MLB rumors: Twins intend to keep core in place, Braves interested in Dodgers mainstay Walker Buehler

We are a little more than two weeks into the 2024-25 MLB offseason and so far the Angels have been the most active team. They landed Jorge Soler in a salary dump trade with the Braves and signed Kyle Hendricks, Travis d’Arnaud, and Kevin Newman as free agents. The rest of the baseball world has yet to really kick things into gear. Here now are Friday’s hot stove rumors.

Twins to keep core in place

The Twins are expected to face another payroll crunch this winter, meaning it’s only natural to wonder if they’d be willing to move some of their better compensated players. Publicly, at least, Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey is downplaying the possibility of moving Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, or Pablo López.

“Everyone is always going to ask when you’re a team in the payroll bracket that we are,” Falvey told The Athletic. “I feel really confident those guys are going to be part of the ability for us to do what we want on the field. They’re going to fuel us hopefully to some of the success we want to have. … I feel really good about those players.”

The Twins, of course, are coming off a disappointing season that saw them finish with an 82-80 record and finish fourth in the American League Central.

Braves interested in Buehler

The Braves are among the teams with interest in free-agent righty Walker Buehler, reports MLB.com. Atlanta could lose rotation stalwarts Max Fried and Charlie Morton to free agency this winter, plus ace Spencer Strider may not be ready for Opening Day following this year’s elbow surgery. We ranked Buehler as the 26th best free agent this offseason. 

Buehler, 30, has of course spent his entire career with the Dodgers, and he threw the final pitch of this year’s World Series. He had a poor season overall (5.38 ERA in 75 1/3 innings), his first since his second career Tommy John surgery, though the Braves love to bring in players with pedigree, and who knows what it takes to be great (like Chris Sale). Buehler fits the bill.

Irvin heads to Korea

Journeyman lefty Cole Irvin has signed with the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization, per Yonhap News Agency. He gets a $1 million guarantee, the maximum allowed for a first-year foreign player in the KBO. Irvin, 30, split the 2024 season between the Orioles and Twins, pitching to a 5.11 ERA in 111 innings. He has a 4.54 ERA in parts of six big league seasons. Several pitchers, most notably Erick Fedde and Merrill Kelly, remade themselves in the KBO and then returned to have success in MLB.

Soto meets with Red Sox

Juan Soto and agent Scott Boras met with the Red Sox on Thursday. Soto and Boras reportedly have meetings scheduled with several teams (Blue Jays, Mets, Yankees, etc.), though the Red Sox meeting is the first one confirmed to have taken place. Boston’s group made a formal presentation and Soto asked the team about their commitment to winning, their player evaluation, and Fenway Park. Money and contract terms were not discussed.