Offseason In Review: Seattle Mariners
Despite some glaring needs for offense, the Mariners only ended up tinkering a bit with their lineup after a pretty quiet offseason.
Major League Signings
- Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B: One year, $7.75MM (including $750K buyout of $8MM mutual option for 2026, converts to $6MM player option if Polanco has 450 PA in 2025, and $8MM player option if Polanco has 550 PA in 2025)
- Donovan Solano, IF: One year, $3.5MM
2025 spending: $11.25MM
Total spending: $11.25MM
Option Decisions
- Mitch Haniger, OF: Exercised $15.5MM player option for 2025
- Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B: Mariners declined $12MM club option for 2025, paid Polanco $750K buyout
Trades & Claims
- Acquired RP Casey Legumina from Reds for cash considerations
- Acquired IF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni from Cubs for cash considerations
- Acquired IF Austin Shenton from Rays for cash considerations
- Acquired RP Will Klein from Athletics for international bonus pool money
- Acquired minor league C Blake Hunt from Orioles for cash considerations
- Acquired minor league RP Michael Hobbs from Mets for cash considerations
- Claimed RP Hagen Danner off waivers from Blue Jays
- Claimed minor league C Nick Raposo off waivers from Blue Jays (later outrighted off 40-man roster)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Rowdy Tellez, Trevor Gott, Josh Fleming, Adonis Medina, Shintaro Fujinami, Casey Lawrence, Garrett Hill, Jacob Nottingham, Jack Lopez, Jhonathan Diaz, Luis F. Castillo, Neftali Feliz (released), Drew Pomeranz (released), Jesse Hahn (released)
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Haniger, Justin Turner, Yimi Garcia, Josh Rojas, Luis Urias, Sam Haggerty, Austin Voth, JT Chargois
After a few months of scouring the free agent and trade markets for a replacement for second baseman Jorge Polanco, the Mariners ended up signing....third baseman Jorge Polanco, brought back on a one-year deal worth $7.75MM in guaranteed money, and with a vesting option that could guarantee Polanco at least $6MM in 2026. Polanco has played the vast majority of his nine MLB seasons as a middle infielder, but he does have 24 games of experience as a third baseman, with 15 of those games coming as recently as the 2023 season when he was still a member of the Twins.
Polanco's defensive metrics as a second baseman were mostly subpar, and his lack of a strong throwing arm raises questions about how well he'll translate to the hot corner. However, the bigger issue might be whether or not Polanco can rebound from a rough year at the plate. The infielder hit only .213/.296/.355 over 469 plate appearances with Seattle in 2024, while also missing a month due to a hamstring strain, and undergoing surgery in October to correct a lingering left knee problem.
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Offseason In Review: New York Mets
The Mets gave out the largest contract in the history of baseball and all professional sports, but they otherwise avoided the top guys and tried to spread their money around to a wide variety of targets.
Major League Signings
- OF Juan Soto: 15 years, $765MM (Soto can opt-out after 2029 but club can override by adding extra $40MM to final ten years)
- LHP Sean Manaea: Three years, $75MM ($23.25MM deferred)
- 1B Pete Alonso: Two years, $54MM (Alonso can opt out after 2025)
- RHP Clay Holmes: Three years, $38MM (Holmes can opt out after 2026)
- RHP Frankie Montas: Two years, $34MM (Montas can opt out after 2025)
- LHP A.J. Minter: Two years, $22MM (Minter can opt out after 2025)
- OF/DH Jesse Winker: One year, $7.5MM
- RHP Ryne Stanek: One year, $4.5MM
- RHP Griffin Canning: One year, $4.3MM
- IF Nick Madrigal: One year, $1.3MM
- RHP Drew Smith: One year, $1MM (plus $2MM club option for 2026)
- RHP Dylan Covey: split deal (later outrighted and elected free agency)
- RHP Justin Hagenman: split deal
- IF Jared Young: split deal
2025 spending: $236.475MM (not including split deals or accounting for deferrals)
Total spending: $1.0066 billion
Option Decisions
- LHP Sean Manaea declined $13.5MM player option (later re-signed)
- Team declined $7.75MM option on RHP Phil Maton
Trades and Claims
- Claimed RHP Kevin Herget off waivers from Brewers
- Claimed IF Luis De Los Santos off waivers from Blue Jays (later outrighted)
- Acquired OF Jose Siri from Rays for RHP Eric Orze
- Acquired RHP Sean Harney from Rays for international bonus pool space
- Claimed RHP Austin Warren off waivers from Giants
- Acquired OF Alexander Canario from Cubs for cash considerations
Notable Minor League Signings
- Chris Devenski, Rico Garcia, Donovan Walton, Rafael Ortega, Joey Meneses, Jakson Reetz, Génesis Cabrera, Grant Hartwig, Alex Ramírez, Oliver Ortega, Brandon Waddell, Chris Williams, Anthony Gose, Luis Ortiz, Adbert Alzolay, Connor Overton, José Ureña
Extensions
- None.
