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10:52 p.m.: One of the top free agents, Jay Bruce, is drawing interest from several teams.
7:37 p.m.: The Texas Rangers aren’t the only team that’s interested in Matt Harvey, apparently.
3:37 p.m.: Here’s an interesting New York Mets-Texas Rangers rumor about two former uber-prospects, who, for one reason or another, haven’t yet put it all together.
3:35 p.m.: Don’t forget about Yu Darvish, arguably the top available pitcher on the free agent market.
2:55 p.m.: Giancarlo Stanton’s contract allows him to opt out following the 2020 season, but that doesn’t seem like an option, at least not at the moment.
2:40 p.m.: Giancarlo Stanton officially is a member of the New York Yankees.
2:05 p.m.: The Yankees might not be done.
If New York was able to add a pitcher like Cole, it would be a huge get. Starting pitching remains the only real question mark for the Yankees, and while Cole is coming off a couple of down seasons, he still has some terrific stuff and could be an impact arm.
1:20 p.m.: If nothing else, it seems like there will be no shortage of reliever activity in Orlando. A good chunk of Monday’s news centered around bullpen arms, and it sounds like the market is picking up for All-Star right-hander Brandon Kintzler.
12:50 p.m.: The market for Giancarlo Stanton wasn’t very big, according to Derek Jeter.
11:50 a.m.: Carlos Santana lurks, and he figures to be a potentially valuable alternative for a team who gets beat out on a player like Eric Hosmer.
10:04 a.m.: Imagine Manny Machado in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform?
9:57 a.m.: The New York Yankees have a logjam in the outfield, and they just reportedly agreed to take on $265 million of Giancarlo Stanton’s contract, which means someone like Jacoby Ellsbury is left in limbo. It appears Ellsbury could be on the trade block, but there’s a wrinkle.
The money and perhaps, more importantly, the no-trade clause will make Ellsbury difficult to move, but as Ken Rosenthal points out, the Yankees could sweeten the pot to move him.
9:50 a.m.: The Boston Red Sox are expected to add a power bat, although it’s unknown whether they’ll do so through free agency or trade. If it’s the latter, Jackie Bradley Jr.’s run with the club soon could be over, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.
8:35 a.m.: Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the Baltimore Orioles are in need of starting pitching help. The O’s appear to be making that a priority this winter, and interestingly enough, New York Mets starter Matt Harvey could be on the radar.
8 a.m.: The St. Louis Cardinals have to start picking up the pieces after Giancarlo Stanton vetoed a trade that would have sent him to The Gateway City. Apparently, the Cards will look to upgrade the bullpen, and they have Tampa Bay Rays closer Alex Colome in view, but they aren’t alone, per USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.
7:45 a.m. ET: After weeks of inactivity, Major League Baseball’s offseason kicked it into high gear over the weekend.
The biggest dominoes that needed to fall did indeed topple, first on Friday when Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Less than 24 hours later, the New York Yankees swooped in and worked out a deal with the Miami Marlins for reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton.
In the month since the World Series ended, there wasn’t much activity at all across baseball. Most figured teams (and players) were waiting on Ohtani and Stanton deals to happen. With those moves done, the baseball world turns its attention to the annual winter meetings which begin in earnest Monday in Orlando.
It’s there we’ll likely really see the pursuit of free agents like J.D. Martinez or Yu Darvish start to intensify. Plenty of eyes will be on Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. He’s never been one to sit on his hands, and the Yankees’ blockbuster acquisition of Stanton might lead Dombrowski and the Sox to return serve.
We’ll have updates all throughout the day, so be sure to check back often for the latest.
