Team news
[Heavy] Latest Alex Bregman Rumor Increases Likelihood Diamondbacks Keep Ketel Marte – Alex Bregman could be the next infielder to come off the market. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported on First Up with Korolnek
and Colaiacovo (audio courtesy of YouTuber and podcaster Robbie Hyde) that the Boston Red Sox have made an “aggressive offer” to retain their third baseman. Boston radio host Marino Pepén reports that the Red Sox have given Bregman a five-year, $160 million offer. Pepén tweets, “currently, it’s the most competitive offer”. Bregman’s free agency has a downstream effect on the Arizona Diamondbacks and three-time All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.
[Burn City Sports] Bleacher Report predicts former Braves slugger to join Diamondbacks’ Opening Day roster – According to Joel Reuter, the Diamondbacks could pursue former Atlanta Braves DH Marcell Ozuna to fill the cleanup spot and boost an already star-studded offense. While the scenario is purely speculative, it reflects a broader view of what Arizona could still pursue before spring training begins. Ozuna has long been a proven run producer, building a reputation as a hitter capable of changing a game with one swing… Ultimately, the projection speaks less to a specific transaction and more to the direction in which the Diamondbacks are viewed.
[SI] Top D-backs’ Pitching Prospect May Reach MLB Sooner than You Think – [Kohl] Drake is certainly an intriguing arm to watch. He struggled a bit in Reno, giving up a 9.18 ERA, with two blowup starts and two solid starts. Unfortunately, he went down with an injury before he had time to level out his sample size. With that in mind, it feels like a bit of a stretch to expect Drake to reach the OD roster. However, the left-hander does seem to be on the short list to reach the majors. A mid-season call-up is well within reason, and Drake’s strikeout ability from the left-hand side is the definition of a premium asset. It feels almost guaranteed to see Drake reach MLB in the upcoming season at some point.
And, elsewhere…
[Toronto Star] Blue Jays officially sign Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto to four-year, US$60M deal – Okamoto is a six-time all-star in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league. The 29-year-old third baseman and first baseman hit .327 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs in 69 games last season for the Yomiuri Giants. He missed over half the season with an elbow injury. Under MLB’s posting agreement with NPB, the Blue Jays owe the Giants a posting fee of $10,875,000. Okamoto will get a $5 million signing bonus, a $7 million salary this year and $16 million in each of the following three seasons. With five-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first, Okamoto presumably would play mostly at third.
[ESPN] Bold 2026 MLB predictions: World Series picks, trades, more – Skubal will be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July. For several reasons — from the rarity of a three-peat to the potential for a new economic landscape starting in 2027 — the Dodgers will surely push all their chips to the middle of the table in their quest for another title. They can even afford to trade for Skubal as a rental if the move leads them to a third straight championship, whereas just about any other team would need to immediately sign him to a long-term deal in order to justify giving up the prospects it will undoubtedly take to land a back-to-back Cy Young Award winner.
[World Baseball] MLB Players Stuck In Venezuela After Maduro’s Capture – Many Venezuelan players return to the country during Major League Baseball’s offseason, and a lot of them make cameo appearances for their hometown teams in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional, the country’s professional winter league. Generally, they start returning as the winter ball playoffs begin, as there’s generally about one week between the end of the Caribbean Series and the start of MLB spring training. “We don’t have much info at the moment but are trying to follow up,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold told the Journal Sentinel. “We know the airports have been shut down but not much beyond that.”
