If Sonny Gray's three-year, $75 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals is any indication, it's that the starting pitching market is active this MLB offseason. And lucrative. And that will only continue in the coming days and weeks.
There are growing indications that free agency will continue to become more active ahead of the Winter Meetings, and that more starting pitchers – and possibly a mix of hitters – could come off the board in the next week. Here's more of what I'm hearing, via major-league sources.
Starting pitching market
The starting pitching market remains the most active part of the offseason, according to major-league sources, and it would hardly be a surprise if more deals were completed over the next week leading into the winter meetings.
Among the names to watch are Eduardo Rodriguez, Lucas Giolito and many of the mid-tier arms. They are garnering plenty of interest, sources say, and if the Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson deals are any indication, the market for starting pitching is lucrative.
Among the teams in the market for starting pitching, league sources say, include the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels and Pittsburgh Pirates. There are more, of course, in a market that has seemingly put the position player market on pause besides a few exceptions.
St. Louis Cardinals aren't done
Entering this offseason, the St. Louis Cardinals made it clear that upgrading the starting rotation was their top priority. They have since delivered, signing Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson and Sonny Gray to fill three spots in the rotation.
And they aren't done.
I would not rule out another starting pitching addition. After all, their rotation needs as many reinforcements as possible, and they should not stop at Gray (a very good arm) and Lynn and Gibson, who are both 36. They need as much help as possible. They should also pursue bullpen arms to fortify the late innings.
They also have to navigate their outfield logjam, where both Tyler O'Neill and Dylan Carlson are among the players drawing trade interest. It would not be a surprise if one of them got traded, though it's unclear who could be interested. It should be worth noting that Carlson was of interest to the New York Yankees at the trade deadline, among other teams.
Bo Bichette trade talk
There have been a few reports in recent weeks that the Blue Jays are open to moving Bo Bichette in trade talks. My understanding is that a trade should be considered unlikely.
The reasons: Bichette is among baseball's best young shortstops. He's also signed to an affordable multi-year contract that allows the Blue Jays to add high-priced pieces around him. He's a player that the Blue Jays should build around, not trade, and it seems like that's the direction they are likely headed in.
It's very possible that Toronto is listening on Bichette and inquiries on all of its players. That's how each team operates. It's never a bad idea to listen to gauge what's out there and to see if you can be blown away with an offer. But it's very unlikely that the Blue Jays trade Bichette, especially as they reportedly pursue Shohei Ohtani.
