The 2015 MLB offseason is just getting started, but already a number of teams are circling the free agents they want and doing what they can to pursue them.
This year's class is littered with high-profile players, especially with starting pitching, which could lead to a lot of different storylines over the course of the winter. Some pursuits will drag out over a few months, while others could wrap up in the first week of free agency.
A lot is still left to be decided, but here is a look at a few potential fits based on early rumors.
David Price to the Red Sox
This is a loaded class of free-agent pitchers, including Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann and others, but David Price could be the top option available. The former Cy Young Award winner had arguably the best season of his career in 2015, finishing with an AL-best 2.45 ERA and 18 wins between the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays.
In 11 starts with Toronto, the lefty went 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 74.1 innings.
That is exactly the type of pitcher the Boston Red Sox could be looking to add this winter. According to Sean McAdam of CSN New England, general manager Dave Dombrowski described the need for an ace:
I don't think the back end of our rotation is going to be the difficult part. When I say 'back end,' I mean (Nos.) 3-4-5 -- Porcello, Miley, Kelly. We saw Owens, he pitched well. We had Rodriguez and he can take that step forward at any point.
So I don't think it's the depth, as much as you're looking for that one guy who can maybe be your horse, if you can get him.
Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald noted the belief is that Price will be the answer to this problem:
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski hasn’t been shy about saying he plans to land an ace this winter. And assuming he’s able to talk principal owner John Henry into relaxing his aversion to long-term contracts for pitchers in their 30s, the widespread belief within the industry is Dombrowski will make a strong push for free agent David Price.
Because the Price trade happened midseason, the Tigers can't give a qualifying offer, and therefore a team that signs him won't have to give up a draft pick. This makes the elite pitcher even more valuable.
As a five-time All-Star who has proved his ability to succeed in the AL East, Price would be right at home with the Red Sox and could be a missing piece for the team to get back into the playoffs next season. The cost will be great, but it might be worth it for this big-market franchise.
Daniel Murphy to the Baltimore Orioles
No player improved his stock in October more than Daniel Murphy. The New York Mets infielder was a man possessed during first two rounds of the playoffs, hitting .333 in the National League Division Series, .529 in the National League Championship Series and a combined seven home runs in nine games.
He didn't hit as well in the World Series, but the 30-year-old hitter showed what he is capable of when things are going right. His value also increases with the ability to play multiple positions within the infield.
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com noted that while the Mets aren't guaranteed to re-sign him, they are likely to provide a qualifying offer:
This will likely limit the teams interested in signing Murphy, but the Baltimore Orioles are one squad that "like him and could enter the bidding over the winter," according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports.
Although Murphy has never been much of a power hitter, this season's career high of 14 home runs and his surge in the playoffs showed he definitely has that ability. Putting him in a hitter-friendly park like Camden Yards, especially for lefties, could allow him to reach his potential.
There are certainly issues for him with a lack of defensive range and a low on-base percentage, but an American League team like this would be a perfect fit.
Jeff Samardzija to the Yankees
The New York Yankees want to add pitching, although it doesn't seem like they will enter the race for the biggest names on the market. Instead, they might go after a mid-tier reclamation project to fill the position.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, "a Yankees person says he's heard the name Jeff Samardzija as a pitching possibility."
Jeff Samardzija is coming off an awful year with the Chicago White Sox in which he posted a 4.96 ERA while allowing the most hits, earned runs and home runs in the American League.
On the other hand, he did still pitch 214 innings, topping 200 for the third year in a row. He also has shown in the past he could be an elite starter. You only have to look back to 2014, when he totaled a 2.99 ERA and 1.065 WHIP, to prove his upside.
The problem is the location might not be a great fit, as noted by ESPN's Buster Olney:
Using FanGraphs, Olney noted Samardzija had the 11th-lowest ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio in the majors this past season, and a smaller park like Yankee Stadium might lead to more home runs and fewer outs. Still, that could all be part of his down year, and the team could be betting on a brighter future.
While this signing would represent a big risk, it would also provide a lot of upside for a relatively cheap cost.
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