MLB rumors: Several teams after Jake Odorizzi; Rich Hill focused on joining a contender

Here are Sunday's hot stove rumors

The hot stove is quite cold at the moment, though that should change in the coming days. Friday is the deadline for teams to set their 40-man roster for the Rule 5 Draft and that always brings a bevy of (mostly minor) trades as teams get their roster in order. Here's the latest hot stove news.

Several teams interested in Odorizzi

Free agent right-hander Jake Odorizzi is a popular man this offseason. The Blue Jays, Giants, Mets, and Twins are among the teams to show early interest in Odorizzi, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. An intercostal strain and a blister limited Odorizzi to four ineffective starts with Minnesota in 2020, though he's still only 30, and he was excellent in 2019.

Odorizzi is an analytics darling who knows how to pitch up in the zone and consistently generate weak contact. The Blue Jays, Giants, and Twins are very analytically inclined organizations and the Mets are expected to emphasize analytics under new owner Steve Cohen, so it makes sense that they're in on Odorizzi. Also, he is not attached to draft pick compensation after accepting the qualifying offer last offseason. Our R.J. Anderson ranked Odorizzi the 27th best available free agent.

Hill prioritizing opportunity to win

With his 41st birthday coming up in March, free-agent southpaw Rich Hill is prioritizing an opportunity to win this offseason, he told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Hill went to the World Series with the 2017 and 2018 Dodgers, but is still looking for that elusive ring. Location and being close to home will factor into his decision as well. Here's what Hill told Bradford:

"A lot of things that are going to go into the decision of where we're going to sign this year I think one of them, and one of the big ones, is winning. Understanding that is first and foremost. Also, location. For my family and being able to see the games and have our son around. Just being a part of it is very important." 

Shoulder trouble limited Hill to eight starts with Minnesota this past season. He has not thrown more than 136 innings in a season since 2007, so whichever team signs him will do so knowing he'll miss time, but Hill is always effective when healthy. He represents a quality low-cost depth option for contenders. Hill lives in Massachusetts, so contending teams in the Northeast (Blue Jays, Mets, Phillies, Yankees) made the most sense geographically. Our R.J. Anderson did not rank Hill among his top 60 free agents.

Kim to be posted after Thanksgiving

Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim of the Kiwoon Heroes in Korea will be posted after Thanksgiving, Heroes GM Chi-Hyun Kim told ESPN's Daniel Kim. Once posted, Kim will have 30 days to negotiate and sign a contract with MLB teams. The team that signs him will pay the Heroes a posting fee based on his contract. Here's the posting fee structure:

• $25 million contract or less: 20 percent of contract value
• $25 million to $50 million contract: $5 million plus 17.5 percent of amount over $25 million
• $50 million contract or more: $9.375 million plus 15% of amount over $50 million

Kim, 25, is one of the top two or three players in Korea. He authored a .306/.397/.523 batting line with 30 home runs in 138 games this past season, and the ZiPS projection system pegs him as a 3-4 WAR player in MLB. Earlier this year Baseball America said Kim "projects to be an everyday shortstop who makes an impact on both sides of the ball and on the basepaths."

Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien, and Andrelton Simmons are the best available free agent shortstops this winter. Kim is several years younger than those three and possibly possesses more upside, and could come cheaper as well. If nothing else, he gives shortstop needy teams another option this winter. Shortstops who can hit and defend are always in demand.