Loy Baseball

The Cincinnati Reds are continuing their relentless pursuit for starting pitching at the winter meetings. Cincinnati remains active in trade discussions with the New York Yankees about Sonny Gray and with the Toronto Blue Jays for Marcus Stroman, sources told MLB Network's Jon Morosi. The Reds have also been linked to Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians but believe there's a better chance of acquiring Gray or Stroman, Morosi adds. In mid-November, a report claimed the Reds had discussed Gray with the Yankees, a pitcher New York GM Brian Cashman said in October he was open to trading. The 29-year-old Gray struggled for the Yankees last season, posting a 4.90 ERA in 30 appearances, 23 of which were starts. Most of the damage done against the right-hander came at Yankee Stadium, where his ERA was 6.98 compared to his road ERA of 3.17. Also of note, Gray's pitching coach at Vanderbilt University, Derek Johnson, joined the Reds at the end of October. The 2015 Cy Yo...

The Texas Rangers have agreed to a three-year, $30-million deal with right-handed starter Lance Lynn, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The 31-year-old is coming off of a one-year pillow contract worth $12 million originally signed with the Minnesota Twins. The Twins traded him to the New York Yankees after falling out of contention. Between the two clubs, Lynn posted a 4.77 ERA and 3.84 FIP over 156 2/3 innings in 2018. The Rangers have been active this winter while making additions to their pitching staff, agreeing to terms with Jesse Chavez and Edinson Volquez, and also acquiring Drew Smyly from the Chicago Cubs. From 2012 to 2015, Lynn averaged nearly 190 innings per season, but he required Tommy John surgery and missed 2016. Since then, Lynn has authored a 4.04 ERA and 4.37 FIP over 343 innings. Lynn was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 39th overall selection in the 2008 MLB Draft and made his major-league debut in 2011. Over 214 career games, Lynn owns a 3...

The New York Mets are reportedly interested in veteran free-agent outfielder Adam Jones, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Jones, one of several right-handed hitting outfield options the Mets are apparently considering, is in attendance at the winter meetings. Puma initially reported Wednesday that the sides met in Las Vegas, but later issued a correction and said they had not sat down together. He did, however, note that there's been "communication" between Jones and the Mets. New York's outfield is currently full, so someone would likely have to be moved to clear space for Jones if he were to sign in Flushing. Both Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo have come up in rumors surrounding the team's pursuit of Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, and MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported Wednesday that New York is shopping center fielder Juan Lagares. Jones could provide manager Mickey Callaway with a solid veteran bat from the right side, along with...

The Cleveland Indians' front office is discussing several potential three-way trades at the winter meetings, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. Among the players being discussed are Edwin Encarnacion, Yonder Alonso, and Yandy Diaz. Cleveland reportedly spoke with the Tampa Bay Rays about Encarnacion and Diaz last week. This is the first time Alonso's name has surfaced in trade rumors. Pulling off a three-team deal involving Encarnacion or Alonso would be a salary saver and would ultimately increase the Indians' chances of trading Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer without attaching big salary, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Encarnacion, who turns 36 in January, is heading into the final season of a three-year, $60-million deal that includes a $20-million club option for 2020. He played most of the 2018 campaign as Cleveland's designated hitter and slashed .246/.336/.474 with 32 home runs and 107 RBIs. The 31-year-old Alonso is a first baseman...

Zack Greinke has been a popular name in trade rumors of late, but the Arizona Diamondbacks may wait until July to deal the five-time All-Star. The D-Backs believe they'll get a better return for the 2009 Cy Young winner at the non-waiver trade deadline than this offseason, reports Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports. After finishing third in the NL West last season, the Diamondbacks traded franchise cornerstone Paul Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals last week. While it appeared like they might be kick-starting a rebuild, Arizona general manager Mike Hazen explained that wasn't the case Wednesday. However, Greinke still appears to be on the table. Greinke is widely considered one of the game's top pitchers, but the 35-year-old has more than $100 million (including signing bonus money) left on the remaining three years of his contract and a 15-team no-trade clause, which could make finding a trade partner difficult. Waiting until July buys them some time, but i...

