Thanksgiving has come and gone and now it’s time to hit the Black Friday sales. Here are a few free agents who could be bargains this winter and here are Friday’s hot stove rumors. The Winter Meetings, baseball’s annual offseason bonanza, are less than two weeks away.
Blue Jays interested in Bregman, Fried, Santander, Severino
In addition to their Juan Soto pursuit, the Blue Jays have interest in top free agents Alex Bregman, Max Fried, Anthony Santander, and Luis Severino, according to Sportsnet. Their level of interest is unclear, ditto the scope of their offseason. Are the Blue Jays open to signing, say, Bregman and Severino in addition to Soto? Or are these four free agents part of Plan B behind Soto?
Toronto’s offseason needs are numerous. They need a big outfield bat, a DH, a third baseman, bullpen help, and it wouldn’t hurt to add a starter as well. President Mark Shapiro said he expects next year’s payroll to be in the same range as 2024’s. The Blue Jays finished 2024 with a $235 million payroll for competitive balance tax purposes. Cot’s Baseball Contracts estimates their current 2025 commitments at $195 million. Bregman, Fried, Santander, and Severino all rank among our top 20 free agents.
Angels open to adding to rotation
Even after signing Kyle Hendricks and Yusei Kikuchi, the Angels are open to adding to their rotation, GM Perry Minasian told the Orange County Register.