Notable Losses
- Luis Severino, Jose Iglesias, Harrison Bader, Jose Quintana, J.D. Martinez (still unsigned), Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley (still unsigned), Phil Maton, Joey Lucchesi, Adrian Houser, DJ Stewart, Alex Young (non-tendered), Nate Lavender (Rule 5), Mike Vasil (Rule 5)
Going into the winter, it was still hard to get a firm grip on what the Steve Cohen and David Stearns relationship would really look like. Cohen had made the Mets one of the top-spending clubs in baseball. That would have been even more true if the Carlos Correa deal had gone through. But Cohen could easily sign top players on his own and presumably brought in Stearns to make wise decisions about how to allocate resources. Stearns, for his part, had previously been running the small-market Brewers. He had obviously been conservative with that club, only twice giving out a contract larger than $24MM, but how would he act with deeper pockets?
Stearns was hired prior to the 2023-24 offseason but it was hard to draw conclusions from that winter. The club had a disappointing 2023 and ended up having a midseason selloff, sending away Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Robertson and others. They ended up having a fairly modest winter ahead of 2024. They spent a decent amount of money but by signing multiple players to one- or two-year deals.
They went on to engineer a somewhat surprising season in 2024. They snuck into a playoff spot and then got by the Brewers and Phillies in the postseason before getting felled by the Dodgers in the NLCS.
On the heels of a better season and with the club in overall better shape, would Stearns and the Mets behave differently than they did in the previous winter? Many expected the aggression to be ramped up but it wasn't known for sure. It was an important wild card factor in an offseason that was highlighted by Juan Soto, the most sought-after free agent in recent baseball history, perhaps ever. But on top of that, the market also featured guys like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Blake Snell, Willy Adames, Alex Bregman and Mets legend Pete Alonso. Would Stearns use Cohen's resources to own the offseason?
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Offseason In Review: Minnesota Twins
The Twins' front office was constricted by payroll limitations for a second straight offseason -- this time in the wake of announcement that the Pohlad family was looking to sell the team. After a quiet winter, they'll hope for better health and improvement from within.
Major League Signings
- Harrison Bader, OF: One year, $6.25MM
- Danny Coulombe, LHP: One year, $3MM
- Ty France, 1B: One year, $1MM
2025 spending: $10.25MM
Total spending: $10.25MM
Option Decisions
- Declined $12MM mutual option on OF Manuel Margot
- Declined $6.25MM mutual option on INF Kyle Farmer
- Exercised $1.5MM club option on RHP Jorge Alcala
Trades and Waiver Claims
- Acquired C/INF Mickey Gasper from Red Sox in exchange for LHP Jovani Moran
- Acquired C Diego Cartaya from Dodgers in exchange for RHP Jose Vasquez
- Traded INF Michael Helman to Cardinals in exchange for cash
- Selected RHP Eiberson Castellano from the Phillies in the Rule 5 Draft
Extensions
- None
Minor League Signings
- Mike Ford, Anthony Misiewicz, Erasmo Ramirez, Huascar Ynoa, Darren McCaughan, Alex Speas, Armando Alvarez, Yunior Severino (re-signed), Scott Blewett (re-signed), Daniel Duarte (re-signed)
Losses
- Carlos Santana, Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff (retired), Caleb Thielbar, Kyle Farmer, Manuel Margot, Michael Helman, Anthony DeSclafani, Caleb Boushley, Diego Castillo, Brent Headrick (lost to Yankees via waivers), Ronny Henriquez (lost to Marlins via waivers)
On Oct. 10, executive chair Joe Pohlad announced that his family would explore a sale of the team after 40 years of ownership. The 42-year-old had been elevated to oversee day-to-day ownership duties for the family just two years prior and quickly signed off on a club-record deal to re-sign Carlos Correa and an extension for Pablo Lopez just weeks after acquiring him via trade. The Twins entered 2023 with a club-record $154MM payroll, but as their television revenues were upended by the bankruptcy proceedings for Diamond Sports Group/Bally Sports, ownership mandated a payroll reduction of some $30MM in 2024 and placed strict financial limitations on the front office again this offseason.
