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
No news but mentioning the Sox in the banner gets our attention…please wait for some real news … please.
theyre done for the winter. The 2 trades added 40mil to the payroll
They’re far from done be it another trade or free agent. Infield opening and still excess in the OF. Expect at least one more significant move be it involving the names mentioned (again) in the article or a surprise move involving a big time starter.
lmao
You seriously think this team is spending what it takes to sign one of these guys? They don’t give contracts longer than 3 years, these players don’t want short term contracts
I think Suarez would be a great fit in Boston. He seems like the perfect guy to benefit from hitting there.
Suarez and Dominguez -2 to tango
Pedro, it’s all about negotiating. If they get long term offers, the Sox will go in another direction but like last year, Bregman may not get the long deal he’s been seeking.
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?
Baseball will not be recognizable for any of of us fortunate to be around in 20015 (lol).
Cardboard fans too
“Leave the Bronx!”, as they say repeatedly in the movie Escape 2000.
@deweybelongsinthehall
Old man York will yell to the clouds about how terrible the game has changed. I miss the good ol’ days of the 1800s baseball.
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.
Imagine cloning the Babe who it would be fascinating to see facing the pitchers of today. Everyone says he couldn’t hit today’s fastball but as long as his eyesight wasn’t blurred from drinking, he would switch to a lighter bat and still do more damage than others. Imagine if today’s hitters had to use a 42 ounce bat. Could they get it off their shoulder without PEDs?
If man is … still alive.
At least the alcohol the Babe would consume would be safer to drink that whatever he was getting during Prohibition.
Ted williams head is ready and waiting.
GA but he needs a body to run around the bases after another homer.
@Reggie Smith
Well, I’ve been alive since the 1800s.
I see you… Zager & Evans.
Maybe they meant ZIP instead of year and they’re moving to DC.
It would be hilarious if the Nats moved to Montreal.
Could you imagine a non Yankees fan getting this kind of reaction? I guess I’m flattered. 😉
Sal- if we’re legends in our own minds, that ‘s all that really matters. Lol.
It’s the Yankees hate that’ll always prop us up and I’m ok with that. lol
Yes all the hate, indeed! Thinking of taking 2026 and 2027(strike) off, and coming back in 2028. LoL
Captain, I’m hoping the arrogance in Yankee fans doesn’t return when they finally win it all again. Growing up, I swore I woukd never
Would never be an arrogant Sox fan and other than once, I’m proud to say I haven’t. In 2005, I went to a work bbq and many asked why I was wearing a Yankees shirt. I said look closer. It was their hat and bat but the bat was shaped to read NY CHOKEES”. We all laughed as they understood I had a right to wear that shirt after all of my past frustrations. I enjoy great rivalries and look fondly on the games I’ve gone to with true Yankee fans. We always had a great time but we all knew where the line was. Unfortunately, due to back issues, I haven’t been to a game since 2009
I’ll always defend my team, but arrogant nah.
Time traveler..))
– I can’t predict the future.. –
It’s funny how many online fans think they can lol.
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.
Might as well put Eugenio Saurez in this too. Once Okamoto signs, the bidding war begins with both Bergman and Saurez. I can only hope the Pirates sign Okamoto so they are not even remotely close to the bidding war for Saurez and Bregman. You have Toronto, Boston, Houston, Seattle, and Pittsburgh looking for one of Bregman, Saurez, and Okamoto. If Okamoto signs with let’s say Seattle, I don’t like Pittsburgh chances of signing Saurez or Bregman with Toronto, Boston and Houston remaining to offer Saurez and Bregman contracts. It would be a massive overpay if the Pirates manage to sign one of Saurez or Bergman
Toronto is putting Bregman as a backup case. Seattle doesn’t want Bregman, Boras is just expanding his market. WHY does Houston want Suarez. If we’re adding infielders, it’s bench or Bregman for me. We are not showing interest in Bregman/Suarez. We are trying to trade Paredes/Walker.
Sign Okamato or Suarez
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.
