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MLB Mailbag: Dodgers, Reds, Marlins, Casas, Mets

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This week's Front Office mailbag gets into the Dodgers adding a top free agent, Boston's offer to Alex Bregman as well as the Triston Casas situation, which bats the Reds could add, what's next for the Marlins and Mets, and much more.

William asks:

Any substance to the rumor that Bichette is signing with the Dodgers? How would that affect their tax? And who might they trade away?

Ron asks:

The Dodgers seem set for 2026 and beyond. They have young starting pitchers coming along and younger outfielders on the way. Left field and third base are the positions that might need tweaking this year or next. Could they grab the 2 best F.A.'s still available?

On January 1st, Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote that the Dodgers (and Yankees and Cubs) "checked on" Bichette.  That's all Heyman gave us in that article - no further context.  Two days later in a tweet, Heyman added the Phillies to the list of teams that "have interest," beyond the well-known Blue Jays and Red Sox.

With all due respect to Heyman, that Dodgers-Bichette connection is pretty thin.  It'd almost be irresponsible for a big market team not to "check on" a quality player like Bichette as his free agency drags into the new year, especially a club with room for improvement in the infield.  We have no idea if anything more than due diligence has occurred between Bichette's camp and some of these clubs.

I hope we get better info, but GMs cannot shoot down free agent interest publicly, so if some of this is overstated we might not learn until after Bichette signs.

In late November, MLBTR's Anthony Franco included the Dodgers as a "plausible/on-paper dark horse" for Bichette, writing:

"There hasn’t been much in the way of Dodgers/Bichette smoke so far. This would feel a bit like overkill, but the Dodgers don’t have anyone locked in at second base. Their farm system is loaded with outfield talent but not as strong in the middle infield aside from Alex Freeland. Locking Bichette in at second would require them to play Tommy Edman mostly in center field coming off ankle surgery."

On Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote, "Dodgers people like to say that Andrew Friedman’s preferred method of operation is 'hanging around the backboard.' If a player’s price in trade or free agency drops, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations will attempt to grab him on the rebound and dunk on the industry yet again."

Friedman has had the Dodgers' top front office job for more than 11 years now, so we should have evidence of him "hanging around the backboard" and snatching up some top free agents whose market disappointed.  Below is what I found, which should help us determine whether the Dodgers might swoop in on Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette:

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Join The Beta Test For The New Trade Rumors iPhone App

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It’s been 11 years since our iOS app launched. Now, the fully revamped version is almost ready for your iPhone or iPad.

Here’s what’s new:

  • Completely rebuilt and modernized interface, so that we can deliver new features and system integrations that we haven’t been able to before, and do so quickly.
  • Redesigned comment threads with improvements for composing and replying to comments.
  • Quick search for a team or player with the ability to read those feeds without adding them to your saved feeds. Great for quickly looking up things you might care about occasionally without clogging up your primary reading.
  • Trade Rumors Front Office content fully available within the app. Just go to the Settings icon in the upper right and log in.

To join the beta test, you’ll first need to download Apple’s TestFlight app from the App Store.  Then go here to download the beta version of Trade Rumors.  If you already have the old version of the app, the new app will take the place of it on your device.

Send your feedback to traderumorsapp@gmail.com, or leave a comment on this post.  We are eager to catch bugs and address other concerns before rolling the app out in the store.

Android user? Don’t worry, we’re revamping our Android app in much the same way.  Google seems to make large-group beta testing more difficult on Android, so we’re planning to just test it internally and roll it out to the store when it’s ready.

T.R. Sullivan: A Retrospective On The Frank Robinson-Milt Pappas Trade

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T.R. Sullivan was a legend on the Rangers beat.  He retired in December 2020 after 32 years writing for the Denison Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and MLB.com.  T.R. is also a friend to MLBTR, and recently he kindly offered up a retrospective on the Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas trade.  “I just felt like writing it,” T.R. explained.  We’re proud to publish it!

Of all the thousands of baseball trades made down through the decades, only one was brought up by Annie Savoy in her opening soliloquy for the movie Bull Durham.

“But bad trades are part of baseball – now who can forget Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for God’s sake?” Savoy said in discussing the off-the-field attributes of various Minor League players.

Such titillating comparisons aside, it is now 60 years since the Cincinnati Reds traded Robinson to the Orioles not only for Pappas but also reliever Jack Baldschun and young outfielder Dick Simpson.

