The Major League Baseball offseason is almost two months away. Most of the top free agents have already found homes, but that doesn’t mean the winter rumors are over. Below, CBS Sports tracks all of Friday’s news, notes and moves.
Padres open to Grisham, Kim traded?
According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Padres are open to discussing trades involving outfielder Trent Grisham and infielder Ha-sung Kim in the search for pitchers. Lynn added that despite the need for more weapons, “the Padres don’t seem keen on significantly increasing their offseason spending.”
It is unclear if Grisham or Kim will move. Now they are slated to open the season as San Diego’s starting center fielder and second baseman, respectively. Once Fernando Tatis Jr.’s suspension expires at the end of April, things could change depending on whether the Padres add to the outfield. (Jose Azocar is currently a starting pitcher in left field.)
Lynn states that the Marlins have expressed an interest in Grisham. Miami has a surplus of weapons that can be sent west as well as a desire to add more attacks.
The Cubs and Orioles are interested in first baseman Eric Hosmer, who was recently released by the Red Sox, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Hosmer hit 110 OPS+ in the pandemic era, his best when he had a platoon advantage. Buyers take note: Hosmer’s overall numbers and right-hander totals were inflated by .974 OPS in 2020. Otherwise, he hasn’t cleared the .800 mark since his 2018.
Gonzales to Japan
After spending the 2022 season with the Yankees, longtime MLB utility man Merwin Gonzalez headed to Japan to join the Orix Buffaloes. John Heyman reports Gonzalez will receive $1.5 million.
González, who turns 34 in March, has played in some of 11 big league seasons. He has a .252/.310/.399 slashline (94 OPS+) and his 107 home runs. His contribution is worth more than an estimated 14.1 wins.
Gonzalez also appeared in games for the Astros, Twins, and Red Sox during his major league career.
