Could the Mets steal another pitcher from the Yankees?
The New York Mets may be repeating the same play this offseason.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Sunday that the Mets are looking for lefty relievers in free agency. According to Heyman, Wandy Peralta is one of the relievers the Mets are looking for.
The 32-year-old Peralta has spent the previous three seasons with the rival New York Yankees. Over that time, he had an impressive 2.82 ERA and was heavily relied on by the Yankees during their ALCS run in 2022.
The Mets have spent the winter bringing in former Yankees. They appointed Carlos Mendoza, an ex-Yankees bench coach, as their new manager before signing a former Yankees All-Star pitcher to a one-year contract. The Mets were also interested in former Yankees fireballer Aroldis Chapman (before he joined with the Pittsburgh Pirates) and even added a starter outfielder for the Yankees last season. Peralta, an eight-year MLB veteran, might be next in line.
The Chicago White Sox are still open to trading starting pitcher Dylan Cease, and a new team is allegedly in the market for him.
The Seattle Mariners have begun trade talks with Cease, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Chicago’s asking price remains high, and the Mariners would likely have to give up one of their top prospects, Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo, to make a deal.
The Mariners may be the White Sox’s last chance to deal Cease before the start of the season. If no deal is reached, the White Sox are anticipated to hold Cease for the start of the season and possibly pursue a trade again before the trade deadline.
Cease has been connected to several organizations since the beginning of the summer, most notably the New York Yankees. The White Sox have constantly maintained a high asking price, which appears to have scared off a few clubs, at least for the moment.
Cease is coming off a disappointing season with the White Sox, when he had a 4.58 ERA, but he was the runner-up for the AL Cy Young in 2022.
Cookie is making his triumphant comeback to Cleveland.
According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, the Cleveland Guardians will re-sign pitcher Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco, a right-hander, is returning to Cleveland on a minor-league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.
Carrasco, at nearly 37 years old, pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 2009 to 2020. He led the AL in wins (18) in 2017 and had three seasons with 200 or more strikeouts in Cleveland. Carrasco was also a popular fan favorite, thanks in part to his courageous struggle with leukemia. He overcame the ailment few months after being diagnosed in 2019 and returned to the mound for Cleveland that year. In 2019, Carrasco was named AL Comeback Player of the Year and received the Roberto Clemente Award for his efforts.
Carrasco has been pitching for the New York Mets since 2021, finishing 3-8 with a 6.80 ERA in 20 starts last season. At this point, he is probably more of a positive vibes signing than anything else. However, Carrasco was contemporaries with the Guardians’ new manager, which could help.