Free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos is attending baseball's winter meetings to meet with prospective teams, and his market appears to be taking shape. The Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, and Minnesota Twins are all interested in Ramos, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The catcher met with Milwaukee on Monday in a session that sources told McCalvy was "very good." Ramos also sat down with the Mets on Monday. The Brewers had the best record in the NL last season but did so with some of the worst catching in the major leagues. Erik Kratz and Manny Pina were the Brewers' primary backstops in 2018, and all of the team's catchers combined to hit .238/.294/.363 while being worth just 1.1 fWAR. Mets catchers were also among the worst in baseball last season, and the team has just three catchers on its current roster, including the injury-plagued Travis d'Arnaud. New York has also been reported to be a possible trade partner for the Mia...

The Oakland Athletics are looking for backup options on the trade market in case they lose second baseman Jed Lowrie to free agency. Oakland is among the clubs talking to the Texas Rangers about acquiring infielder Jurickson Profar, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Profar could play second base if Lowrie departs, with Franklin Barreto remaining an internal option if a deal can't be worked out between the division rivals. The 25-year-old Profar was once considered the top prospect in baseball but didn't play a full season in the majors until last year. in 146 games, the youngster hit .254/.335/.458 with 20 home runs, 35 doubles, 77 RBIs, and 10 steals. Before 2018, he never produced an OPS above .660. Profar is only projected to earn $3.4 million through arbitration in 2019 and isn't eligible for free agency until 2021.

The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a deal with first baseman Justin Bour pending a physical, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. The deal is reportedly worth $2.5 million for the 2019 season, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Philadelphia Phillies recently non-tendered Bour after he was acquired from the division-rival Miami Marlins for the team's ultimately unsuccessful postseason run. Over 141 games between the two clubs in 2018, Bour posted a .227/.341/.404 slash line with 20 home runs and two stolen bases. Bour fits as a first baseman or designated hitter on an Angels roster that already features Shohei Ohtani and Albert Pujols. Ohtani, the two-way phenom, underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2018 season and, while he is expected to still act as a hitter, Angels manager Brad Ausmus said Ohtani likely won't be ready for Opening Day. He memorably participated in the 2017 Home Run Derby held in Miami while a member of the Marlins. ...

LAS VEGAS -- Three more starting pitchers came off the board Wednesday, as sources said Lance Lynn has agreed to a deal with the Rangers, J.A. Happ is returning to the Yankees and Charlie Morton is heading to the Rays. With Patrick Corbin already gone to the Nationals and Nathan Eovaldi returning to the Red Sox, the starting-pitching market is surprisingly thin already -- and the Winter Meetings aren't even over. • Latest Hot Stove rumors With those five arms off the market, teams looking for rotation help have limited free-agent options. Dallas Keuchel is the top starter available, followed by Japanese star Yusei Kikuchi, while the road to the trade market still goes through Cleveland, where Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer remain up for grabs. So where will these pitchers wind up? Here's a look at the latest on their respective markets:

Troy Tulowitzki might be willing to move off shortstop after all. Shortly after the Toronto Blue Jays announced they'd released Tulowitzki, the five-time All-Star's agent, Paul Cohen, told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle his client would be willing to change positions on a new team. This marks a stark contrast to Tulowitzki's words over the last few years in Toronto. The 34-year-old has never played anywhere but shortstop as a professional and has openly bristled at the possibility of moving off his natural position in the past. "I'm a shortstop," Tulowitzki said in August. "If someone's better than me, I'll pack my bags and go home." Cohen told Slusser that Tulowitzki not only wants to join a winning team but also that the Bay Area native would love to come home and play for one of the two local teams. the San Francisco Giants appear to be entering a rebuilding phase but the Oakland Athletics are coming off a surprise pl...