The composition of that front office, it should be noted, changed dramatically this winter.
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Offseason In Review: New York Yankees
The Yankees found themselves in the rare position of being outbid by the Mets for the top free agent. They responded with multiple lesser but still significant pickups, including an eight-year deal to add a top-of-the-rotation arm.
Major League Signings
- LHP Max Fried: Eight years, $218MM
- 1B Paul Goldschmidt: One year, $12.5MM
- RHP Jonathan Loáisiga: One year, $5MM (including buyout of '26 club option)
- LHP Tim Hill: One year, $2.85MM (including buyout of '26 club option)
2025 spending: $52.35MM
Total spending: $238.35MM
Option Decisions
- RHP Gerrit Cole rescinded decision to opt out of remaining four years and $144MM on his nine-year deal
- Team declined $17MM option on 1B Anthony Rizzo in favor of $6MM buyout
- Team declined $5MM option on RHP Lou Trivino
- Team exercised $2.5MM option on RHP Luke Weaver
Trades and Claims
- Traded LF Taylor Trammell to Astros for cash
- Traded C Carlos Narváez to Red Sox for minor league RHP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool space
- Acquired RHP Devin Williams from Brewers for LHP Nestor Cortes, 2B Caleb Durbin and cash ($2MM)
- Acquired CF Cody Bellinger and cash ($5MM) from Cubs for RHP Cody Poteet
- Acquired RHP Fernando Cruz and minor league C Alex Jackson from Reds for C Jose Trevino
- Acquired RHP Michael Arias from Cubs for cash
- Claimed RHP Allan Winans off waivers from Braves (later outrighted off 40-man roster)
- Claimed RHP Roansy Contreras off waivers from Orioles (later lost on waivers back to Baltimore)
- Claimed SS Braden Shewmake off waivers from Royals
- Claimed RHP Owen White off waivers from Reds (later lost on waivers to White Sox)
- Claimed LHP Brent Headrick off waivers from Twins
Notable Minor League Signings
- Colten Brewer, Carlos Carrasco, Brennen Davis, Geoff Hartlieb, Ronaldo Hernández, Brandon Leibrandt, Tyler Matzek, Pablo Reyes, Wilking Rodríguez, Dominic Smith, Andrew Velazquez, Rob Zastryzny
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres, Clay Holmes, Nestor Cortes, Tommy Kahnle, Jose Trevino, Anthony Rizzo (still unsigned), Alex Verdugo, Jon Berti (non-tendered), Tim Mayza (non-tendered), Cody Poteet, Carlos Narváez, Caleb Durbin, Lou Trivino
The Yankees' season ended with a blown five-run lead in the World Series Game 5 clincher. The front office didn't have much time to think about that defeat. They faced a number of crucial decisions within the opening days of the offseason.
Some of those were straightforward. They exercised a $2.5MM option on Luke Weaver while moving on from Anthony Rizzo and Lou Trivino. They exercised their option on manager Aaron Boone, a precursor to the two-year extension he would sign early in Spring Training. They made the qualifying offer to Juan Soto. The biggest question of the offseason's first week: would Gerrit Cole test the market?
The ace had to decide whether to opt out of the remaining four years and $144MM on his nine-year free agent deal. If he triggered the opt-out, New York could override it by exercising a $36MM club option covering the 2029 season. Cole took his decision to the wire before deciding to opt out. The Yankees balked at the option. For a day, it looked like Cole would be one of the biggest risk-reward plays on the open market.
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Offseason In Review: Atlanta Braves
The Braves scaled back spending this offseason, but still brought in an All-Star outfielder and a lot of depth options to bolster the roster.