It is one of the most significant and possibly lopsided trades in baseball history. Robinson, now in the Hall of Fame, was one of the best players in the National League, right up there with Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente.

When he went to Baltimore, he turned the Orioles from a contender into a dynasty by leading them to four pennants and two World Series titles in a six-year span. His 1966 season was the best year of his career as he won the Triple Crown by hitting .316 with 49 home runs and 122 RBI. Not only was he American League MVP but World Series MVP with two home runs in the Orioles four-game sweep of the Dodgers.

So, what were the Reds thinking in making such a foolish trade? Were they that stupid? Was it really because Robinson was going to be an “old 30” as Reds general manager Bill DeWitt suggested after the trade.

The Reds couldn’t have been too stupid. Earlier that year, in the first ever June amateur draft, they selected high school catcher Johnny Bench in the second round. They took Bernie Carbo in the first round and Hal McRae in the sixth round. The 1965 Reds already had two other future Hall of Famers in Pete Rose and Tony Perez in place.

It came down to one thing for a team that had finished 89-73 in 1965 and eight games out of first place.

“The name of the game is pitching,” DeWitt said in announcing the trade. “The lack of it, especially in the bullpen, beat us last season.”

Pitching was the name of the game for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1965. They won the World Series with a rotation led by Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Claude Osteen and Johnny Podres, plus relievers Ron Perranoski and Bob Miller.
The Dodgers had the best pitching across the board with a team ERA of 2.81 and WHIP of 1.117. The Reds had the second highest ERA (3.88) and WHIP (1.333) in the National League.

That’s where you start when you sit back on the 60th anniversary of one of baseball’s most famous trades and try to figure out how it went down.

Offensively, the Reds led the N.L. by scoring 5.09 runs per game. The Braves were second at 4.37. Robinson, who hit .296 with 33 home runs and 113 RBI, was just part of the Reds offensive arsenal.

Rose had a breakout season as the Reds 24-year-old second baseman, hitting .312 with 117 runs scored, 35 doubles, 11 triples and 11 home runs. He batted second most of the year behind outfielder Tommy Harper, who hit .257/.340/.393 while stealing 35 bases and leading the league with 126 runs scored.

Vada Pinson batted third, the center fielder who played 18 years in the big leagues and put up near-Hall of Fame career numbers. He hit .305/.352/.484 with 22 home runs and 94 RBI in 1965. He was also 27 at the time of the trade and perceived to be at the top of his game.

The big bat to replace Robinson in the middle of the lineup was third baseman Deron Johnson, a former failed Yankees and Athletics prospect. The Reds had bought him from Kansas City in April of 1963, and he spent that entire season at Triple A San Diego. He joined the Reds lineup in 1964 and had a career year in ’65, hitting .287/.340/.515 with 32 home runs and a league-leading 130 RBI.

In 1966, the Reds moved Johnson to left to join Pinson and Harper in the outfield. Tommy Helms took over at third base and was Rookie of the Year. Perez platooned with veteran Gordy Coleman at first.

Three-time All-Star catcher Johnny Edwards (two Gold Gloves) and shortstop Leo Cardenas, a five-time All-Star who had won a Gold Glove in ’65, also helped make it a formidable lineup. Behind all of this were two excellent hitting prospects in Lee May and Art Shamsky, and a highly regarded infielder in Chico Ruiz.

When you look at all that, the Reds had reason to believe they would be fine offensively without Robinson in their lineup. They wanted arms. They had two of them.

Jim Maloney and Sammy Ellis were top of the rotation starters. At least they presented that perception and with Maloney, there was no doubt. He was 25 years old and was 20-9 with a 2.54 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 1965. He struck out 244 in 255 1/3 innings with a fastball in the upper 90’s and a good curve.

On June 14, he struck out 18 and walked one in a 1-0 loss to the Mets in 11 innings. The Mets didn’t get a hit until the 11th. On Aug 19, he pitched a 10-inning no-hitter with a 1-0 victory over the Cubs. He walked 10 and struck out 12.

Ellis wasn’t in Maloney’s class. He was a 22-game winner in 1965 but with a 3.79 ERA. He gave up 111 earned runs, the most in the league and his ERA-plus was 99, slightly below average. That he benefitted from offensive support is obvious. But in 1965, if you won 22 games, you were considered an elite pitcher.