Bichette’s bat alone makes him a huge upgrade at SS over Volpe who just tanked on both sides of the ball this year. If the Yankees do sign him that’s where they’ll put him. They can live with his craptastic defense as long as he keeps hitting well. I seriously hope they don’t jerk Chisholm around again, he’s very good where he is at 2B. They also have McMahon playing a great 3B. Moving those two around just to accommodate Bichette and Volpe (both defensive liabilities) is poor management. Even Cashman and Boone aren’t that dumb. Basically, if your SS can’t field well, then you want 2B and 3B to play defense as cleanly as possible to pick up the slack.
Bichette defense subpar
I’d like Bichette in Boston over Bregman. Be it the Yankees or Red Sox (or most likely the Blue Jays), he needs to move to second. Based on how NY still loves Volpe, his injury was probably why 25 was so bad. As Chisholm has one year left, he should then be traded if the Yankees get Bichette.
I’m definitely not a LAD fan, but who knows if they actually pull the trigger. I wonder if signing Bichette, along with the rest of their deferred payments, starts pushing the need for a salary cap toward a level similar to the NBA?
Cash, I agree with you and believe even other big market owners want changes. The problem is MLB needs to fully open their books for a percentage of revenues cap with floor before the MLBPA will even consider a change.
If you want the worst SS in the majors, Bichette’s your guy.
As for 2B, he played 30 milb games there, as late as 2018.
$200m for a 3-win guy who shouldn’t play MI, doesn’t have a position, and can’t stay on the field?
Bichette may end up with a deal a lot closer to $100m than $200m. Is he willing to play 1B or DH?
It’s essentially Toronto, unless he wants to take another shot at free agency next year
He shouldn’t. At least he was able to play 139 games in 2025 and put up a 129 OPS+.
Better to let teams think he might be able to play 2B, 1B, or DH than to show he can’t.
Braves
We signed Kim and traded for Dubón from the Astros?
oh yeah
Unless he’s a 2B option, assuming you’re ready to walk from Albies.
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
Risk of being good is what I’d suspect. The guy can hit and plays solid D in the corners. My only concern with the Mets is he’s a lefty, but hitters hit. I prefer to get Bellinger only because of his glove and flexibility, and his bat ceiling is as high as Tucker, just hasn’t hit it the last few years, but nothing to complain about either. He’s just more practical for the Mets for now due to his ability to play the two positions they need.
Post shoulder injury Bellinger has nowhere near the offensive ceiling as Tucker. It’s fine to prefer his flexibility and defense of course, but there’s a sizeable gap in overall evaluation, which will be reflected in their respective eventual contracts.
He’s negative WAR most years for d, and will likely get worse. He’s a solid bat, but not $45-50 m worth. He has also had injuries the last two seasons.
Might be nothing as far as injuries, but shins are funky things. Ask Carlos Beltran.
Injury
Why are we prioritizing 3rd base which Baty or Vientos can do to at least league average when the pitching staff is the same as last seasons?
We also now need a left fielder and at minimum bench CF
At the very least, Gray and Ovieda ensure a very different rotation.
Sgt Grumbles…1st base. Okamoto plays both 3rd and first, bats righty and is an excellent fielder at both. Would allow a rotation of Baty, Polanco and Okamoto depending on the pitcher.
Austin Hays would not be a terrible addition as well. Provides a guy who can platoon with Benge and spell CF in a pinch though he is likely relegated to the corners.
And honestly, I’d love to see Jett Williams given the opportunity to replace McNeil and be the Swiss Army knife.
You might be wishing on Tucker or Bellinger but I think they have been out on both for awhile. Not a Stearns signing though I could be wrong.
From what I have heard (not read), Cohen was none too pleased with the loss of money last year when he bankrolled $350m plus $90m in taxes. He is equally pissed at the actions of certain individuals who no longer play for the Mets, so he was on board with a different method and cast of characters.
He regretted getting involved with negotiations last year from what I understand.
Every owner who enters the negotiations regret it
Yep. Especially since he had a double dose of Boras…Soto and Alonso.
These are all great points and reasonable guesses at the rational for the change in personal and FA negotiation strategy. To clarify I would like the Mets to acquire a top line starter as I stated I see it as a bigger need.