Major League Signings
- Jurickson Profar, OF: Three years, $42MM
- Alex Verdugo, OF: One year, $1.5MM
- Bryan De La Cruz, OF: One year split contract, $860K prorated salary for time on active roster
- Carlos Rodriguez, OF: One year split contract
- Connor Gillispie, RHP: One year split contract (later lost on waivers to Marlins)
2025 spending: $13.5MM
Total spending: $43.5MM
Option Decisions
- Exercised $16MM club option on DH Marcell Ozuna
- Declined $8MM club option on C Travis d'Arnaud
- Declined $7MM club option on RP Luke Jackson ($2MM buyout)
Trades & Claims
- Acquired RHP Griffin Canning from Angels for OF/DH Jorge Soler (Canning was later non-tendered)
- Acquired SS Nick Allen from Athletics for minor league RP Jared Johnson
- Acquired RHP Davis Daniel from Angels for minor league LHP Mitch Farris
- Acquired cash considerations or a player to be named later from Angels for RP Angel Perdomo
- Claimed RHP Amos Willingham off waivers from Nationals
- Claimed RHP Royber Salinas off waivers from Athletics (Salinas later non-tendered but re-signed on a new minors contract)
- Claimed RHP Anderson Pilar from Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft (later returned to Miami)
- Claimed SS Christian Cairo from Guardians in the Rule 5 Draft (later returned to Cleveland)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Craig Kimbrel, Hector Neris, James McCann, Buck Farmer, Jake Marisnick, Chasen Shreve, Garrett Cooper, Chad Kuhl, Dylan Covey, Jordan Weems, Dany Jimenez, Ray Kerr, Enyel De Los Santos, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel, Wander Suero, Enoli Paredes, Eddy Alvarez, Charles Leblanc, Jose Devers, Zach Thompson, Brian Moran, Kolton Ingram, Chandler Seagle, Jake Diekman (released), Curt Casali (released)
Extensions
- Reynaldo Lopez, SP: Three years, $30MM (overwrote Lopez's previous contract, adding a guaranteed 2027 season and $4MM more in guaranteed money)
- Aaron Bummer, RP: Two years, $13MM
Notable Losses
- Soler, d'Arnaud, Jackson, Canning, Max Fried, Charlie Morton, A.J. Minter, Jesse Chavez, Ramon Laureano, Gio Urshela, Tyler Matzek, Allan Winans, John Brebbia, Cavan Biggio, Eddie Rosario, Huascar Ynoa
President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos traditionally makes several moves early in the offseason, and he got a particularly quick jump on things this winter by trading Jorge Soler to the Angels less than 24 hours after the World Series ended. Since exercising Marcell Ozuna's club option was a no-brainer, Soler became redundant in Atlanta's lineup, and an obvious trade candidate. Because return piece Griffin Canning was eventually non-tendered, the deal became a pure salary dump, as the Halos took the remaining $26MM of Soler's contract off the Braves' hands.
The Braves also moved quickly in signing Reynaldo Lopez and Aaron Bummer to contract extensions, though since the players were already controlled (Lopez via a previous extension and Bummer via club options), the new deals were more about reshuffling some money and creating some space under the luxury tax. More payroll space was freed up when the Braves declined club options on Travis d'Arnaud and Luke Jackson, and when arbitration-eligibles Ramon Laureano, Cavan Biggio, and Huascar Ynoa were all let go.
All of these moves indicated that Anthopoulos was preparing for another transaction that would cost his team a significant chunk of money. It took a couple of months for that next step to happen, but Atlanta finally struck in signing Jurickson Profar to a three-year, $42MM deal. Profar will now line up as the Braves' everyday left fielder, bringing some stability to an outfield that will still be without Ronald Acuna Jr. until likely sometime in May, as Acuna recovers from his torn ACL.
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Offseason In Review: Chicago White Sox
The White Sox hired a new manager and cashed in Garrett Crochet for prospects, otherwise making affordable, low-ceiling additions.
