2024 MLB Free Agent Tracker: Updates on Every Signing and Trade
Live updates on every major trade and free agent signing made during Major League Baseball's offseason ahead of the 2024 campaign.
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Update: December 12th, 6:30 p.m.
One of the top international players on the market has been scooped up by a team determined to make huge moves this winter.
Giants Sign Jung Hoo Lee
The San Francisco Giants and Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee have agreed to a six-year, $113 million deal that contains an opt-out clause after the first four years. Lee has an insane career batting average of .340 in the KBO since being drafted and winning Rookie of the Year in 2017. He won the KBO MVP in 2022 and continued to dominate this year prior to undergoing surgery.
The Giants have very obviously been in search of star power and talent that they could acquiure over ther past two years and have brought in an international star. Lee is known for his unbelievable contact rates and strong athletiscism in the outfield. You can read about his profile here.
Read more about the signing in our full article.
Update: December 9th
Shohei to the Dodgers
The biggest news in baseball dropped this weekend with Shohei Ohtani signing an unbelievable 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Read about the initial signing here.
Read about the deferrals and historic contract structure of Ohtani’s deal here.
Update: December 7th, 1:30 a.m.
Another late-night signing! The market has finally picked up and is certainly going to keep doing so in the coming days.
Reds Sign Jeimer Candelario
The Cincinnati Reds have come out firing this offseason as they look to take the next step forward in 2024 after a breakout 2023 season that saw them in playoff contention until late September.
They have added veteran infielder Jeimer Candelario on a three-year, $45 million deal that will add a switch-hitting bat to an already talent-filled lineup in Cincinnati. Read our full article here.
Update: December 6th, 11:15 p.m.
Throughout the entire Winter Meetings, all eyes were on the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres as they worked on a blockbuster trade centered around superstar Juan Soto. It took until the very end, but the news is finally official. Soto is a Yankee.
New York Yankees Acquire Juan Soto
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto share the same lineup. How crazy is that?
The New York Yankees were finally able to pull of their massive blockbuster late Wednesday night, dealing pitchers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez and top pitching prospect Drew Thorpe. The Padres also land catcher Kyle Higashioka in the deal.
Meanwhile, the Yankees acquire Soto, as well as former Gold Glover Trent Grisham in the trade. Along with their trade for Alex Verdugo last night, the Yankees have completely overhauled their outfield. We have more information about the trade in a full article here.
Arizona Diamondbacks Sign Eduardo Rodriguez
The Arizona Diamondbacks have bolstered their rotation, as they have reportedly signed left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year, $80 million deal.
Rodriguez enjoyed a career season in 2023, pitching to a 3.30 ERA across 152 2/3 innings pitched for the Detroit Tigers. E-Rod now joins the reigning National League champions, who will feature a rotation with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt. You can read more about what this move means for Arizona in our full article.
Other Moves Around the League
- The Washington Nationals have signed Nick Senzel to a one-year, $2 million deal, which includes $1 million in performance bonuses. Senzel was non-tendered by the Reds last month.
- The Angels have signed relief pitcher Adam Cimber to a one-year, $1.65 million deal. The veteran reliever was excellent in 2021 and 2022 with an ERA below three in each season but struggled mightily with a 7.40 mark last season while battling injuries as well. The Halos buy low on him with hopes of him returning to his elite groundball-generating form from two seasons ago.
- The Rangers and Kirby Yates agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal today. The former lite closer missed most of 2020-2022 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery following other elbow issues. He was healthy for most of 2023 with the Braves and he pitched to a solid 3.28 ERA with a strikeout rate over 30% on the year. The defending champions have a clear need in their bullpen and he’ll look to carve out a middle-innings role in Texas.
- The Mets have inked pitcher Michael Tonkin on a one-year, $1 million deal. The veteran arm spent many seasons away from MLB but spent 2023 with Atlanta and was a valuable innings eater for the Braves. He pitched to a 4.28 ERA across 80 innings.
Update: December 6th. 4:00 p.m.
The Orioles have found a closing option for 2024 with Felix Bautista on the shelf for the season.
Baltimore Adds Craig Kimbrel
With their closer out for the season, the Orioles decided to bring in an experienced closer by signing Craig Kimbrel to a one-year, $13 million deal. He has bounced around a lot in the past few years, but lands with Baltimore where he will seemingly share closing duties with 2023 breakout star Yennier Cano.
