Page 4 - Ree Agent News Today

The Cleveland Guardians added depth to their starting rotation, agreeing Tuesday to a $750,000 one-year contract with free agent right-hander Ben Lively. The 31-year-old split last season between Cincinnati and Triple-A Louisville. In 12 starts for the Reds, he went 4-7 with a 5.38 ERA.

Superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani was rumored to be en route to Toronto on Friday to meet, and maybe sign, with the Blue Jays, but further reports debunked it all.

What does that mean, and who might they pick?

Big-name free agents appear in no hurry to strike deals at the winter meetings, biding time until Shohei Ohtani potentially breaks the record for richest contract set 4 1/2 years ago by Mike Trout. “It's probably a little slower from a conversation standpoint at a winter meetings than it normally would,” New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday.

Five weeks after the Rangers to the franchise’s first World Series title, what postseason moves could be on the franchise’s horizon?

The active New York Mets filled two more holes Thursday, signing utility infielder Joey Wendle and reliever Austin Adams to one-year contracts. Wendle, an All-Star in 2021 with Tampa Bay, gets a $2 million salary with the opportunity to earn another $500,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances, according to a person familiar with the deal. Wendle, who turns 34 in April, spent the past two seasons with Miami and helped the Marlins reach the playoffs this year.

Reliever Liam Hendriks and outfielder Cody Bellinger were selected Major League Baseball's Comeback Players of the Year on Tuesday. The pair, both free agents, were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers. Hendriks, a 34-year-old right-hander, made his season debut on May 29 following treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Free agent right-hander Kenta Maeda and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a $24 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. Maeda, who turns 36 on April 11, spent the past three years with the Minnesota Twins. After giving up career highs of 10 runs and 11 hits against the New York Yankees six days later, he went on the injured list because of a strained right triceps, an injury that sidelined him until June 23.

Shōta Imanaga, who got the win for Japan in this year's World Baseball Classic final against the United States, will become a free agent Tuesday and major league teams can sign him through 5 p.m. on Jan. 11. Naoyuki Uwasawa, a 29-year-old right-handed reliever with the Pacific League's Nippon Ham Fighters, also will become a free agent Tuesday and be available through Jan. 11. Imanaga, a 30-year-old left-hander, was 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 22 starts this year for the Yokohama Ba...

Watch out baseball fans; Japan’s next big star looks to be on the move.