Major League Signings
- Martin Perez, SP: one year, $5MM. Includes $10MM mutual option for 2026 with a $1.5MM buyout
- Josh Rojas, 3B: one year, $3.5MM
- Mike Tauchman, LF/RF: one year, $1.95MM
- Michael A. Taylor, CF: one year, $1.95MM
- Austin Slater, LF/RF: one year, $1.75MM
- Bryse Wilson, SP/RF: one year, $1.05MM
2025 spending: $15.2MM
Total spending: $15.2MM
Option Decisions
- Team declined $25MM club option on 3B Yoan Moncada, paying $5MM buyout
- Team declined $7.5MM club option on C Max Stassi, paying $500K buyout
Trades and Claims
- Claimed RP Penn Murfee off waivers from Astros
- Took P Shane Smith from Brewers in Rule 5 draft
- Acquired C Kyle Teel, OF Braden Montgomery, IF Chase Meidroth, and SP Wikelman Gonzalez from Red Sox for SP Garrett Crochet
- Acquired C Matt Thaiss from Cubs for cash
- Acquired cash from Angels for C Chuckie Robinson
- Acquired RP Cam Booser from Red Sox for SP Yhoiker Fajardo
- Acquired RP Tyler Gilbert from Phillies for RP Aaron Combs
- Acquired cash from Padres for RP Ron Marinaccio
- Claimed SS Jacob Amaya off waivers from Orioles
- Claimed RP Brandon Eisert off waivers from Rays
- Claimed P Owen White off waivers from Yankees
Notable Minor League Signings
- Bobby Dalbec, Omar Narvaez, James Karinchak, Brandon Drury, Tristan Gray, Mike Clevinger, Travis Jankowski, Joey Gallo (since released)
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Garrett Crochet, Yoan Moncada, Max Stassi, Gavin Sheets, Nicky Lopez, Enyel De Los Santos, Braden Shewmake
Chris Getz was hired as White Sox executive vice president/GM in August 2023, inheriting manager Pedro Grifol from previous longtime GM Rick Hahn. After about a year in the GM chair with his team sporting a historically bad 28-89 record on the 2024 season, Getz fired Grifol and installed Grady Sizemore as interim manager for the remainder of the campaign. Managers can occasionally ride out rebuilding years, proving themselves on soft factors and retaining the job when the team gets good. The Orioles' Brandon Hyde did this. Grifol, however, did not warrant that level of faith.
Given a clean offseason slate to choose his own manager, Getz ran an extensive search that included Will Venable, Daniel Descalso, Phil Nevin, George Lombard, A.J. Ellis, Donnie Ecker, Danny Lehmann, Clayton McCullough, Craig Albernaz, and many others whose names did not reach the media. Getz had competition from the Marlins on several of these candidates. He ultimately chose Venable on October 29th. McCullough landed the Marlins gig not long after, while Nevin still landed with Chicago but as a special assistant in their player development department.
The Princeton-educated Venable became the 44th manager in White Sox history, and he takes over a team that has nowhere to go but up. Getz himself was the beneficiary of Jerry Reinsdorf's "I didn’t have to interview these people, because I knew them all" hiring approach, which also netted Tony La Russa as manager in October 2020. So it's always a relief to see the White Sox conduct an extensive search as they did with Venable.
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Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels
The Angels were the most active team in the first few weeks of the offseason. They added a mid-rotation starter and a new designated hitter to upgrade the middle third of the lineup. They went oddly quiet after that, leaving them to enter the season with a roster that again seems too thin to hang in the race all year.
