The 2024-25 Major League Baseball offseason is already in full swing . With the Winter Meetings just days away, we're being fed almost daily rumors of free agency, trades and the like. Speaking of which, Saturday’s supply of Scuttlebutt – Scuttlebutt! — can be found directly below.
Giants at Burnes
Experienced right-handed player Corbin Burnes is the most sought-after starting pitcher on the free agent market this offseason, at least until then Roki Sasaki is posted. Unsurprisingly, interest in Burnes is high, and now you can add the San Francisco Giants to the growing list. Mark Feinsand recently reported that the Giants and first-year senior manager Buster Posey after Blake Snell signed with the Dodgers.
Burnes, 30, is coming off another top-class season in 2024 Orioles Last season, he posted a 2.92 ERA/128 ERA+ and a 3.55 FIP in 194 1/3 innings pitched. For his efforts, Burnes earned his fourth consecutive All-Star selection and finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting for the fifth consecutive year. For his career, Burnes has an ERA+ of 129 and a WAR of 17.0 over parts of seven Seasons. Burnes won the NL Cy Young Award as a member of the brewer in 2021.
Cardinals will listen to trade offers for Helsley, Matz
The Cardinals are in the midst of a self-described “reboot,” focusing on improving their player development infrastructure and clearing a path to playing time for younger players. As part of that, several veterans may be dealt this offseason. While some of these veterans have no-trade clauses, two big-name hurlers don't – closer to home Ryan Helsley and swingman Steven Matz. As Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, The Cardinals are expected to listen to trade offers for both arms.
As a lockdown closer coming off perhaps the best season of his career (2.04 ERA, 79 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings, a franchise-record 49 saves), Helsley is considered one of the most sought-after relievers available . The 2025 season will be his running year and most likely the window for a possible contract extension with St. Louis has expired. As for Matz, his time in St. Louis was mostly disappointing, but he was quite effective in limited relief innings. Matz can also act as a stop-gap starter if circumstances require it. He is entering the final year of his contract and will receive a salary of $12.5 million for 2025.