MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Hoping For Meeting With Manny Machado
The Winter Meetings are less than two weeks away, and it is expected that most of the blockbuster deals that could happen will during the week in Las Vegas.
Teams are willing to offer big paydays for needed replacements and reinforcements, with Bryce Harper and Manny Machado expected to take home the largest paydays this offseason.
While waiting for those sluggers to come off the market, the starting pitching hot stove is heating up. The Yankees sturck the biggest blow last week trading for Seattle Mariners starter James Paxton, and could look to add another starter or two to bolster their rotation.
Here's all of the latest rumors and transactions around baseball:
• The Phillies are reportedly considering signing a major free agent before stars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado make their decisions. Philadelphia is assessing pitchers Patrick Corbin, Nathan Eovaldi and Craig Kimbrel, among other candidates. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)
• The Diamondbacks are "intent" on dealing All–Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Arizona has reportedly made progress in trading him. (Buster Olney, ESPN)
• The Phillies have reportedly contacted the Diamondbacks about Goldschmidt. The clubs discussed a trade package that featured pitcher Zach Eflin and other young players, but reportedly fell apart when Philadelphia attempted to include first baseman Carlos Santana in the deal. (Jayson Stark, The Athletic)
• The Braves are reportedly close to finalizing a one-year deal with third baseman Josh Donaldson. The deal is reportedly worth $23 million. (Steve Phillips, MLB Network; Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
• The Mariners have reportedly contacted both the Yankees and Mets about potentially trading second baseman Robinson Cano. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
• The Yankees and Mariners reportedly discussed potentially swapping Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury, but talks broke down when New York asked for Seattle to include "significant cash" in addition to Cano. (Kyle Schnitzer, New York Post)
• Catcher Brian McCann has reportedly agreed to a contract with the Braves, with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his career. (Mark Bowman, MLB.com)
• The Braves reportedly attempted to land Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto last winter, and balked when Miami asked Ronald Acuna Jr. be included in a potential deal. Atlanta pursued McCann instead of waiting for the Marlins' asking price for Realmuto to drop. (Buster Olney, ESPN)
• Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner says he is still hoping for a 'face to face' meeting with Manny Machado to address hustle comments. (YES Network)
• The Dodgers, Nationals and Twins have reportedly had preliminary talks with representatives for free-agent second baseman D.J. LeMahieu. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)
• The Angels are pursuing pitching this offseason, and have shown interest in free agents Nathan Eovaldi and J.A. Happ, (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)
• The Tigers are reportedly targeting free-agent shortstops, including Alcides Escobar, Freddy Galvis, Jordy Mercer and Adeiny Hevavarría. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)
• The Twins reportedly claimed first baseman C.J. Cron, who was designated for assignement by the Rays last week. (Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times)
• Mariners closer Edwin Diaz is drawing trade interest from the Braves and Phillies. Diaz led the major leagues with 57 saves in 2018. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)
• Adam Jones says he wants to play four to five more years. Jones has spent the last 11 years with the Baltimore Orioles. (Roch Kubatko, MASN)
