NASHVILLE — After a late-night trade involving the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners, what could be on tap later today at the MLB Winter Meetings? That thought kicks off our latest round of MLB rumors, news and notes surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.
Seattle Mariners rumors: Deal sets avenue for San Diego Padres trade?
Late on Sunday, the Mariners and Braves made a swap that bosted Atlanta's outfield (with Jarred Kelenic expected to compete in left field with Vaughn Grissom and other internal options in 2024) and freed up some cash on Seattle's side for what could be bigger moves to come.
The Atlanta #Braves today acquired LHP Marco Gonzales, OF Jarred Kelenic, INF Evan White and cash considerations from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for RHP Jackson Kowar and minor-league RHP Cole Phillips: pic.twitter.com/1s5CPtFySV
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) December 4, 2023
And yes, those bigger moves could involve Juan Soto and the Padres, with Jon Heyman "speculating" that Soto could now be a fit with Seattle shedding some salary and needing an outfielder and impact bat in its lineup.
Soto has been strongly linked to the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays in recent days, but could Seattle now be in play for the Padres to make a deal? Keep an eye out for that, as well as potentially the Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays making a deal that could land Isaac Paredes or Randy Arozarena in the Pacific Northwest.
St. Louis Cardinals rumors: Could a trade with Minnesota Twins for Pablo Lopez happen?
While St. Louis has been busy rebuilding its rotation this offseason, there are expected to be more moves made to boost the pitching this offseason. While that certainly includes the bullpen, there is talk that the Cardinals could also be looking to make another move for the rotation as well. MLB.com's John Denton recently theorized that Steven Matz and his $11 million salary in 2024 could be used as a trade chip to land another starting pitcher, and among the names mentioned by Denton was Twins starter Pablo Lopez, who has reportedly been on the St. Louis target list before.
If the Twins are looking to cut salary as has been previously reported, could that open the door for the Cardinals to make a move? Lopez is in the middle of a four-year, $73.5 million deal, but Minnesota has already lost Sonny Gray this offseason (in a free agent signing by St. Louis), so would the Twins really be willing to see their top two arms leave after winning the American League Central this past season? It's a rumor to keep an eye on, especially for Cardinals and Twins fans.