The Orioles will be without Felix Bautista so having two quality options to close games makes a lot of sense. Read our full breakdown of this signing here.
Update: December 6th, 12:10 a.m.
A few more smaller-scale deals have come in late at night with one of the better defensive veteran catchers being taken off the market.
Astros Sign Victor Caratini
Houston has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with veteran catcher Victor Caratini. This deal came in late at night and the Astros have seemingly found their defensive-minded catcher to take the place of longtime leader Martin Maldonado.
Caratini spent two seasons with the Brewers and was the clear backup to William Contreras in 2023. He finished the year with a .259/.327/.383 but is best known for his strong defense and solid plate approach.
With young masher Yainer Diaz in place, the Astros seemed likely to either bring back Maldonado or a different veteran with a strong defensive presence to pair with their young stud. Caratini will slide into a similar role he had with Milwaukee but could end up catching more often with Houston as Diaz tends to struggle with left-handed pitchers.
Angels Bring on Reliever Luis Garcia
Another veteran relief arm got scooped up as that market has been the first to get moving to a degree this week. The Angels agreed to a one-year, $4.25 million with right-handed Luis Garcia, who will head back to Los Angeles after spending 2019 with the team.
He pitched for the Padres the past two seasons and had mixed results each year. In 2022, he had a 3.39 ERA in a key role in the 7th and 8th innings for San Diego. He wasn’t as successful this past as his strikeout and whiff numbers dropped drastically and his ERA rose to 4.03 as he fell out of his key role.
The Angels have plenty of holes to fill throughout their roster still but they’ve added a solid piece to their rotation who could be flipped at the deadline if he’s performing well and the Halos rebuild further.
Update: December 5th, 10:45 p.m.
Another trade has taken place late Tuesday night, as the Winter Meetings start to give us some news. This one is a follow-up to the trade that sent Jarred Kelenic to the Braves a few days ago.
Pirates Acquire Marco Gonzales From the Braves
The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired Marco Gonzales from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for a player to be named later. The Braves sent some cash to the Pirates in the deal as well.
Gonzales first saw his salary dumped by the Mariners on Sunday night in the trade that sent Kelenic to the Braves, but it was later reported that Atlanta had no intentions of keeping the left-hander starter. Now by eating some of the money, the Braves are able to send Gonzales to a third team that more needs his services to shore up their rotation.
For the Pirates, this is a low-risk move to add a starting pitcher who has a career 4.14 ERA across nearly 900 innings pitched. Pittsburgh needs arms and there aren’t too many to go around on the free agent market. This move allows them to grab one for now, as they wait on the free agent market to maybe fill out their rotation further.
Update: December 5th, 9:25 p.m.
The Winter Meetings have moved at a snail’s pace up to this point, with only a few relievers and Erick Fedde having signed through most of the the first two days of the meetings. Late on Tuesday night however, we got a blockbuster trade between two very unlikely trade partners.
Red Sox Trade Alex Verdugo to the Yankees
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are the biggest rivals in the sport, so it is not often that they come together in make a trade. Yet here we are as the Red Sox have sent outfielder Alex Verdugo to their division rival.
Verdugo, 27, is one year away from free agency and is coming off a season where he hit 13 home runs and had a 98 wRC+. We will have a full article posted to the site soon breaking down this deal from both sides, but the big question now is what does this mean for the Yankees moving forward?
Does this trade signify the end of their pursuit for Juan Soto, or is it just another addition to add a left-handed bat to their outfield mix? Time will tell, but there is no doubt that all talk around the Winter Meetings right now is surrounding what the Yankees are thinking behind this move.
Erick Fedde Signs a Two-Year Deal with the White Sox
The Chicago White Sox added an arm to bolster their rotation on Tuesday, signing Erick Fedde to a two-year, $15 million deal.
Fedde struggled to a 5.81 ERA over 27 starts for the Nationals back in 2022, but remade himself this past year pitching in the KBO. The 30-year-old pitched to a 2.00 ERA, winning the KBO Triple Crown, the Choi Dong-won Award (their version of the Cy Young), as well as the league MVP.
Now Fedde will return to stateside on a relatively lucrative two-year deal and try to see if his new stuff can translate to MLB competition.
Relievers Find New Homes
A pair of relief pitchers signed new deals on Tuesday, with the Tampa Bay Rays re-signing Chris Devenski and the Texas Rangers signing Kirby Yates.
