The days are counting down to Spring Training. The blue chips of free agency are coming off the board, piece by piece. But as we get closer and closer to pitchers and catchers reporting (less than a month!), the urgency of roster completion only gets more intense.
In other words, there's still plenty of heat on that stove.
The week ahead figures to bring a flurry of activity for the remaining free agents and maybe for a blockbuster trade or three. Here are some of the names that might hit the headlines.
Justin Upton: Upton is 28 years old and is coming off a 26-home run, 81-RBI season even in a down year (for him) while playing for the Padres, who call pitcher-friendly Petco Park home. That makes him a hot commodity who figures to not be on the open market for much longer. Upton makes sense for a number of teams that could use more offense, including the Angels, Rangers, Cardinals, Tigers and Mets, and we shouldn't be surprised if a mystery team jumps into the fray, especially if the interested clubs turn to Upton after striking out on the next guy on this list.In other words, there's still plenty of heat on that stove.
The week ahead figures to bring a flurry of activity for the remaining free agents and maybe for a blockbuster trade or three. Here are some of the names that might hit the headlines.
Yoenis Cespedes: The free-agent outfielder could be the first remaining star player to sign. Sunday brought a report from ESPN that upwards of 10 teams are speaking to Cespedes and his representatives. He began the 2015 season with the Tigers and ended in the World Series with the Mets. The Orioles would appear to be out now that they dished out seven years and $161 million to Chris Davis and demand for Cespedes indicates he'll likely land a big multiyear contract. The Astros were the latest team mentioned in the mix, with MLB Network insider Peter Gammons tweeting it Sunday afternoon. Or, according to recent reports, it might be the Mets or Tigers again. Then again, it's possible that the Angels, Braves or White Sox could sign Cespedes. All have been reported as interested.
Ian Desmond: Here's a 30-year-old shortstop who's averaged 22 homers per season for the last four years. That in itself should be quite attractive for teams looking for that type of production in the middle of the field and the middle of the lineup. Drawbacks to a long-term commitment to Desmond would be his growing strikeout rate and the loss of a Draft pick, but he's still a rarity with pop at a premium position. The Padres opted for Alexei Ramirez last week. We'll see where Desmond goes this week.
