Poll: Would You Rather Have Framber Valdez Or Ranger Suarez?
The 2025-26 offseason hasn’t been exceptionally slow overall to this point, with 30 of MLBTR’s Top 50 free agents already signed in addition to plenty of significant trades. With that said, however, things have been unusually quiet at the top of the class. Outside of an early strike by the Blue Jays to land Dylan Cease back in November, the only free agents in MLBTR’s Top 10 who have signed are Kyle Schwarber, who was always expected to re-up with the Phillies in relatively short order, and the NPB duo of Munetaka Murakami and Tatsuya Imai, both of whom had firm deadlines to sign a contract due to the rules of the posting process. The rest of the offseason’s top free agents are still out there, and while plenty of attention has been paid to the four best hitters available—Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, and Cody Bellinger—less fanfare has been made about the two best pitchers available.
With Cease and Imai off the market, the only two pitchers from MLBTR’s top 10 still available are lefties Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez. Both are on the shortlist of the most talented lefty starters in the game at the moment, with solid track records of success in both the regular season and postseason. Both players took some time to get their careers into full swing; each became a full-time starter at age-26, though Valdez reached that point during the shortened 2020 season so he didn’t receive a full slate of starts until the following year. Suarez also received a half-season of starts before getting a full workload, as he joined the Phillies’ rotation on a permanent basis in August of 2021 with 12 starts down the stretch and never looked back. Since joining their respective rotations full time, each has proven to be a reliable front-end arm.
In terms of overall track record, Valdez has the edge. Valdez has an extra year as a starter under his belt, but even by that metric, volume is a clear separator. His 153 games started since joining the Astros’ rotation aren’t too far ahead of the 116 starts Suarez has made when factoring that extra year, but Valdez’s 973 innings of work utterly dwarf Suarez’s 654 frames. Things are much closer in terms of results on the field, but Valdez still has the edge with a 3.23 ERA and 3.38 FIP to Suarez’s 3.39 ERA and 3.45 FIP. Suarez’s 22.2% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate, and 51.3% ground ball rate are all solid. But Valdez’s has the edge in terms of punchouts and grounders, with only slightly more free passes: 23.8% strikeout rate, 8.0% walk rate, and 61.5% ground ball rate.
That combination of volume and results may paint the picture that Valdez is clearly the superior arm, but there’s more factors to consider. Suarez and Valdez enjoyed virtually identical platform seasons, with a 3.59 ERA and 3.57 FIP for Suarez to Valdez’s 3.66 ERA and 3.37 FIP. The pair’s strikeout rate was also mostly the same, (23.3% for Valdez and 23.2% for Suarez), but Suarez took a big step forward in terms of walk rate and issued free passes at just a 5.8% clip to Valdez’s 8.5%.
That ability to cut down walks is certainly attractive, and it’s fair to argue that Suarez is trending upward while Valdez could be starting to show some signs of decline. That’s especially relevant given the age gap between the two; Suarez is two years younger than Valdez, entering free agency at age-30 as opposed to age-32. MLBTR projected both pitchers for five-year deals back in November. Using those predictions, Suarez would be paid through age-34 while Valdez would be on the books through age-36 on an identical contract. Suarez would also be cheaper, at least according to MLBTR, with a $115MM prediction for Suarez compared to a $150MM prediction for Valdez.
In addition, Suarez’s postseason resume is nearly spotless, with a career 1.48 ERA in the playoffs. By contrast, Valdez has a 4.34 postseason ERA. That comes in double the innings (85 frames against Suarez’s 42 2/3 innings of work), but the elder lefty’s work in recent years has been particularly lackluster; he’s posted an 8.27 ERA in his last four playoff starts. A strong postseason resume isn’t typically a major factor in the sort of nine-figure deals Valdez and Suarez are seeking, but it could easily serve as a tiebreaker for some clubs between two pitchers this similar. Another soft factor that could play a role in differentiating the two is an incident last season where Astros catcher Cesar Salazar was struck by a pitch from Valdez in a cross-up situation. Speculation arose at the time that the pitch was intentional on Valdez’s part, though both players declared it an accident afterwards.
How do MLBTR readers view the two lefties, and which would you rather have over the next five years? Are Valdez’s superior volume and results enough to overcome Suarez’s advantages in age and postseason performance? Have your say in the poll below:
Which pitcher would you rather have over the next five seasons?
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Ranger Suarez 58% (5,835)
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Framber Valdez 42% (4,298)
Total votes: 10,133
Poll: Who Will Sign Bo Bichette?
It’s been an unusual trip through free agency for Bo Bichette. The infielder is one of the most attractive free agents on the market as a bat-first shortstop with multiple All-Star appearances under his belt who will only be 28 years old next year, but he’s not gotten much attention in the rumor mill this winter as players like Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and Cody Bellinger have absorbed most of the offseason attention. Perhaps that lack of buzz has been due to a widespread assumption that Bichette, who has long spoken about his desire to stay in Toronto for his entire career, was sure to remain with the Blue Jays going forward. That’s an illusion that’s been shattered by the Jays’ addition of Kazuma Okamoto and their reportedly increased aggression in the market for Tucker, however. If the Blue Jays appear to be pivoting towards other stars, where does that leave Bichette? A look at his potential landing spots:
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox haven’t been shy about their desire to either re-sign or replace Bregman, adding to an infield mix that already includes Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer as likely starting options. Bichette would certainly be as strong an addition as any for the Red Sox, adding a transformational right-handed bat to their heavily left-handed lineup. Bichette would likely be the weakest defender at shortstop between himself, Story, and Mayer, but that shouldn’t be a significant problem seeing as Bregman himself does not play shortstop and Bichette has expressed a willingness to move off his native position headed into 2026.