SgtGrumbles:
It’s not either/or situation. They are working on multiple fronts at once. That’s the way the front offices work. So even though the focus here is on one particular player, of course they’re working on the pitching as well. Teams don’t work on one thing at a a time, mark it off the checklist, then move on to the next thing.
I think it’s a combination of all of those things plus the fact that many contenders don’t actually have a ton of holes to fill. Even the Mariners are projected to get 2-2.5 WAR each out of 2B/3B and those spots are currently occupied by rookies!
@Jdawginsc Unsaid (at least, unsaid in any of the places I read) is that for a longish deal for a 30 year old, say a five year deal, the first year on average is worth roughly 35% of the whole, and the second comes in around 25%.
As bad as the Alonso deal is, if there’s a lockout for all of 2027 the O’s are paying $31m in 2026, and again in each of 2028-2030. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but by eliminating 20% of the deal where the O’s could have expected to get around 25% the deal’s value, it adds to the already considerable cost.
Getting Year 1, but then having to swallow Years 3, 4, & 5 without getting the only other above average year from the deal when the top FAs are already well paid has to be galling for teams.
It would be interesting to know why the O’s signed Alonso despite this issue.
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.
Bregman’s production feels more like 26 million.
Donovan is a 3 win player Bregman a 4 win player. Bregman is older and will require a longer commitment at a much much larger salary. Why would the Cardinals need to take Yoshida? Donovan is going to cost about 6 million in 2026 Bregman will be more like 30. Sure if you have an unlimited budget and dont care about the future sign Bregman.
Last I checked there were 4 infield positions. Did they get rid of one? Which one was it? Short? Second? Third? First?
Donovan’s positional flexibility is often overstated. He’s largely confined to 2B and LF. He’s basically the Cards version of Jeff McNeil.
I suppose he can still play 3B and 1B in a pinch, but he hasn’t played more than 55 innings at third since 2022, he has 14o innings, career, at 1B, and the Cards rarely play him in RF.
He can play 3b he just doesnt because Arenado plays there. Also he can play 1b but Goldschmidt was there until last year. I wouldn’t play him in right but he can play 4 positions decently. And that’s valuable
Slowest offseason ever
Wait ’til next year.
Probably the past five have been slow but it’s been getting worse in the past three years. The winter meetings are nothing now. The free agent process is slow as anything. All you read about is minor league signings. The off-season used to be fun. It’s not fun anymore.
yep
there’s more action in korean league offseason than major lg offseason
I love how slow it is. You never know when something big will drop. I think putting artificial timelines/deadlines on negotiations would be a mistake. If you hate how slow things are, imagine how slow things would be if you couldn’t have transactions from Dec 20 to Spring Training??
I like how the Yankees and Mets offseasons have been shuffling around each other’s players and just saying, yep, that’ll work!
I don’t think Bellinger is a good fit but I admit I would be excited to see the reactions of Yankee fans if he signed with the Mets.
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
Arizona will give Bregman the long contract.
@swanhenge Bichette’s average, 2023 to 2025, is 2.7 bWAR while missing 45 games a season.
He’s the opposite of someone you give opt outs to, since he’s far too likely to opt in and keep burning your money. He’s not reliable, and he doesn’t have a position. He’s in no way someone you build around.
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
Why the hell would you want Suarez?? He’s old, strikes out FAR too much, and is not good defensively
Mango – When working with a budget, you have to consider salary.
When you can get a 49-homer guy who gets by defensively at 3B and he will settle for only a 2-3 year contract at less than $28M annually, and the guy is perfect for Fenway and exactly what you need in terms of a RH power hitter, then you do it.
Fever Pitch Guy — Suarez would be fine get. But it’s like paying for the last three years of Devers contract…
Pedro – when you accept that the Sox aren’t bringing in Bregman, Bichette or Okamoto who else do you want? The guy hit 49HRs, will probably only get two hrs at around $25m per, why is that so repulsive to you?
@Pedro
49 HR, .526 SLG, 3.6 bWAR.
That’s why.
More valuable by bWAR than Bichette in both 2024 and 2025.
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.
Casas had a higher OPS than Devers in 2023, and the highest on the team. That’s more than just promise. The man can rake. Once he’s healthy he will be a force.
