MLB Rumors: Orioles Mike Elias sabotage, another Cubs trade, Gleyber Torres future

The MLB offseason is in full swing. The Winter Meetings might not have been as active as MLB fans had hoped (outside of the Juan Soto signing) but the stove has been on fire ever since the teams left Dallas, and there's no reason to believe it will cool down anytime soon.

Just in the last two days, we've seen Kyle Tucker, Devin Williams, and Jeffrey Springs all get traded. The free agency market has been a bit quiet since Soto signed, but with several high-end trade options off the board, that should shift quickly.

With MLB rumors running rampant, here are the most important ones for you to keep tabs on with the offseason continuing to heat up.

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MLB Rumors: Gleyber Torres top priority in FA hints at possible Yankees reunion

With Willy Adames signed, Gleyber Torres might be the best middle infielder available right now. Even with him coming off a bit of a down year, there's reason to believe Torres will generate a good amount of interest on the open market.

One team that did express interest and even made him an offer according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post is the Los Angeles Angels. Torres wound up rejecting that offer for one very specific reason.

With the Angels being a team that plays on the West Coast, their Spring Training facility is located in Arizona. Torres, a player who has been out east his entire career, has a preference to stick on the East Coast. He didn't reject the Angels' offer because it was bad, or even because the Angels were the team that gave him the offer. He rejected it because of where they play.

Heyman didn't completely shut the door of Torres signing with the Angels or anywhere out west, but it's abundantly clear that he'd prefer to remain out east. If that's the case, what's stopping a Yankees reunion from taking place?

Torres wants to be out east and despite his name constantly being floated around in rumors, never gave an indication that he wanted to leave the Bronx. The Yankees just traded his possible replacement, Caleb Durbin, to acquire Devin Williams. The fit feels as if it makes more sense now than it has all offseason.

Another team on the East Coast can give him an offer he can't pass on, and the Angels could give him a contract worth moving to the West Coast for, but until one of those things happen, a Yankees reunion shouldn't officially be closed.

MLB Rumors: Kyle Tucker trade won't be the last one Jed Hoyer makes

Nobody has been more active in the trade market than Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer so far. He began the offseason by making trades for Eli Morgan and Matt Thaiss, and just kicked it up a notch by acquiring Kyle Tucker. Sure, there was some risk that came with acquiring Tucker, given the fact that he's going to be playing on an expiring contract, but he's one of the best players in all of baseball.

While the Tucker trade is almost certainly going to be the biggest move Hoyer makes, it likely won't be his last. Peter Botte of the NY Post believes Cody Bellinger could be next to go.

That kind of proclamation is far from shocking. Bellinger is owed $27.5 million this season and over $52 million in total over the next two seasons. He was a revelation for the Cubs in 2023, but took a major step back this past season. Acquiring Tucker gives Chicago another outfielder, and with Michael Busch on the roster, the Cubs don't exactly need Bellinger at first base.

The New York Yankees have been a team linked to Bellinger throughout the offseason, and if the Cubs eat enough of the money he's owed, there's a good chance he'll end up in the Bronx. Whether it's the Yankees or not, acquiring Tucker would make it even more of a surprise to see Bellinger on Chicago's Opening Day roster.

MLB Rumors: Mike Elias is actively sabotaging his own team

This is an important offseason for the Baltimore Orioles. Yes, they have one of the best young cores in all of baseball and a loaded farm system, but after two straight disappointing showings in the postseason, it's time for this team to prove it's capable of making a deep run in October. Adding high-end reinforcements would go a long way toward achieving that goal. So far, all they've done is add Tyler O'Neill (a cheaper option than Anthony Santander) and Gary Sanchez, a backup catcher.

One area for Baltimore to address would be the rotation as Corbin Burnes is a free agent and Kyle Bradish is injured, but with Max Fried off the board and Burnes unlikely to re-sign, hopes are low. This latest rumor from Ben Palmer of Pitcher List would surely depress even the most optimistic Orioles fan.

"Baltimore Orioles General Manager Mike Elias is unwilling to spend significant amounts of money in free agency this offseason, despite new team owner David Rubenstein’s expressed willingness to do so, according to a source close to the Orioles’ front office," Palmer wrote.

Orioles fans had hope that the team would find a way to keep Burnes thanks in large part to a new ownership group being put into place. They had reason to believe, at the very least, that they'd find an acceptable alternative, like Fried, if Burnes were to depart. Unfortunately, despite ownership's willingness to spend, Orioles GM Mike Elias is refusing to spend significant resources in free agency. The reason as to why Elias is refusing to do so is what's especially concerning.

"That vision for the Orioles—which the source described as a “vanity project” for Elias—is to build a team that serves as the antithesis to teams like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers and prove that an organization can be built from the ground up, rather than purchased through free agency."

Rather than focusing on building a winner, Elias is focusing on proving that he can build an organization through development instead of free agency. Yikes.

There's certainly a lot of value when it comes to building a roster around homegrown players. Guys like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman are stars and should be the main focus for the next decade (if not longer). Still, building a team around homegrown talent does not mean that Elias cannot pursue high-end talent in free agency if his ownership group gives him the green light to spend money.

What's the argument against re-signing Burnes? Sure, it'd come with obvious risk given the length and financial commitment it'd take to bring him back, but if Elias is refusing to do so because he wasn't developed by the Orioles, that's a real problem.

As annoying as it is, teams like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are where they are because they can develop and spend money. Even the Texas Rangers won in 2023 after signing both Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in free agency. The Orioles have development down, but it's really hard to build a 26-man World Series roster entirely from within.

If Elias refuses to spend, especially if his reason is out of spite for the Yankees and Dodgers, it might just be time for the Orioles to look elsewhere.