All of that makes Bichette a great fit for the Red Sox, which is surely why they held a video meeting with him last month. Even so, there are some potential obstacles. The team has reportedly started to be more aggressive in their pursuit of Bregman in free agency, and it’s nearly impossible to imagine Boston bringing in both players. Even if they don’t bring Bregman back into the fold, the Red Sox have shown a clear preference for utilizing the trade market to improve rather than free agency, so perhaps someone like Brendan Donovan or Ketel Marte would hold more appeal.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are a more recent entrant into the Bichette sweepstakes, as they’ve been connected to him in recent weeks. Chicago has had a very quiet offseason so far, but with Tucker expected to head elsewhere in free agency it’s easy to see why they might want to bring in a big bat to supplement the offense. As the #2 free agent in this year’s class behind Tucker, Bichette would certainly qualify, and his relative youth could be attractive to a Cubs team that is building up a core of young talent that includes Pete Crow-Armstrong, Matt Shaw, Michael Busch, and Cade Horton with more youngsters on the way.
On the other hand, Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner are the league’s best defensive middle infield combination at the moment. Bringing Bichette into the fold would seemingly either require Bichette to move to third base (thereby pushing Shaw into a utility role) or trading Hoerner to free up the keystone. The team’s front office already gave Shaw a vote of confidence earlier this winter, but Hoerner’s name has come up occasionally in trade rumors this winter as he heads into his final season before free agency.
Los Angeles Dodgers
As with the Cubs, Los Angeles’s interest in Bichette is a somewhat recent development. It’s hardly ever a shock to see the Dodgers involved in the market for a top free agent, and Bichette is no exception to that. After a down season in 2025 from Mookie Betts, adding Bichette’s right-handed bat to the middle of the lineup could be very attractive for the Dodgers in order to help balance out the big lefty bats offered by Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
With that being said, an infield consisting of Betts at shortstop, Bichette at second base, and Max Muncy at third base could leave much to be desired defensively. What’s more, such an alignment would require moving Tommy Edman back into center field on a daily basis, a move the club could be hesitant to make given his injury history. Of the winter’s top free agents, Tucker seems like a more straightforward fit for the Dodgers given their weak outfield mix. Even with that being said, however, the Dodgers’ financial muscle and eagerness to build on their back-to-back World Series wins leaves just about anything on the table for the club.
Toronto Blue Jays
While much of the discourse surrounding alternative suitors for Bichette is due to the seemingly closing window for him to return to Toronto, that doesn’t mean the Blue Jays are completely out of the running. Bichette’s affection for the only team he’s known since being drafted in the second round back in 2016 has been widely reported for years now, and his close connection with fellow star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. surely makes a return to Toronto the most attractive option from his own perspective. While Tucker is a more straightforward fit for the team’s needs after signing Okamoto, Bichette would still certainly be an extremely viable alternative if the bidding for the star outfielder gets outside of the Jays’ comfort zone. Placing Bichette at second base and either moving Ernie Clement into a bench role or having Okamoto split time between first base, third base, DH, and the outfield corners in order to create playing time for Clement could certainly be a viable option.
Other Options
Those four teams are perhaps the most feasible options for Bichette, but they’re far from the only ones. The Phillies have been connected to him and could certainly fit him into the lineup if they were to more significantly alter their lineup by dealing Alec Bohm, but signing Bichette seems likely to complicate their ability to re-sign J.T. Realmuto. The Yankees have also been connected to Bichette and might be his best chance at playing shortstop in 2026 given Anthony Volpe‘s difficult year last season, but they presently seem focused on signing Bellinger and adding to their rotation, making a pursuit of Bichette lower on their list of priorities. The Giants could certainly use an upgrade at the keystone over Casey Schmitt, but they’ve been more focused on trade options like Donovan and Hoerner than the free agent market. The Tigers could theoretically put Bichette at shortstop in 2026 alongside Gleyber Torres before sliding him over to second when Torres hits free agency next year in order to make room for top prospect Kevin McGonigle, but Detroit’s front office seems largely content to head into 2026 with the same group that brought them back-to-back playoff berths the past two seasons.
Where do MLBTR readers ultimately think Bichette will land? Have your say in the poll below:
Where Will Bo Bichette Sign?
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Blue Jays 28% (5,421)
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Phillies 12% (2,368)
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Dodgers 11% (2,202)
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Red Sox 10% (2,026)
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Cubs 10% (1,950)
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Other 9% (1,731)
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Yankees 8% (1,576)
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Giants 6% (1,234)
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Tigers 4% (832)
Total votes: 19,340
Poll: Will The Blue Jays Add Another Big Bat?
