The Opener: Suarez, Extensions, MLBTR Chat
On the heels of a big move by the Braves this morning, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on throughout the day today:
1. Suarez to make Red Sox debut:
Boston’s top offseason addition is set to suit up for his new club for the first time today. Left-hander Ranger Suarez is the scheduled starter for the Red Sox in today’s Spring Training game against the Pirates. The 2024 All-Star will look to make a strong first impression on his new fanbase as he gears up to represent Venezuela in this year’s World Baseball Classic. His opponent today will be Pittsburgh righty Carmen Mlodzinski, who posted a solid 3.55 ERA in 99 innings of work for the Pirates last year. The two will face off at Fenway South in Fort Myers in a game scheduled for 1:05pm local time this afternoon.
2. Extension season underway:
One of the most talented impending free agents just came off the board early this morning when Chris Sale landed an extension in Atlanta. Sale joins Dodgers veteran Max Muncy (and, if you include front office executives, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller) in having forgone free agency to stick with their current club this month. That also doesn’t include the offseason’s extensions for players under long-term club control like Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson of the A’s. There aren’t any players and teams known to be in the midst of extension talks at the moment, and some players like Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs have even specifically noted that talks are not underway with their club. With that being said, deals can come together quickly behind the scenes; Sale indicated earlier today that his negotiations with the Braves took just one week. Could more extensions be on the way over the coming days?
3. MLBTR Chat Today:
Spring Training is officially underway, and baseball games are being played once again. A handful of interesting free agents such as Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell remain available, but most of the heavy lifting for clubs has been done at this point in the offseason. Are you wondering where your favorite team stands headed into Spring Training, and if there are any other moves for your club to make before the season begins? MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered in a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, follow along with the chat once it goes live, and read the transcript after it’s complete.
Cubs To Sign Michael Conforto
The Cubs reached agreement with outfielder Michael Conforto, as first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. It’s a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. Conforto, who is represented by the Boras Corporation, will make $2MM if his contract is selected, per Fabian Ardaya and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. There are also unspecified performance bonuses in the deal.
Conforto, 33 next month, is a veteran of ten MLB seasons at this point. A former top ten pick in the draft and top 100 prospect, Conforto was an All-Star in 2017 and hit .259/.358/.484 (128 wRC+) through his first six seasons in the majors. Things took a turn for the veteran from there, however. His 2021 season was only pedestrian (104 wRC+), and his 2022 campaign was lost to shoulder surgery. Since returning, he’s stayed at that roughly league average level overall. He’s hit .225/.316/.390 with a 98 wRC+ across three seasons with the Giants and Dodgers, but last year in L.A. was the worst season of his career to this point.
In 138 games for the Dodgers, Conforto hit just .199/.3o5/.333 with a wRC+ of 83. He was well below replacement level according to both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference in terms of WAR, he posted the weakest power production (.138 ISO) of his career, and his strikeout rate jumped to 24.9% for the first time since 2018. It was a brutal season overall, and things got bad enough that Conforto wound up being left off L.A.’s playoff rosters entirely during the World Series run. After returning to free agency this offseason, Conforto found minimal interest across the league until the calendar had already flipped to 2026. As Spring Training drew near, teams like the White Sox and Astros expressed interest in Conforto’s services, but the Cubs had not been connected to him before today’s news.
On the Cubs, Conforto seems more or less blocked without an injury. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are sure to be tapped to handle the outfield corners, and even if Conforto is still capable of handling center field (a position he hasn’t played since 2019) superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong is sure to get regular reps at the position. Conforto’s best hope of making the roster would be as the team’s primary DH who could rotate through the outfield corners to get Happ and Suzuki off their feet. He’ll face stiff competition from top prospect Moises Ballesteros for that top DH job, however. Ballesteros hit an excellent .298/.394/.474 in his first taste of big league action last year, and while that came in just 57 trips to the plate it was still a strong enough showing to warrant a larger look this year.
It’s certainly not impossible that Conforto could rediscover the combination of power and discipline that made him an effective big league hitter, and if he does so he could challenge Ballesteros for the DH job. That could be particularly appealing for the Cubs if they want to continue developing Ballesteros as a catcher, given that the team’s starting tandem of Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya leaves little room for Ballesteros to get a look behind the plate in the majors at this point. Failing that, he’ll compete this spring for a bench job against the likes of Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick. Conforto has the most success at the big league level of that trio, but also would likely be the most stretched defensively as a center fielder.
