Thursday marks the last day of general managers meetings in Las Vegas. While we haven’t seen any major changes this offseason, we have seen an uptick in rumors in recent days and it’s no coincidence. Put a group of reporters and front-office officials in the same area for three or four days and the chatter starts again, even if there isn’t much substance behind it.
Rumors are always fun, so let’s round up the latest here in addition to any new ones.
Braves sign late-inning reliever
We have one of our first major league deals of the offseason as the Braves signed reliever Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million deal. Phillips ranked 34th on our list of top 50 free agents.
Phillips, a 32-year-old right-hander, has been a pass rusher or closer for the Dodgers in recent seasons. After returning from surgery last season, he appeared in 31 games, posting a 3.46 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 33 strikeouts in 26 innings. The majority of his final experience came in 2023 when he made 24 saves on 27 opportunities.
The Braves’ closer last season was Raisel Iglesias, but he is a free agent. Holdover Robert Suarez could take over those duties while Phillips, left-hander Dylan Lee and youngster Didier Fuentes are also in the late-inning mix.
The Blue Jays watch Jazz
The Blue Jays have gone from one of the best offensive teams in 2025 to one of the worst in 2026. They would like a big rebound from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., among other positive moves, but they are also looking for outside help. Could that help come in the form of free agent infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.?
The Jays have met with representatives from Chisholm, Sportsnet reports.
Chisholm, 28, hit .231/.312/.399 last season, but had a huge 2025 and any signing team would be hoping for the 2025 version of Chisholm.
The Jays have a competent starting second baseman in Ernie Clement, but either Clement or Chisholm can be used in the outfield and the Blue Jays certainly need some outfield upgrades.
Could the Phillies move Marsh?
The Phillies have told opposing teams they are “not locked into anything” regarding their current on-field situation, according to The Athletic, so much so that All-Star outfielder Brandon Marsh is available in a trade.
As it stands, with Bryce Harper returning to first base, the Phillies would have Bryan De La Cruz in right, Justin Crawford in center and Marsh in left, but that all seems pretty fluid as they look to improve the ballclub and keep that window of contention open.
Marsh, 28, had a great start last season, leading to his first-ever All-Star Game. Through July 1, he hit .319/.352/.530. The rest of the time, however, he slashed .177/.241/.241, bringing him overall to a 90 OPS+ and 0.4 WAR on the season.
The sailors look at Happ
The Mariners have expressed interest in free agent outfielder Ian Happ, according to MLB Network.
Happ, 32, has spent his entire 10-year MLB career with the Cubs, who drafted him in the first round in 2015. He has been fairly consistent from 2022 to 2025, averaging 3.9 WAR with a .251/.347/.433 line (118 OPS+) and winning four Gold Gloves. Last season, however, he slumped to .218/.326/.412 (103 OPS+) with 2.7 WAR. He still exceeded 20 circuits for the fifth time in the last six years.
The Mariners have a vacancy in left field with Randy Arozarena hitting free agency and needing to improve their offense.
Mets join the fray on Bohm
The big news yesterday was the Yankees interest in free agent first/third baseman Alec Bohm and The Athletic report that we can now add the Mets to the list of suitors.
Bohm hit .249/.315/.383 (87 OPS+) with 15 homers, 88 RBIs and -0.2 WAR last season. It might be surprising to see him attract so much interest on the open market, but there isn’t a lot of power for righties and Bohm finished last season strong (.318/.402/.453 in his last 42 games). The Mets, meanwhile, are in desperate need of help after Jorge Polanco’s disastrous experience last year. Jared Young provided a glimmer of hope at first base before suffering a concussion in September in a collision with a teammate during a play.
Can spark interest
Free agent starting pitcher Dustin May currently has a decent market, according to MLB Network, with at least the Cubs, White Sox, Padres and Astros having expressed interest in the right-hander.
May 29, made 31 starts between the Cardinals and Brewers last season, going 7-9 with a 4.70 ERA in 145 ⅔ innings. He showed flashes of brilliance with the Cardinals and had a stretch from April 10 to June 15 in which he posted a 2.54 ERA in 12 starts, but in the end there was a lot of inconsistency and even bad, forcing him into a bullpen role in the postseason for the champion Brewers.
Jeffers will refuse QO, Twins still want him back
Free agent wide receiver Ryan Jeffers the qualification offer has been extended from the Twins, meaning he must decide Tuesday whether to accept the one-year, $23.15 million contract or opt for free agency. Of course, nothing stops a team from re-signing a player after he declines his qualifying offer, and it appears that route is possible in this case.
Jeffers will decline the QO and the Twins want to reach a multi-year deal to bring him back, the Minnesota Star-Tribune reports. Jeffers hit .256/.353/.461 with 14 home runs for Minnesota in 2026, a remarkable line for a catcher, despite missing several months with a broken hamate. The Twins have several catchers in their farm system, including Vahn Lackey, the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, and Eduardo Tait, who headlined Jhoan Duran’s trade return.
Rays could take advantage of weak free agent class
Much has been said and will continue to be said about Free agent class of 2027 and how he looks relatively weak, especially on the position player side, where the best players are Jazz Chisholm Jr., Seiya Suzuki and the aforementioned Arozarena and Jeffers.
As we know, the Rays love to find ways to exploit market inefficiencies. Their latest move could be to hit the trade market with center fielder Jonny DeLuca in anticipation of moving Victor Mesa Jr. to center, according to The Athletic.
DeLuca, 28, got more playing time than ever before in 2026, appearing in 112 games and getting 370 plate appearances. He hit .266/.300/.429 (101 OPS+) with 11 home runs, 50 RBIs, 17 steals and 1.7 WAR.
Tutors will increase payroll
Fresh off qualifying for the playoffs despite having the lowest payroll in all of baseball at a paltry $75 million, the Guardians plan to increase payroll. At least that’s what they say.
“We’re going to go up,” club president Chris Antonetti told The Athletic. “We need to.”
The Guardians have hosted six playoff games and made money there, not to mention they have a group of players involved in officiating and surely want to spend more to stay competitive. There’s an additional problem here too, which is that the owners are really pushing for a salary cap when the next collective bargaining agreement expires in a few weeks. With a cap comes a floor and we’ve seen MLB float proposals with salary floors in the $180 million range, well over double what the Guardians had last season.
So yes, I would say that the Guardians “need” to increase payroll, one way or another.
Gn sports
