The Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees are the favorites to sign free-agent left-hander Dallas Keuchel, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. A second source believes the Yankees are edging out the Braves as the true favorites to secure Keuchel's services, Feinsand notes.
Both teams' offers are believed to be fairly similar at this point in time, according to Feinsand, who also reports Keuchel is willing to shave his beard if he signs in New York.
Some interested teams are looking to sign the 31-year-old to a deal in the range of a qualifying offer, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. That would translate to an approximate $18-million salary, prorated according to the pitcher's remaining service time for the campaign. Keuchel's camp, however, has reportedly been seeking a multi-year deal in recent conversations.
In addition to the Yankees and Braves, the Minnesota Twins have also reportedly shown interest in the 2015 AL Cy Young winner.
New York's starting rotation has been solid in 2019 despite left-handers James Paxton and CC Sabathia missing time due to various injuries and with staff ace Luis Severino (shoulder, lat) out until after the All-Star break.
Do the #Yankees NEED Dallas Keuchel to win the World Series? 🤔#MLBCentral | #PinstripePride pic.twitter.com/KX4Xxt2aSI
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 4, 2019
Scott Boras, Keuchel's agent, said last week that the two-time All-Star could be ready to start in the majors within the first week of signing a new deal.
Keuchel posted a 3.74 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 153 strikeouts over 204 2/3 innings with the Houston Astros in 2018.
