Major League Baseball's 2023-24 offseason marches on into the new year, and even at this relatively late hour a number of notable free agents and potential trade candidates remain up for grabs. That, in turn, means another daily supply of rumors. You can find Tuesday's allotment just below.
Giants out on Imanaga?
The posting window for lefty Shota Imanaga closes Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, and that of course means his free agency is coming into sharper focus. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand shared on Monday that a source told him that all signs point toward the Giants being the favorites to land the Japanese hurler. On Tuesday, however, The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that the Giants and fellow rumored co-finalists the Angels "appear to be looking elsewhere." Elsewhere, Heyman notes that the Cubs and Red Sox are among the five finalists for Imanaga's services. Whatever the case, we'll know for sure soon enough.
As for Imanaga himself, we recently detailed what you need to know about the hurler and his free agency.
Mets focused on bullpen
The Mets under new president of baseball operations David Stearns this offseason has fortified the rotation with Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, and Adrian Houser, and that means his emphasis now shifts to addressing a Mets bullpen that last season ranked 22nd in relief ERA and 24th in relief FIP. As for specific targets, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that lefty and former Yankee Wandy Peralta is one potential target, as is lefty Brent Suter, who pitched for Stearns when he was running Milwaukee's front office. From the right side, Sherman name-checks John Brebbia as a possibility for the Mets.
With All-Star closer Edwin Díaz set to be fully recovered from the knee injury that cost him all of 2023, the focus appears to be on adding to the setup corps and not, say, chasing Josh Hader at the top of the free-agent relief market.