Toronto

Blue Jays

Gowdy spent the last two years in the Dodgers organization, finishing last year with a respectable 4.38 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 45/23 K/BB ratio across 51 1/3 innings (42 appearances) for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 27-year-old righty was a second-round pick of the Phillies in the 2016 MLB Draft and has yet to ascend to the big leagues. He’ll augment Toronto’s organizational relief depth at Triple-A Buffalo.

The significant development comes directly from Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, who made the comments on Tuesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium during Blake Snell’s introductory press conference. Rosenthal and Drellich add that multiple sources briefed on the negotiations say that all remaining contenders have made offers surpassing $600 million. No word yet on exactly how many teams are left in the running at the moment, but previous reporting indicated that five teams were in the mix including the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays and Dodgers. ESPN’s Alden González reports that Soto is expected to sign at some point in the coming days prior to the start of next week’s Winter Meetings.

It wasn’t a firm declaration, but Atkins made it clear that Bichette hasn’t experienced any setbacks during his rehabilitation process following surgery back in late September to address a lingering right middle finger injury. The 26-year-old shortstop looks like an obvious bounce-back candidate for fantasy purposes next season and should be an easy top-15 selection at the position in drafts next spring.

Atkins added that Varsho isn’t necessarily behind schedule in his recovery from late September shoulder surgery, but it doesn’t appear that he’ll be a full-go at the outset of spring training as originally expected. There should be some clarity on his status once we get closer to the spring, but fantasy managers should anticipate Varsho missing at least some time in the early stages of the year.

Manoah underwent Tommy John surgery back in June and is expected to miss a significant portion, if not all, of next season. There’s a chance he’s ready to return at some point in the late stages of the 2025 campaign, but that’s up in the air at the moment. The 26-year-old former ace seems like a bit of a long shot to be fantasy-relevant at any point in the future.

Romano was non-tendered by the Blue Jays a couple weeks ago in what Atkins described to reporters as purely a business decision. He added that it was a mutual decision for both sides to allow the veteran closer to explore his options on the open market and that they’re “heavily pursuing” a reunion. The fact that the 31-year-old stopper is expected to be fully healthy heading into spring training is notable since he missed the four months of last year due to persistent elbow issues. There’s a chance he’s closing somewhere, possibly back in Toronto, at the outset of the 2025 campaign, which would make him relevant in all fantasy formats.

Rosenthal believes that the deal could be a “three-year deal for more than $60 million.” It makes sense for Hernández to return to Los Angeles after having a huge season where he slashed .272/.339/.501 with 33 homers, 99 RBI, and 12 stolen bases over 652 plate appearances. after signing a one-year deal last offseason. Rosenthal mentions that, “If Hernández somehow does not land back with the Dodgers, the Blue Jays might be his most logical destination.”

Heyman reported earlier this week that the Yankees are one of five big-market teams, including the Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers, in the mix to land the generational slugger, who launched 41 homers and finished third in AL MVP balloting last season in his New York debut. He also notes that while the Yankees are meeting with other free agents, retaining Soto remains the organization’s primary focus at the outset of free agency. No specific contractual figures have surfaced yet, but Heyman adds the Yankees, and other teams, have expressed a willingness to include opt-outs as part of their offer. The widely-held expectation is that Soto will field multiple rounds of contractual offers before making a decision at some point during next month’s annual Winter Meetings.

Stefanic was jettisoned from the Angels’ 40-man roster back in late October and he’ll get an opportunity next spring to compete for a bench role with the Blue Jays. The 28-year-old infielder holds a lackluster .591 OPS across 264 plate appearances at the highest level dating back to 2022. He represents quality organizational infield depth for Toronto heading into 2025.

Heyman adds the Red Sox are one of five teams — including the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays and Dodgers — believed to be serious contenders in the Soto sweepstakes. He also notes that Boston is “increasingly seen” as a legitimate contender to pry the generational superstar away from their longtime rivals. The central question remains whether the Red Sox are willing to extend themselves financially to land Soto less than a half-decade after trading away franchise cornerstone Mookie Betts in a cost-cutting move in addition to significantly slashing payroll in recent years. There’s widespread belief at this juncture is that Soto will make his final decision at some point in early December during the Winter Meetings. Stay tuned.