Author: Passion MLB

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MLB en bref : Adolis Garcia à Pittsburgh? | Marcus Semien croit en son potentiel

Adolis Garcia à Pittsburgh?

Ce serait un pari logique pour les Pirates.

Marcus Semien croit en son potentiel

Il pense pouvoir en donner encore pas mal offensivement parlant.

Bo Bichette et les Dodgers

Il pourrait faire la différence là-bas.

Mike Shildt à Baltimore

Il a un poste au développement des joueurs. Sa retraite a été de courte durée.

Et Brandon Hyde s’en va dans l’organisation des Rays.

Paul O’Neill n’a pas le cancer

La rumeur avait circulé.

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Anthony Rendon and the Angels negotiate the retirement of the unloved

Anthony Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with Anaheim after the 2019 season. That’s exactly the same contract as Stephen Strasburg, in effect.

Which is worse? Hard to say.

And in reality, both contracts (negotiated by Scott Boras) could end the same way. Strasburg managed to negotiate his retirement with the Nationals in 2024…

And now Rendon is doing the same thing. The Angels and the player are negotiating a buyout.

If Rendon is too unwell to play in 2026 (which is likely, he who didn’t play in 2025 due to a hip injury), he could just choose to stay home without helping the Angels and collecting the $38M the club owes him in 2026. He would have the right to do that.

Negotiating his buyout (and ultimately, his retirement) probably means he’s open to deferring money into the future to help the Angels spend more now.

If so, it’s a nice gesture on his part. The only nice gesture he’s made since 2020, like…

Rendon, who doesn’t like baseball, has been a horrible player for the Angels since the 2021 season. He’s brought nothing to the club, aside from his poor performances and ass attitude.

He’s one of the most detestable players in baseball. Nobody is really going to miss the man who had a good reputation among fans of the Washington Nationals, where he won the World Series.

I don’t think people are going to miss him.

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Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies are not close to an agreement

The consensus for months has been that everyone expects Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies to reach an agreement on the terms of a new contract.

The guy loves playing in Philly and the people there love him. Plus, the Phillies aren’t afraid to spend.

We know he’s the #1 priority in Pennsylvania (I’m talking about the Phillies, obviously… even if the Pirates have their noses in the matter) since Schwarber hits hard and is a good leader of men.

But how well are negotiations going?

According to Todd Zolecki, who covers Phillies activities for MLB, Schwarber and the club aren’t close to an agreement right now. Nothing really seems imminent.

The club’s fans (and management) will have to be patient for the time being.

Of course, this isn’t exactly out of the ordinary. After all, at this point in the off-season, only Josh Naylor (Mariners) has signed a contract worth mentioning. It’s still early days.

Normally, it’s around winter training (starting December 8) that things get a little busier in the baseball world.

But we’re highlighting it anyway, since he’s THE star free agent most likely to return with his 2025 club. In some ways, it’s reminiscent of Freddie Freeman with the Braves four years ago.

But then, everyone remembers that it didn’t end well for Freeman with his hometown club. And that’s why a team like the Red Sox must be salivating when they see that the Phillies and designated hitter are far from a deal. #Prospects

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Big pitcher in Toronto: MLB executives believe in it

The Toronto Blue Jays will no doubt be looking to get their hands on a hitter. Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette are names that come up a lot in town, of course.

But the priority is a top-notch starter who won’t be around for just one year.

Remember that in a year’s time, Jose Berrios could use his opt-out to become a free agent. Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber will be out of contract in a year.

So you need stability.

And clearly, it’s been noticed, but the word is out in Major League Baseball. I say this because 16 of the league’s executives were asked about a number of hot topics in the baseball world… and starting pitchers are one of them.

In light of the results, it’s clear that people think the Blue Jays have a good chance of signing a big name on the mound, as we can read in this ESPN piece on November 26.

Of the 14 or 15 executives who answered the poll’s “where will this player sign? question, five are sending Framber Valdez to Toronto, three believe Dylan Cease will sign with the Blue Jays and three think Ranger Suarez will end up in the Queen City.

So Toronto is these people’s favorite city for the controversial Framber Valdez. And remember, people only give one answer per player, not a top-5 team, for example.

