MLB Rumors: Jorge Soler trade suitor, Clayton Kershaw's future, Mariners blow it

There are just four teams remaining in the postseason, with the New York Yankees battling the Cleveland Guardians for the AL Pennant and the Los Angeles Dodgers battling the New York Mets for the NL Pennant. October has already been full of excitement, home runs and incredible pitching duals.

But 26 teams are already in the offseason. This offseason has all the makings of a historic one with superstar Juan Soto headlining a stacked free agency class. But beyond free agency, we could see trades, retirements, prospect call ups and contract extensions. The entire makeup of the league could look much different by Opening Day 2025 compared to what it looks like right now.

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MLB rumors: Tigers tabbed as potential landing place if Braves trade Soler this Winter

The Detroit Tigers came up just short of an ALCS berth this year after completely shocking the baseball world and landing a postseason spot after selling at the trade deadline. Now, heading into the offseason, the front office understands that they have a team hungry to win. They just need to gather more pieces on their roster to push them in the right direction.

One place that they could be looking to upgrade is in the lineup by acquiring a right-handed power bat to even their lineup out a bit.

“Among the more prominent takeaways are that the Tigers will pursue a right-handed bat to augment a lineup that Harris believes became too left-handed, as well as additional support on the pitching side of things — both in the rotation and in the bullpen,” writes Steven Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. 

One of the players that has been connected to the Tigers is the Atlanta Braves' slugger Jorge Soler.

Soler was a bad defender last year when he played in the outfield, posting -7 OAA in 46 games with the Braves. Atlanta already has Marcell Ozuna as their everyday DH, so they can't really afford to have another one on the roster for a full season.

Soler was a good addition for the Braves at the deadline when they were looking for a second-half spark, but when Atlanta has the time to be meticulous with their roster, they could move on from him. Sending him to Detroit makes sense for both sides and it's definitely a development to keep an eye on.

MLB rumors: Clayton Kershaw plans to return and pitch in 2025

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been undermanned in their pitching rotation all season long. Just about every Dodgers starter has dealt with some kind of injury, with big names like Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow even missing the postseason.

Despite these injuries, Glasnow and Kershaw are both expected to be back in 2025, ready to go for the Dodgers.

"Clayton Kershaw has been forced to watch the Dodgers’ playoff run from the dugout due to the bone spurs in his left big toe, which capped off an injury-marred season that saw him pitch a career-low 30 innings," Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors wrote. "Despite these obstacles, Kershaw told the Fox Sports pregame crew today (video link) that he plans to return for his 18th Major League season."

After such an injury-riddled year, there were rumors swirling that Kershaw could be considering hanging the cleats up. The legendary lefty has dealt with injuries over the last few seasons that have stopped him from performing at his best.

But, if the Dodgers can get Kershaw back at his best next season, they will be in much better shape than they were in 2024. They would be returning Kershaw, Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani to their rotation, as well as a few top prospects who spent time injured.

MLB rumors: Mariners yet to discuss long term deal with RHP Logan Gilbert

The Seattle Mariners have one of the best pitching staffs in the entire league. Their staff has done nothing but improve over the last few seasons as well.

One of the biggest pieces in this rotation is the 27-year-old right-hander, Logan Gilbert. Last season, Gilbert posted a 3.23 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and a 3.27 FIP. Across all four years in the big leagues, Gilbert has posted a sub-4.00 FIP each season. Regardless, it doesn't seem like the Mariners are in a hurry to ink him to a long-term contract extension.

Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that “there has been little discussion about a long-term deal” between the two sides, and “nothing is imminent in that regard.”

Gilbert has three years of arbitration left on his contract, but he is just going to become more and more expensive as the years pass by. The young righty is only getting better and he's projected to earn over $8 million for 2025. This number will continue to rise until he hits free agency.

Seattle would be better off buying out his last three arbitration years and ink him to a six- or seven-year deal that would make him a Mariner all the way through his prime years.