The Blue Jays have been the most active team of the winter, making splashes in the rotation (Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce), bullpen (Tyler Rogers), and mostly recently the lineup with their signing of third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. While Okamoto has a chance to be an impact bat, given his track record as one of the best hitters in NPB, he’s not on the same level as a few other hitters to whom Toronto has been linked. On one level or another, the Jays have been connected to most of the top free agent hitters this offseason. Most recently, reports have centered around three names: outfielder Kyle Tucker, infielder Bo Bichette, and third baseman Alex Bregman.
Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported yesterday that while the Blue Jays could add more from here, that might require the team to subtract payroll elsewhere on the roster. Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers of ESPN wrote this morning that the Okamoto signing does not take the Jays out of the running for either Tucker or Bichette.
It’s been relatively quiet on the Tucker front, though Rogers and Olney suggest he has both short- and long-term possibilities in front of him. Whichever route he takes, the annual commitment will be significant. Toronto has expressed a willingness to deal Jose Berrios this winter, but his contract is underwater. They wouldn’t be able to shed the full freight of the $66MM he’s still owed. Anthony Santander is making significant money as well, but he’d be even more difficult to trade coming off of a career-worst season where he was limited to 54 games by injuries; Santander also posted a .175/.271/.294 slash (61 wRC+) when healthy enough to play.
Neither Berrios nor Santander would subtract enough payroll to fully offset the addition of a Tucker, Bichette or Bregman. Berrios is owed $18MM in 2026 and has matching $24MM salaries in 2027-28. Santander is owed $16.5MM in 2026 and ’27, $14.75MM in ’28 and $12.75MM in ’29. A hefty $10MM of his salary is deferred in each of those seasons.
If the Blue Jays are truly nearing maximum capacity when it comes to payroll, it’s hard to imagine them coming out on top for one of those star free agents. The Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, and Mets are among the other big market clubs to have been connected to at least one of those free agents in some capacity.
Of course, it’s possible the Jays don’t feel much need to subtract salary at all. Their $279MM payroll and $308MM of luxury tax obligations (according to RosterResource) are franchise records that thrust them into the top bracket of luxury penalization, but the Jays have a great deal of money coming off the books after this season. George Springer, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Daulton Varsho, Yimi Garcia, and Eric Lauer are all set to reach free agency after 2026. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Varsho and Lauer for a combined $14.1MM in arbitration this year, while the other four will combine for $70.5MM. That’s nearly $85MM in salary set to come off the books, and declining Myles Straw’s club option for next season would push that figure even higher.
Some of that money would surely need to be re-invested in the roster to replace the departing veterans, but next year’s free agent class doesn’t figure to boast a transformational, middle-of-the-order bat on the level of Tucker or even Bichette. Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena, Nico Hoerner, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are among the top position players set to reach free agency next winter. While all are talented players in their own rights, none is a surefire perennial All-Star like the top bats of this winter’s class. That could make it prudent for the Jays to throw caution to the wind this year and do some of next offseason’s shopping a year early.
How do MLBTR readers expect the Jays to proceed this winter? Will they come away with another top free agent before Opening Day, or will Okamoto be their top addition on offense? Have your say in the poll below:
Will The Blue Jays Add Another Top Free Agent Hitter?
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Yes, Toronto will add another top hitter in free agency before Opening Day. 76% (5,089)
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No, Okamoto will be the top hitter the Blue Jays add to the lineup this winter. 24% (1,570)
Total votes: 6,659
Poll: How Can The Rockies Best Improve Their Starting Pitching?
The Rockies are coming off a 119-loss season, which stands as one of the worst seasons in modern baseball history. The team’s starting pitching was a key factor in that poor performance. In 2025, Rockies starters had a 6.65 ERA, a league-worst 7.4% K-BB rate, and allowed a league-worst 1.79 HR/9. It is therefore unsurprising that Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta identified the rotation as “an era of focus” for his newly-hired front office.
“We would like to add some stability to the rotation,” said DePodesta in a phone interview with Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “I think that’s obvious … given our current situation.” He went on to say that the team will consider trading from their bullpen and outfield depth to acquire starters, while also counting on improvement from existing starters. Referring to his coaching staff, DePodesta said, “Given the sheer manpower we have allocated to the pitching side, there’s definitely room for improvement with the players we have.”
The comments come across as generic boilerplate. As is well-known, Rockies pitchers have the challenge of playing half the season at high altitude. Dating back to 2021, the club’s starters have posted a league-worst 5.60 ERA and 28.3 fWAR, including a mere 1.5 fWAR in 2025. Its top starters this year by innings pitched were Kyle Freeland, Germán Márquez, and Antonio Senzatela. Freeland was once an above-average starter but logged a 4.98 ERA in 162 2/3 innings this year, including a 5.75 mark at home. Though he remains onboard as the nominal “ace,” he will play 2026 at age 33 and is unlikely to recover his old form.
Márquez had a nightmarish 6.70 ERA in 126 1/3 innings in 2025, with a well-below-average strikeout rate of 14.0%. He is now a free agent and unlikely to be re-signed. Meanwhile, Senzatela’s 11.8% strikeout rate was a career-low. He was demoted to the bullpen for the last month of the year and won’t be guaranteed a rotation spot in 2026. Chase Dollander and Tanner Gordon were the only other Rockies starters to reach 60 innings this year, and they both had ERAs in the mid-6.00s and struggled with the long ball.
