Here are three things MLBTR will be watching for around the sport today:
1. What’s next for the Red Sox?
The Red Sox have already made some of the biggest moves of the offseason, acquiring starting pitcher Sonny Gray and first baseman Willson Contreras in two separate trades with the Cardinals. However, they are the only AL team that has yet to sign a free agent to a major league contract, and there is no reason to think chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is done making moves. According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are still in the market for many of the top available infielders, namely free agents Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman and trade candidates Ketel Marte, Isaac Paredes, and Brendan Donovan. Speier previously linked the Red Sox to Eugenio Suárez as well. Boston has also been connected to some notable free agent relievers, including Seranthony Domínguez, Evan Phillips, and Chris Martin (before he re-signed with the Rangers).
On top of that, it remains more than possible that Breslow could trade from his major league roster. This team has a surplus of young, controllable outfielders, with Jarren Duran’s name the one that has come up the most in trade rumors. What’s more, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida have less of a path to playing time now that Contreras is in the fold. Breslow recently told reporters (including Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com) that roster logjams like this “tend to work out,” but one such way these things can work themselves out is through a trade or two.
2. Free agent contracts to be finalized:
Ryan O’Hearn and the Pirates came to terms on the largest free agent contract for a position player in the franchise’s history last week: a two-year, $29MM guarantee. However, the team has not formalized the signing, which means O’Hearn isn’t technically a Pirate just yet. Now that Christmas has passed, fans can expect an announcement from the Pirates any day, although the club will have to free up a space on its 40-man roster before making things official with O’Hearn.
In addition to O’Hearn, Paul Blackburn and Amed Rosario are also waiting for their new contracts to be announced. Both players agreed to re-up with the Yankees this winter on one-year deals; Rosario will make $2.5MM in 2026, while Blackburn’s deal is a $2MM guarantee. Unlike the Pirates, the Yankees have several open spaces on their 40-man roster. They should also be quite familiar with Blackburn and Rosario’s medicals, considering both players finished the 2025 season in the Bronx, so it’s not entirely clear what’s holding up the formal announcement of either signing.
3. Mets trade coming?
Francys Romero of Beisbol FR recently wrote about top international prospect Wandy Asigen, who originally had a deal in place with the Yankees but will now sign a contract worth approximately $3.8MM with the Mets instead. Romero suggests that the Mets could try to trade for more international bonus pool space before the next signing period opens, to facilitate their inking of the 16-year-old shortstop. International bonus pool money can be traded in increments of $250,000, and the Mets’ initial pool for the upcoming signing period was set at $5.44MM as of this past April (per Baseball America). The 2026 international signing period will begin on January 15. So, if the Mets are planning to make a trade to increase their bonus pool, it’s likely going to come together at some point in the next two weeks.
Let’s Go Red Sawks!!!
lol
Yankees have made a bunch of MiLB signings including signing the 20015 Mexican League MVP Nick Torres…can we get a Yankees notes post perhaps, MLBTR?
That’s 2025 lol not 20015. I can’t predict the future.
@Salzilla
My guess is the Yankees are sold and moved to Oakland by 20015…
Old York: There’ll be a tiny field on top of Mount Denali where all the games are played.
Maybe the Dodgers move back to Brooklyn by then.
Oakland Island?
I have to tell you, Brooklyn is trendy and where younger people want to live.
Ebbets-The Sequel might sell.
Oakland, I was hoping for Montreal or Portland instead?
Imagine baseball in 20015. Will there be a salary cap? Robot umps and players?
Is baseball going to be a thing in 20015
By that point, I would imagine humanity will have long gone extinct and the machines that replace us probably won’t care about sports, so probably, no baseball won’t be a thing by then.
Thats a bummer for anyone who plans on still being alive (Putin, Xi, Bezos, Musk, etc.).
They will probably clone all the great players and bring them back.
Maybe they meant ZIP instead of year and they’re moving to DC.
It would be hilarious if the Nats moved to Montreal.
Once they sign the California Penal League MVP, they’ll be set.
Prediction: Nothing happens with Bregman, Bichette or Marte until after Okamoto signs, which has to happen by Jan 4th.
So is Bichette’s market essentially the Blue Jays and Red Sox? Surely a mystery team or two…
“There’s always a mystery team ” -Jon Heyman (probably)
Idk who else needs a ss/2b that can afford him, maybe the dodgers…
Yankees could. Chisholm only has one season left on his contract and moves to 3B for the year. Bichette takes over 2B.
