MLB rumors: Yankees, Mets interested in veteran first baseman; D-backs also surveying infield market
Here are Monday's most notable MLB rumors and transactions
•
1 min read
Major League Baseball's offseason continues to wind down, with just over a week remaining until pitchers and catchers report for duty at sites scattered across Arizona and Florida. That doesn't mean teams are free to take the next few days off, however. Several notable free agents remain unsigned, including veteran starting pitchers Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Monday's most notable moves and murmurs in one spot for your viewing convenience.
Yankees, Mets interested in France
Count the Yankees, Mets, Padres, and Diamondbacks among the teams with interest in free-agent first baseman Ty France, according to MassLive.
France, 31, hit .257/.320/.360 (88 OPS+) last season with seven home runs in 138 games split between the Twins and Blue Jays. His contributions were estimated to be worth 1 Win Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations. France is considered to be a quality fielder at the cold corner, though he hasn't posted an OPS above .700 against either lefties or righties in either of the past two seasons.
The Yankees, at least, have also been connected to a potential reunion with Paul Goldschmidt. As such, it seems fair to describe them as being on the prowl for a right-handed first baseman to pair with lefty-hitting Ben Rice.
Santana among D-backs' options
As noted above, the Diamondbacks are one of the teams tracking France. They also have some degree of interest in Carlos Santana, per 98.7 FM. Currently, the D-backs are projected to use Pavin Smith as their most-days first baseman.
Santana, 40 come April, hit .219/.308/.325 (77 OPS+) last season in 124 games split between the Guardians and the Cubs. His contributions were nonetheless estimated to have been worth 1.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations.
Like France, Santana is considered to be an excellent defender around the first-base bag. Clearly there's a market for that particularly skill right now.