Major League Signings
- LHP Yusei Kikuchi: Three years, $63MM
- C Travis d'Arnaud: Two years, $12MM
- RHP Kenley Jansen: One year, $10MM
- 3B Yoán Moncada: One year, $5MM
- SS Kevin Newman: One year, $2.75MM (including buyout of '26 club option)
- RHP Kyle Hendricks: One year, $2.5MM
2025 spending: $47.25MM
Total spending: $95.25MM
Option Decisions
- None
Trades and Claims
- Acquired DH Jorge Soler from Braves for RHP Griffin Canning
- Claimed 1B Ryan Noda off waivers from A's
- Acquired 2B Scott Kingery from Phillies for cash (later designated for assignment)
- Traded C Matt Thaiss to Cubs for cash
- Selected LHP Garrett McDaniels from Dodgers in Rule 5 draft
- Acquired C Chuckie Robinson from White Sox for cash
- Traded RHP Davis Daniel to Braves for minor league LHP Mitch Farris
- Claimed RHP Michael Petersen off waivers from Blue Jays
- Acquired LHP Angel Perdomo from Braves for cash or a player to be named later
Notable Minor League Signings
- Shaun Anderson, Tim Anderson, Travis Blankenhorn, Connor Brogdon, J.D. Davis, Victor González, Dakota Hudson, Carter Kieboom, Sebastian Rivero, Yolmer Sánchez, Bryce Teodosio
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Griffin Canning, Patrick Sandoval (non-tendered), Brandon Drury, Matt Thaiss, Hunter Strickland, Kevin Pillar, Matt Moore, Adam Cimber (remains unsigned), Davis Daniel, Eric Wagaman (non-tendered), Jordyn Adams (non-tendered), Roansy Contreras (lost via waivers), Guillo Zuñiga (released), Kenny Rosenberg (released), Ryan Miller (released)
The Angels finished 63-99 under first-year manager Ron Washington, narrowly avoiding what would have been their first 100-loss campaign. Only the White Sox, Rockies and Marlins had a worse run differential. They have the longest active playoff drought in MLB at 10 years.
Shortly after the season ended, owner Arte Moreno told Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register that he expected to compete for a playoff spot in 2025. "(General manager Perry Minasian's) marching orders are we need to build a team that can compete for a playoff spot. When you get to playoffs, anything can happen," Moreno said. The owner indicated he was prepared to raise payroll to make that happen. The Angels had cut spending by more than $40MM over the 2023-24 offseason.
Expecting to add 20+ wins within one offseason, even with a payroll spike, is unrealistic. Still, the Angels began the winter with a sense of urgency that reflected a real desire to improve in the short term. They pulled off the first major trade of the offseason within hours of the World Series concluding. The Angels took the remaining two years and $26MM on Jorge Soler's contract off the Braves' hands. Los Angeles sent Griffin Canning, whom they were presumably planning to non-tender, the other way. Atlanta subsequently cut Canning themselves, confirming that was purely a salary dump on their part.
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Offseason In Review: Baltimore Orioles
There was some hope that the Orioles would become big offseason players in the first winter under new owner David Rubenstein. That didn't exactly come to pass, though the O's still showed a bit more aggression than they have in a while.
Major League Signings
- OF Tyler O'Neill: Three years, $49.5MM (O'Neill can opt out after 2025)
- RHP Charlie Morton: One year, $15MM
- RHP Tomoyuki Sugano: One year, $13MM
- RHP Andrew Kittredge: One year, $10MM (including $1MM buyout on 2026 club option)
- C Gary Sánchez: One year, $8.5MM
- OF Ramón Laureano: One year, $4MM (deal also has 2026 club option)
- OF Dylan Carlson: One year, $975K
2025 spending: $67.975MM
Total spending: $100.975MM
Option Decisions
- Team declined $16.5MM option on DH/OF Eloy Jiménez
- Team exercised $2.2MM option on LHP Cionel Pérez
- Team exercised $8MM option on 1B/OF Ryan O'Hearn
- Team exercised $8MM option on RHP Seranthony Domínguez
- Team declined $4MM option on LHP Danny Coulombe
Trades and Claims
- Acquired OF Daz Cameron from Athletics for cash (Cameron was later outrighted)
- Claimed C René Pinto from Rays (Pinto later lost to Diamondbacks via waivers)
- Claimed RHP Thaddeus Ward from Nationals (Ward was later outrighted)
- Claimed RHP Roansy Contreras from Reds (later lost to Yankees via waivers before being claimed again)
- Claimed IF Jacob Amaya from White Sox (later lost back to White Sox via waivers)
- Acquired IF Luis Vázquez from Cubs for cash (Vazquez was later outrighted)
Notable Minor League Signings
- Vimael Machín, Franklin Barreto, Jordyn Adams, Matt Bowman, Nick Gordon, Terrin Vavra, Dylan Coleman
Extensions
- IF/OF Jorge Mateo: One-year, $3.55MM plus 2026 club option
Notable Losses
- Corbin Burnes, Anthony Santander, John Means, James McCann, Austin Slater, Eloy Jiménez, Danny Coulombe, Jacob Webb (non-tendered), Burch Smith, Daniel Johnson, Juan Nunez (Rule 5), Blake Hunt
The Orioles hired Mike Elias as general manager in November of 2018. The initial years of his tenure saw the club act very conservatively, but for understandable reasons. They lost 115 games in that 2018 season and were looking at a long rebuilding period. They finally emerged with a winning record in 2022 and then made the playoffs in 2023, but the ownership situation was uncertain. The Angelos family had been squabbling over control of the club and there were whispers that the O's were for sale.
