MLB Rumors: Phillies stuck on Schwarber, Yankees feel the heat, Marte favorites

It's Thanksgiving. We're all hungry, whether it be for food or, in this case, the latest MLB Rumors. That's right – it always comes back to baseball. The life of an MLB executive, manager or free agent never really stops, as they must all avoid their families this week with one eye on the future. I'm serious.

Players have signed or been traded on Thanksgiving in the past. Imagine receiving that phone call while going in for your second helping of stuffing. The sad truth is there is too much money to be made in professional baseball to take a break. Ever. So sit back, read and enjoy what the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Ketel Marte and Tatsuya Imai can expect on Thursday.

Early favorites for Ketel Marte

While a trade for Arizona Diamondbacks star second baseman Ketel Marte remains unlikely, at least two teams have checked in on him in the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. Marte slashed .279/.360/.498 with a 133 wRC+ dating back to 2021. He has 64 home runs over the past two seasons, and emerged as a real power threat in Arizona. If the Diamondbacks were to make him available, they could get a king's ransom for his services.

The problem here is that Arizona plans on contending next season, and they missed the playoffs by just a few games in 2025. If we're taking the Phillies and Blue Jays interest at face value, he probably makes the most sense for Toronto as a Bo Bichette backup plan. Bichette played primarily shortstop for the Jays, but has shown a willingness to switch positions long term since he doesn't have much range on the infield.

As for the Phillies, a trade for Marte would work in they dealt Alec Bohm, who's been mentioned in rumors all winter. Marte or Bryson Stott would be asked to switch to third base (most likely the latter). Marte is older than, say, Bichette but is also more affordable. He's signed through 2031 for just over $102.5 million. That's a relative bargain given how productive of a player he is, even as he ages.

Yankees feel the heat – and respond

While Tatsuya Imai has played with all three of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu and Roki Sasaki in the World Baseball Classic, he wants nothing to do with joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. If Imai is to be believed, he told Daisuke Matsuzaka that he wants to beat the Dodgers, rather than join them.

"Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Sasaki," Imai said. "But winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life. If anything, I'd rather take them down."

That was music to the New York Yankees' ears. The Yankees, which lost to the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, failed to win the American League for the second-straight season and are left scrambling this winter. One area they could upgrade is the starting rotation, which has some question marks behind Max Fried, Gerrit Cole (who himself is coming off injury) and Carlos Rodon.

The Yankees are expected to aggressively pursue Imai, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. Imai, while not the traditional starting pitcher mold, was a strikeout artist in Japan. He already has 907 K's to his name from his time with the Seibu Lions.

Achieving the same results against the best lineups in MLB, which includes the Dodgers, will be a far tougher challenge.

Why the Phillies are stuck in neutral with Kyle Schwarber

And now to the main event. Kyle Schwarber is projected to re-sign with the Philadelphia Phillies this winter – where he is beloved – barring a surprising dark horse suitor. Sure, the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets could throw a lot of money his way, but the Phillies could easily match. And yes, Schwarber is from Cincinnati and the Reds need a bat, but can they afford him?

MLB.com's Todd Zolecki did note that while the Phillies are favored to keep Schwarber, they haven't made any progress as of yet. It's still incredibly early in the offseason – heck, it's not even technically winter yet. The Phillies are willing to wait for their best offensive player to come back home, but for how long?

"The club and Schwarber are not close to a deal, according to sources. It isn’t a surprise at this time of year. Schwarber’s agents want to capitalize on his monstrous 2025 season in which he finished second for NL MVP behind Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. There’s no reason to rush it...But the lack of progress can be frustrating, while others wonder how long the Phils can wait," Zolecki wrote.

The Phillies, much like any team hoping to sign one of the best free agents on the market, must wait until that player has a few meetings and refines their asking price. That could work out in Dave Dombrowski's favor, or it might hurt John Middleton's wallet. But the point remains that at this time, there's little reason for Phillies fans to think Schwarber won't be wearing their shade of red next season.

That could always change, though.