MLB’s annual winter meetings concluded Thursday but the hot stoves continued to rage on Friday. The Astros traded Kyle Tucker to the Cubs and the The Brewers and Yankees traded Devin Williams for Nestor Cortes. Is another big trade in the works for Saturday? Now here are the hot roars of the day’s stoves.
Made a deal for Springs
THE Athletics have finalized a deal to acquire left-handed Jeffrey Springs of the Raysaccording to several reports. By ESPNthe Rays will receive three players (pitchers Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters and outfielder Will Simpson) and a compensation Round A draft pick in the trade. There is also reportedly another unnamed player heading to the A’s. Springs, 32, posted a 3.27 ERA in seven starts after returning from Tommy John surgery last season. He is owed $10.5 million in 2025 and $10.5 million in 2026, with a $15 million club option ($750,000 buyout) for 2027.
Earlier this offseason, the A’s signed Luis Severino to the biggest contract in franchise history (three years, $67 million) in part because they need to increase payroll to avoid the MLBPA filing a complaint over their revenue sharing. Springs will help the club increase payroll in addition to improving a rotation that was quite thin in 2025.
Astros ready to listen to Valdez
After trading Kyle Tucker, Astros general manager Dana Brown said he was “willing to listen” to offers for the lefty. Framber Valdezeven if he does not try to move it, according to the Houston Chronicle. “We’re not trying to move him aggressively, but we’ll listen to him. If you ask me if (I) think we’re going to trade Valdez, I don’t think we’re trading Valdez,” Brown said. Like Tucker, Valdez is one year away from free agency.
Now 31, Valdez has thrown 176 1/3 innings with a 2.91 ERA in 2024. He is baseball’s leading starting pitcher on the ground. Similar to the Tucker trade, the Astros could use a Valdez trade to address several roster needs and also strengthen the farm system. With a projected salary in the range of $18 million and pitch demand exceeding supply, Valdez would surely draw plenty of interest.
Santander looking for five years
Free agent slugger Antoine Santander is looking for a five-year contract, reports the New York Post. THE Blue Jays and the Yankees are among the interested teams. Santander has 44 home runs in 2024, the fifth-highest total in a single season for a switch hitter. Despite these circuits, we ranked Santander as the 15th best free agent this offseason given concerns about the rest of his game.
It seemed that once Juan Soto signed, the Santander markets and Teoscar Hernández would heat up quickly, and that didn’t happen. Granted, these guys will be signed at some point and command big contracts, but things are moving a little slower than expected once Soto leaves the board. Santander, 30, declined the qualifying offer from Orioles.
Giants could pursue veterans in short-term deals
The Giants have already signed Willy Adamès and continue Corbin Burnesand as they look to fill out the rest of their squad, the club could sign some big-name veterans on short-term deals, according to The Athletic. Players like Paul Goldschmidt, Max ScherzerAnd Justin Verlander do the trick. San Francisco used this approach well during its 2010-2014 mini-dynasty. In addition to the usual pitching needs, the Giants could also use a right-handed first baseman/DH bat, plus perhaps a left fielder.