Author: Passion MLB

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Braves (already) let Alek Manoah become a free agent

Today was the deadline for what is known as contract tender .

Basically, players who are eligible for arbitration (i.e. not experienced enough for full autonomy) have their club retain their rights by being offered a slightly higher salary than the year before. It’s the same principle as a free agent WITH restrictions in the NHL.

A player in this position who is not offered such a contract automatically becomes a free agent and can sign with the club of his choice. This happens when a guy is no longer good enough or costs too much for the value of the offer to be made.

The Blue Jays, for example, had four guys in that position (Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement, Eric Lauer and Tyler Heineman) and all four were offered contracts. #Formality

The Rangers, meanwhile, let go of two big guys who won the 2023 World Series: Jonah Heim and 2023 Series hero Adolis Garcia. Both earned too much for a club that has to trim the fat.

So they’re free as a bird.

And it’s interesting to note that the Atlanta Braves, who recently acquired Alek Manoah from the Blue Jays, didn’t make that offer to the American pitcher.

The result? He’s a free agent.

One wonders if this was done to free himself from his assigned value through the process in an attempt to sign him for less. But if so, it’s a risk since the pitcher can sign with the other 29 MLB clubs.

To be continued.

PMLB
  • Yankees let five players go.

  • Orioles want pitchers.

  • Dodgers president to give Lakers a hand.

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MLB en bref : Tarik Skubal ne veut pas être échangé | Jazz Chisholm Jr. et son avenir

Tarik Skubal ne veut pas être échangé

Il est tanné des rumeurs.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. et son avenir

Va-t-il rester à New York à long terme?

Brendan Donovan, à surveiller

Il est polyvalent défensivement et frappe de la gauche.

Huit millions de dollars pour Jonathan India

Il reste à KC.

James McCann, lui, reste en Arizona.

Pas de tests physiques pour Grayson Rodriguez avant d’être échangé

Ce n’est pas anormal.

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Yankees: Brian Cashman says he has financial flexibility

Brian Cashman won’t say it publicly, but he must have been caught a little off guard when Trent Grisham accepted the qualifying offer of over $22 million.

Officially, the GM says he potentially expected him to take it. But in reality… I have my doubts.

I doubt it because Cashman has to deal with an owner who wants a smaller payroll than in 2025. The club would like to go under the $300M mark, according to what’s circulating… which makes sense, when you know that Hal Steinbrenner has already said it’s unsustainable to stay above it.

So I doubt Cashman really expected Grisham to get his lot up to $281M before all the other personnel moves of the current off-season. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tabled the offer.

At this point, when the club needs help on the mound and absolutely must find a way to bring Cody Bellinger back to town, Cashman will have no choice but to find a way to raise the payroll beyond his boss’s desire.

I’m not surprised to hear Cashman say he believes he has financial flexibility, then. Same thing when he says Grisham won’t stand in the way of going fishing for Bellinger.

Under the circumstances, the Yankees will have no choice but to adapt to the reality that Grisham is one of the organization’s highest earners in 2026. That raises the bar.

Cashman has talked to every star on the autonomy market, and he’s going to store among the cream of the crop. So yes, he has flexibility… but no, he didn’t see Grisham’s contract coming.

And yes, he’s going to anger his boss, in my opinion, by spending more than expected.

Speaking of Cashman, kudos to him for sleeping out again yesterday to raise money for homelessness. He’s been doing it once a year for years.

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Corey Seager: the Yankees must make up for past mistakes

As recently as Thursday, we learned that the Texas Rangers wanted to reduce their payroll and that Corey Seager could be a candidate to find himself under other skies, as he is due to receive nearly $190 million over the next six years.

The shortstop does have a no-trade clause, however, and the Atlanta Braves are known to be on it.

The New York Yankees, for their part, would not be among the teams for which Seager does not want to play, according to Evan Grant of Dallasnews.com. So it’s time for the Bombardiers to make up for their mistake of a few years ago, when they turned their nose up at the 31-year-old to make room for Anthony Volpe.