In the 2023-24 offseason, reports emerged that a group led by David Rubenstein was going to purchase the club. That sale didn't get approved by Major League Baseball until around Opening Day of the 2024 season. At that time, Elias had still never given a free agent a multi-year deal. Craig Kimbrel and his $13MM guarantee was the only signing to go beyond $10MM.
Many Oriole fans hoped that the regime change would lead to a huge shift in operating policy, similar to the way Steve Cohen turned the Mets into a powerhouse club. There were some positive signs during the 2024 season that such a path was possible. The O's acquired Zach Eflin at the deadline. His deal with the Rays was backloaded, with an $18MM salary in 2025 that the Orioles took on. They also acquired Seranthony Domínguez, whose deal contained an $8MM club option for 2025 that was eventually exercised.
Reading the tea leaves, it seemed like the club would be operating with some more spending capacity for 2025. In early October, just after the O's were eliminated from the playoffs, Elias fanned the flames a bit. He told members of the media that he was "pretty confident" the club's payroll would be going up. He later said that the O's were looking at "the whole spectrum" of available pitchers, adding: “If you’re running the team optimally….you’re certainly wanting to keep the whole menu of player acquisition open. That involves high-end free agent deals over many years. We’ve been engaged in those conversations already.”
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Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Phillies
After winning the NL East for the first time in 13 years, the Phillies had their quietest offseason since Dave Dombrowski took over as president of baseball operations. Some will say the Phillies didn’t need to make any major moves, considering that almost all of their key contributors are returning for another year. Others will argue they are playing a dangerous game by largely running it back, allowing the Mets and Braves to gain precious ground. Is this team moving in the right direction heading into 2025?
Major League Signings
- Max Kepler, OF: One year, $10MM
- Jordan Romano, RP: One year, $8.5MM
- Joe Ross, SP/RP: One year, $4MM
2025 spending: $22.5MM
Total spending: $22.5MM
Trades & Claims
- Traded INF Scott Kingery to Angels for cash considerations
- Claimed RP John McMillon off waivers from Marlins
- Acquired RP Devin Sweet from Tigers for cash considerations
- Traded Rule 5 pick SP Mike Vasil to Rays for cash considerations or player to be named later
- Acquired SP Jesús Luzardo and minor league C Paul McIntosh from Marlins for minor league SS Starlyn Caba and minor league OF Emaarion Boyd
- Traded RP Tyler Gilbert to White Sox for minor league RP Aaron Combs
- Acquired minor league OF Dylan Campbell from Dodgers for international signing bonus space
Option Decisions
- None
Notable Minor League Signings
- Koyo Aoyagi, Christian Arroyo, Nabil Crismatt, Payton Henry, Joel Kuhnel, Rafael Lantigua, Óscar Mercado, Nicholas Padilla, Austin Schulfer, Nick Vespi, Guillo Zuñiga
Notable Losses
- Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estévez, Spencer Turnbull, Austin Hays (non-tendered), Yunior Marte, Kolby Allard, Luis F. Ortiz, Kingery, Gilbert, Caba, Boyd
The Phillies have enjoyed continued success under manager Rob Thomson, so it came as no shock when they began their offseason by extending the skipper through 2026. The team was also quick to confirm that Thomson’s full coaching staff would return in 2025, although they later lost assistant pitching coach/director of pitching Brian Kaplan to the Diamondbacks. Philadelphia’s pitching staff was arguably the best in baseball during Kaplan’s tenure working under Caleb Cotham (2022-24). The Phillies will hope that Cotham’s new second-in-command, Mark Lowy, has just as much success. In an additional personnel move, the Phillies promoted assistant GM Preston Mattingly to vice president and general manager. Those roles were previously held by Sam Fuld, who will remain with the organization in a new role on the business side of operations.
