MLB rumors: Pete Alonso's future with Mets is up in the air
Mets star slugger Pete Alonso was at the center of plenty of trade rumors at the end of the 2023 season. This winter, his future in Queens still remains up in the air based on new comments from Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.
Stearns said of Alonso: "We're fortunate to have him. I'm looking forward to watching him play this season, and I'm not going to predict the future."
On one hand, Stearns appears to believe Alonso will play out his final arbitration year in 2024. On the other, he's unwilling to "predict the future" and the door is at least cracked open a little bit for a potential Alonso exit in the offseason.
This week, The Athletic named Alonso as a big-name player who could be traded soon (subscription required), citing Stearns' wishy-washy stance on Alonso as a key reason the slugger could want to leave.
If Alonso does end up leaving, the Cubs, Mariners, and Giants are a few rumored suitors who could add him to their rotation.
MLB rumors: Astros catcher Martin Maldonado is drawing interest
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand believes a key Astros player could be on his way out this offseason.
Catcher Martin Maldonado has reportedly been "drawing interest from 4-5 teams" according to Feinsand's sources. Maldonado, who's been with the Astros since 2019, lost his starting position to Yainier Diaz for the 2024 season and may be tempted to find a change of scenery this winter.
Maldonado helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series, but his numbers have steadily declined in recent years. Houston choosing Diaz as its starting catcher comes as no surprise, but the team may still want a steady backup who can serve as a mentor to Diaz throughout the season.
Maldonado already is familiar with the Astros squad and would be the most obvious and easiest choice to play second fiddle to Diaz. However, he may not want to take a backup position and could feasibly get a bigger role elsewhere.
MLB rumors: Phillies and Aaron Nola not close on a reunion
The Phillies reuniting with Aaron Nola makes sense. But perhaps the two sides parting ways makes more sense.
Amid swirling questions about Nola's future, the Phillies continue to ponder whether they should sign Nola to a contract worth as much as $200 million or move on from him.
In the latest report, MLB Network's Jon Morosi gave his thoughts on the matter and believes the Phillies and Nola are not "at all close on a reunion." Morosi said there is a "strong" relationship between the two, but there is a "better than 50-50" chance that Nola will follow the money and receive a better offer from another team this offseason.
The righty is entering free agency for the first time in his career and ranks as one of the top free agents this winter, behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell. With a plethora of teams in search of starting pitching help, Nola is projected to be quite the hot commodity.
Because of his popularity, and because the Phillies and Nola were unable to agree to an extension prior to the 2023 season, it seems more than possible that Nola will leave Philadelphia.