The GM Meetings are in full swing out in Las Vegas, and we're starting to see some transaction action in the free-agent market.
The rumor mill is churning as well. Here’s a look at some of the latest Hot Stove topics around the league.
Rangers to explore Seager trade
The Rangers will explore trading star shortstop Corey Seager during the GM Meetings, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (subscription required). The five-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP is owed about $155 million over the final five seasons on the 10-year deal that he signed with Texas in 2021.
Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said recently that he expects the team's payroll to remain about the same as 2026 -- in the $190 million range -- but that the club still intends to be competitive. Accomplishing that goal could involve moving one of the team's big-money players: Seager, Jacob deGrom and/or Nathan Eovaldi.
Teams inquired about Seager at last year’s Winter Meetings and again at this year’s Trade Deadline, but the Rangers were not particularly looking to listen hard at that point. Now, Young admitted Tuesday that they are willing to listen to offers.
"We're very open-minded and we're looking at this from a different lens, maybe than where we've been,” Young said. “And it doesn't mean that we're going to make any significant deals. It doesn't mean that we're close-minded to those, either. We're just going to see what the market is and do our best to make the Texas Rangers as competitive as possible.”
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman wrote in the New York Post (subscription required) that the Yankees should make a play for Seager, but any deal for the 32-year-old will be a little complicated.
Besides the significant amount of money left on his contract, Seager is coming off a season in which he set career-lows with a .227 average and a .736 OPS. He's also been on the injured list nine times since the start of 2023 and averaged only 112 games played over that four-year span.
Skubal suitors continue to reveal themselves
The Mets, the Dodgers, the Padres and the Blue Jays. As of Wednesday, those are the four teams with known interest in top free-agent pitcher Tarik Skubal. And there are still two mystery teams reportedly in play.
Follow the latest Skubal rumors here.
Young bats expanding outfield trade market
Teams that would like to acquire a young outfielder who was a former top Draft pick might want to reach out to the Tigers or Nationals.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi, Tigers left fielder Riley Greene has been mentioned as a trade candidate by industry executives at the GM Meetings. When approached by Morosi on Tuesday, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said that the club will "listen to everything" on the trade front, but dealing Greene is not a focus right now.
Greene, 26, was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 Draft and has made the All-Star team in each of the past three years with Detroit. He has averaged 27 homers and a 129 OPS+ over that stretch.
Another name in the trade market is the No. 2 pick from the 2023 Draft: The Nationals' Dylan Crews. That's according to a report by The Athletic's Spencer Nusbaum (subscription required). Crews is under club control through 2031 but has struggled to establish himself as an impact player in the Majors. Through three seasons and 225 career games, he has recorded a .648 OPS and just 1.5 Baseball-Reference WAR.
However, one notable outfielder who will not be dealt this offseason is the Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. He is set to make $17 million in 2027 and carries a $17 million conditional club option for 2028 before he reaches free agency. An Acuña trade has been a popular topic among Braves fans in recent weeks, but president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos emphatically shut down that possibility on Tuesday.
Yankees showing interest in Bohm
The Yankees have interest in Alec Bohm, a source tells MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Bohm, who has spent all seven years of his career with the Phillies, is a right-handed hitter who could fill New York's need at third base, platooning with the left-handed-hitting Ryan McMahon. Bohm also has experience at first base, though the Yankees appear set there with incumbents Luis García Jr. and Ben Rice. More >
Cubs unlikely to bring back Happ, Suzuki?
The Cubs have myriad pitching needs to cover this offseason, as their entire end-of-season rotation has now entered free agency. They may also seek bullpen moves to bolster a group that dealt with several injuries and some underperformance in 2026.
However, Chicago has also seen its stalwart corner outfielders -- Ian Happ in left and Seiya Suzuki in right -- enter the open market. But reunions with either do “not appear likely, or at least not a priority,” according to The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma (subscription required).
Suzuki, 32, is one of the top bats available, making him a popular target this offseason. Sharma reports that a return to Chicago won’t happen “unless his market craters.”
Happ, also 32, appears to be a more likely possibility -- if the Cubs can land him on a “short, affordable deal.” The switch-hitting Happ experienced a major decline as a right-handed hitter in 2026, but his usually better left-handed side still posted a strong .816 OPS. Happ is also a four-time Gold Glove Award winner in left, making his free agency an intriguing one.
As for other free agent outfield options, Sharma reported that a deal for Randy Arozarena “isn’t in the cards.” The Cubs could monitor Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, but “early expectations are that it will quickly get to a [contract] level that doesn’t make sense for them.”
Chicago’s current corner outfield options include youngsters Matt Shaw, Pedro Ramírez and Kevin Alcántara.
Padres interested in re-signing King, Pivetta
San Diego is among the most active teams in the starting-pitching market, as MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi reported on Monday. The club is seemingly leaving no stone unturned. Yes, that includes expressing interest in Tarik Skubal, as the two sides are expected to meet in the coming days, per Ronald Blum of The Associated Press.
It’s also entirely possible that the Padres’ extensive search for starting pitching leads them right back to two stalwarts of their rotation in recent years.
General manager A.J. Preller acknowledged on Tuesday that the club has interest in bringing back right-handers Michael King and Nick Pivetta.
That’s not exactly a surprise. The Padres are losing a total of seven starting pitchers to free agency, forcing them to build a rotation from scratch. It is why they signed right-hander Ryan Weiss to a Major League deal on Tuesday.
There’s some precedent here, too. Just last year, the Padres re-signed King to a three-year, $75 million contract that included opt-outs after each of the first two seasons. King exercised the first of those opt-outs following a 2026 season that saw him pitch to a 3.21 ERA in 32 starts.
An elbow injury limited Pivetta to just eight regular-season starts and also triggered a clause that converted his $14 million player option into a team option for 2027. San Diego declined the option, although the door to a reunion is not yet closed. Pivetta is just a year removed from posting a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts in his first season with the Padres.