Major League Baseball’s offseason continues to heat up after slowing things down over the holidays. Teams now have a little more than a month left before pitchers and catchers report to camps in Florida and Arizona. So, the coming weeks should see clubs doing what they can to put the finishing touches on their squads. With that in mind, CBS Sports has rounded up all of Saturday’s most notable news, rumors and moves below.
Dodgers no rush to make trades after Kim signing
The Dodgers agreed to terms with South Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim Friday. That doesn’t mean Los Angeles is necessarily looking to remove an infielder from its roster, general manager Brandon Gomes told reporters.
“I think it’s more that we add a really talented player, and (then we’ll see) where things go,” Gomes told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “It helps to have very strong parts in many different areas. So that’s how we see it now.
The Dodgers should still field a starting double play combination of Bets on Mookie And Gavin Lux. That leaves Kim as one of three potential reserve infielders on the Dodgers bench, alongside Chris Taylor And Miguel Rojas.
Of course, even if the Dodgers were interested in moving Taylor (or Rojas), they would gain nothing from admitting it publicly. Rather, there is ample time for them to consider their options before deciding on the best plan of attack.
Verlander has several suitors
Several teams are interested in signing a right-hander Justin Verlander, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
Verlander, 41, is coming off an unusually poor season that saw him post a 5.48 ERA (72 ERA+) over 17 starts. However, premium models continue to feature prominently in his arsenal, and teams undoubtedly view him as a bounce-back candidate who could slot into the middle of their rotation on a one-year deal.
Verlander is a nine-time All Star and three-time Cy Young Award recipient.
Blue Jays make an offer in Santander
The Blue Jays made an offer to the free agent outfielder Antoine Santander, according to Ari Alexander of Houston’s KRPC 2. Terms of the offer are unknown, but Toronto is known to be one of the few teams fighting to add the switch hitter, who is coming off an All-Star season with the Orioles.
Earlier this week we at CBS Sports predicted that Santander would land with the Blue Jays. Here is what we wrote:
The Santander market seems a little too quiet for a 30-year-old slugger coming off a 44-homer season. Such is life for non-elite corner bats now. I’m talking about the Blue Jays here because they have been connected to several top free agents this winter, which suggests they are at least somewhat open to new additions. Additionally, Toronto could definitely use an upgrade in the corner outfield or DH.
Alexander lists the Tigers And Angels like other teams interested in Santander.