Major League Baseball's offseason continues to draw close to the annual Winter Meetings, scheduled to begin on Dec. 9 in Dallas, Texas. While the Winter Meetings tend to generate a lot of activity, teams appear to be waking up from their offseason slumber. To wit, the Mets added veteran right-hander Frankie Montas on a two-year contract on Sunday night.
Who'll be next to sign? Below, you can find all of Monday's moves, news, and notes.
Holmes drawing interest as a starter
Former Yankees closer Clay Holmes is drawing free agent interest as a starting pitcher, reports the New York Post. Holmes, a free agent, came up through the minors as a starter, though he has been a reliever exclusively since 2019. In 2024, longtime relievers Jordan Hicks and Reynaldo López signed free-agent contracts to start. Former reliever Seth Lugo finished second in the Cy Young voting in his second year as a starter.
Holmes, 32 in March, led MLB with 13 blown saves in 2024, but also had a 3.14 ERA with more strikeouts than innings pitched, and the second-highest ground ball rate in baseball. He runs into control problems at times, something that won't work well as a starter, but Holmes throws two fastballs (sinker and four-seamer) and two different sliders (traditional slider and sweeper), and has shown the aptitude to pick up new pitches, tweak existing pitches, and self-correct when things go awry.
Mets interested in Buehler
Even with Montas in tow, the Mets continue to have interest in free-agent right-hander Walker Buehler, according to the New York Post.
That shouldn't come as a surprise since Buehler is viewed as an intriguing upside play thanks to his track record and arsenal quality. Indeed, the Post characterizes the market for Buehler as being "deep."
The Mets, meanwhile, could lose their top three innings throwers in Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana.
Cubs ink Boyd
The Cubs have agreed to a two-year pact worth $29 million with lefty Matthew Boyd, according to the New York Post.
Boyd, 33, spent last season with the Guardians. In eight starts, he amassed a 2.72 ERA (151 ERA+) and a 3.54 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also performed well in the postseason, holding opponents to one run across 11 ⅔ frames.
Boyd hasn't cleared the 100-inning threshold in a season since 2019. Clearly the Cubs believe in his ability to either stay healthy or to remain productive when he is available. Provided he's hearty and hale, he ought to crack their Opening Day rotation.
Astros monitoring infield market
The Astros continue to attempt to re-sign third baseman and franchise mainstay Alex Bregman, but that doesn't mean general manager Dana Brown is ignoring contingency plans. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Astros have been in touch with free-agent shortstop Willy Adames and have expressed interest in Jorge Polanco.
Bregman and Adames are considered to be the two best infielders on the market. Polanco, meanwhile, is viewed as a buy-low candidate following a down season that saw him post his worst OPS+ in four years.