Devenski joined the Rays late last season and found great success in a small sample. The 33-year-old allowed just two runs over 8 2/3 innings pitched across nine appearances. He now gets a one-year, $1 million deal, which holds a $100,000 buyout on a $2 million second-year option. The contract includes incentives each year as well.
Meanwhile, the Rangers add a new face to add some stability to their bullpen by signing Yates. It has been reported that the deal is for $4.5 million.
After dealing with injuries over the last few years, Yates was finally able to stay on the mound for a full season in 2023, pitching to a 3.28 ERA out of the Atlanta Braves bullpen. Yates made 61 appearances and struck out 11.93 batters per nine.
Update: December 4th, 2:30 p.m.
The Brewers are getting out in front of the pitching market at the winter meetings as they’ve brought back a starter and added another arm today.
Brewers Bring Back Wade Miley
Milwaukee is heading into the offseason with its usual style of retooling a roster to compete without spending on the upper-tier market. Their first step today was bringing back veteran pitcher Wade Miley on a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2025.
The deal is for a base of $7 million in 2024 with a buyout of $1.5 million that guarantees him at least $8.5 million. He also has additional innings-based incentives that could bring the deal up to $11 million for the 2024 season. His 2025 option is set at $12 million.
Miley has aged well despite minimal strikeouts at this point in his career. He missed some time with injury but was very solid with Milwaukee in 2023 as he pitched to a 3.14 ERA across 120.1 innings. He limits hard contact at an elite level and will slide right back into the back half of the Brewers’ rotation next season.
Milwaukee Signs Joe Ross
In addition to resigning Miley, the Brewers have signed veteran Jose Ross to an undisclosed Major League deal. Ross hasn’t appeared in a Big League game since 2021 but will reportedly join the Brewers MLB roster.
He pitched to a 4.17 ERA across 20 MLB appearances in 2021 with the Nationals and is still just 30 years old. Ross missed most of the 2023 season with injury and made eight rehab appearances toward the end of the season within the Giants’ minor league system.
Update: December 4th, 11:30 a.m.
We have made it to the pinnacle of the offseason, as the MLB Winter Meetings are finally upon us. Over the course of the next four days, the baseball world will converge in Nashville Tennessee, for baseball’s annual conference where all 30 teams meet ahead of the upcoming season.
With all of the prominent agents, and most of the top free agents all heading to these meetings to get in front of interested teams, this is typically the most active week of the offseason when it comes to free agency. It is also now the home of the MLB Draft lottery, as well as the Rule 5 Draft.
Over the coming days, there is sure to be plenty of news to cover and we will have it all here, as we update this free agency tracker consistently across the Winter Meetings. Make sure you have this article bookmarked so you don’t miss out on any of the action that is sure to take place.
In the meantime, here are the few major notes we have from over the weekend.
Brewers Top Prospect Receives Record-Breaking Extension
The Milwaukee Brewers made arguably the biggest move of the weekend by signing their top prospect to a record-breaking eight-year extension. Jackson Chourio is only 19 years old, yet he played nearly all of the 2023 season in Double-A, before receiving a late promotion to Triple-A.
In our latest top 100 update, Chourio was ranked as our No. 3 prospect in all of baseball.
After dominating in the high levels of the minor leagues, as well as in the Arizona Fall League, the Brewers knew they had a potential star on their hands with Chourio, and by extending him this contract now, they can start him in center field come Opening Day.
We wrote a full article on the extension over the weekend, which you can find here.
Los Angeles Dodgers Re-Sign Joe Kelly
The only prominent MLB free agent news that took place over the weekend was Joe Kelly signing a one-year, $8 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kelly was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline last year, coming over from the Chicago White Sox, who he signed a two-year deal with back in 2022. Prior to signing with Chicago, Kelly spent three years with the Dodgers on a three-year, $27 million deal he signed back in 2019.
The hard-throwing righty has pitched much better in a Dodgers uniform than he ever did in Chicago, having posted a 1.74 ERA in 11 appearances with the Dodgers in 2023, compared to a 4.97 ERA in his 31 appearances with the White Sox.
Across parts of four seasons with the Dodgers, Kelly has pitched to a 3.42 ERA, while striking out over 10 batters per nine. The 35-year-old was part of the Dodgers World Series-winning team back in 2020, which was his second title having also won one with the Boston Red Sox back in 2018.