The Reds next two starters had once been elite pitchers until falling off in 1965. Left-hander Jim O’Toole had won 81 games from 1960-64, including 19 in 1961 when the Reds won the pennant. Joey Jay won 21 that season and 21 in ’62. But in 1965, O’Toole was 3-10 with a 5.92 ERA while Jay was 9-8 with a 4.22 ERA. Fifth starter Joh Tsitouris was 9-8 with a 4.95 ERA.

The Reds figured either O’Toole or Jay could bounce back in ’66. They still wanted one more prime starter in the era of four-man rotations.

Trading a hitter for a pitcher worked for the Dodgers the previous winter when a seven-player deal with the Senators sent power-hitting outfielder Frank Howard to Washington for left-hander Claude Osteen. That gave the Dodgers a reliable third starter and Osteen won 15 games. He also threw a five-hit shutout in Game 3 of the World Series after the Dodgers had lost the first two games in Minnesota.

“I’d still have say the Reds had the strongest starting lineup in our league last season,” Giants manager Herman Franks told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Outside of pitching, the Dodgers didn’t compare with the Reds position for position.”

Pappas had been a solid starter for the Orioles for eight years. He was 18 when he broke into the Orioles rotation in 1958 and had averaged 13.8 wins over seven seasons with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He was good for 200 innings a year but hardly overpowering. He averaged 5.2 strikeouts and 2.9 walks per nine innings.

The Orioles were willing to do the deal because they were loaded with young pitchers, many like Dave McNally, Wally Bunker, Jim Palmer, Dave Leonhard, Eddie Watt and Tom Phoebus who would become part of the budding dynasty in Baltimore.

Obviously, Pappas for Robinson was not a fair trade. But Annie Savoy forgot to mention the Reds also got reliever Jack Baldschun and outfielder Dick Simpson.
Point of interest: The Orioles had just acquired Baldschun and Simpson in separate trades earlier that month from the Phillies and Angels. Orioles general manager Harry Dalton later insisted those deals were not made so the two players could be included in a deal for Robinson.

The Reds had every reason to believe Baldschun, 29, would be a big help to their bullpen. He had spent five seasons in the Phillies bullpen, averaging 66 appearances and 108 innings per season. His ERA in that stretch was 3.18 with a 1.34 WHIP. A reliever of that quality was a valuable commodity. The trade was intended to reinforce both the Reds rotation and the bullpen.

Simpson, 22, was no throw-in. He spent 1965 at Triple A Seattle in the Angels organization and hit .301/380/.523 with 24 home runs and 29 stolen bases. Speed and power in a guy just 22 years old was not a bad addition to the trade. That he struck out 148 times might have been a red flag, but he was No. 3 in the deal. DeWitt compared him to Tommy Harper.

So, there you have it. For Frank Robinson, the Reds picked up a No. 3 starter behind Maloney and Ellis, proven relief help and an outfield prospect.

So what did everybody say to their local reporters.

“I am thrilled with the deal,” Dalton said in the Baltimore Sun. “Because it gives us the power hitter we have sought for so long.”

“We hated to give up Robby,” DeWitt said in the Cincinnati Post. “But you’ve got to give up something to get something good and we would rather sacrifice an older player than a younger player. A top-flight starter and a top-flight reliever was just too attractive a package to turn down.”

The trade turned out to be a disaster for the Reds. They went from winning 89 games in 1965 to 76-84 in ’66. Manager Don Heffner was fired after 83 games.

So what went wrong?

Pappas was not a top-of-the-rotation starter. He had a nice career, winning 209 games, but No. 2 or 3 at best. In 1966, he was barely that, going 12-11 with a 4.29 ERA in 209 innings. He won 16 in 1967, then was traded to the Braves in 1968. He was traded to the Cubs in 1970 where manager Leo Durocher founded him to be a “clubhouse lawyer” and disruptive personality.

Baldschun? The Reds discovered what everybody should understand in baseball. Relievers are a risk because of their heavy workloads and erratic usage over multiple seasons. Baldschun went 1-5 with a 5.49 ERA, either because of a tired arm or hitters were no longer fooled by his screwball. But he was done as an effective reliever.

Simpson was no Frank Robinson or Tommy Harper. He was a classic “4A player” who could run but couldn’t hit at the big-league level. His less than memorable seven-year career covered six organizations and ended with a .207 batting average.

The Reds offense suffered without Robinson, scoring 133 less runs. Their pitching wasn’t any better as the team ERA went up from 3.88 to 4.08. Ellis was 12-19 with a 5.29 ERA, a bigger disappointment than Pappas or even Baldschun.

