MLB Rumors: Red Sox non-Soto splash, Orioles Crochet mistake, d'Arnaud's near homecoming

The MLB offseason is underway, and as has become customary, not much has gone on early on. Markets are developing, and some players are waiting for others to sign before the floodgates really open.

The only team to be very active thus far has been the Los Angeles Angels, who have added several veterans in an attempt to compete for a postseason berth. While it probably won't work, their effort to improve can't be ignored.

While the offseason has moved slowly thus far, MLB rumors have really picked up steam. Here is the latest on that front.

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MLB Rumors: Travis d'Arnaud chose one kind of homecoming over another

The Atlanta Braves made the surprising decision to decline Travis d'Arnaud's $8 million club option, thus making him a free agent - and one of the best free agent catchers at that. The 2021 World Series champion wasted little time in finding his new home, inking a two-year deal to join the Los Angeles Angels.

The fit with the Angels makes a lot of sense. d'Arnaud won't be the No. 1 catcher as that's Logan O'Hoppe's job, but he's going to receive a considerable amount of playing time while having the opportunity to mentor O'Hoppe. What's most intriguing, though, is that d'Arnaud had the opportunity to return to Southern California, where he's from. The Angels probably won't win much while he's there, but d'Arnaud has a ring already.

While he eventually signed with the Angels, other teams were in the mix. The Tampa Bay Rays were one of them, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times ($).

"The Rays had interest in free-agent catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who played for them in 2019. However, he supposedly wanted to get back to his native southern California and signed a 2-year, $12 million deal with the Angels," Topkin wrote.

Signing with the Angels presented d'Arnaud with the opportunity for a homecoming that he just couldn't pass up on, but the Rays offered him something else entirely. The 35-year-old played in 92 games with the Rays during the 2019 season after the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers let him go and played well, slashing .263/.323/.459 with 16 home runs and 67 RBI. His solid stint with the Rays was what earned him the initial two-year deal with the Braves that he signed that offseason.

d'Arnaud had the opportunity to return to Tampa Bay and presumably take over as their No. 1 catcher, but he chose to return back to Southern California to play with the Angels.

MLB Rumors: Are Orioles making a mistake in Garrett Crochet trade talks?

The Baltimore Orioles are in the same exact position that they were in during this past season's trade deadline - they desperately need starting pitching. Sure, they have Grayson Rodriguez, Zach Eflin, and Dean Kremer under contract, but Corbin Burnes is a free agent and Kyle Bradish will miss at least a large portion of the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

Adding starting pitching is paramount for an Orioles team trying to compete in 2025, but they can't just add any starter. At least one of the pitchers that they add must be a frontline starter, whether they re-sign Burnes or acquire someone else.

Fortunately for the Orioles, they have options. There are several intriguing free agents out there, but the O's also have the luxury of having arguably the best farm system in the game, giving them the opportunity to trade for a high-end starter like Garrett Crochet.

Crochet might not have the track record that several of the high-end free agents do, but he's just 25 years old and showed this past season that he has Cy Young upside. He'd come at an incredibly cheap financial cost, and is under club control through 2026.

Despite the obvious fit, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Orioles are currently focused elsewhere.

"So, while the Orioles are one of many teams in the mix for Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, they currently are more focused on free agency, according to sources briefed on their discussions," Rosenthal wrote.

Focusing on free agents instead of trades isn't the worst thing in the world. The Orioles have money to spend now with new ownership in place, and can sign a high-end free agent without parting with any of their top prospects. With that being said, though, what's stopping them from adding said free agent and acquiring Crochet?

The Orioles weren't good enough to get past the Wild Card Series even with Burnes in the mix. If Burnes departs, they automatically downgrade in the rotation. If they can add, say, Max Fried and Crochet, suddenly their rotation looks deeper and better.

The Orioles have the prospects to help field what could be the favorite to win the AL Pennant. Refusing to trade prospects for one of the best starters in the game who happens to have two full years of club control could prove to be a costly mistake.

MLB Rumors: Red Sox in on major free agentz not named Juan Soto

The Boston Red Sox have somewhat surprisingly entered the Juan Soto sweepstakes and even met with him in California. Boston remains underdogs to actually consider Soto from joining them, but their pursuit of Soto proves one thing. The Red Sox have money to spend, and they aren't afraid to spend it.

Even if they miss out on Soto, other free agents are out there. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on the Baseball Bar-B-Cast that the Red Sox are talking to Blake Snell, one of the best starters out there.

"Everything has lined up for them at this point except their ability to develop starting pitching at the big league level. Brayan Bello is good, Kutter Crawford is a perfectly fine big league starter, but they don't have a dude. It's why they're talking with Blake Snell, and it's why they're talking with Max Fried."

The Red Sox have several high-end position players like Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, and Triston Casas under team control for a while. They even have intriguing starting pitchers like Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford in their rotation. What they lack, though, is a bonafide ace, and that's why Passan's report of Boston talking with Snell and Fried is notable.

Both Snell and Fried are established stars more than capable of leading rotations. Red Sox fans saw Snell do this with the Tampa Bay Rays, and that has only continued after his departure from the AL East. Fried has a career 3.07 ERA in nine seasons, and happens to be a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion.

Signing Soto should be priority No. 1, obviously, but the Red Sox's offseason would still be a major win if they can land an established ace to lead their rotation for the long-term. Both Snell and Fried fit the bill there.