{"id":916115,"date":"2026-11-13T16:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T16:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/916115\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T16:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T16:04:11","slug":"mlb-rumors-rangers-in-mix-for-sato-dodgers-seek-infield-help-korean-slugger-could-join-free-agent-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/916115\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB rumors: Rangers in mix for Sato, Dodgers seek infield help, Korean slugger could join free agent class"},"content":{"rendered":"

The annual GM Meetings came and went this week with only one significant transaction: Evan Phillips<\/a> signed with the Braves<\/a>. Phillips, our 34th-ranked free agent<\/a>, received a three-year deal worth $35 million. He’ll replace Raisel Iglesias<\/a> in Atlanta’s bullpen and pair with Robert Suarez<\/a> at the end of the game. The Braves could still re-sign Iglesias too, I suppose. <\/p>\n

Otherwise, the GM Meetings brought a lot of rumors — A LOT of rumors — and presumably the groundwork was laid for moves that could be completed later this offseason. Here are our top 50 free agents<\/a> and top 25 trade candidates<\/a>, and the important offseason dates and deadlines<\/a> you need to know. Here now are Friday’s hot stove happenings. <\/p>\n

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Rangers interested in Sato <\/p>\n

The Rangers<\/a> are among the teams with interest in Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, reports The Athletic<\/a>. Sato primarily played third base for the Hanshin Tigers, though he does not stand out defensively, and could land at first base or in the corner outfield in MLB<\/a>. Texas could stand to upgrade at first base and could always slot Sato in at DH as well. <\/p>\n

We ranked Sato as the fourth-best free agent available<\/a> and the best free agent position player. The reigning Triple Crown winner in Japan hit .306\/.383\/.609 with 39 home runs in 2026. Sato, 28 in March, has some similarities to Munetaka Murakami<\/a> as a lefty with big power and swing-and-miss concerns, though Sato is a much more aggressive hitter and won’t walk as much as Murakami.<\/p>\n

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Dodgers want righty hitting infielder <\/p>\n

With Miguel Rojas<\/a> retired, the Dodgers<\/a> are looking to add a right-handed hitting infielder, according to The Athletic<\/a>. Mookie Betts<\/a> and Max Muncy<\/a> are entrenched on the left side of the infield. Tommy Edman<\/a>, a switch-hitter, is penciled in at second base, with fellow switch-hitter\u00a0Alex Freeland<\/a> next in line as depth. Freeland has not hit much in his limited MLB time, however. <\/p>\n

This is not a great free agent class overall, but it does feature several utility infielders who hit right-handed. Among them are Mauricio Dub\u00f3n<\/a>, Ha-Seong Kim<\/a>, Isiah Kiner-Falefa<\/a>, and Edmundo Sosa<\/a>. Glovemen Oswald Peraza<\/a> (Angels<\/a>) and Jared Triolo<\/a> (Pirates<\/a>) are potential trade targets. Rojas was a very productive role player for Los Angeles. He won’t be so easy to replace. <\/p>\n

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Padres getting calls about Campusano, Fermin <\/p>\n

The Padres<\/a> are receiving calls about catchers\u00a0Luis Campusano<\/a> and Freddy Fermin<\/a>, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune<\/a>. Top prospect Ethan Salas<\/a> was called up in September and became the youngest catcher to appear in the postseason in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. Salas is the future behind the plate, making Campusano or Fermin (or perhaps both) expendable. <\/p>\n

Campusano and Fermin are very different players. Campusano is a bat-first catcher who might be worth keeping given his age (28) and the fact that the Padres could slot him at DH. That said, those same qualities make him appealing to other teams. Fermin, 31, is a terrific defender who hasn’t hit much the last few years. The Padres need pitching and could deal a catcher or two for an arm or two. <\/p>\n

KBO slugger looking to move to MLB <\/p>\n

Samsung Lions outfielder Ja-Wook Koo has hired a new agent and is looking to make the jump to MLB, reports MLB.com<\/a>. Koo, a 10-time All-Star and this year’s Korean Series MVP, has been among the best hitters in the Korea Baseball Organization the last few years. The 33-year-old hit .371\/.458\/.581 with 15 homers and nearly as many walks (66) as strikeouts (71) in 2026. <\/p>\n

Koo’s age and the fact he’s a left-handed hitter in a market inundated with left-handed hitting outfielders will work against him in free agency. He has a great track record in Korea, though, including a history of high contact rates, which could make him a cheaper and more appealing target than MLB free agents like Michael Conforto<\/a>, Trent Grisham<\/a>, Cedric Mullins<\/a>, and Daulton Varsho<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The annual GM Meetings came and went this week with only one significant transaction: Evan Phillips signed with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":916116,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[36410,2111,89918,92894,24069,47690,107055,52759,67648,92389,49760,2322,2323,158700,133475,3963,4293,18559,363,4286,122009,18701,2240,40811,12944,2328,99,2330,8968,4710],"class_list":["post-916115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-alex-freeland","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-cedric-mullins","tag-daulton-varsho","tag-edmundo-sosa","tag-ethan-salas","tag-evan-phillips","tag-freddy-fermin","tag-ha-seong-kim","tag-isiah-kiner-falefa","tag-jared-triolo","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-luis-campusano","tag-mauricio-dubon","tag-max-muncy","tag-michael-conforto","tag-miguel-rojas","tag-mlb","tag-mookie-betts","tag-munetaka-murakami","tag-oswald-peraza","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-raisel-iglesias","tag-robert-suarez","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-sports","tag-texas-rangers","tag-tommy-edman","tag-trent-grisham"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/916116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}