The 2024-25 Major League Baseball offseason is already in full swing Notable free agent names are off the table. With the Winter Meetings just days away, we're being bombarded with rumors of free agency, trades and the like on an almost daily basis. Speaking of which, Tuesday’s supply of Scuttlebutt – Scuttlebutt! – can be found directly below.
Soto starts eliminating teams
Juan Sotothe winter's top free agent, has begun eliminating teams from competing for his services, said agent Scott Boras during Blake Snell's introductory press conference with the Dodgers media.
Boras did not provide any information about which teams exactly were not considered for signing Soto. So far, the Yankees have this winter Mets, Red Sox, Blue JaysAnd Dodgers are closely linked to the star outfielder.
Additionally, Boras did not provide a timeline for when Soto might sign. Recent history suggests, sooner than later, that both are the case Aaron Richter And Shohei Ohtani — the top free agents in each of the last two winters — signed their contracts within the first 10 days of December.
Arenado trade is more likely than not
Experienced third baseman and potential future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado has an uncertain future with that St Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are aiming for a “fresh start,” and that means they are open to trading veterans who may want to move to a team with a better chance of competing in 2025. The 33-year-old Arenado is one such player. Although he has not yet formally requested a move away from St. Louis, he has given the Cardinals the green light to explore trade options. When they find a potential partner, they will present him to Arenado, who will then have to decide whether he is willing to waive his no-trade clause. Further complications with an Arenado deal include the funds set aside in his contract as well as the signs of offensive decline he showed last season. Even so, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports that some people in the know think that an Arenado transfer this offseason is quite possible. Woo writes:
“It remains a scenario in which the Cardinals retain Arenado, although multiple league sources believe the chances of St. Louis trading him are higher than the chances of keeping him.”
Arenado is owed $74 million over the next three seasons, although $10 million of that will be paid by his former team Colorado Rockies. In anticipation of a possible Arenado trade this winter, we at CBS Sports recently took a look .
Many teams rely on Kahnle
According to the New York Posteight teams, including the incumbent New York Yankeesare interested in free agent relievers Tommy Kahnle.
Kahnle, 35, is coming off the 2024 season for the Yankees, where he posted a 2.11 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 18 unforced walks in 42 ⅔ innings. He has posted an ERA under 3.00 in each of the last three seasons, although only in a limited number of innings due to arm problems. over his career, Kahnle has an ERA+ of 125 and a FIP of 3.62 over parts of 10 seasons in the major leagues.