Atlanta Braves Acquire Jarred Kelenic
Jerry Dipoto did not even wait until the Winter Meetings officially began to make his first trade of the week for the Mariners. It was a deal that really clears the deck for the Mariners to be opportunistic during these meetings, as he cut salaries to open more flexibility in his payroll.
Dipoto sent Marco Gonzales and Evan White to the Atlanta Braves in the deal, clearing two more sizeable salaries from his 2024 books after having previously dealt Eugenio Suarez.
The cost of getting the Atlanta Braves to take on those salaries though was Jarred Kelenic, the former top prospect who still present plenty of upside with five years left of team control. The Braves are rolling the dice that they can get more out of Kelenic, who can fill their void out in left field.
Here is our full article breaking down all the main details of this trade.
Update: December 2nd
The free agent market has been quiet this weekend but we don’t expect that to last for long with the Winter Meetings set to start this Monday. Plenty of rumors have been flying around with some big names like Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease garnering ample interest on the market, but the only move so far today has been a veteran reliever staying put.
- The Dodgers have resigned right-hander Joe Kelly on a one-year deal. The veteran was flipped back to the Dodgers for the second time in his career at the deadline as the White Sox began to sell off pieces. He regained form and pitched to a 1.74 ERA down the stretch with the Dodgers after the trade. He’ll remain as a trusted middle-inning relief option for Los Angeles in 2024.
Update: November 30th, 2:00 AM
We have the first true middle-of-the-night deal of the winter as the Reds are adding to their rotation.
Reds Sign Nick Martinez
The stove doesn’t stop for sleep! Cincinnati has agreed to terms on a 2-year, $26 million deal with right-hander Nick Martinez. The Reds added their second pitcher within 24 hours after they signed Emilio Pagan earlier “today”.
Martinez has found ample success in his swingman role with the Padres over the last few years. He pitched in 63 games, making nine starts, as one of the key pitchers in San Diego. He threw 110.1 innings with a 3.43 ERA in 2023 after tossing 106.1 in the year prior as well.
The Reds are coming off an impressive year of growth with their young core impressing all season. Their biggest need heading into the winter was to add starting pitching to aid their rotation, so it seems like Martinez could make more than nine starts. This also may not be the last move the Reds make to address their pitching staff.
Regardless of how they utilize him, Martinez adds another consistent arm to a young team ready to compete within the National League next year.
Update: November 29th
A handful of smaller moves trickled in today as the Winter Meetings approach next week. Most of the top names remain on the board but we expect to see the big moves start soon.
Mets Bring Luis Severino Across Town
The Mets agreed to a one-year, $13 million deal with the veteran starter. One of the big bounce-back pitchers on the board stayed within New York but switched to the other team in town.
Severino’s biggest issue throughout his career has continued to be health over the past four seasons. After being one of the best young arms in baseball in 2017 and 2018, Severino has only pitched a total of 209.1 innings over the past four seasons.
He’s coming off his worst year in which he pitched to a 6.65 ERA in 18 starts for the Yankees but it seems as if he was never fully healthy. Even though he only made 19 starts in 2022, he finished that year with a 3.18 ERA and an impressive WHIP of just 1.00 across 102 innings.
He has had a fair share of ups and downs but could provide a lot of value to the Mets if he’s able to recapture some of his former self. The primary focus will be getting him healthy to make as many starts as he can for the Mets.
- Royals sign utility Garrett Hampson to a one-year, $2 million deal. The veteran played for the Marlins and finished the year with a 101 wRC+ in part due to his high walk rate. He played all three outfield positions for at least 10 games, played 30 games at shortstop, and also worked in at second and third base.
- The Mets and veteran infielder Joey Wendle agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal. He’s coming off a rough season at the plate with just a .554 OPS but played a solid shortstop for Miami. He’s able to play all over the infield and will likely come off the bench at multiple positions for New York in 2024.
- Two veteran relievers have signed with the Braves as they agreed to terms with Penn Murfee and Jackson Stephens. Murfee was non-tendered recently by the Braves but they have brought him back into the fold on a Major League deal. Stephens had a big role for the Braves in 2022 and will slide into an early-inning relief role with them.
- The Reds sign relief pitcher Emilio Pagan to a two-year, $16 million deal. They bolster an already strong bullpen as they look to take their pitching staff to the next level.
Updated November 27th
A big signing took place this morning, as the St. Louis Cardinals continue to rush the market for starting pitchers to bolster their rotation. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers welcome back a veteran outfielder for another season.
