SURPRISED NEWS ; Blue Jays turmoil, Bregman’s unexpected suitor, and Eovaldi’s revelation

As we approach the MLB Playoffs, there is also mounting anticipation for what will happen after the postseason. With Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes as the big-ticket free agents, this winter promises plenty of excitement as front offices navigate a saturated market. Several noteworthy names are bound to change teams, with some contenders in danger of collapse, while others fight vigilantly to take their spot.

Here are the latest MLB rumors on this fine hump day, a taste of what is to come.

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MLB Rumors: Nathan Eovaldi vests 2025 player option with Rangers
Nathan Eovaldi went 4.2 innings in the Texas Rangers’ loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. It wasn’t his best night — the 35-year-old coughed up 11 hits, a couple walks, and seven earned runs in a loss — but it was enough to secure Eovadli key power over his future.

Eovadli reached the necessary innings total to vest his player option for the 2025 campaign, which is worth $20 million. Essentially, the two-time World Series champ can now opt in to another season with the Rangers. That does not, however, mean that Eovadli is a lock to remain in Arlington beyond 2024.

This has been another solid season of work for Eovadli, despite Wednesday’s stinker. He has an 11-8 record through 27 starts with a 3.96 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He can still push the upper-90s on his fastball and he has invaluable postseason experience, which should drum up a market in free agency.

That being said, Eovadli may not exercise his player option. He could look for a long-term financial commitment instead, perhaps angling to finish his career with a more viable contender. The Rangers are reigning World Series champs, but this season has seen Texas’ roster fall apart at the seams. Currently 72-79 on the season, the Rangers are a distant third place in the AL West and far removed from the playoffs picture.

MLB Rumors: Blue Jays locker room is restless amid disastrous season
The Blue Jays’ dominant victory over Texas yesterday has Toronto seven games below .500 and dead last in the competitive AL East. After spending their offseason pursuing big-ticket free agent and trade candidates, such as Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, the Blue Jays ended up with a significantly worse team in comparison to their 2023 playoff squad.

The frustration has been palpable, both around the fandom and inside the locker room. The issues stretch beyond poor management in the front office and in the dugout. Players are struggling, with only a select few actually living up to preseason expectations. In a recent episode of his podcast, Blue Jays ace Chris Bassitt laid bare the frustrations mounting within the clubhouse.

“I think a lot of people are in the same boat as me,” Bassitt said (h/tToronto Star). “They have had bad years, comparatively, to what they should be. That’s not the front office’s fault. We, as players, have got to be a lot better and I think a lot of us know that.”

A lot of the discourse around Toronto has been directed toward GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider. This is completely justified, but it is important to criticize those on the field, too. Several Toronto “stars” have performed at career-worst levels. Take, for example, George Springer, whose OPS (.687) is down almost 50 points compared to last season and over 100 points worse than his All-Star campaign in 2022.

“At the end of the day, they’re not playing the game,” Springer told reporters. “It’s my job to get a hit with a guy on second base, not Ross’ … I don’t think there’s anybody as frustrated as the guys in this locker room. I think we all expected to be better. We owe that to the fans.”

These feelings have been bubbling up all season. We all remembers the reports of Bo Bichette pining for a trade before the deadline. After what appeared to be a step in the right direction in 2023, Toronto’s entire mechanism has collapsed. It’s unclear how the organization can move forward, especially with a much-needed front office overhaul unlikely to occur.

Toronto is expected to pursue Juan Soto this winter, but assuming that does not happen, it will be exceedingly difficult to turn this ship around.

MLB Rumors: Tigers emerge as potential free agent destination for Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman is soon to be the most sought-after infield free agent in baseball. While much of the focus on the upcoming offseason has centered on Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes, Bregman has an undeniably appealing combination of traits. He’s a dangerous power threat, a high-level defender at a critical position, and he’s smack in the middle of his prime at 30 years old.

Matt Chapman recently inked a six-year, $151 million extension with the San Francisco Giants, which sets a high bar on the marketplace for top-shelf third basemen. Bregman will be the best available player at his position. Moreover, the typically spend-happy Houston Astros could be inclined to let the two-time champ walk. Jose Altuve recently inked a massive contract of his own, while Kyle Tucker becomes an expiring contract in 2025. He is due for a significant pay raise in the coming months, which could leave Bregman on the organizational outskirts.

The expected suitors for Bregman won’t surprise folks. It’s a fairly standard collection of big-market contenders in need of infield help, such as the New York Yankees or Seattle Mariners. That said, a new, slightly more unexpected team has joined the fray, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He believes Bregman could end up as the missing piece for a competitive Detroit Tigers squad.

“The mindset this winter must be different,” writes Rosenthal. “The Tigers’ free-agent choices should help the team compete for the AL Central title. Could be Christian Walker at first. Could be Alex Bregman at third. Could be Nathan Eovaldi for the rotation, Tanner Scott for the bullpen. [Tigers president Scott] Harris can figure out the names later. But with AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal under club control for only two more seasons, it’s go time.”

Detroit is currently 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final Wild Card slot. The AL Central has been a surprisingly competitive division this season, featuring the first-place Cleveland Guardians, as well as Minnesota and Kansas City, both of whom are currently in line for a postseason berth. Detroit could finish in fourth place and end up painfully close to October baseball, a credit to the small-market ingenuity of the MLB’s midwest staples.

It has been far too long since the Tigers were even remotely close to the postseason, much less a competitive status that actually had fans wondering if the Tigers could make a run. Detroit has not avoided top-dollar free agents in the past, but the misallocation of resources has certainly limited the Tigers’ front office functionality. The Javy Baez contract, for example, was a huge setback.

One has to imagine that Bregman would pan out more favorably if the Tigers can lure him to the Motor City. Most baseball fans can appreciate the struggle Detroit has been through — at least from the fan perspective — so it would be nice for the Tigers to finally start making moves toward a postseason berth.