SI:AM | MLB Offseason Heats Up After Juan Soto Signing

Let’s take a look at the most notable news from the start of MLB’s winter meetings.

Fried bolsters a Yankees rotation that already featured Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m generally a fan of the special edition NBA Cup courts, but the Thunder’s legitimately made my eyes hurt.

In today’s SI:AM:

🥶 Winter meetings buzz
🇯🇵 Sasaki’s agent speaks
🏈 The “Sucker Sneak”

The stove is heating up

MLB’s annual winter meetings began this week in Dallas with the news that Juan Soto had agreed to sign with the New York Mets. All the other transactions made this week will certainly be overshadowed by the biggest contract in sports history, but that doesn’t mean the other news is worth ignoring. Here are a few of the biggest developments from the first two days of the winter meetings.

Yankees land Max Fried

The New York Yankees may have failed to bring Soto back to the Bronx, but they found another way to spend a couple hundred million dollars, agreeing to terms with former Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried on an eight-year, $218 million contract.

Fried was the best pitcher still available after Blake Snell signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last week and received the biggest contract ever awarded to a left-handed pitcher. (David Price previously held the record at $217 million over seven years.) Fried doesn’t have overpowering stuff—his average fastball velocity of 93.8 mph ranked in the bottom half of the league last season—but he has tremendous control, and excels at limiting hard contact and keeping the ball on the ground.

Fried joins Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón at the top of an already strong Yankees rotation that ranked 11th in starter ERA last season. Marcus Stroman, reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes are all still under contract as well, giving New York plenty of starter depth and the option to move one or more of that group to the bullpen. Schmidt, for example, was effective as a reliever in 2022. The cost-controlled starters (Schmidt, Gil and Cortes) could also be attractive trade chips in negotiations to add another bat.

Guardians trade Andrés Giménez

There were also a couple of noteworthy trades made Tuesday, beginning with the Cleveland Guardians sending infielder Andrés Giménez to the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto also acquired pitcher Nick Sandlin in the deal and sent first baseman Spencer Horwitz and 21-year-old outfield prospect Nick Mitchell to Cleveland in return.

Giménez is an elite defender who has played mostly second base since becoming a full-time big leaguer in 2022, although he’s also capable of playing shortstop and third base. Giménez is a glove-first player but also an adequate hitter with a career OPS+ of 101. He’s 26 years old and is under contract for at least five more seasons (with a team option for 2031).

The Blue Jays tried a variety of options at second last season, with six different players playing at least 20 games there. Giménez gives them someone capable of being an everyday player at that position and a massive upgrade defensively over the hodgepodge group that played second last year.

Rangers add more pop

The other big trade was the Miami Marlins sending slugger Jake Burger to the Texas Rangers in exchange for three prospects.

Burger is a solid home run hitter, with 63 bombs over the last two seasons and will join a Texas lineup that already features power hitters like Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Adolis García. Burger also figures to be predominantly a designated hitter, since the two positions he plays (first and third base) are already occupied by two of the Rangers’ better players (Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung).

Another infielder trade? 

One other name picking up steam in the trade market is Nolan Arenado. St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters Monday that he would like to trade Arenado to give the team more financial flexibility as it embarks on a rebuild.

Trading Arenado won’t be easy, though. The 33-year-old has a full no-trade clause and would have to approve any move. On top of that, he’s owed $74 million over the next three years. The difficulty for the Cardinals will be finding a team Arenado is willing to play for that is also willing to pay as much of his salary as possible.

To that end, Arenado has reportedly given the Cardinals a list of six teams he would accept a trade to: the Dodgers, Mets, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox.

Arenado is also reportedly willing to move to first base to make himself more appealing to potential trade partners.

The biggest target remaining

The most sought-after player left on the market won’t be signing for hundreds of millions of dollars.

That player is 23-year-old Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, whose signing will be restricted by MLB’s rules on international amateur free agents. (The rules apply to all foreign-born players under the age of 25.) Sasaki was officially posted to MLB teams on Monday, opening the 45-day period for him to negotiate a contract. But because MLB’s signing period for international amateurs doesn’t begin until Jan. 15, Sasaki will have to sign some time between Jan. 15 and 23.

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, met with the media in Dallas on Tuesday and provided a few insights on the negotiation process and what Sasaki might be looking for in a team. The most interesting revelation was Wolfe’s comments about Sasaki’s dealings with the media in Japan and how he may prefer a smaller-market team for that reason.

How high will Ward be drafted in April? / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Stephanie Apstein was in attendance as Roki Sasaki’s agent spoke to the media.

• Here is Tom Verducci’s latest reporting from the winter meetings, including an update on the trade market for White Sox starter Garrett Crochet.

• The most interesting touchdown of the NFL season might have been a one-yard run by Brock Purdy. No, seriously. Let Conor Orr explain why.

• It’s never too early for another NFL mock draft. Daniel Flick’s latest predictions have three quarterbacks going in the top eight.

• After ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Heat would consider trading Jimmy Butler, Liam McKeone put together a list of four destinations that would make sense.

• Here are Michael Fabiano’s weekly fantasy football Start ’Em, Sit ’Em recommendations for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.

The top five…

… things I saw last night:

5. Kyle Connor’s perfect saucer pass assist.
4. The Thunder’s impressive play to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dunk on ​​Goga Bitadze after Bitadze posterized him earlier in the game.
2. Damian Lillard’s driving layup to take the lead late in the Bucks’ win over the Magic.
1. Connor McDavid’s blazing speed to slice through the Lightning defense for a goal.