But again, the Reds weren’t dumb. They were just a few years away from the greatest era in franchise history when the Big Red Machine won four pennants and two World Series from 1970-76. Over a 21-year period from 1961-81, the Reds had 19 winning seasons.

It just comes down to what Annie Savoy said. Bad trades are a part of baseball.

Marc Narducci: My Hall Of Fame Ballot

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Marc Narducci spent 37 years covering all sports for The Philadelphia Inquirer before retiring in July 2021. He covered everything from high school sports to the Phillies winning the World Series and the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. A lifelong southern New Jersey resident, he remains a freelance writer and broadcaster. Once again, Marc reached out to see if MLB Trade Rumors would be interested in publishing his Hall of Fame ballot. I am happy to do it and hope it can be an interesting topic of debate for our readers. Here’s Marc…

Each year when we turn in our ballot, we are asked if we wish to make our votes public 14 days after the results are announced. Naturally, if this story appears, you know the answer.

One thing that you won’t see here is criticizing another person’s ballot. There are so many different ways to tackle this assignment.

The other thing is that in most cases, I don’t like putting why I didn’t vote for somebody, unless they are players such as Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, who have failed tests for steroids.

The other person I am not voting for that needs to be mentioned is Carlos Beltran, who is worthy of induction with his performance, but was the mastermind of the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, which altered the perception of the World Series champions. His role was so huge that it cost him a managerial job.

Last year Beltran came the closest of those not elected by receiving 70.3% of the votes and he’ll likely get the 75% needed this year. He had a great career.

The argument against my stance on players such as Ramirez, Rodriguez and Beltran is that they were some of the best players and deserve a place in Cooperstown.

Again, I can respect that opinion, while not voting for those players.

One other thing – I won’t have a very big ballot but also won’t put why certain players other than the ones already mentioned aren’t on it. When doing that, it denigrates the great career that a player enjoyed. All these players on the ballot were great and there is no need to tear them down.

One other thing is that it’s the belief of this reporter that players should be judged by the position they play. The criteria for second basemen, is different than third basemen, etc.

That said, here is my ballot, which consists of just two players.

The holdovers

Chase Utley

Nobody from the Phillies 2008 World Series champion team has made it to the Hall of Fame. Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins (now in his fifth year on the ballot) and Cole Hamels (now in his first season of eligibility) all had great careers.

Utley led that World Series team with a bWAR of 9.0.

He was a six-time all-star. The knock on him is that he didn’t produce enough, but at his peak, Utley was among the best players in baseball.

Utley, had a six-year stretch, where his bWAR average was 7.3. During those six years from 2005-2010, his slash line was .298/.388/.523 with an OPS+ of 133. He averaged 27.0 home runs, 95.3 RBI and 104.7 runs scored.

His career 64.6 career bWAR is 15th all-time among all second basemen. Among those 15 players, he had the fewest plate appearances (7,863) as injuries hampered him during the latter part of his career, although he still continued to produce, just not at the rate he did during the above-mentioned six-year period. He is 10th among all second basemen in wins above average (41.0).

His 259 career home runs rank seventh among all second baseman, six who have been elected to the Hall of Fame. There are just 11 Hall of Fame second baseman who produced a better OPS+ than Utley’s 117.

His career slash line was .275/.358/.465. That, along with his power numbers, are very good for second basemen. He was in the top 10 of MVP voting three times.

This is Utley’s third year on the ballot. He received 28.8% of the vote his first year and 39.8% last year. He still has a long way to go, but is moving in a positive direction.

David Wright

Also in his third year on the ballot, Wright received just 8.1% of the vote a year ago. Injuries curtailed what had been an excellent career.

As a comparison, two years ago, Scott Rolen got my vote, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame. Wright was, in my opinion, certainly comparable to Rolen. Both earned seven All-Star appearances. Rolen was the better fielder, but Wright did win two Gold Gloves. Wright was a more consistent offensive player.

The reason Wright got this vote is that like Utley, he had a really strong peak. For Wright, that lasted nine years from 2005-2013. During that time his slash line was .302/.384/.505. He averaged 23.1 home runs and 92.9 RBI, 90.2 runs scored and 19.7 stolen bases. His OPS+ was 138.

After that 2013 season, which he played at the age of 30, Wright was never the same due to injury.

For his career, Wright hit .296/.376/491 with 242 home runs and 970 RBI with a 133 OPS+. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting four times.

