MLB rumors: Phillies unlikely to retain Ranger Suárez; Astros interested in Cardinals All-Star

Major League Baseball’s offseason is here, and that means it’s time for the rumor mill to go into overdrive. Below, CBS Sports has gathered all of Saturday’s most notable news, moves, and murmurs into one convenient viewing spot.

Latest on Phillies‘ plans for Schwarber, Suárez

The Phillies aren’t expected to re-sign free-agent left-hander Ranger Suárez, and they’re likely to be without ace Zack Wheeler, recovering from surgery to correct his thoracic outlet syndrome, at the onset of next season. Yet that doesn’t mean the Phillies are in the market for another starter.

“I can’t say we wouldn’t,” executive Dave Dombrowski told The Athletic. “But, again, it’s not our highest priority. … You have to be careful. You always need to look for starting pitching depth. That doesn’t necessarily mean top of the market, but where does that fit in? Because you never have enough starting pitching, and really for us, after you get past (the top six starters) … now you’re talking about (minor leaguer Jean) Cabrera, he would be one of those guys. But we don’t have a lot of starting pitching depth, so that’s something we need to be cognizant of.”

As it stands, the Phillies would likely trot out a rotation consisting of Cy Young runner-up Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, and prospect Andrew Painter.

The Athletic adds that the Phillies still want to retain slugger Kyle Schwarber. Members of the Phillies front office met with Schwarber’s agency last week during the GM meetings.

Astros interested in Cardinals‘ Donovan

Cardinals utility player Brendan Donovan figures to be a popular trade target this winter, given his track record (career 117 OPS+), defensive versatility, and remaining years of cost control. You can count the Astros among the interested parties, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome.

In general, the Astros are known to want to add to their lineup. They ranked 21st in runs scored in 2025, though they did grade as a league-average offense through the lens of FanGraphs’ park-adjusted wRC+ metric.

“I think we’re going to be giving guys more of a break this year, and there will be moving parts, but when we move the parts, (creating an) offensive lineup is going to be a big focus,” general manager Dana Brown said. “When we score four or more runs, the team is really good. We want to put some more runs on the board.”

Mariners want to retain own free agents

The Mariners, fresh off a disappointing loss in the American League Championship Series, will begin with them prioritizing keeping their own free agents, like infielders Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, and Jorge Polanco.

“Our offseason is largely going to start with the guys who were on the team last year and try to bring as many back as possible,” general manager Justin Hollander said earlier in the week, according to the Seattle Times.

Previous reports had re-signing Naylor top among the Mariners’ winter to-do list. It’s not yet clear if Seattle has made progress in those efforts. 

Angels seeking bats

The Angels ranked 25th last season in runs scored and 26th in park-adjusted offense. Unsurprisingly, one of their offseason priorities is adding to the lineup in a meaningful way.

“We want to be a more balanced offense,” general manager Perry Minasian told the Orange County Register. “There are some really attractive right-handed hitters that I’d love to have, that are just good hitters, that I don’t necessarily think anyone cares if they’re right-handed or left-handed. So does it have to be left-handed? No. Apples to apples? Of course, you choose left hand over right-handed.”

CBS Sports’ free-agent rankings listed the Angels as a possible fit for several downmarket position players, including infielder Jorge Polanco and outfielder Harrison Bader. It’s unclear if the Angels have or will have interest in either.

The Angels are also expected to pursue pitching help, including a few starters to fill out their rotation.