Given those struggles, it’s hardly a surprise that DePodesta wants to make upgrades. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Colorado is an unlikely destination for free agent starters who do not want to see their stats decline from pitching at Coors. Indeed, the only major-league free agent starting pitchers to sign with the Rockies since 2021 are Chad Kuhl, José Ureña, and Dakota Hudson. All three signed for one year and were reclamation projects at best. Ureña, whose $3.5MM contract in November 2022 was the highest value of the bunch, only made five starts for the Rockies in 2023 before being released that April.
The team faces a similar problem in attempting to add starting pitchers via trade. Potential partners can use the Rockies’ home-field disadvantage and need for pitching to gain leverage in trade talks. Dating back to 2021, most of the Rockies’ starting pitching acquisitions have been low-level trades and cash transactions. Arguably the highest-profile acquisition was that of Cal Quantrill in November 2024. He threw 186 1/3 innings with a 3.38 ERA for the Guardians in 2023 but struggled badly in 2024 and was recently designated for assignment when he came to Colorado. With a disadvantage in trade talks, the club is forced to lean heavily on internal options for starting pitching.
While teams obviously want to get all the value they can from their existing players, the current rotation led by Freeland doesn’t inspire much confidence. For his part, DePodesta expressed confidence in his new pitching coaches, but also acknowledged that internal improvement is only part of the equation. A trade involving outfielders or relievers might be difficult to pull off. Center fielder Brenton Doyle is unlikely to be traded, while top relievers Jimmy Herget and Juan Mejia were good in 2025 but have minimal track records otherwise. The team could give young lefty Carson Palmquist a bigger look, but he struggled badly with control and home runs in his debut this year. Meanwhile, the Rockies have two prospects among MLB.com’s Top 100 list, neither of whom are pitchers.
What do you think is the best way for the Rockies to improve their starting pitching? Let us know in the poll below:
How Can The Rockies Best Improve Their Starting Pitching?
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Trade Doyle or another outfielder 38% (1,222)
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Call up their prospects 32% (1,012)
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Rely on the pitching coaches to improve the existing starters 22% (706)
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Trade from the bullpen 8% (260)
Total votes: 3,200
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
Which Team Will Sign Kazuma Okamoto?
There are less than 48 hours until the posting window closes for NPB slugger Kazuma Okamoto. His first MLB contract needs to be finalized by Sunday at 4:00 pm Central. There’s a good chance Okamoto agrees to terms by tomorrow. Tatsuya Imai agreed to a three-year deal with the Astros yesterday to leave a day for a standard physical before his own signing deadline this afternoon.
The right-handed hitting Okamoto is one of the more interesting mid-tier free agent bats. He’s a career .277/.361/.521 hitter over parts of 11 seasons at Japan’s highest level. Okamoto was limited to 69 games last year by an elbow injury. That kept his counting stats down, yet his .327/.416/.598 slash line was the best rate production of his career. He has six 30-homer seasons on his résumé and walked as often as he struck out last year.
Okamoto is headed into his age-30 season. It’s unlikely that he’ll command a long-term deal, especially after younger Japanese stars Imai and Munetaka Murakami found cold enough markets to take short contracts. He should land with a club that views him as a potential middle-of-the-order bat for the next few seasons. While Okamoto doesn’t have the eye-popping power that Murakami brings to the table, he should have a higher floor based on his superior bat-to-ball skills. Okamoto made contact on 80.4% of his swings last year; Murakami’s contact rate has been below 64% in consecutive seasons.
Both players are corner bats. Murakami is expected to be a first baseman for the White Sox. Okamoto’s position probably depends on his landing spot. One scout with whom MLBTR spoke at the beginning of the offseason opined that he could play a serviceable but unspectacular third base. Okamoto made 52 appearances at the hot corner and played 27 games at first base for the Yomiuri Giants last season. He was primarily a first baseman the year before that, making 130 appearances there against 39 outings at third.
Okamoto was a full-time infielder last year. He has 164 career appearances on the outfield grass, though, including 15 two seasons ago. Will Sammon of The Athletic floated the possibility of an MLB team giving Okamoto some work in left field as another way to get his bat in the lineup.
The Blue Jays, Red Sox, Pirates, Padres, Angels and Cubs have been at least loosely connected to Okamoto during his posting window. San Diego’s and Pittsburgh’s interest has come up most frequently, though it’s unclear how much to take from that. The White Sox weren’t tied to Murakami until very late in the process, while it wasn’t publicly known that the Astros were involved on Imai at all until an agreement was done.
Where will Okamoto end up?
Which Team Will Sign Kazuma Okamoto?
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Pirates 18% (3,263)
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Blue Jays 12% (2,099)
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Padres 9% (1,644)
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Angels 8% (1,507)
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Mariners 7% (1,194)
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Red Sox 6% (1,006)
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Mets 5% (931)
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None. He'll remain in Japan. 5% (895)
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Cubs 4% (702)
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Yankees 4% (647)
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Tigers 2% (446)
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White Sox 2% (421)
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Dodgers 2% (355)
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Phillies 2% (323)
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Giants 2% (278)
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Reds 1% (250)
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Diamondbacks 1% (247)
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Orioles 1% (207)
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Cardinals 1% (180)
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Guardians 1% (170)
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Braves 1% (161)
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Nationals 1% (149)
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Brewers 1% (145)
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Rangers 1% (140)
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Athletics 1% (132)
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Rays 1% (114)
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Rockies 1% (110)
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Twins 1% (99)
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Royals 1% (99)
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Astros 1% (91)
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Marlins 0% (86)
Total votes: 18,091
Will The Royals Trade A Starter?