During his time, Wright was among the best players in baseball and while he faces an uphill battle for election, he will continue to get this vote.

This year’s players

Nobody got my vote from this year’s first-year eligible players. This year’s first-year eligible players were Ryan Braun, Shin-Soo Choo, Edwin Encarnación, Gio González, Alex Gordon, Cole Hamels, Matt Kemp, Howie Kendrick, Nick Markakis, Daniel Murphy, Hunter Pence and Rick Porcello.

Again, all were great players just to get on the ballot, but not enough to receive this vote.

And finally

The first-time players on next year’s ballot are: Jake Arrieta, Jay Bruce, Asdrubal Cabrera, Starlin Castro, Wade Davis, Dexter Fowler, Todd Frazier, Brett Gardner, J.A. Happ, Scott Kazmir, Jon Lester, Andrew Miller, Mitch Moreland, Buster Posey, Ervin Santana, Kyle Seager, Joakim Soria, Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann.

The Largest MLB Contracts By AAV

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Below is our list of the 32 largest contracts in MLB history by average annual value (AAV). Please note that if a player was already under contract and signed an extension, only the new money counts.  For our list of the largest contracts in total dollars, click here.

1.  Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: $70,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2023.  97.1% of the total is deferred from 2034-43.  As a result, for luxury tax purposes, MLB calculated the AAV at $46.06MM.  The MLBPA calculated the AAV at $43,783,056.30.

2.  Juan Soto, Mets: $51,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2024.  Given the lack of deferred money, this should be treated as the true AAV record.

3.  Max Scherzer, Mets: $43,333,333.33.  Free agent contract signed November 2021

4.  Justin Verlander, Mets: $43,330,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2022

5.  Zack Wheeler, Phillies: $42,000,000.  Extension signed March 2024

t-6.  Aaron Judge, Yankees: $40,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2022

t-6. Alex Bregman, Red Sox: $40,000,000.  Free agent contract signed February 2025.  Considering deferrals, the AAV is considered $31.7MM for CBT purposes.

8.  Jacob deGrom, Rangers: $37,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2022

9.  Blake Snell, Dodgers: $36,400,000.  Free agent contract signed November 2024.  Considering deferrals, the MLBPA calculated the AAV as $31,735,498

t-10.  Mike Trout, Angels: $36,000,000.  Extension signed March 2019

t-10.  Gerrit Cole, Yankees: $36,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2019

12.  Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays: $35,714,285.71.  Extension signed April 2025

13.  Carlos Correa, Twins: $35,100,000.  Free agent contract signed March 2022

t-14.  Stephen Strasburg, Nationals: $35,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2019

t-14.  Anthony Rendon, Angels: $35,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2019

t-14.  Corbin Burnes, Diamondbacks: $35,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2024

17.  Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks: $34,416,667.  Free agent contract signed December 2015

18.  Francisco Lindor, Mets: $34.1MM.  Extension signed March 2021

19.  Trevor Bauer, Dodgers: $34,000,000.  Free agent contract signed February 2021

20.  Nolan Arenado, Rockies: $33,428,571.  Extension signed February 2019

21.  Carlos Correa, Twins: $33,333,333.33.  Free agent contract signed January 2023

22.  Justin Verlander, Astros: $33,000,000.  Extension signed March 2019

23.  Corey Seager, Rangers: $32,500,000.  Free agent contract signed November 2021

24.  Rafael Devers, Red Sox: $31,350,000.  Extension signed January 2023

t-25.  Pete Alonso, Orioles: $31,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2025

t-25.  Blake Snell, Giants: $31,000,000.  Free agent contract signed March 2024.  Considering deferrals, the MLBPA calculated the AAV as $29,698,347

t-25.  Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: $31,000,000.  Extension signed March 2014

t-25.  David Price, Red Sox: $31,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2015

t-25.  Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers: $31,000,000.  Extension signed November 2018

t-25.  Seth Lugo, Royals: $31,000,000.  Extension signed July 2025

31.  Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers: $30,714,286.  Extension signed January 2014

32.  Mookie Betts, Dodgers: $30,416,667.  Extension signed July 2020

33.  Jacob deGrom, Mets: $30,125,000.  Extension signed March 2019

t-34.  Manny Machado, Padres: $30,000,000.  Free agent contract signed February 2019

t-34.  Kyle Schwarber, Phillies: $30,000,000.  Free agent contract signed December 2025

t-34.  Max Scherzer, Nationals: $30,000,000.  Free agent contract signed January 2015.  Counted as $28,689,376 for purposes of luxury tax.

t-34.   Dylan Cease, Blue Jays; $30,000,000.  Free agent contract signed November 2025.  Counted as $26.37MM for purposes of luxury tax.

