Veterans sends strong message to Rangers after trade News revealed amid sensational deal
Chuck Norris may not be involved, but Walker is sending a message to the Texas Rangers.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this week that the defending champ Rangers continue to have interest in signing longtime Los Angeles Dodgers left-ander Clayton Kershaw. The 35-year-old Kershaw is a free agent this winter after 16 seasons with the Dodgers.
Fellow Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler sent a very strong message to the Rangers in response to their reported interest in Kershaw.
“NO!” wrote Buehler in a post to X.
Buehler, who will be returning to the Dodgers rotation next season after his second Tommy John surgery, has been teammates with Kershaw since 2017, so he obviously does not want to see the former Cy Young winner go. But the decision will be entirely up to Kershaw, who underwent shoulder surgery last month and faces an uncertain future.
The Rangers are an intriguing option for Kershaw as he is a native of Texas and has long been linked to a possible move to Arlington. But Buehler wants to get at least one last dance with Kershaw next year, this time with Shohei Ohtani DH’ing and both Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto joining the Dodgers rotation with a healthy Buehler.
The Mariners have agreed to a contract with free agent catcher Mitch Garver, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Garver agreed to sign with Seattle for two years and $24 million.
The Mariners had been linked to Garver in early December, but nothing came of it until Sunday. He hit .270 with 19 home runs in 87 games for the Texas Rangers in 2023, playing an important role for a team that ultimately went on to win the World Series. The veteran catcher can also play first base and DH, giving Seattle some lineup flexibility.
Though they went 88-74 last season, the Mariners watched two AL West rivals face off in the ALCS and one win the World Series. They have also received criticism from fans — and even one of their players — for not spending enough money. That criticism was exacerbated when they started the offseason with a big cost-cutting move. Adding Garver might help quiet some of those critics.
The Toronto Blue Jays may be trying to enter The Crone Zone.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this week that the Jays have had discussions with the San Diego Padres about a potential trade for infielder Jake Cronenworth. The 29-year-old Cronenworth is a buy-low candidate after hitting .229 with a .689 OPS last season.
San Diego has already traded away Juan Soto and Trent Grisham and allowed players like Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo to walk in free agency. While they did just sign Japanese reliever Yuki Matsui to a $28 million deal, the Padres would still like to shed payroll. Trading away Cronenworth, who is about to begin a new seven-year, $80 million contract, would be another major way to accomplish that.
Rosenthal does note that San Diego might be reluctant to deal another left-handed hitter after already trading both Soto and Grisham to the New York Yankees. But Toronto needs another such bat (they are already known to be after another lefty slugger) and could make a very competitive offer for the two-time All-Star Cronenworth.
