MLB Rumors: Cubs and Cardinals could battle for top rotation talent

The Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals rivalry lives on, even if the latter of those teams is having an off year by their standards. Chicago and St. Louis will need starting pitching this offseason, and Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies could be a popular target for both.

The Cardinals are already in offseason mode, and Nola is on their supposed 'wish list' of starting pitchers this winter. FanSided's Robert Murray still doesn't think a Nola-St. Louis match is too likely given their history of short-term rotation deals.

"Nola will get paid in free agency, and my expectation is he's likely to sign a new contract in Philadelphia. Especially with how much team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski prioritizes pitching...If the Cardinals are to land a higher-end starting pitcher in free agency, a name that makes a LOT of sense for them is Jordan Montgomery. A reunion between the two sides is one to watch."

If a Montgomery reunion is more likely than not in St. Louis, then could Nola sign with the Cubs?

Chicago has starting pitching problems of its own, with Marcus Stroman potentially opting out of his contract. Kyle Hendricks also has a club option, so the Cubs need to decide whether or not they want to keep 'The Professor' around. Amidst all that is this vague connection to Nola, per Mark Feinsand, who would cost more than Stroman and Hendricks if both were to stay on their current contracts.

If we had to give one team the edge, it's like the Cubs because of the contracts they have coming off the books. But the most likely option for Nola is staying in Philly.

MLB Rumors: Mets have a backup plan for Shohei Ohtani

New York will do its due diligence with Shohei Ohtani this offseason, as they should. However, all signs point towards Ohtani remaining on the west coast, and preferring to play for a winning team. The Mets can't offer either of those, as their location remains an issue and they failed to play up to high expectations this season.

What the Mets can offer is the most money. If Ohtani gives any inclination that he's open to signing in Queens, expect Steve Cohen to open his checkbook, even with the two-way star recovering from a UCL tear.

The far more likely option is that Ohtani stays out west, perhaps with the Dodgers, Giants, Mariners or even Angels, leaving the Mets to explore their backup plan, which could very well be Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto, a 25-year-old pitcher from Japan, could be posted as soon as this offseason since that is when his contract runs up.

Billy Eppler has scouted Yamamoto, as well as other Asian players on the international market, for years, so he has a leg up and a relationship to build upon. With Ohtani's future as a pitcher in flux, Yamamoto's stock went way up. Eppler and Cohen will know where they stand with Ohtani early this winter. Unless Ohtani gives them a surefire sign that he is interested, the Mets can devote more financial resources to Yamamoto. The Rising Apple discussed this possibility on Friday:

"The Mets already seem to have a leg up on many teams when it comes to scouting Yamamoto, but the competition from other organizations around the league will be fierce. The Mets also have the funds to make a very competitive offer for his services which can play in their favor, but there are other big market teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers who could offer both Ohtani and Yamamoto competitive deals due to Ohtani's injury."

Yamamoto put on a show in his last start, which was heavily-scouted by baseball operations people, tossing a shutout. He will be highly-sought after this offseason.

MLB Rumors: Braves and Phillies fighting for Josh Hader?

Josh Hader will be the top relief pitcher on the free-agent market once this year is up, and it's not expected that he'll stay with the San Diego Padres. Some possible suitors for Hader, per Mark Feinsand, are the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers.

The Phillies seemingly have an eternal issue at the back end of their bullpen. Dave Dombrowski is one of the more aggressive front office executives in baseball, so if he can get approval on the money necessary to sign Hader, expect him to do so. Hader's agents will try to get him a contract surpassing that of Edwin Diaz, who as of this writing is the highest-paid relief pitcher in baseball (five-year, $102 million).

The money may be on the Phillies side, but a team like the Atlanta Braves would also make plenty of sense for Hader. Signing Hader would create arguably the strongest bullpen in baseball, with Raisel Iglesias and A.J. Minter already in play, among others. Atlanta doesn't need Hader, but considering all the money Alex Anthopoulos has saved over the years by locking up the Braves homegrown stars at a discount, why not take a big swing at a position of need? FanSided's Cody Williams spoke to this possibility a few days back:

"Atlanta doesn't necessarily need to upgrade the bullpen -- but if they did, making an all-out blitz for a top closer in baseball like Hader would be the way to do so. It would create a wholly dominant unit with Hader, A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias on the back end, especially when combined with the potent Braves lineup. Even better, even as a top-of-market reliever, he'll come cheaper than any high-end starter would."

Signing Hader would lead to an embarrassment of riches for one of the best teams in baseball. Anthopoulos should at least consider it.