The opening: Santander, Infield Market, Cartaya

As the 2024-25 offseason continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on in the baseball world today:

1. Could the Santander market overheat?

Reports surfaced over the weekend that seemed to point to a market for the outfielder Antonio Santander it might get warm. The slugger has at least one offer on the table from the Blue Jays, and the Angels are also reportedly considered “frontrunners” for his services. He has also been linked to each of the Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees, though New York appears to be the least likely destination given their reported interest stems from earlier Cody Bellinger was brought into the fold. The Dodgers’ recent move to re-sign Teoscar Hernandez could help move the Santander market further forward, as it took a major alternative to switch services off the board.

However, this is not necessarily a guarantee. Santander is reached from first base Pietro Alonso and third base Alex Bregmann as the best hitters left on the market, and it’s fair to note that Nolan Arenadoavailability on the trade market appears to be a factor hindering Bregman’s free agency, the market for Alonso hasn’t heated up much since Christian WalkerThat’s the deal with the Astros. Santander’s asking price of $100 million over five years could serve as a sticking point in negotiations that drag things out a little longer, particularly after Hernandez signed for just three years and $66 million.

2. Interiors coming off the board:

The hottest market in baseball right now is definitely infielders—though not for high-end options like Bregman or Arenado. Rather, the last few days have seen a number of utility infielders come off the board. The Dodgers add Hyeseong Kim Friday stands out as the most notable transaction in this corner of the market, but Josh Rojas they also inked a big league deal with the White Sox on Thursday, while the Royals and Yankees both added players on this side of the market (Cavan Biggio AND Andrea Velazquezrespectively) on the agreements of the minor leagues. Could the next domino to fall be the changeup hitting third baseman? Yoán Moncadawho reportedly received interest from the Cubs, Mariners and Blue Jays yesterday? José Iglesias, Pentecost Merrifield, Amed RosarioAND Jorge Polacco are among the other hitters available in this level of free agency.

3. Cartaya on the trading block:

The Dodgers made a somewhat surprising move on Friday when they decided to draft a former big-time prospect Diego Cartaia by assignment. The 23-year-old was a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport as recently as the 2023 season, but hit just .208/.293/.350 in Triple-A last year and is entering his final minor league option year. With Will Smith already in Los Angeles with a long-term contract and Dalton running having leapfrogged Cartaya on the organization’s depth chart, it’s easy to see why that type of performance made Cartaya expendable for the Dodgers. Even so, his status as a former top prospect and baseball’s ever-present need to acquire next-level depth could make Cartaya an attractive potential option on the trade market for rival clubs, to the point where it’s easy to imagine Cartaya not making the cut. to the waiver wire. The Dodgers only have a few days to work out a trade before having to place the catcher on waivers—could there be an agreement today?