MLB Rumors: Cubs avoid Flaherty, Orioles playing cheap, Brewers-Adames win

The Hot Stove is really steaming, folks. We've already seen a couple of big-ticket free agents fly off the board, with Blake Snell, Willy Adames, and Luis Severino all on their way to the great state of California. Winter Meetings start tomorrow, Dec. 9, which means things will really start to pick up.

The onus remains on Juan Soto, who could determine his next team within 24 hours. That said, the market is well-stocked beyond Soto, with All-Stars like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Pete Alonso still searching for hefty paydays.

Prices are soaring, especially on the pitching front, which means we could see a great deal of history made in the days and weeks to come. Here are the latest MLB rumors worthy of your attention.

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MLB Rumors: Brewers get small consolation prize after Willy Adames departure

Willy Adames was the first All-Star position player to sign with a new team in free agency, landing with the San Francisco Giants on a franchise-record $182 million contract over seven years. That is obviously a tough blow for the Milwaukee Brewers, who have now parted with Corbin Burnes and Adames in back-to-back winters.

The reigning NL Central champs don't benefit from this organizational mandate of cheapness, but there is hope that Joey Oritz and a few marginal additions can help paper over the void left by Adames. There is seldom a silver lining to losing arguably the best bat in your lineup, but the Brewers can at least take solace in the general lack of precedence for Adames' $182 million payday. He's a great player, but that would have been a preposterous number only a few years ago. Prices are skyrocketing around the league.

Also, Milwaukee does get a juicy future draft pick out of this. Since Adames rejected his qualifying offer and signed for greater than $50 million, the Brewers will receive an additional draft pick between the end of the first round and the beginning of Comp Round A.

So, there's a chance for Milwaukee to add talent to a robust minor-league pipeline. This is how the Brewers keep their head above water in a competitive division — by developing talent in-house and finding creative solutions to a lack of financial wherewithal.

MLB Rumors: Orioles aren't operating with the ideal aggressiveness in free agency

The Baltimore Orioles are expected to spend more aggressively than ever with the blessing of new ownership, but there is turbulence ahead. Corbin Burnes is widely expected to leave for greener pastures are prices soar on the pitching market. Baltimore has been connected to other top starters, such as Max Fried and Sean Manaea, but there's a problem.

According to Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Orioles are "reluctant" to engage with qualified free agent pitchers. In short, pitchers who received the qualifying offer from their respective franchises can be crossed off of Baltimore's list. That includes both Fried and Manaea.

The reason is simple: Baltimore doesn't want to sacrifice draft capital in the process of handing out a significant contract. That is an understandable frame of mind, but it could lead to a disastrous underperformance in free agency. We've already seen Baltimore boost its offense with Tyler O'Neill, but offense is not the primary concern for this O's team. The Orioles are a dependable rotation away from potentially winning the American League.

Re-signing Burnes is the surest route to ace-level production without coughing up a draft pick, but Baltimore's chances of keeping the 30-year-old are "remote," per the report. Jack Flaherty and Nathan Eovaldi are non-qualified free agents who could tempt the O's, although Baltimore is said to prefer Eovaldi after Flaherty's disastrous half-season stint in 2023.

MLB Rumors: Cubs appear out on Jack Flaherty due to spike in free agent prices

The free agency market is soaring. Both the Giants and Athletics have handed out franchise-record contracts already, with Juan Soto soon to break the all-time record outright. That was set by Shohei Ohtani just last season, which means there is an unambiguous trend forming. Call it inflation, call it whatever you want — teams are spending more aggressively than ever before.

That puts the Chicago Cubs in a tough spot. Jed Hoyer has never been one to pay the sticker price on top free agents. The few times he has recently, such as Dansby Swanson in 2023 or Cody Bellinger last winter, it did not age well. That shouldn't discourage such a historic and financially liquid franchise from courting major stars, but with the Cubs, it does. Such is life.

According to Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Chicago is expected to "wait out this current rush" before considering free agent additions. Their focus, for now, is on pitching.

Walker Buehler is cited as a name of interest, but his climbing price tag — along with other top-line starters on the market — could lead Chicago to table those discussions. As such, it's more likely that we see the Cubs add another starting pitcher via trade. That will naturally lead fans to think of Garrett Crochet.

We can probably put Jack Flaherty on the no-go list for Chicago as a result of this front office mindset. He's going to be the best starting pitcher left once Corbin Burnes and Max Fried fly off the board, which also means that Flaherty could bid up several contenders before landing a new deal. That just isn't the right situation for the Cubs right now.