MLB Rumors: Braves' d'Arnaud replacement, Dodgers buy-low target, Orioles' deadline whiff

The MLB offseason has begun, which means we're at the time where MLB rumors are circulating, but little to no movement has taken place. The Los Angeles Angels have made several moves, but nobody has really followed Perry Minasian's lead yet.

Most of the prevalent MLB rumors that have circulated have revolved around some of the big names in free agency and on the trade market like Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Garrett Crochet. While they're the most fun players to keep tabs on, they also won't be changing (or re-signing with) teams anytime soon.

With that being said, there are other important rumors for MLB fans to keep tabs on. Here are the latest MLB rumors on this fine Monday afternoon.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

MLB Rumors: The Orioles poor trade deadline displayed itself once again

The Baltimore Orioles entered the 2024 trade deadline with a prime opportunity to improve an already strong team by making big trades. They did make a couple of big ones and even acquired Zach Eflin from their AL East rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays, but for the most part, it was an extremely disappointing deadline for Baltimore.

The Orioles made several deals, but the only one that really worked out in their favor was the Eflin acquisition. The Trevor Rogers, Eloy Jimenez, and Gregory Soto deals were the ones that generated most of the negative headlines, but the Austin Slater acquisition wasn't talked about enough.

Slater was brought to Baltimore with one job in mind - rake against left-handed pitching. Unfortunately, as his one home run, six RBI, and .675 OPS in 33 games as an Orioles would suggest, he struggled. His struggles led him to accept a deal to join the Chicago White Sox in free agency according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post.

Slater getting an MLB deal is good for him, but the 31-year-old settling on a deal with a White Sox team that just lost 121 games this past season shows just how bad of a trade deadline the Orioles had. When a player who often hit near the top of their order against southpaws has to settle for a deal with the White Sox, that's when you know it was bad.

MLB Rumors: The rich can get richer with this Dodgers buy-low idea

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, yet are being linked to just about every big-name target out there. It's probably unlikely that they end up signing Juan Soto, but they've reportedly been all-in on one of the best free agents not named Soto.

The Dodgers have seemingly unlimited money to spend on free agents, but also have the prospect capital to make trades. They'll certainly be involved in the Crochet talks, but Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report came up with one especially intriguing buy-low idea for the Dodgers to consider.

Rymer linked the Dodgers to Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins. While this might seem crazy due to the role Correa played on the 2017 sign-stealing Houston Astros, it's hard to argue against Correa being a perfect fit in Los Angeles.

Mookie Betts is being moved back to the infield, but he's a whole lot better as a second baseman than as a shortstop. The Dodgers do have Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman, but Rojas probably shouldn't be guaranteed a full-time role and Edman can help out in the outfield. Correa is the perfect buy-low candidate.

The Twins are in money-saving mode, and Correa is guaranteed over $30 million annually through the 2028 season. $30 million for the player they thought they were getting is solid value, but Correa was limited to just 86 games this past season, has played over 140 games just twice in his 10-year career, and failed two physicals before inking this deal with Minnesota, suggesting it's hard to see him ever being fully healthy. Correa is great, but can the Twins afford to only have him for some of the time, especially when Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis are as injury-prone as they are?

The answer, if we're being realistic, is no. It's hard for a team like the Twins to remain competitive when that much money is being allocated to an unreliable middle infielder. A team like the Dodgers, though, can take on that kind of money and be fine with Correa only playing 100 regular season games if it means he's ready to go in October for a postseason run.

One of the few spots that the Dodgers can improve on is shortstop. Correa does have a no-trade clause that he'd have to waive, but other than that, it's hard to see how this wouldn't benefit both sides, as unlikely as it is to get done. The Dodgers would get an elite shortstop with a fantastic postseason resume, and the Twins would clear money and add prospects.

MLB Rumors: Braves have an ideal Travis d'Arnaud replacement staring at them in the face

One of the most surprising decisions made so far this offseason was the Atlanta Braves choosing to reject Travis d'Arnaud's $8 million club option. d'Arnaud is a bit older and wasn't coming off his best year, but still, $8 million for probably the best backup catcher seemed like good value. The Braves opted to let him test free agency instead, and d'Arnaud quickly inked a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

d'Arnaud departing creates a hole in Atlanta's roster. Sean Murphy is going to play a ton as the No. 1 catcher, but who his backup will be remains to be seen. Signing a veteran in free agency or simply promoting Chadwick Tromp would make sense, but Melissa Lockard of The Athletic ($) highlights the most intriguing option to replace d'Arnaud - Drake Baldwin.

"Baldwin batted .377/.452/.491 with a 9:8 K:BB in his 13-game AFL stint. He hit only one home run, but showed plenty of power during the regular season when he had 16 homers in 124 games. (He also went deep in the Futures Game.) Now that Travis d’Arnaud has signed with the Angels, Baldwin looks poised to compete for a spot on the Braves’ roster this spring."

Baldwin improved his stock exponentially over the course of the regular season and only added to that with a strong Arizona Fall League stint. He's now considered one of, if not the best prospect in Atlanta's system, and considering the fact that he ended the regular season by putting up an .891 OPS in 72 games for Triple-A Gwinnett, it's safe to say that he's close to ready to make a major impact at the MLB level.

Had Atlanta chosen to keep d'Arnaud around, Baldwin would've been obvious trade bait. Now that d'Arnaud is gone, the path is open for Baldwin to secure the backup catcher role. The Braves could still choose to trade Baldwin considering the fact that Murphy is locked in long-term, but they could also choose to roster two solid options behind the plate as they did with Murphy and d'Arnaud, and see what Baldwin can do at the MLB level.

The odds are probably against Baldwin cracking Atlanta's Opening Day roster even if that's just for service time reasons, but it wouldn't be shocking at all to see the 23-year-old in a Braves uniform sometime very soon after the 2025 regular season begins.