Spring training is less than six weeks away and only five of our top 50 free agents remain unsigned. That means the trade market should recover soon as teams look to round out their rosters. With that in mind, here are Friday’s hot rumors.
Yankees remain interested in Reynolds
The Yankees remain among teams with continued interest in Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, reports the New York Post. However, the asking price is “unrealistic”. The Yankees have glaring need in left field and have remained an obvious fit for Reynolds, a switch-hitter with all-around ability and three years of team control remaining.
Reynolds, who turns 28 later this month, requested a trade earlier this offseason, although the Pirates are under no obligation to trade him. It has been a popular trading destination for several years and Pittsburgh has offered a high price all along. At this point, it feels like the Yankees (and other teams) are simply waiting for the asking price to drop. New York’s in-house options for left field are Aaron Hicks and super utility man Oswaldo Cabrera.
Rangers are still looking for a left fielder
After spending big bucks to boost rotation, Rangers are still looking for a left fielder, according to The Athletic. They have interest in the aforementioned Reynolds, and free agents such as AJ Pollock and David Peralta are also possible. Last season, Rangers received a ghastly .186/.253/.256 line from their left fielders. It shouldn’t be difficult to improve that.
Texas has fielded 20 different players in left field over the past two seasons, the third most in baseball, and utility man Josh Smith is currently listed as their starting left player. The Rangers could also use a DH to improve a lineup’s missing ground. Rangers have done a good job of strengthening the rotation. Now they need to improve on an offense that ranked 18th in adjusted OPS in 2022.
Padre’s sign from angel
The Padres have reached an agreement with free-agent outfielder Adam Engel, the club announced on Friday. Engel previously spent all six years of his big league career with the White Sox, serving primarily as a fourth outfielder, although he has spent most of his time at center. He is also generally considered to be a good defender.
With the racquet, Engel is a career racquet at .225/.280/.350 (72 OPS+) in 1,540 plate appearances. He is 47 of 64 in his career at stolen base tries and was 12 of 16 last season.
Padre’s ink former top prospect
The Padres have agreed a major league deal with right-handed pitcher Brent Honeywell, the team announced on Friday. A second-round pick in the 2014 draft, Honeywell worked his way up the Rays’ vaunted farm system to the point where he was a consensus top-15 in all of baseball ahead of the 2018 season. He was the 2017 Futures Game MVP (second subtitle here) while showcasing his signature screwball.
Unfortunately, in the spring of 2018, Honeywell tore the UCL in his right elbow and was operated on by Tommy John. He had another intervention in 2020 and has only managed three MLB appearances (8.31 ERA in 2021). He struggled in the minors in the A system last season despite throwing well in the Dominican Winter League. He’s 27 years old so there’s still time to figure things out.