MLB rumors: Mets interested in Lucas Giolito, ex-Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa stays in AL East

The holidays are freshly behind us, and the calendar will soon flip to 2024. On the Major League Baseball front, it’s still Hot Stove season, at least until we start thinking in earnest about pitchers and catchers reporting. For now, though, a number of compelling free agents and trade candidates remain on the board, and that means a steady flow of rumors. You’ll find Wednesday’s supply just below. 

Mets eyeballing Giolito

The New York Mets were unable to land young ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto earlier this offseason, as he wound up inking with the Dodgers. That left the Mets with plenty of money to spend and plenty of need in the rotation after trading away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer leading up to last season’s trade deadline. On that front, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports that the Mets are “showing strong interest” in free-agent right-hander Lucas Giolito. 

The 29-year-old Giolito is coming off a somewhat disappointing 2023, in which he pitched for three different teams. However, he has a mostly strong track record over the past handful of seasons, and coming into the winter we at CBS Sports ranked Giolito as the No. 9 member of the 2023-24 free agent class. Here’s part of our write-up: 

If only Giolito had access to a neuralyzer, he could erase any memory teams had of him after he was traded to the Angels. (In turn they would remember only when he was with the White Sox, or forgive us, when he was a man in black.) Speaking of forgetting things, Giolito used his fastball less and less often as the season wore on. He leaned more on his backspinning changeup, ostensibly in response to his bout with gopheritis. Giolito is on the bright side of 30 and he isn’t far removed from receiving Cy Young Award consideration in three consecutive seasons. That combination should help teams talk themselves into him being a good rebound candidate, albeit for a second consecutive offseason. 

Giolito isn’t an ace these days, but he is a worthy mid-rotation piece with some remaining upside. Given the state of the market for starters, the Mets no doubt have plenty of company in eyeballing Giolito. 

Blue Jays strike deal with Kiner-Falefa

The Toronto Blue Jays have added some depth by agreeing to terms with INF/OF Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a free-agent contract. Robert Murray reports the pairing and puts the terms at $15 million over two years with an additional $1 million available in incentives. 

The light-hitting Kiner-Falefa, 28, is coming off a 2023 season for the division-rival Yankees in which he batted .242/.306/.340 with six home runs and 14 stolen bases in 113 games. For his career, he owns an OPS+ of 81 across parts of six MLB seasons. Last season with New York, Kiner-Falefa saw time at six different positions, including center field and his traditional position of shortstop. With Toronto, he figures to fill a multi-positional reserve role. The Jays may be in particular need of infield depth given the assumed departure of free-agent third baseman Matt Chapman.