MLB Rumors: What I'm hearing about Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Cubs, Pirates, pitching market

Starting pitching market is only going to heat up

Teams involved in the starting pitching market include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros, among others.

Despite signing Martin Perez to an $8 million contract, as first reported by FanSided, the Pirates are not done exploring the market for starting pitchers. The same goes for the Dodgers, who recently traded for (and extended) Tyler Glasnow. They are eyeing Yamamoto, among others.

The free-agent market still includes high-end options such as Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Marcus Stroman and Lucas Giolito. There are other options that include Brandon Woodruff, Clayton Kershaw, Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber, Sean Manaea and Alex Wood, among others.

Then there’s the relief pitching market, headlined by superstar closer Josh Hader. The expectation is that he will secure a contract in excess of Edwin Diaz’s $102 million deal, with the Dodgers, Cubs, Rangers and Phillies all making sense.