Dodgers Re-Sign Jason Heyward
12:25 p.m. ET: The Dodgers have re-signed outfielder Jason Heyward to a one-year, $9 million deal, as first reported by Kiley McDaniel of ESPN
The 34-year-old is coming off a bounce-back season in which the Dodgers helped him rediscover his stroke at the plate. In 124 games, he slashed .269/.340/.473 with 15 home runs, good for 2.2 fWAR.
Cardinals Sign Sonny Gray
11:45 a.m. ET: The Cardinals have agreed to terms on a three-year, $75 million contract with Sonny Gray, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
9:30 a.m. ET: According to Jon Heyman, the St. Louis Cardinals may have found their new ace.
We will have more information and a full story written on this when more information comes to light as to Gray’s new contract, if it is in fact with St. Louis. Assuming Heyman’s report is accurate, the Cardinals will have added Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson already in free agency, overhauling their rotation in the matter of a few weeks.
Update: November 26th
Thanksgiving weekend turned out to be a quiet one on the free-agent market with the only notable signing occurring at the end of the weekend.
Tigers Add Maeda to Rotation
On Sunday, the Detroit Tigers agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract with veteran starting pitcher Kenta Maeda. He’ll remain within the division after pitching for the Twins in the past seasons and earn a quality payday after turning in a limited but decent season in Minnesota.
Maeda missed all of 2022 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery but returned to the mound in 2023 and pitched over 100 innings. He finished the year with a 4.23 ERA and a strikeout rate of 27.3% across 20 starts (and one relief appearance) for the Twins.
He has had a fascinating journey since coming to MLB from Japan in 2016. Maeda was consistent and productive for the Dodgers during his years there prior to being dealt to Minnesota. The peak of his career was an AL Cy Young runner-up finish in the shortended 2020 season when he finished with a 2.70 ERA. That year was an anomaly, but he proved that he could still miss bats and limit walks as a starting pitcher once he returned this season.
At his age with some injury risk involved, it was unlikely he was going to sign for more than two years. This move provides Detroit with a stable veteran in their rotation as they look to take the next step forward after surprisingly finishing 2nd in the AL Central with 78 wins.
Updated: November 22nd
The big news of the day was not on the free agent front, but rather on the trade market. The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired a new starting third baseman in Eugenio Suarez, sending a pair of prospects to the Seattle Mariners in return. For a full breakdown of the trade, click here.
Update: November 21st
Two more veterans have found homes for the 2024 season as the market is slowly starting to develop with none of the major free agents switching teams yet.
Paul DeJong Takes Over at Shortstop for the White Sox
The White Sox are shifting gears this winter as they direct their focus to the next wave of talent while attempting to change the culture surrounding the team.
After declining Tim Anderson’s team option, it became evident that they would have a different starting shortstop for the first time in just a little under a decade. As they started to plan for the arrival of top prospect Colson Montgomery, it was obvious that an addition was needed to fill the shortstop position in the short term for Chicago.
In a limited market for middle infielders, veteran Paul DeJong was one of the better options for a team in need of an experienced stopgap.
After an impressive rookie season that resulted in 25 home runs during the 2017 season, DeJong’s offensive production has dipped every year. However, with new General Manager Chris Getz focused on defensive improvements DeJong fits right into the plan. He has been one of the most consistent defensive shortstops with a total of 18 outs above average in the past three seasons combined.
His offense has been below average for many years but he flashed some of his former self with a 94 wRC+ in the first half of the season with the Cardinals. After being flipped to the Blue Jays, he struggled heavily in place of the injured Bo Bichette and was ultimately released. He signed with the Giants and was released once again toward the end of the year.
It was a down year for DeJong, especially in the second half, but Chicago will certainly be paying him much less than the $14 million option they declined for Tim Anderson. The deal is currently unknown but will be a one-year agreement for the veteran and the White Sox.
Kyle Gibson Becomes the Second Arm to Join St. Louis
The Cardinals have wasted no time addressing their need for a starting pitcher as they have added two veteran arms this week as they got ahead of the pitching market. After agreeing to terms with Lance Lynn yesterday, they agreed to a one-year deal worth $12 million with Kyle Gibson. The deal also features a team option for the 2025 season.
