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MLB rumours: Royals shopping Hunter Dozier, Nicky Lopez after Red Sox trade; The Marlins stopped chasing Yuli Guryel

MLB rumours: Royals shopping Hunter Dozier, Nicky Lopez after Red Sox trade;  The Marlins stopped chasing Yuli Guryel

We’re less than a month away from spring training, baseball fans. Here is the spring training report date for each team. Now here’s hot rumors Monday as you wait for baseball to return in a few weeks.

red socks Get Mondesi

The Red Sox acquired the often injured Adalberto Mondesi from Royals For lefty reliever Josh Taylor, According to MLB.com. Boston will also receive a player who will be named later in the trade. Even with Enrique Hernández shifting from center field to shortstop, the Red Sox need a deep run following the departure of Xander Bogaerts and elbow surgery for Trevor Story.

Mondesi, 27, has only played 50 games in the past two seasons due to multiple injuries, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He demonstrated five-tool ability earlier in his career, including hitting .276/.306/.498 with 14 homers and 32 steals in 75 games in 2018, though injuries have stunted his development. Mondesi will be a free agent after 2023. Taylor, 29, didn’t play in the MLB last season and only got into a handful of minor league games due to a back injury.

The royals discuss other deals

But wait, there could be more movement coming from the royals, who are now engaged to Mondesi and Defensive player Michael A. Taylor during the past 24 hours. According to ESPNThe Royals also discussed deals that include utility player Hunter Dozier and player Nicky Lopez.

Dozier, a 31-year-old who could potentially be signed during the 2025 season, fell short of what appeared to be a breakout season in 2019. He’s posted 89 OPS+ over the past three years while bouncing in close quarters. Lopez, 27, has been in the team’s dominance through the 2025 season. He’s also failed to build on what was a remarkable season in 2021. His OPS+ percentage is down from 104 to 58.

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The Royals have a raft of young center fielders both in the majors and on the road, making them an obvious candidate to ship at least one more hitter between now and Opening Day.

The Athletics have signed first baseman Jesus Aguilar to a one-year, $3 million contract, USA Today reports. Oakland has spent nearly $30 million on six free agents this offseason (Aguilar, Aledmys Díaz, Shintaro Fujinami, Trevor May, Jace Peterson, and Drew Rucinski), even though their estimated 2023 payroll is only $58.5 million, Per FanGraphs. This is one of the lowest rates in baseball.

Aguilar, 32, hit .235/.281/.379 with 16 home runs in 129 games for the Marlins and Orioles in 2022. He’s been an above-average hitter as of late as 2021, plus he’s considered an excellent presence in the club. Aguilar can line up with Seth Brown at first base, and also take DH at bats. And if he does well, A might flip him over for a prospect on the deadline.

Marlins Stop chasing Gurriel

Their pursuit of free agent first baseman Yuli Guriel is stopped by the Marlins, reports Miami Herald. Miami is currently slated to field Jarrett Cooper at first base and Jorge Soler at DH, but if they’re willing to live with either Cooper or Soler in the outfield defensively, there’s still room in the Guuriel lineup. Jazz Chisholm shifts to center in the wake of the trade for Luis Aries.

Miami has sought high-contact hitters all outside, and Jouriel would certainly be a good fit. He’s posted one of the lowest strikeout averages in baseball since his arrival in 2016, even though he had the worst season of his MLB career in 2022, and at age 38, his days as an above-average hitter are likely over. For the time being, though, Marlin pauses their pursuit. It is unclear if they are focusing elsewhere.

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rays Still looking for a crime

The Rays are still looking to level up their offense, though GM Erik Neader acknowledged that “there aren’t a lot of (matrix bats) available,” reports Tampa Bay Times. Jurickson Profar is the best free agent player still on the marketalthough others such as Miguel Sanu, Franmel Reyes, Luke Voight and the former Ray David Peralta also remained unsigned.

Last season, the Rays ranked 21st in goals scored, and they haven’t scored more than one run in nine of their last 16 regular season games. Tampa was then held to a 24-run solo homer in the Wild Card Series, which it lost to Guardians. The Rays did not add any offense in this offseason. If anything, they brought up their insult with Ji-Man Choi’s trade.

Orioles Still looking for rotation help

Orioles general manager Mike Elias hopes to add another starting pitcher before spring training, he said during an interview with 105.7 FM The Fan over the weekend (via The Baltimore Sun). The O’s signed Kyle Gibson to a one-year contract earlier this winter. Character Kyle Braddish, Dean Cramer, Tyler Wells, and Austin Foth complete the rotation until top detective Grayson Rodriguez is called in.

Baltimore has been linked to Michael Wacha, Best start free proxy available, the past few weeks. Other unsigned starters include Zack Greinke, Mike Minor, and Michael Pineda. If nothing else, O could use another veteran to chew on roles and spare the bulls a bit, and avoid asking kids to handle too much of the workload too soon.

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reds You are not expected to make other additions

GM Nick Krall said at Monday’s team caravan event (via Cincinnati Enquirer). “Obviously we knocked it down (after making the post-season in 2020). We replaced some players last year. It’s something we need to work through. We’re trying to rebuild it,” Krall added.

It was a fairly quiet season for the Reds. They traded in Kyle Farmer, added Will Myers and Luke Weaver, and that’s it. Cincinnati opened 2022 with a payroll of $114.1 million. Their estimated 2023 payroll is currently $81.5 million, Per FanGraphs. In terms of percentage of the 2022 payroll, the Reds are expected to take the biggest pay cut in baseball this year.