Mitchell Layton/Getty ImagesThe annual GM meetings are underway from Carlsbad
http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-yunel-escobar-jersey , California, and the MLB offseason is now in full swing with free agency
officially open.While the GM meetings generally don't bring the hotbed of
activity that we see during December's winter meetings, what they do provide is
plenty of rumor mill fodder and the potential groundwork for future deals to be
struck.With that in mind, let's take a quick look at some of the notable MLB
rumors that have trickled out in recent days.Chicago White Sox Showing Interest
in Bryce HarperandManny MachadoManny MachadoEzra Shaw/Getty ImagesThe
Philadelphia Phillies have been prominently linked to both Bryce Harper and
Manny Machado, with an outside chance they could make a run at signing both
superstars.They're not the only team well-positioned to pursue such a strategy,
though, as Jon Morosi of MLB.com wrote:"After the Phillies, the White Sox are
perhaps the best candidate to pursue both Machado and Harper??lthough there's no
guarantee they will land either. At present, the White Sox have the
second-lowest payroll commitment of any MLB team for 2019. WithJose
Abreuentering his final season before free agency, the White Sox need a new face
of the franchise. Chicago's affinity for Machado is well-established, as it
pursued him via the trade market last offseason"He later confirmed that the
White Sox are indeed interested in both players.Jon Morosi jonmorosi#WhiteSox
interested in *both* Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, source confirms, although
it?? too early to know how realistic it is for them to sign either. #WhiteSox
have second lowest current 2019 payroll commitment of any MLB team. Story:
vSXgIqh3VL MLBNetworkThe White Sox were still very much in the rebuilding stage
this past season on their way to a 62-100 record, but there's reason for
optimism going forward.Aside from their aforementioned financial flexibility,
they also have one of the deepest farmsystems in baseball?? group that took the
No. 4 spot in our final farm system rankings of the year back in
September.Adding Harper and/or Machado as foundational pieces alongside
promising young players like Reynaldo Lopez
Martin Maldonado Jersey , Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada would expedite the contention timeline while they wait on the arrival of top-tier prospects like
Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease and Luis Robert.The big question will be whether they
can convince either player to sign on with a team that is headed in the right
direction but not quite there yet.Prediction:Harper re-signs with the Nationals,
Machado signs with the Phillies Cincinnati Reds Targeting Top-Tier Starting
Pitching HelpPatrick CorbinDenis Poroy/Getty ImagesThe Cincinnati Reds ranked
25th in the majors with a 5.02 starters' ERA this past season.That effectively
undermined a dangerous offense and an excellent bullpen, and the team finished
in the NL Central cellar for a fourth straight season as a result.It should come
as no surprise then that the team is eyeing rotation help this offseason, though
they're setting their sights a bit higher than some might have expected.Jon
Morosi jonmorosi#Reds showing interest in multiple starting pitchers early in
free agency, sources say. Patrick Corbin and J.A. Happ are among the starters
they like. MLBNetwork MLBWith Clayton Kershaw and David Price both staying put,
Corbin is the top starting pitcher on the market this winter, and a hefty payday
is coming his way as a result.The 29-year-old went 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.05
WHIP over 200 innings this season, finishing third in the NL with 246
strikeouts.In three career starts at Cincinnati's Great American
Ballpark??enerally one of the more hitter-friendly parks in baseball??e's gone
2-0 with a 3.44 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and an 18-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18
innings.A five-year, $100 million contract could wind up being his earning
floor, with things climbing from there depending on how many teams get
involved.Happ, 36, could prove equally impactful for a fraction of the cost.The
left-hander just wrapped up a three-year, $36 million deal
http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-j.-c.-ramirez-jersey , and a similar contract with a slight raise seems reasonable given his age.He
finished the 2018 season on a high note, going 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA, 1.05 WHIP
and 63 strikeouts in 63.2 innings over 11 starts with the New York Yankees
following a midseason trade.He'd bring a veteran presence to a young pitching
staff, and help eat some innings after averaging 155 per year over the past
eight seasons.Dallas Keuchel, Nathan Eovaldi, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Gio Gonzalez, Matt
Harvey, Anibal Sanchez, Clay Buchholz, Jeremy Hellickson, Derek Holland and Wade
Miley are among the other available starters the team could
pursue.Prediction:Corbin and Happ both sign elsewhere, the Reds re-sign Matt
Harvey and sign Jeremy HellicksonAll stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and
FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted. Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman
trolled Boston Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi on Instagram Monday, but the Game
3 starter isn't letting it get to him."I still have a job to do
Darin Erstad Jersey ," Eovaldi said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "I've got to go out there and pitch my game, and I can't have any
distractions."Bregman created an Instagram story that featured the Astros
hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs against the pitcher earlier this year
when Eovaldi was with the Tampa Bay Rays, although the post has since been
deleted.The pitcher remains focused on the upcoming game, while Boston manager
Alex Cora questioned the need for extra trash talk."If you need motivation in
Game 3 of the ALCS you better check yourself, because you win three more games,
you go to The Show," Cora said. "And that's what should motivate you. Alex has
different ways of motivating himself. And whatever. I'll leave it at that."The
teams have split the first two games of the American League Championship Series
in Boston, and the series will now shift to Houston for Game 3 Tuesday. Dallas
Keuchel will get the ball for the Astros against Eovaldi, who shut down the New
York Yankees with seven innings of one-run ball the last round.The 28-year-old
produced a 3.33 ERA during the regular season with Boston after just a 4.29 ERA
with the Rays.Meanwhile, Bregman will just hope to see good pitches next game
after going 0-for-3 with six walks to start the series.
