Guardians have hopes to re-sign a reliever

The Cleveland Guardians would like to, "kick the tires," on re-signing relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez according to Cleveland.com's Paul Hoynes.

Cleveland became familiar with Lopez as a divisional rival pitching for the Chicago White Sox for several seasons. The Los Angeles Angels acquired him at the MLB trade deadline, but later let him go in large-scale waiving of players to save money once the team recognized they would not be competitive in their playoff chase.

For Cleveland, Lopez appeared in 12 games and gave up no earned runs in 11.0 innings. He walked four and struck out 12, earning a WHIP of 0.818 in Cleveland (1.310 on the season across three teams).

Lopez did enough in a short period of time to earn the interest of Cleveland to potentially re-sign. Lopez, after an up-and-down first few years of his career as a starting pitcher has been steady as a relief pitcher the last five seasons. He'll have no shortage of suitors, but perhaps Clevveland did enough to be his top choice coming out of this past year.

Joey Votto back to the Reds? Would be good for business, says one writer

Joey Votto appears ready to epitomize the Wolf of Wall Street scene where Jordan Belfort (portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio) says he's not [expletive] leaving... After appearing in line for a possible reitrement, Votto has said he still wants to play.

And why wouldn't he? He's invigorated by the youth around him in Cincinnati and he wasn't exactly a net-negative last season after returning from the injured list where he started the season. In 65 games he batted .202/.315/.433 which was good enough for about a league-average OPS, better than his slightly-below-average OPS last season.

Votto might be five years removed from his last All-Star season, but he can still play. Plus, his presence on a young team like the Reds could provide immense value as a veteran voice and leader of the clubhouse. No doubt, he'd be the old dog, but he endears himself to the younger players and can provide the role model impressionable new athletes need in their first few years.

Plus, Cincinnati appears so close to competing, nearly securing a playoff spot this year. They could very well be what the Baltimore Orioles were this year in 2024. Votto can bridge the gap between the two eras and help the culture stay level-headed as they push for higher stakes.

For the Cincinnati Enquierer, Gordan Wittenmyer penned a column on Votto (subscription required) and what he brings to the table at this stage beyond his play on the field, though. He pointed out the marketability Votto brings -- his jersey is still the most ubiquitous, even if that doesn't hold for long in Cincinnati -- and the immense downside to not re-signing Votto if he's open to a return to Cincinnati. It could leave a bad taste in the mouths of Reds fans if they don't bring him back.

Cincinnati also has the control: Votto's 2024 has a club option for $20 million, with $7 million due if they opt out.

Regretfully, Votto has only appeared in 11 playoff games, and two of those were in the 2020 season when the postseason was drastically expanded due to a Covid-shortened season. His last appearance in a 'normal' postseason was 2013. Get him back to the playoffs one last time, Cincy!

Shohei Ohtani is in view for almost every AL East team now

According to Bob Nightengale's latest column, the Tampa Bay Rays were one of the teams that pursued Shohei Ohtani ahead of the 2023 MLB trade deadline when he was briefly thought to be available on the trade market.

The Los Angeles Angels eventually took Ohtani off and became buyers at the deadline -- a decision that, in retrospect, probably made their future even bleaker than it already was set to be -- but plenty of teams got offers in for the star two-way player before he was taken off.

The Rays were willing to offer, "three of their top 10" prospects for Ohtani according to Nightengale. Junior Caminero, their top prospect, was included in the deal.

One has to think that, that news in mind, the Rays will definitely chase Ohtani in free agency this winter. If they were willing to give up prospects, why not take the opportunity to get him in exchange for just cold hard cash?

Ohtani is expected to get a massive deal, but Tampa has plans for a new stadium that they're getting public funds to pitch in $300 million for. They'll be on the books for the remainder. Ohtani might come with a cost, but he also drives ticket and merchandise sales like almost no other player, while also giving your team a great chance to win.

Tampa has been to five straight postseasons but has failed to lift a World Series trophy yet. This kind of add would push them over the top.

Of course, Tampa will have plenty of competition for Ohtani even inside their own division, including Canada, which would give him a unique opportunity to expand his personal brand to a new country. The Red Sox are also eyeing a new hire that seems postured toward Ohtani.