Predictably, baseball news has slowed to a crawl during the holidays. The Angels did snag catcher Jonathan Lucroy on a one-year contract Friday, which was the first hot stove action we've had in a few days. At the moment 26 of our top 50 free agents remain unsigned. Spring training is roughly seven weeks away now, so there are still a lot of players who need to sign between now and then.

With that in mind, we're going to keep track of the day's hot stove rumblings right here in this handy post. Make sure you check back often throughout the day for updates.

Astros still interested in Realmuto

The Astros still have interest in Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, reports MLB.com's Jon Morosi. Miami continues to insist on outfielder Kyle Tucker or right-hander Forrest Whitley, two of the top prospects in baseball, as the centerpiece in a trade, however, so talks have not advanced much. The Astros signed Robinson Chirinos to a one-year contract earlier this offseason, but he won't stand in the way of a Realmuto addition.

MLB.com currently ranks Tucker and Whitley as the fifth and eighth best prospects in baseball, respectively. It's not unreasonable for the Marlins to want one of them in a Realmuto trade -- Realmuto is arguably the top catcher in baseball and crazy valuable -- and it's not unreasonable for the Astros to stand their ground either. Perhaps another team will jump into the mix and make a strong offer for Realmuto, forcing Houston to blink. Until then, both sides can be patient.

Keuchel return to Astros a 'slim' chance

In a video tidbit from MLB Network, Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart says a reunion with free agent Dallas Keuchel "certainly could happen" but the chances are "slim." McTaggart mentions that if Keuchel is still a free agent come late January and the market has essentially collapsed, that's when the Astros would likely become involved, if they haven't already added another starting pitcher. 

Keuchel, who turns 31 on New Year's Day, was drafted, developed and so far has spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the Astros. He won a Cy Young and is a two-time All-Star, but he is hitting free agency a few years too late. He was 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 204 2/3 innings last season. He's not an ace and more of a mid-rotation option at this point. 

Astros, Phillies interested in Ray

Both the Astros and the Phillies are "very interested" in trade target left-hander Robbie Ray, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Diamondbacks have already traded Paul Goldschmidt this offseason, so Ray or Zack Greinke seem the likeliest candidates to be next. 

Ray, 27, was an All-Star and finished seventh in Cy Young voting in 2017, but he was 6-2 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.35 WHIP last season while also missing roughly nine starts due to injury. His strikeout rate is still great, but he walked far too many and got hit a lot harder. Any team looking to acquire, though, is counting on a bounce-back season, hopefully to the 2017 level of excellence. He hits free agency after the 2020 season. 

Astros, Mets talking trade

The Mets and Astros have had some trade discussions recently, reports Marc Carig of The Athletic. Houston is known to like righty Seth Lugo, and the Mets are doing background work on the Astros' farm system. Even with Collin McHugh moving back into the rotation, the Astros are still short two starting pitchers because Charlie Morton left as a free agent, Dallas Keuchel could leave as a free agent, and Lance McCullers Jr. will miss 2019 with Tommy John surgery.

Lugo, 29, worked primarily out of the bullpen in 2018, throwing 101 1/3 innings with 103 strikeouts and a 2.66 ERA. It's worth noting the Astros value spin rate highly and Lugo's curveball has posted the highest spin rates in baseball the last three seasons. Here are the top curveball spin rates from 2016-18 (min. 500 curveballs thrown):

  1. Seth Lugo: 3,163 rpm
  2. Ryan Pressly: 3,127 rpm
  3. Chris Stratton: 3,106 rpm
  4. Trevor Cahill: 2,921 rpm
  5. Tyler Chatwood: 2,918 rpm
    (MLB average: 2,492 rpm)

Interestingly enough, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has indicated he'd like to add a veteran starter for depth behind his starting rotation, and Lugo would seemingly qualify. Perhaps the Mets believe they can cash Lugo in as a trade chip, bolster the farm system, and adequately replace his production through free agency.

Mets offered Grandal four years

Prior to signing Wilson Ramos, the Mets offered free agent catcher Yasmani Grandal a four-year contract worth $60 million, reports Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. Once he rejected the offer, they pivoted to Ramos, who signed a two-year deal worth $19 million. Grandal remains unsigned, and with so many teams (Mets, Braves, Nationals, etc.) addressing their catching needs in other ways -- and Realmuto still available on top of that -- his market is dwindling.

Grandal, 30, hit .241/.349/.466 with 24 home runs in 2018 and he's been rated as a top pitch-framer in recent years. He had a miserable postseason on both sides of the ball, no doubt, but few catchers provide as much two-way impact as Grandal. The Athletics, Brewers, Dodgers, and Rockies all jump to mind as contenders in need of catching help, so they stand out as potential Grandal suitors.

O's moving on from Jones?

In a Q&A with fans on MASN Sports, Orioles beat writer Roch Kubatko was asked about the possibility of the Orioles re-signing free agent outfielder Adam Jones and it sounds as though the new brass doesn't have Jones in their plans. 

The five-time All-Star has spent 11 seasons with the Orioles and racked up 305 doubles and 263 homers as an Oriole, but he's headed to his age-34 season while the Orioles are rebuilding. Jones hit .281/.313/.419 with 15 homers and 63 RBI last season. He also has started transitioning to a corner outfield spot as his metrics in center field have collapsed.