Here are your hot stove rumors for Monday, Jan. 27
Here are your hot stove rumors for Monday, Jan. 27
In mere weeks, spring training camps will open across Arizona and Florida. However, there are still plenty of free agents waiting to sign and trade candidates waiting to move, and as such there will be no shortage of activity between now and the start of camp. Speaking of all that, here now are Monday’s hot stove rumors.
Increasingly, signs point to the possibility of the Houston Astros bringing back free-agent infielder (and Astros lifer) Alex Bregman. The club cleared some payroll space by reportedly agreeing to trade reliever Ryan Pressly to the Chicago Cubs, and Jose Altuve appears willing to move to the outfield to make room for Bregman in an infield that already includes new acquisitions Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker. However, The Athletic’s Chandler Rome is here to pump the brakes just a bit:
This could be a simple case of “expectations management” coming out of the front office, as they don’t want paying customers to assume that a Bregman return to Houston is a fait accompli. While the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and perhaps Toronto Blue Jays are among the teams with interest in Bregman, a return to Houston seems to be the most likely outcome. “Most likely,” however, does not mean inevitable, even if the Pressly trade has the potential for a domino effect.
D-backs not done
The Arizona Diamondbacks this winter have inked Corbin Burnes to a contract worth more than $200 million and also replaced free agent Christian Walker with Josh Naylor in a trade with Cleveland. Add those talents to an already strong roster, and you have a contender. Snakes lead decision-maker Mike Hazen, however, may not be done fortifying his club. Here’s this from AZ Central’s Nick Piecoro:
“Hazen still wants to add a late-inning option to his bullpen — preferably a closer — and a right-handed bat to his position-player group.”
A reunion with Randal Grichuk, who was highly productive as a lefty masher last year for Arizona, seems like a strong possibility. On the bullpen front, the D-backs are looking to replace closer Paul Sewald, who not long ago signed with the Guardians. High-leverage arms still on the free-agent market include Carlos Estevez, Kenley Jansen, and David Robertson, among others. St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley is of course an appealing trade target, but the Cardinals may be inclined to keep him in the fold for now and re-evaluate his market leading up to the trade deadline.