Early in the offseason, Royals president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo said the team was open to trading a starting pitcher for offense. That would have been focused on the outfield, which has been a problem for the club for years.
Kansas City has acquired a pair of outfielders in the month since Picollo’s comments. They signed Lane Thomas to a reclamation $5.5MM free agent deal, then swapped lefty reliever Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee for Isaac Collins and middle reliever Nick Mears. Those moves raised the floor relative to where the outfield stood at the end of the 2025 season, yet it remains one of the weaker on-paper groups in MLB.
Kyle Isbel is a low-end regular in center field. Collins had a strong season but was a 27-year-old rookie whose results outpaced mediocre batted ball metrics. The Royals probably don’t expect him to be more than an average regular in left field. Jac Caglianone has the highest ceiling of the group, but MLB pitchers exploited his aggressive plate approach in his first 62 games. Caglianone so thoroughly dominated the minor leagues that the Royals might feel he has little to learn by going back to Triple-A. Still, there are sure to be peaks and valleys even if he takes a step forward in his first full MLB season. Thomas battled injuries and was mostly unproductive after being traded from the Nationals to the Guardians at the ’24 deadline.
Depth options John Rave, Dairon Blanco, Drew Waters and Kameron Misner (acquired in a DFA trade with Tampa Bay) have shown very little at the big league level. That makes it unsurprising that the Royals continue to monitor the outfield market after the Collins/Thomas deals. Working with seemingly limited payroll space and a weak farm system, trading a starter could still be on the table — even if it seems less likely than it did a month ago.
Picollo has strongly downplayed the chance of moving Cole Ragans. He’s controllable for three seasons and has shown ace upside but is coming off a significant rotator cuff injury. They extended Michael Wacha last offseason and Seth Lugo before the trade deadline. It’s hard to see either veteran righty going anywhere.
Left-hander Kris Bubic is headed into his final season of arbitration control. He pitched at a top-of-the-rotation level but suffered a season-ending rotator cuff strain not long after the All-Star Break. Southpaw Noah Cameron had a sub-3.00 ERA over his first 24 career starts despite a below-average 20.5% strikeout rate. Controllable depth arms Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek have drawn interest but have minor league options and could be key injury insurance in Triple-A. They’re presumably open to moving Bailey Falter, but he’d have minimal trade value. Alec Marsh has gotten interest in the past but underwent labrum surgery in November and will likely miss the entire season.
Will anyone from that group be on the move before Opening Day?
Will The Royals Trade A Starter This Offseason?
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Yes. They'll trade Bubic. 35% (1,467)
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No, they'll hold their rotation depth. 32% (1,357)
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Yes. They'll trade one of Cameron, Bergert, or Kolek. 18% (771)
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Yes. They'll trade one of Ragans, Lugo, Wacha. 14% (597)
Total votes: 4,192
Poll: Will The Braves Add A Starter This Winter?
The Braves have been very aggressive to this point in free agency. They kicked off their offseason by re-upping with closer Raisel Iglesias on a one-year deal ahead of his age-36 season. From there, they bolstered their bullpen further by bringing in veteran flamethrower Robert Suarez on a three-year deal. In addition to those moves, the offense has been tweaked in some significant ways. Mike Yastrzemski was brought in to shore up the team’s outfield depth following Marcell Ozuna‘s departure in free agency. Ha-Seong Kim re-signed with the club to become the everyday shortstop in 2026, and the team even brought in Mauricio Dubon to offer depth in a utility capacity.
Coming off a 76-86 season, it’s understandable for Atlanta to be aggressive as they look to get back into contention and make the most of Ronald Acuna Jr.‘s remaining years under club control. Bringing back Iglesias and adding Suarez to a bullpen that already had Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer in the late-inning mix is sure to give Atlanta one of the more intimidating bullpens in the league, and a full season from Kim should also be very impactful given that the Braves relied on Nick Allen as their shortstop for most of the 2025 season. That could be enough of a facelift for the offense by itself if Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, and Ozzie Albies play closer to their potential than they did last year, but the additions of Yastrzemski and Dubon should be able to to offer more established backup plans than the team had last year to keep the offense afloat.
Strong as the bullpen and offense appear to be at this point, they weren’t the part of the team that most significantly hampered the Braves last year. It’s hard to argue against the team’s biggest weakness last year being the starting rotation, despite the elite talent it boasts on paper. Chris Sale won a Cy Young award in 2024 and spent much of 2025 looking poised to repeat. Spencer Strider was widely considered perhaps the game’s most exciting young arm just a couple of years ago. Spencer Schwellenbach has done nothing but deliver since making his big league debut, and Reynaldo Lopez has been brilliant since returning to the rotation after years in the bullpen.
Unfortunately, each of those pitchers spent significant time on the injured list last year. Lopez made just one start, while Schwellenbach and Sale combined for a measly 37 more. Strider made 24 starts but didn’t look quite like himself in his return from UCL surgery, with a below-average 4.45 ERA and a 24.3% strikeout rate far below his usual norms. That middling production still made Strider one of the more reliable pitchers in the Atlanta rotation for much of the year, as injuries required more and more starts be afforded to depth arms like Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, and Joey Wentz.
