MLB Rumors: Cubs big pivot, Red Sox target, Blue Jays getting hosed

MLB Rumors: Cubs big pivot, Red Sox target, Blue Jays getting hosed

MLB Rumors: Blue Jays lose out on trade target thanks to Yankees

The Toronto Blue Jays were a team planning on making a big splash this winter. They were eliminated by the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series, giving their opponents their first postseason series win since 2002. The team eyed three big names this offseason — Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Just before the end of the year, the Blue Jays ended up with neither of them. Ohtani and Yamamoto both ended up agreeing to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers to build a super team. As for Soto, he is on the Blue Jays’ hated rivals, the New York Yankees following their trade with the San Diego Padres. When it comes to the Yankees’ acquisition of Soto, it was actually even more costly for the Blue Jays.

According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), the Blue Jays spoke with the Padres about outfielder Jake Cronenworth prior to them sending both Soto and Trent Grisham. But now, a Cronenworth trade appears less likely, per Rosenthal, because the Padres “do not want to subtract a third left-handed hitter.”

“Thanks, Yankees,” Blue Jays fans must be muttering to themselves.

Soto is a left-handed hitter and perhaps one of the best in the league. But the Yankees were also able to get Grisham in the trade, where he is a bench option that can play center field, likely filling in for Aaron Judge late in games. So, moving on from another left-handed outfielder would be a bit much for the Padres. With that, the Blue Jays lose out on Cronenworth.

This past season for the Padres, Cronenworth recorded a .229 batting average, a .312 on-base percentage, a .378 slugging percentage, 10 home runs, 48 RBI, 54 runs, 105 hits, 97 strikeouts, and 46 walks in 458 at-bats.

Considering that, the Blue Jays do have some limited options in terms of outfielders. Cody Bellinger is still available but comes with a high asking price. In the tier below Bellinger are Jorge Soler, Teoscar Hernandez, and Adam Duvall.

With the top free agents now signing, the Hot Stove can finally heat up. But with the options not being that great, it will be interesting to see how the Blue Jays pivot this offseason.

MLB Rumors: Red Sox targeting former Blue Jays OF Teoscar Hernandez

The Boston Red Sox haven’t made that big splash that fans have been expecting new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to make. Thus far, they haven’t signed a top free agent. They were active on the trade market, trading away outfielder Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees and replacing him with Tyler O’Neill in a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Even though the team added O’Neill to their outfield, they are interested in another option — a former rival in the division.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Red Sox are expressing interest in former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.

Back in 2017, the Blue Jays acquired Hernandez from the Houston Astros for Francisco Liriano. Hernandez really blossomed into his own during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In 2020, Hernandez won a Silver Slugger award for the first time. in 2021, the outfielder was named to the American League All-Star team for the first time in his career. Hernandez ended that season slashing .296/.346/.524 while recording 32 home runs, 92 runs, 116 RBI, and 163 hits in 550 at-bats.

After the 2022 season, Hernandez was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Erik Swanson and Adam Macko. This past campaign, the outfielder had a rough go of things, as he struck out a career-high 211 times in 625 at-bats. Hernandez recorded a .258 batting average, a .305 on-base percentage, a .435 slugging percentage, 26 home runs, 70 runs, 93 RBI, 161 hits, and 38 walks (160 games).

Hernandez is one of the top outfielder options available in free agency. Given how frequently the Red Sox have seen Hernandez play throughout his career, it appears they have some interest in signing him to a contract.

MLB Rumors: Cubs’ pivot plan after losing out on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Chicago Cubs made the biggest managerial move in quite some time by signing Craig Counsell away from the rival Milwaukee Brewers. Counsell now has the richest contract for a manager in MLB history. So far, the Cubs were unable to match the excitement of the Counsell hire with player acquisitions.

Chicago was linked to three players in particular this offseason — Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow. All three of those players ended up on the Los Angeles Dodgers. With that, the Cubs have to figure out what they want to do to help improve a team that was one game out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

The Athletic’s Stephen J. Nesbitt and Chad Jennings (subscription required) both detailed where every team that lost out on Yamamoto could pivot to. For the Cubs, they write that the team would be likely to either sign “a middle-of-the-rotation free agent” like Shota Imanaga, or make a trade for a starting pitcher.

Imanaga is a 30-year-old left-handed pitcher who played for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars since 2016. In 165 games, Imanaga recorded a 3.18 ERA, a 1.118 WHIP, a 64-50 win-loss record, 1,021 strikeouts, and 280 walks in 1002.2 innings.

For those wondering trade options for the Cubs, Nesbitt and Jennings bring up Dylan Cease of the White Sox and Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians as potential options.

“A trade for Shane Bieber or Dylan Cease — or any other trade market starting pitcher with modest remaining team control — might be a more reasonable and worthwhile alternative than any of the remaining high-end free-agent starters.

Cease has been a name brought up as a potential trade acquisition for teams in need of starting rotation help. The right-hander is 27 years old and has two more seasons of arbitration remaining before becoming a free agent.

In an AL-high 33 starts this past season, Cease recorded a 4.58 ERA, a 1.418 WHIP, a 7-9 win-loss record, 214 strikeouts, and 79 walks in 177.0 innings.

As for Bieber, he is under contract for the 2024 season. After that, he will become an unrestricted free agent. So, this will be the final opportunity for the Guardians to trade the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner.

Through 21 starts, Bieber recorded a 3.80 ERA, a 1.234 WHIP, a 6-6 win-loss record, 107 strikeouts, 34 walks in 128.0 innings.

The Cubs will need to strengthen their starting rotation, especially with Marcus Stroman electing for free agency. With the lack of major moves, Cubs fans will be waiting to see if the team can do something to excite them ahead of the 2024 campaign.