Largest Contract In Franchise History For Each MLB Team

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Here’s our list of the largest contract each of the 30 MLB teams has ever signed. Each contract is linked to its MLBTR post, with the exception of those that predate the site’s existence.  The amounts denote the amount of new money guaranteed to the player, which is why they might differ from what you’ve seen in public reports.

2025-26 MLB Free Agents

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The following players are currently free agents.  The player’s 2026 age is in parentheses.  The cutoff for this list is typically 50 plate appearances or 20 innings pitched in the Majors this year.

Updated 1-9-26

Catchers

Austin Barnes (36)
Victor Caratini (32)
Elias Diaz (35)
Mitch Garver (35)
Eric Haase (33)
Jonah Heim (31)
Sam Huff (28)
Luke Maile (35)
Reese McGuire (31)
Tom Murphy (35)
J.T. Realmuto (35)
Gary Sanchez (33)
Jacob Stallings (36)
Matt Thaiss (31)
Christian Vazquez (35)

First Basemen

Luis Arraez (29)
Cody Bellinger (30)
Wilmer Flores (34)
Ty France (31)
Paul Goldschmidt (38)
Enrique Hernandez (34)
Rhys Hoskins (33)
Connor Joe (33)
Nathaniel Lowe (30)
Carlos Santana (40)
Dominic Smith (31)
Donovan Solano (38)
Rowdy Tellez (31)
Michael Toglia (27)
Justin Turner (41)
LaMonte Wade Jr. (32)

Second Basemen

Cavan Biggio (31)
Willi Castro (29)
Thairo Estrada (30)
Kyle Farmer (34)
Adam Frazier (34)
Jose Iglesias (36)
DJ LeMahieu (37)
Dylan Moore (33)
Luis Rengifo (29)
Brendan Rodgers (29)
Luis Urias (29)

Shortstops

Tim Anderson (33)
Bo Bichette (28)
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (31)
Jorge Mateo (31)

Third Basemen

Jon Berti (36)
Alex Bregman (32)
Jeimer Candelario (32)
Willi Castro (29)
Santiago Espinal (31)
Enrique Hernandez (34)
Yoan Moncada (31)
Luis Rengifo (29)
Emmanuel Rivera (30)
Eugenio Suarez (34)
Ramon Urias (32)
Gio Urshela (34)

Left Fielders

Miguel Andujar (31)
Harrison Bader (32)
Cody Bellinger (30)
Sean Bouchard (30)
Mark Canha (37)
Willi Castro (29)
Michael Conforto (33)
Adam Frazier (34)
Austin Hays (30)
Sam Hilliard (32)
Connor Joe (33)
Max Kepler (33)
Nick Martini (36)
MJ Melendez (27)
Tommy Pham (38)
Chris Taylor (35)
Alex Verdugo (30)
Jesse Winker (32)

Center Fielders

Harrison Bader (32)
Cody Bellinger (30)
Garrett Hampson (31)
Chas McCormick (31)

Right Fielders

Cody Bellinger (30)
Willi Castro (29)
Randal Grichuk (34)
Jason Heyward (36)
Max Kepler (33)
Starling Marte (37)
Joshua Palacios (30)
Hunter Renfroe (34)
Austin Slater (33)
Mike Tauchman (35)
Kyle Tucker (29)

Designated Hitters

Miguel Andujar (31)
Victor Caratini (32)
Mitch Garver (35)
Rhys Hoskins (33)
Andrew McCutchen (39)
Marcell Ozuna (35)
Justin Turner (41)
Jesse Winker (32)

Starting Pitchers

Tyler Anderson (36)
Chris Bassitt (37)
Walker Buehler (31)
Griffin Canning (30)
Aaron Civale (31)
Alex Cobb (38)
Patrick Corbin (36)
Nestor Cortes (31)
Anthony DeSclafani (36)
Erick Fedde (33)
Zac Gallen (30)
Connor Gillispie (28)
Lucas Giolito (30)
Austin Gomber (32)
Tony Gonsolin (32)
Jon Gray (34)
Andre Jackson (30)
Jakob Junis (33)
Zack Littell (30)
German Marquez (31)
Nick Martinez (35)
John Means (33)
Miles Mikolas (37)
Wade Miley (39)
Frankie Montas (33)
Jordan Montgomery (33)
Chris Paddack (30)
Martin Perez (35)
Cal Quantrill (31)
Jose Quintana (37)
Max Scherzer (41)
Marcus Stroman (35)
Ranger Suarez (30)
Tomoyuki Sugano (36)
Kona Takahashi (29)
Jose Ureña (34)
Jose Urquidy (31)
Framber Valdez (32)
Justin Verlander (43)