At the same press conference in which Dombrowski announced Thomson’s extension, the POBO spoke the words that became the defining refrain of the Phillies’ offseason: “We just have to be open-minded to exploring what’s out there for us, talk to some clubs and see what ends up happening. That process hasn’t started. Sometimes you trade good players for good players” (per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki).
Needless to say, that quotation led to much speculation about the Phillies making a major trade to shake things up. In particular, Alec Bohm was the subject of several trade rumors. The Royals, Mariners, Angels, and Athletics were all reported to have some degree of interest in the third baseman at one time or another. Coming off an All-Star campaign, Bohm’s value hasn’t been higher since he finished runner-up for the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year. However, there seemed to be a disconnect between how highly the Phillies valued Bohm and how badly any potential suitors were hankering after his services. For instance, the Phillies reportedly asked for Mason Miller from the A’s in exchange for Bohm, which quickly shut down any negotiations between the two teams (per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal).
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Offseason In Review: Pittsburgh Pirates
It was another modest offseason for the Pirates, who are banking on their young arms to carry them into contention.
Major League Signings
- LHP Andrew Heaney: One year, $5.25MM
- DH/OF Andrew McCutchen: One year, $5MM
- OF Tommy Pham: One year, $4.025MM
- LHP Caleb Ferguson: One year, $3MM
- 2B/OF Adam Frazier: One year, $1.525MM
- LHP Tim Mayza: One year, $1.15MM
- RHP Elvis Alvarado: split deal, later lost to Athletics on waivers
2025 spending: $19.95MM
Total spending: $19.95MM
Option Decisions
- Club declined $15MM option on LHP Marco Gonzales
Trades and Claims
- Claimed IF Tristan Gray off waivers from Athletics (Gray was later outrighted, elected free agency and signed with the White Sox)
- Claimed 1B/OF Trey Cabbage from Astros (Cabbage was later released to sign with NPB's Yomiuri Giants)
- Acquired RHP Peter Strzelecki from Guardians for cash
- Acquired 1B/2B Spencer Horwitz from Guardians for RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Josh Hartle, LHP Michael Kennedy
- Acquired IF Enmanuel Valdéz from Red Sox for RHP Joe Vogatsky
- Acquired RHP Brett de Geus from Blue Jays for cash (later lost de Geus to Marlins on waivers)
- Acquired RHP Chase Shugart from Red Sox for RHP Matt McShane
- Claimed RHP Justin Lawrence off waivers from the Rockies
Extensions
- None
Notable Minor League Signings
- Yohan Ramírez, Isaac Mattson, Tanner Rainey, Hunter Stratton, Carson Fulmer, Nick Solak, Darick Hall, Burch Smith, Bryce Johnson, DJ Stewart, Ryder Ryan, Ryan Borucki
Notable Losses
- Luis Ortiz, Yasmani Grandal, Aroldis Chapman, Jalen Beeks, Rowdy Tellez, Michael A. Taylor, Marco Gonzales, Billy McKinney, Jake Woodford, Justin Bruihl, Edward Olivares, Domingo Germán, Connor Joe (non-tendered), Bryan De La Cruz (non-tendered)
It's been a rough few decades for the Pirates. They didn't make the playoffs between 1993 and 2012. They then got three straight Wild Card berths, but advanced to the NLDS just once. They started a new playoff drought in 2016 that continues to this day.
There have been some signs of potential lately. In 2023, they were 20-9 at the end of April, but they went 8-18 in May and finished at 76-86. They hovered near contention last year, sitting at 48-48 at the All-Star break, but again finished at 76-86.
Despite those losing seasons, there are exciting elements on the roster. Their collection of rotation talent is one of the best in the league, fronted by Paul Skenes but also including Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Mike Burrows and Thomas Harrington. They also have position players Bryan Reynolds, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz in place for years to come.
Ideally, the club would have invested around this young core, but that didn't come to pass this winter. The offseason included one notable trade, which is essentially a risky bet on a late bloomer, and several modest free agent signings. They gave out seven one-year deals, none of them worth more than $5.25MM, spending less than $20MM in total. Some of those moves are fine in isolation but the total package is underwhelming.
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