The offseason marches on, and thanks to a relatively slow winter meetings we've got plenty of big names still on the board. To give you an idea of the buzz that's out there on Monday, we're here to round up all the notable trade and free agency rumors. As always, our Free Agent Tracker is a great way to catch up on what's already happened on that front. Now let's jump in ... 

Dodgers want Harper, but there's a catch

Might the Dodgers be on the fringes of the Bryce Harper derby? Here's an interesting nugget from Ken Rosenthal's must-read notes column in The Athletic ... 

The Dodgers are widely rumored to be in on Harper, but the reality, according to major-league sources, is that they do not want him on a long-term, record-setting contract. A short-term deal with a high average salary and opt-outs might hold more appeal, but such an agreement likely would create luxury-tax issues for the Dodgers in 2019, and the team already has too many outfielders.

As for that outfield logjam, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp have been the semi-frequent subject of trade rumors this offseason, and there's still plenty of time to clear space for the likes of Harper. The financial aspect is a bit less certain. It's possible Harper would be open to a short-term deal that, say, broke the record for average annual value and, as Rosenthal notes, provided him with one or more opt-outs along the way. As well, Harper is a Las Vegas native, and playing for the flagship franchise of the West Coast might have some appeal. Really, though, such a pairing would come down to whether Harper is willing to forego $300 million or more in exchange for re-entering the market in another season or three. At this juncture, that seems unlikely. 

Worrisome comments for Philly fans?

There's an MLB.com article revolving around comments from Phillies' president Andy MacPhail that could be construed as preparing fans for the possibility of the team not landing one of the two huge-name free agents this offseason: Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. 

For the full quotes, MacPhail says things like: 

  • There are other ways for the Phillies to improve this offseason than signing one of those two. 
  • They have to think about future offseasons instead of just this offseason. 
  • The offseason won't matter during the season, instead what matters are wins and losses. 

Also contained therein, Todd Zolecki of phillies.com reports that the Phillies prefer Machado over Harper and that the Phillies didn't meet with Harper in Las Vegas during the winter meetings while others did. 

Astros have deal with Brantley

A report indicates that the Astros have signed free agent outfielder Michael Brantley to a two-year, $32 million deal. It fills the void left by outgoing free agent Marwin Gonzalez and gives the Astros a lefty option to break up all their star right-handed hitters atop the order. Full story here. 

Pirates interested in Tulo

Also from that Rosenthal notes column, the Pirates are said to be among the teams interested in veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. 

Tulowitzki was recently released by the Blue Jays, which means the jays Jays will pick up the vast remainder of the $38 million left on his contract and his next team will owe him only the league minimum for 2019. Tulo missed all of last season with heel injuries, and he'll be going into his age-33 season. That said, a rebound to something like his 2017 form (102 OPS+ in 131 games) would make him a very worthwhile addition. 

In addition to the Pirates, the Yankees and Cubs are reported to have at least cursory interest in Tulowitzki. 

Angels in on Grandal

GM Billy Eppler's taking another whack at putting a contending roster around Mike Trout. While the Angels haven't done much yet this offseason, they may be cooking something up ... 

Yasmani Grandal is coming off a 2018 season for the Dodgers in which he batted .241/.349/.466 with 24 home runs and 71 unintentional walks in 140 games/518 plate appearances. Grandal, 30, owns an OPS+ of 115 for his career, which is strong production for a catcher, and he's also regarded as a plus pitch-framer. 

Last season, Angel catchers -- mostly Martin Maldonado and Jose Briceno -- teamed up for a paltry OPS of just .628, so Grandal would profile as a huge upgrade with the bat. 

The Machado tour begins

Free agent infielder Manny Machado, who may be in line to sign for more than $300 million, begins his tour of suitors Monday. First up is the White Sox followed by the Yankees and then Phillies. As well, one or more "mystery teams" may be involved. You can read more here. 

Mets turned down Thor-for-Realmuto trade

After agreeing to terms with Wilson Ramos, the Mets are very likely no longer interested in trading for Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. For a while, though, the Realmuto-to-Mets rumors were hot and heavy. One headline-grabbing version had right-hander Noah Syndergaard going to the Yankees and Realmuto landing in Queens as part of a three-way swap. On Monday, this wrinkle from those talks was revealed ... 

"NS" would of course be Syndergaard. The Mets, Andy Martino reports, passed on this opportunity. The Mets under new GM Brodie Van Wagenen are behaving like contenders this winter, and when it comes to mattering in 2019 Van Wagenen presumably determined that Syndergaard plus a free agent catcher meant more than Realmuto plus a free agent starter. That's certainly a defensible stance. 

Nationals, Harrison have 'mutual interest'

The Nationals have had multiple meetings with free agent infielder Josh Harrison, reports the Washington Post. 

With the departure of Daniel Murphy late last season, the Nationals have an opening at second base. Internal options like Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo could hold down the fort until prospect Carter Kieboom arrives -- Kieboom has only played 62 games in Double-A and has never tasted Triple-A -- but the interest in Harrison is a sure sign the Nats are looking to add another option at second. 

Harrison, 31, hit .250/.293/.363 last season, but he's two-time All-Star with good positional versatility and has had a few good seasons. 

Mets sign Davis to minor-league deal

The Mets announced that they signed outfielder Rajai Davis to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training. He's 38 years old and hit .224/.278/.281 last season, so this is simply a depth signing.