That’s a lot to go wrong for one rotation in a single year. With as much talent loaded into that rotation as the Braves have, it wouldn’t be a shock if their starters were among the best in baseball next year. Sale remains a likely future Hall of Famer who should be elite when healthy. Schwellenbach has a career 3.23 ERA with peripherals to match. Strider could easily regain his Cy Young caliber form as he moves further away from surgery, and Lopez received Cy Young votes himself in 2024 for his work as a starter. At the same time, the health of starting pitchers is less reliable than ever, and assuming any of those players will make 30 starts could prove foolhardy. It hardly seems like a coincidence that Atlanta’s starting rotation lacked consistency in its first year after losing Max Fried, one of the most reliable top-of-the-rotation innings eaters in the entire sport. While depth types like Holmes and Elder remain on the roster to pick up the slack, they certainly weren’t enough last year.
That makes the addition of a quality, reliable starter seem like an obvious choice. The market for starters has been fairly quiet so far outside of a big signing for Dylan Cease back in November, and plenty of options remain on the market. Someone like Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez could provide a reasonable facsimile to the stability Fried offered for years at the top of the Braves’ rotation, but Atlanta needn’t necessarily aim that high. Even adding an arm like Zac Gallen or Lucas Giolito would go a very long way to providing reliable innings to the rotation, and that sort of deal could be more affordable than the nine-figure contracts players like Valdez and Suarez figure to command.
While signing a starter would make plenty of sense, there’s some opportunity cost to doing so. That’s because right-hander Hurston Waldrep has the chance to be a major x-factor if given the opportunity to start. After a rocky debut in 2024, the team’s top pitching prospect enjoyed a strong run of ten appearances in 2025 where he pitched to a 2.88 ERA across 56 1/3 innings of work. Waldrep won’t turn 24 until March and could be an exciting addition to the rotation if given the chance, but that opportunity may only be available to him if the team doesn’t sign a starter. Of course, the team’s uncertain health outlooks in the rest of the rotation provide a reasonable counterargument to that; Waldrep may not need to wait very long to grab a rotation spot even if he’s pushed out of the team’s starting five on paper.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to the team bringing in a reliable starter is payroll. Atlanta is currently projected for a $256MM luxury tax payroll, according to RosterResource. That’s a jump of around $40MM relative to last year, though it’s actually around $20MM less than Atlanta put forward in 2024. If the Braves are willing to stay aggressive and spend to that 2024 level, perhaps adding someone like Giolito to the mix could be feasible. Failing that, however, the Braves would likely have to turn to the trade market to add an impactful starter. Doing so would likely mean surrendering young talent (such as Waldrep or infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr.) that the team appears reluctant to part with. Lower-tier starters like Jose Quintana and Zack Littell could be options as well, but it’s an open question whether they’d be substantially more effective than internal options like Waldrep or even Holmes.
How do MLBTR readers think Atlanta will put their rotation together headed into the 2026 season? Will they make a surefire addition like Valdez or Giolito, or will they instead go into the season with more or less the same group they have now? Have your say in the poll below:
Will The Braves Add A Starter This Winter?
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No, they'll stick with their internal options outside of minor depth additions. 50% (2,722)
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Yes, they'll add a surefire starter to their rotation before Opening Day. 50% (2,669)
Total votes: 5,391
Poll: Who Will Sign Kyle Tucker?
As the New Year approaches, star outfielder Kyle Tucker is reaching rarely-charted territory as this winter’s top free agent. Juan Soto signed just before the Winter Meetings last year, while two years ago Shohei Ohtani signed with the Dodgers shortly thereafter. Aaron Judge signed with the Yankees on the final day of the Winter Meetings three years ago, and Carlos Correa agreed to $300MM deals with both the Giants and Mets in December 2021, though both of those deals ultimately ended up falling through.
If Tucker is going to follow in the trend of top free agents finding a new home in December, he’s running out of time to do so. It’s been an unusually quiet free agency for the offseason’s biggest star. While any lineup would be significantly better off for adding someone who’s hit .277/.365/.514 over the past five seasons, few teams have actually been connected to Tucker directly. Some of that could be due to a lack of interest from the teams that know Tucker best. While Ohtani, Judge, and Soto were all pursued by the teams they were departing in free agency, that’s not so for Tucker.
The incumbent Cubs have made it extremely clear this offseason that they don’t have much intention of reuniting with Tucker, instead preferring to peruse the high-end rotation market and go with youngsters like Moises Ballesteros and Owen Caissie to replace Tucker’s big lefty bat in the lineup. Tucker’s previous team, the Astros, have never spent anywhere close to what it would take to bring Tucker back to Houston on a free agent deal and seem unlikely to start now. While both clubs’ lack of interest in Tucker seems to be more about a hesitance regarding long-term deals than anything regarding Tucker specifically, it still takes two logical fits out of his marketplace.
That doesn’t mean there’s been zero interest in Tucker, of course. The Blue Jays reportedly invited Tucker to their Spring Training facility earlier this month and have been by far the team most frequently connected to the outfielder. With that being said, Toronto is also known to have interest in retaining star infielder Bo Bichette. After signing Dylan Cease last month, the club may not have the appetite to add two more megadeals to the books. The Orioles are in a similar boat, having been expressly connected to Tucker on multiple occasions but now appear to be more or less out of that market after bringing in Taylor Ward and Pete Alonso.
