MLB Hot Stove Morning Brew: Recently non-tendered Brewers’ ace has widespread interest, Red Sox interested in NL second baseman, Yankees to pursue free agent Korean outfielder
There is a strong possibility that Brandon Woodruff will miss the entire 2024 season following right shoulder surgery he had in October. That isn’t stopping clubs around the league to have widespread interest in the right-hander.
MLB Network insider Jon Morosi reported that Woodruff has a strong fire agent market and is drawing interest from “a majority of MLB teams.”
Woodruff is a free agent after the Brewers non-tendered him last Friday. With the uncertainty on when he will return to the mound, the Brewers decided to move on from the two-time All-Star versus paying him while he was on the injured list.
"Man, that was a tough phone call," GM Matt Arnold said after telling Woodruff the club was moving on from the righty. "It was tough, it was emotional. But he's been awesome for us in so many ways, and I still think there's a chance he could be part of our team in the future. But yeah, it's certainly a tough day any time you have to deliver news to somebody who means that much to your franchise."
The Brewers wold have had one year of control left with Woodruff, who has been with the organization since he was drafted in the 11th round during the 2014 MLB Draft.
Since Woodruff debuted in the bigs in 2017, the Brewers have won at least 86 games in each season and have made the playoffs six times in the past seven seasons. From 2020 to 2022, Woodruff was ninth in the entire league in pitcher WAR, per Fangraphs.
Woodruff was expected to make $11.6 million in arbitration this coming season, a salary the rebuilding Brewers were unwilling to absorb.
The 30-year-old is expected to land at least a two-year deal as a free agent. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, a team could mimic the deal the Rays gave to righty Tyler Glasnow. The right-hander was coming off a hybrid Tommy John/internal brace elbow procedure, had signed a two-year,. $30.35 million deal. The price for Woodruff will be high despite his surgery, but being able to lock him down for 2025 and having him within a team’s operation a full season makes sense.
Red Sox spoke to the Reds about second baseman Jonathan India
The Red Sox are in the market for a second baseman. The club traded infielder Luis Urías on Friday to the Mariners for right-handed pitcher Isaiah Campbell. Urías was expected to compete for the starting second base job in Boston next season.
Boston has already been linked to Yankees’ Gleyber Torres this winter. Both clubs have talked over the summer about sending Alex Verdugo to the Bronx. The Red Sox have shown strong interest in right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt and Torres. If Boston were to land Torres, it would not be a one-for-one swap, more players would be involved in the trade.
The Red Sox have also spoken to the Reds on the availability of second baseman Jonathan India, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
The Reds have numerous young players that will be on their roster next season, allowing the club to shop India.
The 2021 National League Rookie of the Year started last season off strong with a .271/.355/.439 slash line through 73 games. He battled plantar fasciitis throughout the second half of the season, hitting a mere .201 the rest of the way.
Cincy is said to be looking for additional pitching to pair with ace Hunter Greene. If the Red Sox were to trade for India, the club would have to likely trade from the likes of Tanner Houck or possibly Garrett Whitlock. Both players are under control, Whitlock has a very team friendly extension making him attractive to interested teams.
It’s unlikely the Red Sox will part with Whitlock due to his versatility as a starter and excellence in the bullpen. Acquiring a player of India’s talent will cost the Red Sox premium compensation.
Yankees and Giants expected to pursue Jung Hoo Lee
The Yankees and Giants are expected to pursue Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who will be posted by the Kiwoom Heroes.
The 25-year-old owns a career slash line of .340/.407/.491, he has never hit below .318, until this season when he fractured his ankle in July.
"He doesn't really have a lot of weaknesses as a hitter," Jeeho Yoo, a sportswriter for Yonhap News, told MLB.com earlier this year. "They say he's a bad ball hitter, too. You can find some clips on Twitter going around where he does these Vlad Guerrero Sr. impressions. Like, the ball bounces in front of the plate and he somehow makes contact and hits a double."
Lee won the KBO MVP award in 2022 hitting .349 at the plate. During the World Baseball Classic in March, Lee impressed in the Tokyo pool, he posted a .429/.500/.571 batting line with two doubles, five RBIs and one steal.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi connected both clubs to the soon-to-be free agent.
Yankees general manager told reporters that the club is looking to add two outfielders, preferably left-handed hitter in free agency this winter. The Padres, Royals and Mariners have also been linked to Lee.
Team’s aren’t concerned that his skills in the KBO won’t translate to the bigs here in the United States. After the emergence of Ha-seong Kim with the Padres, teams have confidence in Lee’s abilities.
"There are also a lot of players from Japan and South Korea coming over that have been successful the last few years whereas 10, 15 years ago there might have been a little bit more apprehension at that risk," Zaidi said on a recent episode of NBC Sports' Giants Talk in late October. "I think there's enough of a track record now where if you do your homework you can have a lot of confidence in the contributions those players can make."
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