Market Catching Rumors: Blue Jays, Contreras, Royals, Pirates

Shaun Murphy Standing in the middle of the fishermen’s foreign trade market, the Oakland Star attracts a lot of attention. The Guardians, White Sox, Rays, Red Sox, Cardinals, and even the Braves have all been linked to him recently, but the A’s are just one of two teams widely expected to trade catches this winter. The blue jayswho have three major league players on the roster — Danny JansenAnd the Alejandro Kirk And the Gabriel Moreno They are also considering the possibility of trading from that depth to address areas of need on the list.

However, a trade involving a Toronto mainstay may not come together particularly quickly. In writing about the twins’ desire to add to the wire that catches them, Dan Hayes of The Athletic I reported this week that the Jays are intent on waiting until they sign some of the more high-profile names in the free agent market before they start engaging more seriously in conversations with teams that miss their top targets. Janssen, with two years left to control the club (as opposed to Kirk’s four and Moreno’s six), is the most logical business option for the trio, but all three should attract significant interest and fairly quick offers.

It’s also worth noting that a single bid can speed up the Jays’ willingness to make a deal, so even if their current preference is to let the market run its course, it’s not a guarantee that they’ll wait until Wilson ContrerasAnd the Christian Vasquez And Murphy may have new teams on hand before the swap is made.

A few notes about the rest of the eye-catching market…

• The Marlins make an inquiry with Wilson Contrerasactors but are not expected to be major players in his market, According to John Heyman of the New York Post. Unsurprisingly, Heyman suggests that the price of Contreras was too high for the fish, which received underwhelming production from Jacob Stallings After getting it from the Pirates last season. Miami has been linked to commercial interest in the Contreras at multiple points in the past, so it makes sense that they would at least measure his price now that he’s on the open market. The 30-year-old is the best catcher available in free agency and looks likely to get a four-plus year warranty after pitching 243/.349/.466 with the Cubs. He turned down a qualifying offer from Chicago, so he would cost any team signing a draft pick.
• The Royals Has attracted some commercial interest in a young catcher/outfielder MJ MelendezAnd the The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports. The 24-year-old made his major league debut this year and hit .217/.313/.393 with 18 home runs across 534 games. That’s roughly the league’s average output once one accounts for the dwindling offensive environment and cavernous football field in Kansas City, by the WRC+ metric. A recent frontrunner, Melendez has shown a promising combination of strength and plate discipline as he splits his time between catcher, cornerback hitter and designated hitter. Kansas City could control Melendez for six seasons and seems unlikely to handle him, though his path to the daily cast behind the plate is obscured by the face of the franchise. Salvador Perez. The seven-time All-Star is under contract through 2025, and the deal includes a club option for the ’26 season. Unsurprisingly, Rosenthal wrote, Kansas City had no interest in trading Perez.
• Roberto Perez first season with hackers He was cut after 21 games due to a severe hamstring strain that required season-ending surgery. The veteran backstopper, who will soon be 34, is returning to the open market. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette He speaks with a number of Bucs staff members who hope the team will re-sign Perez. Adept like JT Brubaker And the Chase de Jonge Macy raved about the longtime Cleveland backstop’s ability to communicate with shooters and call a game. Perez was never an impact hitter, but he was a two-time Gold Glove winner. The Buccaneers are sure to provide some eye-catching assists this winter, as a possibility Andy Rodriguez He is currently the only player in the position in the 40-man squad.