The hot stove is heating up. The Cardinals signed Sonny Gray to a three-year contract on Monday, adding him to a rebuilt rotation that will include fellow free agent additions Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. MLB's Winter Meetings will take place next week in Nashville, kicking off, historically, the busiest four days of the offseason. Things are really about to pick up. Here now are Tuesday's hot stove rumors.
Blue Jays getting calls on Bichette, Guerrero
The Blue Jays are getting calls about shortstop Bo Bichette and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., reports The Athletic. Toronto is receiving calls about the duo more than actively shopping them. Bichette and Guerrero are both scheduled to become free agents following the 2025 season. Neither has come to terms on a long-term extension yet.
Toronto is in it to win it and replacing Bichette and Guerrero would be very difficult, particularly Bichette. The free agent market is devoid of quality middle infielders -- our top ranked free agent middle infielder is Tim Anderson -- and the 25-year-old Bichette is a career .299/.340/.487 hitter. It never hurts to listen, though the asking prices for Bichette and Guerrero figure to be sky high.
Cubs, Reds active in pitcher trade talks
The NL Central rival Cubs and Reds are active in trade talks involving starting pitchers, reports MLB.com. Specifically, both clubs are pursuing Guardians righty Shane Bieber and Rays righty Tyler Glasnow. Bieber and Glasnow are both one year away from free agency and both ranked among our top 25 trade candidates.
The Cubs must re-sign or replace Marcus Stroman, who opted out of his contract, and the up-and-coming Reds badly need a veteran starter to lead a young rotation that will include Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, and Nick Lodolo, among others. That said, in a thin free agent class, Chicago and Cincinnati will have plenty of competition for Bieber and Glasnow.
Red Sox looking to add pitching via trades
The Red Sox are known to want multiple starters this offseason, and they are attempting to address their pitching needs through trades before dipping into free agency, reports MassLive.com. Brewers ace Corbin Burnes, White Sox righty Dylan Cease, and Athletics righty Paul Blackburn all rank among our top 25 trade candidates, in addition to the aforementioned Bieber and Glasnow.
The only locks for Boston's 2024 rotation are the impressive Brayan Bello and also Chris Sale, who has not been healthy and effective in the same season since 2018. Depth options include Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, and Garrett Whitlock. Clearly, the Red Sox need at least one more reliable source of innings, and really more like two or three.
Yankees holding No. 18 for Yamamoto?
According to SNY, the Yankees have intentionally withheld No. 18 so they can offer it to Japanese righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto. No. 18 was Yamamoto's number with the Orix Buffaloes and has traditionally been the "ace" number in Japan, though it does change over time. No. 11 was the "ace" number when Yu Darvish played in Japan, and he's worn No. 11 in MLB whenever available.
No Yankee has worn No. 18 since Andrew Benintendi in 2022. Masahiro Tanaka wore No. 19 with the Yankees because, when he joined the team, Hiroki Kuroda was wearing No. 18. Needless to say, money will play the largest role in Yamamoto's decision. Being able to offer No. 18 is nice gesture but not something that swing the odds in New York's favor. Yamamoto is the top starter available this offseason. His 45-day posting window closes at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 4.
