Major League Baseball’s winter meetings are scheduled to begin on Sunday, Dec. 7. Teams still have a work week to make moves beforehand, however, and business seems to be picking up. Last week alone saw free-agent right-hander Dylan Cease join the Blue Jays on a seven-year pact, as well as the Red Sox acquire veteran righty Sonny Gray in a trade with the Cardinals. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all the latest moves and murmurs from around the league in one handy spot.
Phillies remain favorite for Schwarber
Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber remains one of the most popular free agents on the market because of his established offensive track record and the likelihood that he requires fewer years than Kyle Tucker. The Phillies remain the odds-on favorite to retain Schwarber, but the Red Sox, Reds, Mets, and other teams remain in pursuit, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
CBS Sports recently ranked Schwarber as the fifth-best free agent in the class, writing the following:
All Schwarber does is hit. The catch is, well, all Schwarber does is hit. He has negative defensive and positional value, and the obvious comparisons to David Ortiz miss a key consideration: Ortiz didn’t have extreme swing-and-miss tendencies. It’s reasonable to wonder if Schwarber will age as gracefully as Ortiz did. Those questions may impact the term (Ortiz himself maxed out at four years around this part of his career), but there’s no doubting Schwarber’s ability to make an immediate impact. He has both the high-end bat speed and elite plate discipline to regularly perform 30% or better than the league-average hitter. Those traits ought to hold for at least a few more years, making him one of the top free agents in this class.
Passan adds that Schwarber is the likeliest of the top free agents to sign first.
Ragans not ‘off limits’ in trade
The Royals are willing to trade a starting pitcher for an outfielder, and that means they’re open to entertaining scenarios involving left-hander Cole Ragans.
“I wouldn’t say off limits,” general manager J.J. Picollo told the Boston Globe when asked if anyone in his rotation was excluded from a potential deal. “There would have to be a really big return for one [starter] in particular.”
Picollo added that the Royals would prefer to retain right-handers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha after both remained with the club beyond their initial contracts. Kansas City’s rotation also includes lefty Kris Bubic, another popular trade candidate who is entering his walk year.
Ragans, 28 later this month, isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2028 campaign. In 57 starts with the Royals, he’s amassed a 3.32 ERA (126 ERA+) and a 3.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He missed more than three months after straining his rotator cuff in June. In 13 outings last season, he tallied an 88 ERA+ and a 4.90 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Red Sox and Yankees are two clubs who could look to trade from their outfield depth charts.
Senga wants to stay with Mets
Right-hander Kodai Senga has told the Mets he would prefer to stay with the organization instead of being traded elsewhere, according to The Athletic. Senga’s contract stipulates that he has limited no-trade protection, allowing him to block deals to 10 clubs. Otherwise, the Mets are under no obligation to honor his desires to remain in place.
Senga, 33 come January, has compiled a 3.00 ERA (137 ERA+) and a 2.41 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 52 career starts. He did miss nearly the entire 2024 campaign, though, and he didn’t perform as well down the stretch last season, accumulating a 5.90 ERA and a 1.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his final nine starts.
Senga is under contract through the 2027 season for $14 million annually, with a club option worth $15 million for the 2028 season that hinges on his health. Those terms make him an attractive quantity to teams seeking a lower-priced starting pitcher given the state of the free-agent market.
Blue Jays seeking more relief help
The Blue Jays added one established arm to their staff last week, inking starter Dylan Cease to a seven-year deal. Toronto is now seeking some bullpen help in the personage of righty Pete Fairbanks, according to The Athletic.
Fairbanks, 32 in a matter of weeks, was a surprising late addition to the free-agent class after the Rays declined their end of an option. Last season represented the first time he logged more than 50 innings in a season. His 24.2% strikeout rate represented the second-lowest figure of his career, even if he still managed a 145 ERA+ and 27 saves.
Fairbanks is also drawing interest from the Marlins, among other clubs.
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