Other more speculative suitors have few clear obstacles to signing Tucker but come with their own caveats. The Dodgers have space in their outfield and were connected to Tucker early in the winter but have expressed concerns about the aging nature of their roster, have a stable of intriguing outfield prospects, and seem to prefer to go smaller this winter than they have in recent years. That doesn’t mean they won’t sign Tucker, but it seems as though they might only have interest in him on a shorter-term deal (or perhaps following a trade of Teoscar Hernandez, though that appears unlikely).
The New York teams appear to be in a similar boat to Los Angeles. The Yankees pursued Tucker on the trade market last winter and have space in their outfield for another big bat, but appear to be focused on Cody Bellinger at this point. Even if they miss on Bellinger, GM Brian Cashman has expressed concerns over their lineup being too left-handed. The Mets, meanwhile, cleared a spot in their outfield mix when they dealt Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers. With owner Steve Cohen’s willingness to spend, a big contract for a star can never be entirely ruled out. With that said, president of baseball operations David Stearns has mostly shied away from longer term deals. While exceptions were made for pursuits of Soto and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both of those stars were three years younger than the soon-to-be 29-year-old Tucker.
It’s always possible a surprising team steps up and makes a big offer, but there aren’t many clear candidates for that sort of bid looking around the league. The Giants are known to be interested in adding to their outfield, but they just landed a big contract over the summer when they traded for Rafael Devers and might not want to add Tucker to books that already include Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, and Jung Hoo Lee long-term. The Phillies seemed like a fit at one point, but their reunion with Kyle Schwarber and their signing of Adolis Garcia make that difficult to see now. The Tigers once spent at a high level with big deals for players like Miguel Cabrera, but haven’t done so under Chris Ilitch even while competitive. The Angels have made big splashes in free agency for position players before but might not want to add another big contract as they negotiate a buyout for the player they brought in on their last megadeal.
Where do MLBTR readers think Tucker will ultimately land? Will the Blue Jays pony up for him, even if it means spurning Bichette? Will he be the latest star to fall into Andrew Friedman’s lap in free agency? Will a New York team step up? Or could a surprise contender swoop in and sign him? Have your say in the poll below:
Who Will Sign Kyle Tucker?
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Blue Jays 40% (7,914)
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Dodgers 16% (3,055)
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Mets 15% (2,983)
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Yankees 10% (1,984)
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Giants 9% (1,697)
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Other (Specify In Comments) 7% (1,364)
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Angels 3% (648)
Total votes: 19,645
Poll: Should The Mets Trade Mark Vientos?
After losing Pete Alonso to the Orioles in free agency and trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers, the Mets will need to reconfigure their lineup in a big way this winter. They’ve already added some of the pieces with which they’ll try to do that, bringing in Marcus Semien as the return for Nimmo and following that up by signing Jorge Polanco, but there’s clearly more work to do. It’s with that backdrop that reporting yesterday indicated the Mets could look to trade infielder Mark Vientos this winter, perhaps while eyeing the addition of a big bat to the lineup.
Trading Vientos certainly has some merit. The 26-year-old was a merely league average hitter by the numbers this year, with a 97 wRC+ thanks to his 40 extra-base hits (including 17 homers) propping up a paltry .289 on-base percentage. That sort of production won’t cut it for a poor defensive third baseman who figures to get the majority of his playing time at first base or DH next year, but his youth and power potential could still be enough to catch the eye of some teams in need of right-handed pop in their lineup, with the Mets perhaps getting some pitching back in return.
With that being said, trading Vientos wouldn’t come without risk. Still in his mid-20s, Vientos has already demonstrated the ability to potentially be an All-Star caliber bat. In 2024, he slashed .266/.322/.516 (132 wRC+) with 27 homers in 111 games. It was a strong enough performance to play as a regular at first base or overlook his defensive deficiencies at the hot corner. If the youngster can rediscover that form, he would offer the Mets a major boost. After all, the Mets themselves need additional righty pop in the lineup after losing Alonso. Letting their veteran slugger walk was already tough for fans to stomach and it would surely get even worse if Alonso’s heir apparent was traded away and broke out somewhere else.
How likely is a return to form for Vientos? The underlying metrics are mixed. Vientos didn’t live up to his expected numbers last year, which could be a sign that some positive regression is on the way. He actually lowered his strikeout rate substantially, dropping from 29.7% in 2024 to just 24.8% this year. Those are good signs and his .277 BABIP this season seems likely to improve going forward. With all of that being said, however, there are certainly some red flags. While his BABIP is likely to improve from last year, it’s unlikely to reach the level of his .324 mark from 2024. While his strikeout rate dropped by nearly five points, his once-elite barrel rate dropped by nearly three. In all likelihood, his true talent level lies somewhere between his weak 2025 and his impressive 2024.
The question then becomes about which side of the spectrum Vientos is more likely to fall on. If he figures to offer a bat with a wRC+ of 120 or greater on a consistent basis going forward, that would be hard to part with for a team in need of right-handed power like the Mets. With that said, if Vientos is more likely to be just a touch better than league average this year, it would be fair to wonder if the Mets would be better off focusing on adding a more impactful player like Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami to the first base/DH mix.
