With the Winter Meetings just five days away, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for today:
1. KBO asks for Go posting:
The Korea Baseball Organization requested the posting of LG Twins closer Woo Suk Go last night, per a report from Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News. The right-hander is the second KBO player to begin the posting process this winter, following Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who coincidentally is Go’s brother-in-law. Lee isn’t expected to be officially posted for big league clubs until the calendar flips to December, and the timeline for Go’s official posting is unclear at this point. When Go is posted, clubs will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with the right-hander. Go, 25, sports a mid-90s fastball that at times touches 98 and routinely posts high strikeout rates in the KBO but struggled with his control last year, walking 11.6% of batters faced. He figures to join a right-handed relief class headlined by Jordan Hicks and Robert Stephenson.
2. What’s next in St. Louis?
The Cardinals completed the primary goal of the offseason of adding three starters to their rotation yesterday by signing veteran right-hander Sonny Gray to a three-year deal. Gray joins fellow offseason signings Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson as well as incumbent veterans Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz in the projected St. Louis rotation. The trio of signings push the club’s projected payroll in 2024 up to just over $193MM, per RosterResource. That payroll figure would be an all-time high for the club, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
While the club reportedly intends to pursue at least two bullpen additions this offseason, it’s unclear if the club how much, if any, payroll space the club has available for those additions. Of course, St. Louis has a deep positional mix from which they could deal to both improve their bullpen and clear space on the payroll for another addition if they so chose, particularly in the outfield where Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Carlson are both widely regarded as likely trade candidates.
3. MLBTR Chat Today
With the Winter Meetings just days away and the hot stove beginning to sizzle, do you have any burning questions in your mind about your favorite team or one of the offseason’s many free agents? If so, tune in at 1pm CT today for a live chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will let you participate live or read the transcript once the chat has concluded.