MLB Rumors: Yankees "in" on free agent Jordan Montgomery

This offseason, the New York Yankees are expected to pursue upgrades to the pitching rotation around 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. While the front office is being "particular" about their targets, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and new World Series champ Jordan Montgomery are on the list.

Yamamoto comes as no surprise, but Montgomery is an intriguing possibility. He spent the first five and a half years of his MLB career with the Yankees before getting dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline in 2022. The next year, St. Louis flipped him to the Texas Rangers, where Montgomery won a World Series.

It was an up-and-down 2023 campaign for Montgomery, who started the season 2-7 for the wayward Cardinals. St. Louis managed to lose 10 straight games with Montgomery on the mound, leading some to question his viability as a top-line starter. The Rangers put any such doubt to bed, as Montgomery went 4-2 in 11 starts with a 2.79 ERA and 1.094 WHIP after the relocation. Surprise, surprise — a quality offense can work wonders for a pitcher.

The Yankees need another reliable arm to man the rotation alongside Cole. Montgomery certainly fits the bill. He doesn't overwhelm batters with velocity, but he boasts a low 6.2 percent walk rate (82nd percentile per Baseball Savant) and he could come cheaper than some of the highest-profile arms on the market. The Rangers (and maybe even Cardinals) could also pursue a reunion, however, so New York will have to make a competitive offer.

MLB Rumors: A juicy trade proposal to land Mike Trout with hometown Phillies

The Los Angeles Angels are one Shohei Ohtani decision away from facing a serious period of introspection as a franchise. If the two-way megastar does depart for greener pastures, that could bring Mike Trout's future into sharp focus.

Trout, a three-time MVP and 11-time All-Star, has met the same regular season misfortune as Ohtani over the last six years. Los Angeles simply hasn't been able to field a competitive team. Trout has maintained his loyalty to the franchise and he has a full no-trade clause, but Ohtani's departure could push him (and the Angels) to consider alternate destinations.

The cross-town Los Angeles Dodgers have been floated as a potential landing spot, but Trout hails from the City of Brotherly Love. The Philadelphia Phillies have been unafraid of splashy acquisitions in recent years and the team needs another outfielder. Bryce Harper is making the shift to first base full time and Johan Rojas' offensive ineptitude in the playoffs raised serious questions about his immediate future.

Trout's age, recent injury history, and contract all provide adequate reason to pause. He's due an annual average of $35.5 million through 2030, his age-38 season. The Phillies already owe major long-term money to Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, not to mention the recently re-signed Aaron Nola. But, by that same token, it's Trout. When he's healthy, he's still one of the best hitters in baseball — .263/.367/.490 with 18 home runs and 44 RBIs in 82 games (308 AB) last season.

A proposal from MLB.com scribe Anthony Castrovince involves sending Nick Castellanos and Justin Crawford, the Phillies' No. 3 prospect, to Los Angeles in exchange for Trout. That feels like a reasonable price for the legendary outfielder. There is undeniable injury risk tied to Trout, but Castellanos disappeared in the Phillies' NLCS defeat and only one top-five prospect is hardly beyond reason.

The Angels get another powerful bat to anchor the middle of their lineup post-trade and the Phillies bet on the upside of adding a three-time MVP to a lineup that already features Harper, Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and J.T. Realmuto.

MLB Rumors: Braves' trade wishlist includes several star pitchers and outfield help

The Atlanta Braves' front office has been exceedingly busy to start the offseason. Alex Anthopoulos has freed up a lot of money, shipping Kyle Wright to the Kansas City Royals and trading several pieces to the Chicago White Sox for LHP Aaron Bummer.

Generally, the Braves are expected to target one or two quality starters to bolster the rotation around Spencer Strider, Max Fried, and Charlie Morton. The next order of business is to address left field concerns with Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar on their way out.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic dove deep on every team, and his trade wishlist for the Braves illuminates several potentially interesting targets for Anthopoulos to consider. Even if Atlanta misses out on free agents a la Aaron Nola, there is more than one way to add another ace to the mix.

• "Corbin Burnes, Shane Bieber, Tyler Glasnow, Anthony Santander, Max Kepler, Alex Verdugo"

The obvious standouts are the multiple All-Star pitchers — Milwaukee's Corbin Burnes, Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow, Cleveland's Shane Bieber. Each has been involved in trade rumors all offseason, with some dating all the way back to the 2023 trade deadline. Burnes and Cillian Murphy lookalike Glasnow hail from small-market teams with poor track records when it comes to paying stars. All three pitchers are on expiring contracts.

As far as the outfield is concerned, Alex Verdugo has been a popular name in the trade rumor mill. The Boston Red Sox are expected to tackle the offseason aggressively under new top man Craig Breslow. Verdugo feels like a strong conduit for a potential star trade. His bat would be right at home in the Braves' home run-happy lineup.