“Once he’s healthy” is the only part that concerns me. Two very routine activities led to season ending injuries. No matter how good of a hitter, if he cant stay healthy . . .
Yoshida isnt that different from Casas. If they trade Yoshida they will have to eat most of the money on that deal. The only real difference is Casas is younger.
True, I have to imagine if anything Yoshida’s value is lower. Sox would likely have to eat half his salary just to get an ok reliever…. and even that seems like a maybe.
Of the two, I just see Cassas as being more valuable to the Sox in the long run. Yoshida at this point is a sunk cost. An interesting gamble that hasn’t really paid off.
The smart play is to option Casas to start the season and that gives them an extra year of control. Yoshi can dh until the deadline and then only has 1 1/2 years left then. They should then be able to call up Casas and pay down about 13.5 million on yoshi ,1/2 the remaining salary at that point, and ship him out. An extra year of control of Casas is worth about that if he performs reasonably well.
Very smart!
Why not casas and Yoshida for Shawn Manea? helps both teams
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.
He’s better than the Red Sox’ free agent signing…
The Red Sox traded for guys with big salaries. Quit whining.
On short term deals, which means they’ll be back looking for their replacement next year. So no, I won’t quit “whining”, as you call it
Back looking for replacements is a good thing. You dont get stuck with bad contracts that way. Thats why they can afford to do what they are doing now.
What they’re doing now? Missing the playoffs? Getting bounced in the first round? Thank god they can afford that! Annual turnover does not work when you have to replace key players every year
King – are you kidding? We can all agree that POBOs and GMs miss more than they hit on personnel moves. Now youre asking them to do it twice as much, year over year. There’s more room for errors.
BTW, what’s wrong with chemistry, continuity and consistency?
Triston Casas is like Peeps. They LOOK good, but they’re actually terrible
And “peeple” seem to be missing the obvious–that, with Contreras in house now, the Sox can do with Casas what they must: Send him to AAA for the whole year. The whole year. He has to prove he can play a whole year–Cot’s says he has three options, so start using them. In Worcester, his reliably crummy April won’t matter (if he’s even playing by then). This is a last-ditch attempt to recover his value and his future–it’s not a rehab assignment where we’re watching the clock to get him back to the majors. He is an injury bust right now. Start over.
All I know is the Mets need a big bat, maybe even a fat one. I would trade Baty and Vientos for Nico Hoerner, Cubs throw in maybe 20 million to offset the value difference. Then I’d try Polanco and Tyrone Taylor for Matt McClain from the Reds, then Francisco Alvarez straight up for Luis Rengifo. This would solve the infield logjam.
Rengifo is a free agent. No trade necessary.
Polanco was just signed. Not getting traded.
How is that getting rid of the jam…you are adding McClain, who is not good, Hoerner and Rengiflo all second baseman. Semien is already there.
Bichette…does anyone have an analysis of how his defensive shortcomings at SS might play out at 3b for 4-5 years. His bat plays well in Fenway. Sox need to move Story to 2nd, and let Mayer take over at SS.
Bichette can’t throw well. As Story played a whole season in Albuquerque at third base, perhaps toss him there and see if it works. Worst case flip him and Meyer back, though I’m OK with MM, Story, Bo and Willson. It’s not a Gold Glove infield, but when all four are in a hitting groove – WATCH OUT!!
Does anyone feel annoyed how slow the market is moving
As a Pirate fan, no. It’s been 8 years or so since the last time things were this interesting for us this early, unless you count the Cutch signing. It’s usually mid January before they heat up the hot stove in Pittsburgh. Coal’s just too expensive, I guess.
Casas has options available. Why wouldn’t they option him to AAA, let him reestablish himself as a hitter and prove he is healthy before making a decision on him. Trading him now is almost certainly selling low.
All of the front office leaked rumors about trading him make this feel personal because the FO didn’t like the comments he made and not about getting the most from his baseball skills – either producing for them, or in the return they could get by trading him.
Skenes or Skubal in Fenway via Trade or FA by 2028 at the latest. Mark it down.
The more I think about it, the more I am wondering if the Mets are avoiding Boras clients this year.