After Volpe’s very disappointing season, the Yankees could take the opportunity to revamp the number six position. The former World Series MVP could also solidify an offensive line-up that performed well in 2025, but needs some meat around the bone that is captain Aaron Judge.

Keep in mind that if Bronx officials pick up most of the remainder of Seager’s contract, the package in return for his services will be significantly less than a situation where money isn’t a factor.

Texas could use the opportunity to bolster its pitching staff and depth on the mound with, among others, Bryce Cunningham, the fifth prospect in the New York organization. The same goes for the Yankees’ 2024 first-round pick, Ben Hess.

A forward (Volpe, Jose Caballero or Ryan McMahon) could also end up in Texas to make room for Seager and, later, young George Lombard Jr.

For now, it’s still unclear if and when the Rangers will move to reduce their payroll, but if the man sacrificed is Seager, the Yankees must be knocking on the door.

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Framber Valdez: the Mets are not interested

After a more than disappointing 2025 season, when they failed to make the playoffs, the New York Mets are expected to be very active on the free agent market, especially in order to fill their main gap on the mound.

However, according to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Queens representatives are not interested in one of the top three pitchers available, former Houston Astros Framber Valdez.

They’ll pass. We know that David Stearns’ philosophy is to develop his own gunners and not go out and get an ace pitcher on the market. He may be flexible about that at some point, but Framber Valdez is the wrong man.

Martino also noted that Valdez was present at general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas to meet with interested teams. However, the Mets were not among the teams that met with the 32-year-old, confirming that they simply aren’t inclined to acquire his services.

The Mets’ disinterest in the left-hander may seem surprising for a team in desperate need of quality starting pitchers, but it sure seems like they have some concerns about him.

In fact, the Mets were very interested in Valdez until September, when he intentionally threw a fastball off catcher Cesar Salazar’s chest after a signal mishap and a home run.

Whether because of the controversy or the cost and duration of a potential pact (we’re talking about a seven-year deal worth close to $200 million), it seems clear that Stearns and the Mets won’t be in the Valdez derby.

The New York outfit can then fall back on Dylan Cease, Ranger Suarez and Japanese outfielder Tatsuya Imai on the open market.

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Kyle Schwarber opened the door for the Reds

If Kyle Schwarber signs anywhere but Pennsylvania, it will be a surprise. And when I say Pennsylvania, I don’t mean Pittsburgh, since that would be quite a surprise.

But even so, Schwarber is currently a free agent. So it’s possible that he could, in fact, sign elsewhere.

And ultimately, his job right now is to raise the stakes. So he can’t close any doors to make his market as robust as possible this winter.

And of the lot, the Reds’ bid is one to keep in mind.

We don’t expect the Cincinnati club to be at the head of the queue, given that the Reds don’t spend as much as others and aren’t the “sexiest” team on the circuit.

But Cincinnati needs help on the forward line, and Schwarber is a little guy from Ohio. That’s why nobody wants the Reds out of the picture.

And that’s even if no one considers them to be the favorites.

It’s worth noting that the choice hitter gave an interview while in his hometown. He confessed to wanting to spend more time in Ohio for the rest of his life.

Of course, there’s nothing to stop Schwarber from moving to his neck of the woods once he retires. But if his statement can put pressure on the Phillies, it may help his cause.

To be continued.

PMLB
  • The Trop is fixed.

  • Kodai Senga: he’s in demand.

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Shohei Ohtani: a gesture that shows he had no respect for Mike Shildt

Shohei Ohtani, as we know, is a guy who has a ton of respect for baseball. He’s often seen showing his respect to officials, for example, but also to his opponents.

It’s central to baseball culture in Japan, and it shows when you see his standard-bearer on the field.

A good example of this is his first at-bat of the game. Each time, he looks towards the dugout as he approaches the mound, and makes a motion with his helmet to show his respect for the opposing team.

But this year, something has changed: Ohtani has stopped doing this, but only against one team.

