Major League Baseball’s offseason will likely slow down for the upcoming holidays, but teams still have a few days to make some winter purchases before Thanksgiving. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Sunday’s most notable rumors and trades in one convenient place.
Tigers and others interested in Helsley as starter
The Tigers are one of several teams interested in signing and converting reliever Ryan Helsley to a starter, according to The Athletic.
Helsley, 31, has never started a game in the majors and hasn’t made a professional start at any level since 2018. Still, teams are hoping he can follow in the footsteps of Reynaldo López, Michael King and Clay Holmes, among others, and transition into the rotation.
Helsley split last season between the Cardinals and Mets, amassing a 4.50 ERA (92 ERA+) and a 2.52 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 58 appearances. He struggled with command throughout his career, drawing nearly four walks per nine innings. Helsley has three pitches rated average or better: his fastball and two breaking balls, although he rarely uses his curveball.
The Tigers are believed to be looking for a starting pitcher regardless whether they keep or not ace Tarik Skubal, who is expected to hit free agency after next season.
Giants interested in Imai
You can count the Giants among the suitors for new Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Imai, 27, was recently posted for MLB consideration by the NPB’s Saitama Seibu Lions. He will have until January 2 to sign a deal with an MLB team. The Lions will receive a posting fee proportional to the value of his signed contract.
Here’s what CBS Sports wrote about Imai when ranking him as the 12th best available free agent:
Compared to how front offices view hitters transferring from NPB, pitchers represent an almost certain quantity. There are too many success stories to focus on the differences between ball and schedule or to suggest that it will have a devastating effect on the talent in question. This is good news for Imai’s title. He’s coming off a dominant season that saw him post a 1.92 ERA and a 3.96 strikeout-to-score ratio in 163 innings. He has mid-90s speed and a forkball-type slider that he delivers from a low launch point. Imai isn’t far from struggling with his command (it took until his seventh professional season before he walked fewer than four batters per nine innings), but teams confident in his strike-throwing ability could imagine him being at least a No. 3 starter as soon as next spring.
Logan Webb and Robbie Ray will lead San Francisco’s rotation in 2026 and Landen Roupp looked like a solid starter before an injury in August, but beyond that it’s a question mark.
The Giants will likely face stiff competition for Imai’s services, with the usual highrollers — the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Cubs — also looking like potential suitors.
The Giants have made several splashes since installing longtime wide receiver Buster Posey as the starting manager. These include signing shortstop Willy Adames, trading for infielder Rafael Devers and hiring former college coach Tony Vitello as the new skipper.
Cubs looking for the best starter
The Cubs have already added some notable pitchers to their team this winter, with the return of left-handed starter Shota Imanaga after accepting the qualifying offer and reliever Phil Maton. accept a multi-year pact. But that doesn’t mean Chicago is done buying quality guns.
The Cubs instead continue to look for a starter at the top of the rotation, according to Sadahev Sharma of The Athletic.
If the Cubs add their starter via free agency, they could pursue Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Ranger Suárez or Zac Gallen, among other options. Sharma notes that it’s possible the Cubs’ addition could come via trade, going so far as to name Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera as a potential target.
The Cubs rotation currently includes Imanaga, Horton, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea or Javier Assad. Justin Steele, who underwent elbow surgery last spring, is also expected to return at some point during the summer.
