Mets add trio of free agents to bolster lineup
NEW YORK — The New York Mets have bolstered their lineup with three free-agent deals, adding speedy center fielder Starling Marte to go along with Mark Canha and All-Star infielder Eduardo Escobar.
Marte’s four-year contract is worth $78 million, according to a person familiar with the deal. New York also has agreements in place with Canha, a veteran outfielder who also can play first base, and Escobar, who hit 28 homers this season.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because the contracts are pending physicals and haven’t been announced by the team.
It’s the first set of big moves by New York since Billy Eppler took over as general manager, promising on his first day to pursue pricey free agents and create a perennial World Series contender.
The spending spree for Mets owner Steve Cohen also comes after he publicly criticized the representation for pitcher Steven Matz, who has agreed to a $44 million, four-year contract with St. Louis.
“I’m not happy this morning. I’ve never seen such unprofessional behavior exhibited by a player’s agent. I guess words and promises don’t matter,” Cohen wrote Wednesday on Twitter.
Rob Martin, the pitcher’s agent, wrote in a text to The Associated Press: “We handle things the right way and so does Steven.”
New York went 77-85 this season, fading to third in the NL East after a strong start.
Marte, 33, played for Miami and Oakland this year, batting .310 with 12 homers, 55 RBIs and a major league-high 47 steals in 120 games.
Marte made his big league
debut in 2012 with Pittsburgh. He is a .289 hitter with 126 homers, 46 triples, 502 RBIs and 296 steals in 10 years in the majors.
The 32-year-old Canha hit .231 with 17 homers, 61 RBIs and 12 steals in 141 games with Oakland this year. He spent his first seven big league seasons with the Athletics, batting .244 with 89 homers and 294 RBIs.
The 32-year-old Escobar was a first-time All-Star in 2021, when he batted .253 with 90 RBIs and a .786 OPS for Arizona and Milwaukee. The switch-hitter has been a solid offensive contributor and a steady defender at third base the past four seasons, except for a slump during the pandemic shortened 2020 season.
Escobar has spent most of his time at third base, but he has experience all over the infield. His versatility could be key for the Mets if they don’t bring back free agent Javier Baez.
SOX SIGN WACHA
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox have signed Michael Wacha to a $7 million, one-year deal, adding the right-hander to an already thin rotation that lost Eduardo Rodriguez in free agency.
Wacha, 30, was 3-5 with a 5.05 ERA last season for Tampa Bay. He was 1-1 with a 2.88 ERA in seven appearances from Aug. 28 on, ending the season with backto-back, scoreless five-inning starts in which he allowed a total of one hit.
Wacha is 63-48 with a 4.14 ERA in nine major league seasons, also playing for the Cardinals and Mets.
MARINERS ACQUIRE ALL-STAR FRAZIER
SEATTLE — Seattle’s first big move of the offseason was completing a deal Jerry Dipoto tried to make last summer.
The Mariners finally landed Adam Frazier on Saturday, acquiring the All-Star second baseman in a trade with the San Diego Padres.
“We thought we were at the goal line to acquire Adam at trade deadline last year,” said Dipoto, Seattle’s president of baseball operations. “Obviously we missed out and we stayed in touch with the Padres as we headed into the offseason knowing that they had a pretty robust roster. And we just liked the player so we stuck with it.”
The move cost Seattle two minor leaguers, but it addresses one of the team’s biggest needs entering the offseason; adding a middle infielder to pair with shortstop J.P. Crawford. Frazier’s versatility means the Mariners can still be aggressive with other possible transactions should another middle infielder become available.
Seattle is expected to be active this offseason after it went 90-72 this year and fell just short of its first playoff appearance since 2001. Dipoto said the club is having ongoing conversations with multiple free agents and made contract offers to a couple, one of which he called “notable.”
“We felt like adding Adam made us a deeper team without stopping us from doing anything else we would have wanted to do,“Dipoto said. “That’s double the fun. We can continue to add to our team because Adam is so versatile.”
The Padres acquired left-handed reliever Ray Kerr and outfielder Corey Rosier.