Right-Handed Relievers

Scott Barlow (33)
Valente Bellozo (26)
Matt Bowman (35)
Ryan Brasier (38)
Taylor Clarke (33)
Seranthony Dominguez (31)
Dane Dunning (31)
Carson Fulmer (32)
Luis Garcia (39)
Kendall Graveman (35)
Chad Green (35)
Liam Hendriks (36)
Luke Jackson (32)
Pierce Johnson (35)
Jakob Junis (33)
Tommy Kahnle (36)
Tyler Kinley (35)
Michael Kopech (30)
Max Kranick (28)
Derek Law (35)
Jose Leclerc (32)
Jonathan Loaisiga (31)
Jorge Lopez (33)
Nick Martinez (35)
Shelby Miller (35)
Rafael Montero (35)
Hector Neris (37)
Adam Ottavino (40)
Evan Phillips (31)
Ryan Pressly (37)
Erasmo Ramirez (36)
David Robertson (41)
Joe Ross (33)
Eduardo Salazar (28)
Tayler Scott (34)
Paul Sewald (36)
Lucas Sims (32)
Drew Smith (32)
Ryne Stanek (34)
Chris Stratton (35)
Hunter Strickland (37)
Trent Thornton (32)
Lou Trivino (34)
Jose Ureña (34)

Left-Handed Relievers

Jalen Beeks (32)
Cam Booser (34)
Ryan Borucki (32)
Genesis Cabrera (29)
Andrew Chafin (36)
Danny Coulombe (36)
John King (31)
Joey Lucchesi (33)
Cionel Perez (30)
Taylor Rogers (35)
Brent Suter (36)
Justin Wilson (38)

The Largest Contracts In MLB History

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Below is our list of the 24 largest contracts in MLB history.  Please note that if a player was already under contract and signed an extension, only the new money counts.

1. Juan Soto, Mets: 15 years, $765MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2024

2. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: 10 years, $700MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2023.  97.1% of the total is deferred and will be paid from 2034-43.  For luxury tax purposes, MLB calculated the value of the contract to be $460,767,685.  The MLBPA’s calculation is $437,830,563.

3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays: 14 years, $500MM.  Extension signed April 2025

4. Mookie Betts, Dodgers: 12 years, $365MM.  Extension signed July 2020.  Present-day value due to deferrals: $306,657,882

t-5. Mike Trout, Angels: 10 years, $360MM.  Extension signed March 2019

t-5.  Aaron Judge, Yankees: 9 years, $360MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2022

7.  Francisco Lindor, Mets: 10 years, $341MM.  Extension signed March 2021.  Present-day value due to deferrals: $332,394,479

8.  Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres: 14 years, $340MM.  Extension signed February 2021

9.  Bryce Harper, Phillies: 13 years, $330MM.  Free agent contract signed March 2019

t-10.  Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers: 12 years, $325MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2023

t-10.  Corey Seager, Rangers: 10 years, $325MM.  Free agent contract signed November 2021

t-10. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins: 13 years, $325MM.  Extension signed November 2014

13. Gerrit Cole, Yankees: 9 years, $324MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2019

14.  Rafael Devers, Red Sox: 10 years, $313.5MM.  Extension signed January 2023.  Present-day value due to deferrals: $291,526,861

t-15.  Manny Machado, Padres: 10 years, $300MM.  Free agent contract signed February 2019

t-15.  Trea Turner, Phillies: 11 years, $300MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2022

17.  Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: 11 years, $288,777,777.  Extension signed February 2024

18.  Xander Bogaerts, Padres: 11 years, $280MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2022

19.  Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 10 years, $275MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2007

20.  Alex Rodriguez, Rangers: 10 years, $252MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2000

21. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 8 years, $248MM.  Extension signed March 2014

t-22. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals: 7 years, $245MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2019.  Present-day value due to deferrals: $228.9MM

t-22.  Anthony Rendon, Angels: 7 years, $245MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2019

t-24.  Albert Pujols, Angels: 10 years, $240MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2011

t-24.  Robinson Cano, Mariners: 10 years, $240MM.  Free agent contract signed December 2013

Compete With Your Crew: The Winfield Game Launches Group Leaderboards (Sponsored)

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As the MLB hot stove heats up, there’s another daily challenge baseball fans are trying to solve: The Winfield Game.

