MLB rumors: Teoscar Hernandez preference, 'two-horse race' for Sasaki, Mets in on Crochet

At this point, the MLB offseason is well under way. While no groundbreaking moves have been finalized yet, the GM Meetings have wrapped up, and the MLB rumor mill is up and buzzing.

All eyes, of course, are on where Juan Soto will go, and understandably so. With that being said, though, his market is going to be rather limited, and he won't sign instantly either. In the meantime, there are other intriguing free agents and trade candidates worth discussing.

With that in mind, the latest MLB rumors involve some of the best available players not named Juan Soto.

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MLB Rumors: Mets involved in Garrett Crochet talks

One of the big surprises that came from the 2024 trade deadline was that the Chicago White Sox refused to trade All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet. This felt like a strange decision, as the team was set to fetch a monstrous return for a young ace with team control, but at least part of the reason why they held off presumably was that they wanted to wait until the offseason — when more potential suitors would join the mix, driving the price up even further in the process.

Well, sure enough, this winter has brought on other suitors who weren't rumored to be involved at the deadline. The Boston Red Sox have reportedly been heavily in on Crochet, and now it's being reported by Jon Heyman and Matt Ehalt of the New York Post that the New York Mets are involved as well.

"The Mets are one of the teams discussing Crochet, per The Post’s Jon Heyman, while the Dodgers and Padres made trade offers this summer and the Yankees are known fans."

The list of teams that are in on Crochet is extensive, but only a handful of teams can meet Chicago's steep asking price. On paper, the Mets fit the bill as one of those teams, especially when considering the fact that the White Sox are looking for position players in return.

Six of the top seven prospects in the Mets system are position players, according to MLB Pipeline. Four of those six — Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford and Carson Benge — are all within top 100 overall. The Mets absolutely have enough ammo to get something done.

Crochet would fit quite nicely on this Mets team. He was an All-Star this past season for the White Sox, has ace potential, is just 25 years old and is under club control through the 2026 season. With Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana all in free agency, the Mets need rotation reinforcements, and it's hard to do much better than Crochet in that regard. It'd cost a lot for the White Sox to part with him, but the Mets have the prospect capital and the need to get a deal done. The fact that they're showing interest is encouraging.

MLB Rumors: It could be a two-horse race in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes

Shockwaves were sent around the MLB world early on Saturday as Japanese ace Roki Sasaki was posted by his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. This decision will make Sasaki available for all 30 teams to sign, and with him only being 23 years old, he'd only be allowed to sign a Minor League contract with a signing bonus. He'll be taking the path that Shohei Ohtani did when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels, not the path Yoshinobu Yamamoto chose when he inked a contract worth $325 million.

That small price tag means that all 30 teams realistically have the same shot at signing him. It's really all up to where Sasaki wants to go at this point. While virtually every big market team has been linked to the right-hander, a National League executive told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that this could be a two-horse race between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

“It’s not quite a two-horse race,” a National League executive said. “But those two are probably the most logical landing spots.”

These landing spots make a lot of sense for Sasaki. The Dodgers are a team ready to win every single year and have Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto locked in for the next decade. The Padres are also competitive and have Sasaki's friend and mentor Yu Darvish under contract. Signing out west makes the most sense geographically, and both the Padres and Dodgers have a lot to offer that Sasaki would love.

Other teams could potentially swoop in and get Sasaki interested, but since money isn't going to be a factor, it'll be tough for teams who aren't the Dodgers and Padres to find a way to get him.

MLB Rumors: Teoscar Hernandez free agency preference revealed

A down year in 2023 caused Teoscar Hernandez's free agency market to not be where he might've expected last offseason. With that in mind, he ended up signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to try and win and rebuild his value simultaneously. It couldn't have worked out any better.

Hernandez not only won the World Series with the Dodgers but he had one of his best seasons individually to boot. He slashed .272/.339/.501 with a career-high 33 home runs and 99 RBI in 154 games played. He was an All-Star for the second time, and also set a career-high with 4.3 bWAR. By the time the postseason rolled around, Hernandez was hitting third and fourth for the eventual World Series champions.

After a dream season, it's time for Hernandez to cash in. Doing so is important for Hernandez, but he is also eyeing a return to Los Angeles according to Will Sammon and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic ($). A reunion with the Dodgers is his preference.

"Besides the Los Angeles Dodgers, four other teams have expressed some level of interest during preliminary conversations with free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández, league sources said. However, Hernández’s preference remains the Dodgers."

This comes as little surprise, as Hernandez was very vocal immediately after the World Series concluded about his desire to remain with the Dodgers. It's hard to blame him for that. Hernandez thrived in Los Angeles, and will have a chance to win every single year.

The Dodgers will presumably show interest in signing Juan Soto, but knowing that an elite backup plan for Soto is very interested in returning is awesome. Hernandez was a vital player for the Dodgers this past season and would continue to be if a long-term deal is agreed to.