The Opener: Thanksgiving Deals, Starting Pitching Market, Jensen

Here are three things we’ll be watching on Thanksgiving…

1. Holiday dealings:

Will any agents or general managers step away from the holiday feast in order to pick up a phone and make a deal? Thanksgiving tends to be pretty quiet in baseball circles but notable things have happened before. Back in 2020, MLBTR posted a list of some notable transactions that went down on Thanksgiving, including Torii Hunter signing a five-year deal with the Angels in 2007. The Marlins were particularly busy in 2005, sending Carlos Delgado and cash to the Mets for Grant Psomas, Mike Jacobs and Yusmeiro Petit, and then finishing an even bigger deal that sent Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to the Red Sox for Jesús Delgado, Harvey García, Hanley Ramírez and Aníbal Sánchez.

2. Starting pitching market:

Overall, there’s been little movement this offseason, but the starting pitching market seems to have more momentum than other areas. Multiple reports suggest that demand for rotation help is incredibly high and a few names have come off the board already. The Phillies were able to retain Aaron Nola while the Cardinals signed Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. There’s a ticking clock on Yoshinobu Yamamoto since he has been posted, while Shota Imanaga is expected to be posted on Monday. It appears the ball is rolling down the hill and picking up some steam, so teams in this area might have to be ready to jump.

3. Jensen in DFA limbo:

The Mariners swung a two-for-one deal yesterday, flipping Eugenio Suárez to Arizona for Carlos Vargas and Seby Zavala. That left them needing a roster spot, which squeezed out Ryan Jensen. The M’s now have less than a week to work out a trade or try to pass Jensen through waivers. He didn’t have a great season in the minors in 2023 but there are so many open roster spots around the league right now, with many clubs having just freed up space via non-tenders and free agency. The Mets only have 28 players on their 40-man, while Atlanta and San Diego are each at 31. Perhaps that will help Jensen find another landing spot in the next few days.