Perhaps going with a free agent hitter in Vientos’s place and turning Vientos into a trade chip for pitching would be a smart call. Despite his uneven performance, other clubs would surely be interested in him, especially since he’s cheap. He has not yet qualified for arbitration and can be controlled for four full seasons before he’s slated for free agency.
With that said, it’s also worth considering how a more expensive addition like Okamoto or Murakami could impact the Mets’ ability to pursue an impactful outfielder. Cody Bellinger has been tied to the Mets frequently this winter, and while the rumors connecting the club to Kyle Tucker haven’t been nearly as ubiquitous, the possibility of a deal there is worth considering given the club’s need for outfield help and the small numbers of teams that could realistically meet his rumored asking price. If sticking with Vientos gave the Mets a better shot to land a big outfield bat, then perhaps the club would be better off keeping Vientos in the fold and trying to deal other young players and prospects for pitching help.
How do MLBTR readers think the Mets should proceed with Vientos? Should they keep him, risking an underwhelming 2026 season in order to keep their focus on improving the outfield in free agency? Or should they trade him and risk a breakout elsewhere in order to add more certainty to the lineup? Have your say in the poll below:
Should The Mets Trade Mark Vientos This Winter?
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Yes 62% (3,506)
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No 38% (2,172)
Total votes: 5,678
Poll: Would You Rather Have Kyle Schwarber Or Pete Alonso?
This year’s Winter Meetings were highlighted by two of the game’s premier sluggers signing two of the offseason’s biggest contracts so far: Kyle Schwarber re-upped with the Phillies for five years and $150MM, while Pete Alonso signed on with the Orioles for five years and $155MM. With such remarkably similar contracts and roles to play in the lineup, it’s fair to wonder which player would be better to roster in a vacuum.
Schwarber’s case is obvious, given that he’s coming off a career year where he bashed 56 home runs and finished second in NL MVP voting. Schwarber turned in a brilliant .240/.365/.563 (152 wRC+) slash line for the Phillies this year while playing in all 162 games. In addition to his massive home run total, the slugger added 23 doubles, 2 triples, and even managed to chip in ten stolen bases. That was good enough for 4.9 fWAR and 4.7 bWAR, an incredibly impressive total for a DH who fielded just 66 innings this year.
Alonso’s offensive numbers, while certainly strong, weren’t quite as impressive. The slugger hit .272/.347/.524 with a wRC+ of 141 while also playing 162 games for the Mets. While he hit “just” 38 home runs to Schwarber’s 56, he did manage to swat 41 doubles as well. His contributions on the bases were minimal, but he did play the field in 160 of his 162 games as the Mets’ everyday first baseman. Alonso’s 3.6 fWAR and 3.4 bWAR don’t quite measure up to Schwarber’s gaudy total, but his ability to play a defensive position on a regular basis did free up the DH slot in the lineup to allow the Mets the opportunity to rest their regulars and roster valuable pieces with defensive limitations like Starling Marte.
Digging in a little deeper, the comparison gets even more interesting. Advanced metrics indicate an even smaller gap between Schwarber and Alonso in terms of offense than the raw production does, as Schwarber’s .402 xwOBA eclipses Alonso’s .385 by just 17 points. On the other hand, Alonso benefited from a career-high .305 BABIP in 2025, while Schwarber’s own .253 figure was actually below his career norms. Schwarber’s time in Philadelphia has seen him produce a 133 wRC+ that’s almost a perfect match for Alonso’s own 131 wRC+ over the past four years, and while Alonso is two years younger than Schwarber, he also lacks some of the elite power projection that Schwarber offers. Schwarber’s incredible 54.2% hard-hit rate over the past five years trails only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, while Alonso’s 46.7% figure falls more in line with players a cut below that tier like Ryan McMahon and Max Muncy.
A look at how both players performed in the market would suggest that teams certainly value them similarly. The pair got the same number of years. Alonso signed for an additional $5MM in terms of total guarantee but Schwarber appeared to have a more robust market in terms of total suitors. The Pirates, Reds, and Orioles themselves were all known to have made offers of $120MM or more to Schwarber, with plenty of other teams such as the Mets, Giants and Red Sox rumored to be interested as well. Alonso, by contrast, saw his known suitors mostly limited to the Mets, Red Sox, and perhaps the Cubs in addition to the Orioles. Perhaps more teams simply had an opening at DH than at first base, but it’s also fair to wonder if more teams simply saw Schwarber as a game-changing talent.
Even if that’s true, however, Alonso’s ability to field a position at a competent (if below average) level on a regular basis and his relative youth would certainly be strong arguments in his favor. Schwarber will play the final year of his contract at the age of 37 and few players project well that late into their careers. Perhaps Schwarber’s elite and unique power capacity could make him an exception in the same vein as other great slugging DH-only bats like David Ortiz and Nelson Cruz, but that’s a much bolder gamble to make than expecting Alonso to remain productive through his 35th birthday.
How do MLBTR readers value the two sluggers? If your team had openings at both first base and DH, which one would you rather have installed in your lineup for the next five seasons? Have your say in the poll below:
Would you rather have Schwarber or Alonso?
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Kyle Schwarber 56% (9,406)
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Pete Alonso 44% (7,327)
Total votes: 16,733