People in the business don’t necessarily seem to believe in Tucker (the Yankees name comes up a lot in the discussion) in Toronto as much as in a top-tier pitcher. I can see where that comes from.

Tatsuya Imai is also a possibility.

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Red Sox now focus on offense

Just yesterday lunchtime (Tuesday), the Boston Red Sox addressed one of their shortcomings by acquiring pitcher Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals.

And it looks like that’s enough on the mound for the Low Reds, at least for now. Indeed, while further additions of starting pitchers are possible, Chris Cotillo of MassLive and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic say Boston will now focus their attention on adding an impact hitter.

For his part, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow of course leaves the door open for another major move in the starting rotation, but reiterates the Sox’ interest in strengthening the offensive lineup.

We had been pretty transparent about our willingness to add to the rotation and our willingness to add a bat on the position player side. It’s impossible to know exactly what the order of operations will be. So I don’t think it’s an opportunity that limits all options and that I’m only looking at position players, but I also think there’s a chance that this will find its way into the discussion fields in the coming weeks.

We can therefore conclude that the rumours sending Joe Ryan or Tarik Skubal to Massachusetts can be put on ice for the time being.

As for position players, we don’t expect the Red Sox to be in the Kyle Tucker derby, given that they already have a surplus of outfielders. Instead, we’re thinking of names like Pete Alonso, Eugenio Suarez, Munetaka Murakami, Bo Bichette and Kyle Schwarber, not to mention a possible return of Alex Bregman.

Forward corners will obviously be a priority with Triston Casas returning from a major knee injury and clearly not the solution at first cushion.

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Blue Jays: Max Scherzer talks (really) like someone who wants to come back

In 2025, Max Scherzer wore a Blue Jays uniform. The veteran, in his 18th MLB season, decided to pitch north of the border instead of retiring.

Even though he (really) had nothing left to prove on a baseball field.

And while he didn’t have a perfect season (whether due to injury or ugly outings), he really stepped up in the playoffs. He gave his club three good starts, including the one in game #7 of the World Series.

However, the 41-year-old is a free agent at the time of writing, so there’s a world in which he could change address for 2026.

And when you listen to him talk, as he did on Leafs Morning Take yesterday, you hear someone who really doesn’t seem to want to leave Toronto.

What’s clear is that Scherzer still talks about the Blue Jays as if he were a member of the organization. And he isn’t: he could sign with anyone at any time.

He explains that “from our point of view, we hope everyone will be back next year”. No, that doesn’t exactly sound like a guy who wants to get on the first plane to a new destination.

We know that Scherzer, at 41, probably has different priorities than many free agents. At his age, being in a situation where he can win and where he knows he’s comfortable is probably worth more than the few million extra another team could offer him.

No, that doesn’t mean he’ll definitely be back. But when you listen to him talk, you get the feeling that the chances are, shall we say, pretty good.

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Cardinals could pay Nolan Arenado to stay home

The Cardinals begin a new era.

The deal that sent Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox proves that, yes, Chaim Bloom must start at the bottom again with the Cardinals.

We suspected it, but now it’s clearer than ever: the Cards will take the next few years to rebuild.

We know that Willson Contreras has a chance of staying, but that Nolan Arenado’s chances of freeing up a third-cushion spot in St. Louis are really good.

The guy is more likely than ever to leave, and everyone has said so publicly. But the problem is, under current conditions, it wouldn’t be surprising to see several teams simply pass on him.

And if that’s the case, don’t expect Arenado to stay in Missouri. Even though he’s still due $37M from the Cards in 24 months, Buster Olney raised the possibility of St. Louis releasing him before the start of the 2026 season. Wow.

When a reputable journalist raises a theory like this, it’s not by chance. I’m not saying it’s going to happen… but it’s possible.

Contracts are guaranteed in baseball, which means that the club (which will do anything to trade him with a huge salary holdback before cutting him) would give him tens of millions of dollars to stay home.

And from there, another team could offer him the minimum salary for the 2026 season.

Arenado can already control his destiny via his no-trade clause (he did so last winter by saying NO to the Astros, among others), but being a free agent, he could control his destiny even more by signing at a discount with the club of his choice.

That said, if he were to be traded, it would not only be less hard on his pride, he’d have two guaranteed years on his contract… and he’d be a lot harder to release, if need be.