It’s essentially Toronto, unless he wants to take another shot at free agency next year
Little known fact, Hal had me meet with Asigen privately to dissuade him from signing with the Yankees. Turns out that even Hal isn’t immune to inflation, and his new back yard construction project went way over budget so he wanted to spend a little less.
The good news is Hal was able to procure an Italian marble fountain to put next to his 25 person hot tub. Shipping came out to be almost exactly $2.7 million. What good fortune!
Either we are having a repeat of 2023-24 when there were several really angry Boras clients, or the market is changing to short time high yield deals over lengthy ones for 30+, or owners are hesitant with the CBA (I would be if I were the teams who been taxed…I’d be hoping to eliminate the tax subsidizing profits for teams who don’t spend), or just a slow market for the top rung.
Honestly, there’s no one I would want to go past three years with in the entire market except Imai. Bichette, Bregman, Tucker, Bellinger all carry significant risks, Valdez is not a good teammate, Okamoto who I want for the Mets is a good three year deal…
Gallen and Suarez are going to end up being the best bargains.
What’s your risks with Tucker? I would love him for the Mets
Brendan Donovan doesn’t make sense for the Red Sox. He’s a nice 2 bWAR player who’s attractiveness is two years of team control and an ability to play multiple positions. But . . . he’s not a big bat (Bregman, Bichette and Marte are more like 4 bWAR players) and the Sox have lots of flexibility already: they have four OFs and Rafaela can play INF in a pinch; Mayer can play all three infield positions, Romy and Sogard are jacks of all trades and Contreras can catch if necessary. Unless they can persuade Bloom to take Yoshida and cash back (seems unlikely, but Cards need to have someone who can hit, don’t they?), they will end up overpaying for Donovan who is more valuable to other teams looking at him.
You’re exaggerating the difference between Donovan and Bregman a bit. Donovan is closer to a 3 bWAR player than a 2. This past season, Bregman was a 3.5 bWAR and Donovan was a 2.7 bWAR and Brendan only played 4 more games than Alex..
The year before, Bregman had a 116 OPS+, compared to Donovan’s 114 OPS+. Yes, Bregman is the better player overall, but not by a ton, and he’s going to be 32 this season, while Donovan’s going to be 29, which is a nice way of saying Bregman is probably a lot closer to the edge of his cliff than Donovan is to his.
I agree with the broader point that Donovan isn’t a great fit overall in Boston, but let’s not pretend he’s some sort scrap heap pick up.
Slowest offseason ever
I like how the Yankees and Mets offseasons have been shuffling around each other’s players and just saying, yep, that’ll work!
Bichette will end up with a deal similar to Bregmans’ 2025 deal… high AAV with multiple opt outs. He’s young enough to be able to re-enter the market next year without the QO. That opens him up to several teams.
Bregman is just looking for a deal he can play out and retire. Deferrals may be included, but he’s just looking to get paid long term.
From Boston’s perspective, they should go big on Bichette. He’s not a “franchise” guy, but he’s young enough to sign long with Anthony, Rafaela, Crochet, etc to make a damn solid core.
swanhenge – I agree with you on Bichette. Waiting for him to sign a one year, multiple opt out, contract leaves you with a guy who walks away (again).
This core is young and very talented. Bichette is a young veteran that could lead these guys and solidify a revolving defense and hit atop the lineup.
Right. Bichette isn’t a Soto or Ohtani but he’s a core guy. And he’s young like you said. To me, he should be priority number 1 for Boston
Too bad the Sox are “linked” to Suarez.
I was hoping to sign him. But, now that we’re publicly “linked” to him there’s no chance……..dang
The reality is Cassas is more valuable to the Sox seeing if he can reach any of his promise after two major injuries than as a trade chip. His value is very low at the moment. He’s more promise than anything else. So I’m thinking unless Breslow is able to use Cassas as a valued piece in a trade instead of a throw away, the Sox will keep him and try to get him more bats at DH making Yoshida more of the odd man out.
Yoshida and Casas are like two Faberge Eggs being juggled by a circus clown.
No sense on making any assessment of them right now. Casas isnt even suppose to be ready to start the season. Lets wait until theyre both healthy (if that actually happens), then figure out what to do.
When are the Red Sox going to have a solid fielding shortstop? Who knows.
It’s crazy that Ryan O’Hearn represents the Pirates most expensive FA signing.