The Cardinals fell well short of expectations in 2023 and it was largely due to a major lack of pitching depth throughout the roster. They were expected to be in play for some of the top starting pitchers on the market and they still be involved, but they prioritized affordable veteran options.
Gibson is coming off another one-year deal with the Orioles in which he pitched to a 4.73 ERA across nearly 200 innings. While he may not be an elite option right now at 36 years old, Gibson is a reliable arm with a proven record of being available.
With a FIP of 4.13 last year, Gibson may have been unlucky to a degree in Baltimore and has the ability to turn in a better year with the Cardinals. Both new additions to the St. Louis pitching staff are more safe floor pitchers as opposed to ones who could seriously elevate the team.
It feels like another pitcher, ideally a front-end one, needs to be added to the mix as the Cardinals will look to compete once again in the NL Central after a down year.
Lynn and Gibson leave more to desired and it feels like St. Louis may have jumped the gun on signing pitchers at the lower tier of the market before everything else plays out.
UPDATED: November 20th, 1:00 p.m. EST
Well, the Hot Stove is on and things are finally starting to happen in free agency. Today there has already been two significant signings, which follows yesterday’s news on Aaron Nola.
Lance Lynn Returns to the St. Louis Cardinals
It is no secret that the St. Louis Cardinals need to add a lot of pitching this offseason, with a rotation that was in shambles for pretty much all of last year. Step one in their retooling plan appears to be reuniting with a familiar face. One who they drafted in the first round all the way back in 2008.
Lance Lynn spent the first decade of his professional career in the Cardinals organization, pitching parts of six seasons from 2011 through 2017. Across that time, Lynn pitched to a 3.38 ERA and was an All-Star in 2012.
The burly right-hander missed the 2016 season due to Tommy John surgery, but returned in 2017 to make 33 starts and pitched to a 3.43 ERA in over 180 innings pitched. He then became a free agent and signed a one-year, $12 million deal with the Minnesota Twins.
Since leaving St. Louis, Lynn has pitched for the Twins, Yankees, Rangers, White Sox and most recently the Los Angeles Dodgers. While his 5.73 ERA from this past season looks awful, as does the MLB-worst 44 home runs he gave up, Lynn still seems to have something left in tank.
His underlying numbers are a bit better than his actual numbers were (4.86 xERA, 4.50 xFIP) and he is still getting whiffs and is racking up strikeouts. Lynn hit 191 strikeouts over 183 2/3 innings pitched this past season.
Now returning to the Cardinals on a one-year, $10 million deal, Lynn brings an innings-eater if nothing else, and has the upside to be a little bit more. If this is the first of many moves the Cardinals make to address their pitching, this is a fine move.
Reynaldo Lopez Opens the Relief Market
Reynaldo Lopez had a real journey of 2023 season, which brought him across three stops, from the Chicago White Sox to the Los Angeles Angels and eventually to the Cleveland Guardians. With each stop, Lopez got better.
First he pitched to a 4.29 ERA with the White Sox, then improved upon that to pitch to a 2.77 ERA in 13 outings for the Angels. Finally, with the Guardians, Lopez did not allow a single run. Put it altogether and he hit free agency coming of a season where he pitched to a 3.27 ERA across 66 innings pitched. He struck out over 11 batters per nine, showcasing his elite stuff.
Featuring a fastball that averaged over 98 miles per hour and a slider that generated whiffs at a 38.7% clip, Lopez is exactly the type of reliever that is finding success in today’s game with that two-pitch combo. Now he takes that approach to the National League, where he will pitch for one of the best teams in baseball.
Adding further intrigue to this signing, the Braves are apparently letting Lopez train to be a starter this offseason to maybe fill more of a swing-man role. Will be very interesting to see how that shakes out next season. Regardless one of the top arms is off the board.
Original Post: The MLB Hot Stove is finally heating up, as the first top tier free agent has been signed, with Aaron Nola returning to the Philadelphia Phillies on a seven-year deal.
With Nola’s deal we now open up our free agent tracker, where you can come throughout the offseason to find a recap of all the major signings and trades that have taken place.
Thus far, Nola is the only major signing of note, and you can find a full article on the signing that we just published right here. The other major news from this past week was the peculiar trade that sent Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for five players and a recap of all the players who were cut at Friday’s non-tender deadline.
Throughout the coming days, weeks and months, you can open up this master article and find it updated every time a major MLB transaction takes place. Make sure you bookmark it and check back frequently to never miss out on any of the Hot Stove news this winter.