Cutting a guy at minimum wage isn’t a difficult decision. Cutting him from his big contract is.

It’s a shame it’s come to this with Arenado, who’s still good defensively, but doesn’t really hit well anymore. He’s likely to be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day, and he’s always wanted to stay in St. Louis – even to the point of staying at a discount a few years ago.

In fact, right now, the Cards must be thanking God he didn’t sign an even bigger contract three years ago…

I wonder, no matter how he changes address, what kind of role he’d be willing to take on. Does he want to play every day? Would he like to take on a bench role to give himself a chance of winning a ring?

These are the questions that arise for the man whose star has unfortunately faded recently.

PMLB
  • Kevin Kiermaier gets a lot of calls to help outfielders from different teams.

  • One more spot on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster.

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MLB en bref : Les Blue Jays dans le trouble? | Un gros montant pour Paul Skenes

Les Blue Jays dans le trouble?

Ont-ils fait de la publicité au Japon sans l’accord de la MLB?

Un gros montant pour Paul Skenes

Des bonis de 3.4 M$ pour un jeune pré-arbitrage, ça ne s’était jamais vu avant.

L’avenir de Corey Seager

À court terme, ça devrait être au Texas.

Le dossier Sandy Alcantara

Pour éviter un grief (trop petite masse salariale), les Marlins devraient garder leur lanceur.

Munetaka Murakami à Boston?

Possible.

Rodolfo Castro à Toronto?

Ce serait un contrat des mineures.

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Ketel Marte: the Blue Jays called the Diamondbacks

Will the Blue Jays be able to sign a big name?

Right now, we know that Kyle Tucker’s name refuses to die in the city. The Queen City club is very active in the matter, even if the Blue Jays don’t really need another outfielder.

What about Bo Bichette?

If he doesn’t come back to town, his production will have to be replaced. And to protect themselves from a possible departure of Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays are currently looking at their options.

Of the lot?

According to Jon Morosi’s information, the Blue Jays and Phillies have called the Diamondbacks regarding Ketel Marte, a player who could well be called upon to leave the Arizona desert.

Andres Gimenez could inevitably go the way of the shortstop, should Marte come to town.

Marte is obviously an excellent player. He’s been in Arizona for nine years and we know the Phillies and Blue Jays aren’t on his no-trade list right now.

At the start of the 2026 season, he’ll hit 10 years of service. If he’s still with the Diamondbacks by then, he’ll have a full no-trade clause, since the collective bargaining agreement offers such a clause to guys with 10 years of service, including five in a row with their current club.

But the player’s attitude problems(reported in recent months) mean that his $105 million contract (from 2025 to 2030, plus a one-year player option) could be traded.

Do the Blue Jays think he’s good enough to go out and get him, despite his attitude, his contract and the price the DBacks will ask in return for his services? To be seen.

But it’s one to watch.

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J.T. Realmuto in Red Sox sights

With the departures of Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman (for the time being), the Boston Red Sox have some money to spend this off-season. In fact, the Boston team’s head of baseball operations, Craig Breslow, is adamant that the Low Reds will explore all avenues to improve their lineup.

And one of those avenues seems to be the number-two position. According to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey, the Red Sox are showing interest in catcher J.T. Realmuto, who remains the top prospect on the roster. Realmuto, who remains one of the best at his position, but who fell below the league’s offensive average in 2025 for the first time in a very long time.

Acquiring another catcher is not a major priority for the Sox, at least on the surface. But the Red Sox are showing interest in J.T. Realmuto, according to people briefed on their discussions.

If Realmuto and Carlos Narvaez formed a duo behind the plate, they could perform better offensively than last season by sharing the workload.

However, this would mean the end of Connor Wong’s tenure in Boston. The Red Sox would then have to find a dance partner to send his $1.3 million salary elsewhere.

Despite current rumors, Realmuto is still expected to return to the Philadelphia Phillies, his team since 2019. He and his family own a home in Clearwater, Florida, site of the Phillies’ spring camp, and spend part of the winter there.

What’s more, it seems that representatives from the City of Brotherly Love have an interest in bringing him back to their ranks.

This content was created with the help of AI.