major League Baseball's hot stove leading up to Thanksgiving? Or will we get more deals after big names like Noah Syndergaard and Justin Verlander inked deals last week? We'll gather the news and rumors right here for you on Monday, and it starts with the Red Sox grabbing the 2023 and 2024 options on the contract of manager Alex Cora.
Let's see what else is out there.
Marlins, Alcantara working on extension
The Marlins are close to a five-year, $55 million extension with starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara, reports Craig Mish of Sports Grid.
Alcantara, 26, isn't anywhere close to free agency. He's in arbitration until after the 2024 season, but a move by the Marlins here would give cost certainty in the next three seasons and then would buy out the first two years of free agency. It would be a big step from Kim Ng's front office to lock up a starter like this.
Alcantara was 9-15 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 201 strikeouts in 205 2/3 innings last season. He was an All-Star in 2019 and has a 3.48 ERA (122 ERA+) in 72 starts in the last three seasons. He's pretty well established as a quality, front-end starting pitcher.
Giants interested in Cobb
The Giants are "making a strong push" for free agent starting pitcher Alex Cobb, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. She adds that Cobb and the Giants "looks like a match."
Cobb, 34, went 8-3 with a 3.76 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings last season for the Angels.
The Giants seem to have only Logan Webb as a sure thing in their rotation looking toward 2022. Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto, who combined for 112 starts last season, are all free agents. Sammy Long and Tyler Beede are among the internal candidates to start next season, but it seems likely the Giants will be heavy on shopping for rotation help this offseason.
The Yankees have traded utility man Tyler Wade to the Angels for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the clubs have announced.
Wade, 26, has spent his entire five-year career in the majors with the Yankees, but was designated for assignment last week. In 264 games, he's hit .212/.298/.307 (66 OPS+). He stole 17 bases in 23 chances last season and posted a career-best .354 on-base percentage in 2021. He's spent most of his time on defense at second base but has also played shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions.
Brewers sign backup catcher
The Brewers and catcher Pedro Severino have agreed on a one-year, $1.9 million deal, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Severino, 28, hit .248/.308/.383 with 11 homers and 46 RBI in 113 games last season with the Orioles. He was worth 0.9 WAR, per baseball-reference.com.
As things stand, the Brewers are set with Omar Narvaez behind the plate, so Severino will serve as the backup.
