The Winter Meetings are firmly in the rearview mirror and the holiday season is nearly upon us. Generally, that's a slow period of time when it comes to Major League Baseball news, but there are still a good number of players needing new homes via free agency. We explored the first-base market earlier Monday and now let's take a look at the rumors for the day.
Cubs continue eyeing Luzardo
Rumors have been circling that the Cubs are showing interest in Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo. That continues here on Monday as Bruce Levine reports on 670 The Score that Chicago is looking to get a deal done "in the next few days."
Elbow and back injuries wrecked the 2024 season for Luzardo. In 2022-23, he made 50 starts, pitching to a 3.48 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 328 strikeouts in 279 innings. He's long teased frontline starter upside without fully getting there, despite showing some flashes of brilliance. He's still only 27 years old and won't hit free agency until after the 2026 season, so a trade for him would be betting on that upside being reached.
D-backs looking for late-inning reliever
The Diamondbacks missed out on All-Star closer Devin Williams when the Yankees traded for him last week, apparently. Arizona had asked the Brewers about Williams before that trade went down, according to 98.7 FM Phoenix. The takeaway here is that they'll very likely continue looking for late-inning help. As things stand, Justin Martinez is set up as the closer with Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson also late-inning options.
Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, Rays closer Pete Fairbanks and Astros reliever Ryan Pressly are some names to watch here, should the Diamondbacks look to acquire a high-leverage reliever via trade. If they look to free agency, Tanner Scott, Carlos Estevez, Kirby Yates and Kenley Jansen are available.