We’re talking about the San Diego Padres, led by manager Mike Shildt.

In fact, Ohtani stopped doing it after a game against the Padres during the year where he got hit with a quick in the back. He handled it well at the time, but it was from that moment on that he stopped this sign of respect towards the Padres.

We know there’s a big rivalry between the two clubs (whatever Max Muncy thinks), but obviously it goes deeper than that. Ohtani obviously feels that the Padres (especially Mike Shildt) disrespected him at the time, and respect is mutual.

It will be interesting to see how all this plays out in 2026, given that Shildt is no longer the Padres’ manager and Suarez is a free agent. But what we can assume is that the first game will say a lot about what Ohtani thinks of the Padres’ 2026 edition.

Does he have a beef with new manager Craig Stammen? Find out in a few months.

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MLB en bref : Erik Swanson à la retraite | Les Cubs sous le choc

Erik Swanson à la retraite

L’ancien des Blue Jays passe à autre chose.

Les Cubs sous le choc

Ils ne croyaient pas que Shota Imanaga allait accepter l’offre qualificative. Ça change les plans à Chicago.

Pas le choix d’échanger Tarik Skubal dès maintenant?

Le dossier est complexe.

Contrat pour Connor Wong

Il gagnera au moins 1.375 M$ en 2026. Ce n’était qu’une formalité à Boston.

Deux joueurs de plus officiellement disponibles

Kazuma Okamoto et Kona Takahashi peuvent maintenant signer dans la MLB. Ils ont jusqu’au 4 janvier.

Les projets des Red Sox

Ils veulent développer des lanceurs.

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Corey Seager: the Braves are on his no-trade list

Four years ago, Corey Seager left the Los Angeles Dodgers to sign a $325 million contract with the Rangers.

Although Seager is often injured, his presence in town has helped the Rangers reach the World Series. He is recognized as an excellent player.

But even so, we know that the Rangers are starting to have money problems and want to reduce their payroll.

This prompted me to suggest that the Mets call Texas to see if Jacob deGrom could be a solution to the New York club’s problems on the mound… and now, for the first time, the door has been opened for Seager.

In his paper of the day, Ken Rosenthal explained that Seager could theoretically be an option for the Braves, but that the Georgia club was, according to sources, one of eight teams in his no-trade clause.

Well, well…

It’s important to know that Ken Rosenthal doesn’t mince his words. If he brought it up, it’s probably because there’s a world in which Seager is traded from Texas.

I don’t know if the Braves, who are careful with their money, would really take the $186M left on his contract when his future seems to be at third base in the medium term… but hey.

Note also that a clause can be lifted. It’s to Seager’s advantage to put clubs that can pick him up on his list, given that it gives him the power to say yes or no. There’s no need to put the A’s on the list. No need to put the A’s or the Rays, for example: those clubs can’t afford him.

To be continued.

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Rumor Corner: No bidding war for the Dodgers

An outfielder… but not at any price

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on the case of Kyle Tucker. They’re also on the case of Cody Bellinger (their former player) as the California outfit needs help in the outfield.

But in either case, the Dodgers aren’t ready to get into a bidding war to get their hands on either of the two guys in question.

Much like the Juan Soto deal last year, the Dodgers will be there… but they’re not going all out to sign a top outfielder. They’re not desperate either.

But they’re worth keeping an eye on.

Keep an eye on the Orioles

By the way, in Tucker’s case, there’s one club that shouldn’t be taken lightly, according to Ken Rosenthal: president Mike Elias’ Baltimore Orioles. He knew Tucker in Houston…

I don’t think the Orioles will offer enough money to sign with a club with such a weak pitching staff… but we’ll keep that in mind, regardless.

Devin Williams and the Yankees

Also according to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are considering, internally, the possibility of signing Devin Williams. You know, the guy who changed the rules for beards, got booed for his performance and became a free agent?

Obviously, other clubs are on his case (and I expect to see him leave New York) right now, but it’s interesting that the Bronx club has its nose in the case.

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