MLB Rumors: J.D. Martinez, Jay Bruce Seeking Big Deals
It's that time of year again where major league baseball's free agency will spark a lot of rumors and a lot of deals in teams hopes that a player will bring them one step closer to a championship.
Nine players have received $17.4 million qualifying offers from their teams, and a total of 166 players have filed for free agency.
The majority of deals are expected to take place during the Baseball Winter Meetings on Dec. 10-14 in Orlando, Florida.
The Reiter 50: MLB's Best Free Agents | MLB Free Agent Compensation Rules
Here is the latest news and rumors from around the league.
Rumors and News
• The A's are interested in Miami Marlins outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich, but prefers a right-handed hitter over a left-handed bat. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• The early asking price for Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder J.D. Martinez is believed to be around $200 million. (ESPN.com)
• The San Francisco Giants have interest in Chicago Cubs Gold Glove outfielder Jason Heyward, and could offer pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Mark Melancon in any deal. (MLB.com)
• MLBPA to meet with Shohei Ohtani's agency, bringing Japan's top player a step closer to joining a major league club. (MLB.com)
• Free-agent outfielder Jay Bruce is reportedly seeing a five-year deal worth $80–90 million. (ESPN.com)
• Strengthening the bullpen is hight on the New York Mets priority list this offseason and could be targeting Bryan Shaw and Brandon Morrow among others. (New York Post)
• Longtime Yankees coach Rob Thomson interviewed for the managerial vacancy on Thursday. The interview lasted more than five hours. (New York Daily News)
• The Marlins would prefer to trade Giancarlo Stanton to the Cardinals. Stanton could block a deal with his no-trade clause, though. (Fan Rag Sports)
• Stanton, a SoCal native, wants to go to the Angels or Dodgers but neither team is interested. (USA Today)
• The Marlins are in preliminary talks with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Giants and Phillies regarding Stanton. (MLB Network)
• Logan Morrison expressed interest in playing for his hometown Royals. (MLB Network Radio)
• Yu Darvish might return to the Dodgers but it’s not likely. (Fan Rag Sports)
