Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings are in the rearview mirror, but there’s still plenty of time before the holidays for more moves to be completed. Let’s round up the news and rumors for Sunday right here. We’ll be updating this throughout the day, so definitely come back.
Yankees preparing offer for Rodón?
The Yankees are reportedly preparing to make an offer to left-hander Carlos Rodón, according to the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman. The Yankees, Giants, and others are believed to be involved in the bidding process. Sources have confirmed to CBS Sports that the Cardinals are also involved. (It means nothing to these talks, but it’s worth noting for narrative purposes that the Yankees just outbid the Giants earlier this week in order to retain AL MVP Aaron Judge.)
Rodón is the top remaining free agent pitcher. CBS Sports ranked him as the eighth-best free agent overall entering the offseason. Here’s what we wrote at the time:
Rodón is a living testament to some of the game’s recent philosophical shifts. Starters needing a reliable third pitch? Pff, that’s the old religion. These days, Rodón chucks his fastball and slider more than 90 percent of the time combined and it isn’t just allowed, it’s encouraged. His mid-90s heater had the second-highest whiff rate (min. 1,000 thrown) in the majors last season behind Gerrit Cole, a byproduct of its velocity and rising movement, as well as the tough angle created by his release point. It’s easy to think of Rodón’s formula as being “elevated fastballs early, buried sliders late,” but that’s not the case. He’s thrown his fastball more in two-strike counts than his slider the last two seasons, and it’s reasonable to bet on him extending that streak. His injury history and lacking performance track record limited him to a short-term deal last winter. Rodón seems far more likely to get a long-term deal this offseason.
Earlier this week, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Rodón is seeking a seven-year term. Clearly that desire isn’t scaring off teams.
Giants interested in Bassitt
Speaking of the Giants’ interest in veteran starters, they also appear to have interest in former Mets right-hander Chris Bassitt, according to Slusser.
Bassitt, who might have been frozen out of a return to the Mets after New York agreed to terms with Kodai Senga, was ranked as the 13th-best free agent available this offseason by CBS Sports. Here’s what we wrote:
Bassitt will turn 34 years old in February, suggesting he’ll have to settle for a higher rate over a shorter term. Fair enough. He shouldered a career-high workload in his first season with the Mets, crossing the 160-inning threshold for the first time in the big leagues. When most people think about Bassitt, they think about the unusual mechanics that end with him dipping his glove low and away from his body. Not us. We’re Students of the Game who instead think about all the potential dog puns offered by his surname. We also, ahem, think about his contact-management skills. Bassitt has good command over a deep arsenal that includes three fastball variants and a pair of breaking balls. Some pitchers are fortunate if they can spin the ball east and west, Bassitt can do that and put backspin on the ball, giving him a trove of looks.
As mentioned above, the Giants are also known to have interest in signing Rodón to address their rotation needs
