MLB Rumors: Reds sign RHP Emilio Pagán to two-year contract
The Cincinnati Reds' offseason priorities are largely centered on the pitching staff, with a particular focus on the bullpen. On Wednesday, the team moved to sign RHP Emilio Pagán to a two-year, $16 million contract. The deal includes a player option for 2025 and performance bonuses. It is currently pending a Thursday physical.
Pagán spent his last two seasons with the Minnesota Twins. In 2023, he posted a 2.99 ERA and 0.952 WHIP with 65 strikeouts in 69.1 innings pitched.
Cincinnati relied on its bullpen the second-most of any National League team last season. Pagán experienced something of a resurgence in 2023 after posting an ERA over 4.00 in four of the previous five seasons. He does the majority of his damage with a potent 95.8 MPH fastball, mixed with a cutter, a changeup, and a rare curveball.
It's a serious investment for the Reds, who are investing $8 million per season in a 32-year-old reliever with a spotty track record. The obvious hope is that Pagán can sustain last season's success and anchor the middle innings for Cincinnati. He appeared in 66 games for Minnesota in 2023, allowing the fewest hits (5.8) and home runs (0.6) per nine innings of his career.
MLB Rumors: Blake Snell wants to play for hometown Mariners
Of the remaining free agents, few are more accomplished than Blake Snell. Fresh off his second Cy Young win with the San Diego Padres in 2023, the 30-year-old is expected to command a contract in the ballpark of $200 million. He has several rumored suitors, from the typical big-spenders in LA and NYC, to more obscure candidates such as the San Francisco Giants or Detroit Tigers.
However, if Snell could have his way, he would apparently be going to the Seattle Mariners. In a new tidbit from Chris Cotillo of MassLive, it is revealed that Snell "badly" wants to pitch for his hometown team. Snell pitched high school baseball 13 miles from T-Mobile Park. It's always good when the best players in baseball want to play for your organization.
Snell has made it clear vocally, as well, that he's up for grabs as far as his hometown team goes.
Unfortunately, Snell does not entirely dictate the terms of his next contract. The Mariners would actually have to reciprocate the interest, which could be tricky. Seattle owes roughly $24 million annually to Robbie Ray and Luis Castillo, who are signed through 2026 and 2028, respectively. Financially, Snell doesn't really fit. Seattle doesn't typically break the bank and their pitching staff is already well-established.
That said, Snell was the best pitcher in the National League last season. He's a strikeout machine. Last season, his 31.5 strikeout percentage landed in the MLB's 94th percentile, per Baseball Savant. His 37.3 whiff percentage was 98th percentile. He tallied a Pitching Run Value of 44 — 100th percentile.
It's impossible to deny the scope of Snell's dominance. The Mariners would have to maneuver elsewhere to create the space for Snell on the roster, but it's worth checking in. He's not only talented — he's a hometown kid. He has extra motivation to succeed there. Perhaps enough motivation to accept a slight hometown discount.
MLB Rumors: Lars Nootbaar could help Cardinals recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The St. Louis Cardinals made the biggest free agency splash to date, signing American League Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray to a three-year, $75 million contract. The righty is expected to immediately assume the No. 1 mantle in the Cards' rebuilt pitching staff.
Last season was a difficult one for the Cardinals, who finished 20 games below .500 and far removed from the postseason picture. High expectations gave way to a midseason fire sale, with Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty both getting shipped to new homes at the trade deadline. Now, St. Louis has to quickly pivot back to respectability.
Adding Gray is a tremendous start to the offseason, but he's the only high-level starter on the team right now. Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson signed one-year contracts at 36 years old. Gray is 34. The Cardinals need another quality arm — preferably a young hurler with a long prime window ahead.
No player fits that description better than Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is expected to sign a long-term contract before his Jan. 4 posting deadline. He is 25 years old, fresh off multiple Triple Crowns in Japan's NPB. If the Cardinals are willing to spill the cash, Yamamoto would make for a prolific No. 2 next to Gray. He would also represent Gray's succession plan.
While St. Louis doesn't have the inherent big-market advantage of teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Yankees, the Cards do have one ace up their sleeve: Lars Nootbaar, who played alongside Yamamoto for Japan's World Baseball Classic team.
In an illuminating newsletter from MLB.com scribe John Denton, Nootbaar offered to help Yamamoto with any free agency questions.
"I want to help Yoshi in any way that I can. I don't know about the legality of it, and I don't want to step on any toes, but if Yamamoto or any of the guys have questions, I want to be there to help."
Also, Nootbaar and Yamamoto are evidently more than teammates. They're close friends, with Nootbaar's mother talking to Yamamoto's mother "daily," according to the Cards' outfielder. That kind of close relationship could absolutely sway Yamamoto's decision. Especially with the Cardinals showing a willingness to spend in hopes of fielding a contender.