Sharing a name with Dave Winfield – the only athlete ever drafted in the first round of the MLB, NBA, and NFL drafts – The Winfield Game is a free daily sports trivia puzzle. Each day’s answer is a current or former MLB All-Star, NBA All-Star, or NFL Pro Bowler from the Super Bowl era forward. Your job is to identify that player in as few guesses as possible.

If you’ve ever played Wordle, the structure will feel familiar. One puzzle per day, limited guesses, and feedback after each attempt that helps you zero in on the answer. The difference is simply the subject matter — instead of letters, you’re narrowing down decades, teams, positions, and accolades to uncover a single sports star.

You start by typing in any player. Each guess returns a set of clues: the decades they played, the teams they suited up for, their position, and key achievements. Those clues gradually narrow the field until you land on the correct player… or run out of guesses trying.

In the above example, a user first guessed Royce Clayton – a sneaky good starting player for The Winfield Game due to having played for 11 teams during his career. Clayton gave a match on sport and an indication the player played in Chicago, though not for the White Sox. And importantly Clayton did not match on the answer’s decades of play.

The next guess was Anthony Rizzo, which turned out to be a great choice. Rizzo gave matches on the Cubs and Yankees, but neither was the answer’s main team. Which led the user to guess correctly with one of this winter’s biggest free agents – Cody Bellinger.

If you get stuck, you can optionally burn a guess on a hint, which might reveal an extra team, decade, or award to help you zero in on the right name. After you finish, you’ll see your score, streak, and that day’s average across all players. Newly added, you can also check out your own Group Leaderboard.

New this winter: Group leaderboards

The Winfield Game is rolling out group leaderboards!

In addition to the leaderboard for the best lifetime average score and the Cal Ripken Jr. Ironman Streak Leaderboard, you can now create private groups and see how you stack up against:

  • Friends and family
  • Coworkers in the office pool
  • Your fantasy league
  • Discord / Slack communities
  • Team-specific fan groups

Setting up a group is simple:

  1. Go to winfieldgame.com and create a free account (or log in).
  2. Start a new group and share the invite link with whoever you want to compete against.
  3. Everyone plays the same daily puzzle — but now you can see your group’s leaderboard and compare scores within your own circle.

Group leaderboards track performance over time, so a single lucky guess won’t carry you forever. Over weeks and months, the best puzzle solvers rise to the top… and even if you aren’t the best, you can still top the streak leaderboard for your group.

Other Insider Tips

If you are looking to put your best foot forward in The Winfield Game, here are some insider tips to help you get started:

  • Learn a “glue guy” in every sport – someone who played for a ton of teams. Rich Hill and Edwin Jackson are great names to leverage in baseball, while Ish Smith (NBA) or Josh Johnson (NFL) could help in the other sports.
  • Refine your starting player – multi-sport players like Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson will nail down the sport with just one guess, while players like Rickey Henderson or Ryan Fitzpatrick had long careers with several teams.

Play today

The Winfield Game updates daily at midnight EST, and group leaderboards are available for anyone who wants to track results with friends or colleagues.

MLB Mailbag: Tucker, Rays, Mariners, Tigers, Dustin May

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This week's mailbag gets into whether Kyle Tucker will sign a shorter-term deal, options for the Rays at catcher, the trade value of controllable Mariners starters, the Tigers' offseason thus far, Dustin May's potential impact with the Cardinals, and much more.

Dave asks:

At this point do you think Kyle Tucker will take a high AAV deal — example: 5 years $250 million with opt outs after years 2 and 4?

I'm writing this on December 17th, and I don't think we're at that point with Tucker.  It's true that long-term free agent deals usually happen in December.  The last free agent deal of 8+ years that didn't happen in December was Bryce Harper in March 2019, with his 13-year deal coming a few weeks after Manny Machado's ten-year pact.

Eric Hosmer got an eight-year deal in February 2018, and Prince Fielder signed for nine years in January 2012.

That's about it, though, so if we get to the new year without a Tucker deal, the odds start shifting toward a shorter term.

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