The Opener: Kelly, Pitching Market, Camp Battles
On the heels of a pair of signings, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Kelly, D-backs await MRI results:
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly was scratched from a scheduled live batting practice over the weekend due to mid-back tightness, according to a report from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Kelly and manager Torey Lovullo indicated at the time that the decision was mostly precautionary, but Kelly was still sent for an MRI in order to determine the severity of the issue. Those results are expected back today, writes Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The veteran Kelly has already been named as the team’s Opening Day starter for 2026, but an injury could end up scuttling those plans. If a trip to the injured list is needed, that could settle the question of who will join Kelly, Zac Gallen, and Ryne Nelson in the rotation; Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Michael Soroka are vying for the final two spots.
2. When will the pitching market heat up?
Both Michael Conforto and Thairo Estrada found new homes on minor league deals this morning, and first baseman Rhys Hoskins did so yesterday. A number of the top remaining positional free agents have begun coming off the board, but we haven’t seen as much action with the final few names on the pitching market. Starters like Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell and Tyler Anderson remain available, while the relief market still includes names like Michael Kopech, Danny Coulombe and Tommy Kahnle. Whether these pitchers are willing to sit out a significant portion of Spring Training in order to get the best deal possible remains to be seen, but most clubs are just one or two injuries away from feeling pressure to add depth. When will the dam break?
3. Camp battles beginning around the league:
With Spring Training games now underway, players around the league with uncertain roles are set to battle for various jobs. In many cases, that’s due to a surplus of viable options with minimal established talent. The Astros’ outfield, for example, has a number of intriguing players like Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido, and Zach Cole, but only Jake Meyers figures to be handed an everyday job coming into camp. Over in Milwaukee, manager Pat Murphy indicated the Brewers have not yet settled on roles for their high leverage relievers. That leaves 2025 closer Trevor Megill to try and fend off Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig, and any other challengers if he wants to keep his ninth-inning job for 2026. Similar situations will play out around the league, creating plenty of intrigue as fans and teams get back into the swing of another baseball season.
Guardians To Sign Rhys Hoskins To Minor League Deal
First baseman Rhys Hoskins and the Guardians are finalizing a minor league deal, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Hoskins, a Boras Corporation client, will receive a $1.5MM salary if he makes Cleveland’s MLB roster. The news of Hoskins’ deal with the Guardians comes after reports (including one from Meisel) earlier in the day indicated the veteran’s presence in the team’s Arizona clubhouse.
Hoskins, 33 next month, spent six seasons in Philadelphia as one of the more reliably above-average corner bats in the game. He managed to make up for low batting averages by consistently flashing 30-homer pop and keeping his walk rate above 10%. After a 2022 campaign where he slashed .246/.332/.462 with 30 homers in 156 games, Hoskins figured to be a key figure in the Phillies’ lineup headed into 2023 when those plans were abruptly scuttled by an ACL tear that wiped out his entire season.
That lost season led Hoskins to reach free agency as something of an unknown quantity, but he ultimately found a two-year deal with the Brewers that afforded him the opportunity to opt out after the 2024 season. The veteran appeared in 131 games for Milwaukee during that first season but didn’t hit at his typical levels, with a slash line of just .214/.303/.419 and a wRC+ of 101. While he was still good for 26 home runs, a career-high 28.8% strikeout rate sapped much of the value Hoskins had offered during his days in Philadelphia.
That down season was enough to convince Hoskins to remain in Milwaukee for 2025, but he was limited to just 90 games this past season due to a sprained thumb. The good news is that when he was on the field, his production ticked back up to be more substantially above league average. In 328 trips to the plate last year, Hoskins slashed .237/.332/.416 with a wRC+ of 109. While Hoskins’s power numbers were the weakest of his career, his strikeout rate ticked down to 27.7% while his walk rate crept up to 11.6%, his highest level since 2020.
A second injury-plagued season in the past three years was bad news for Hoskins’s market value, however, and he’s scarcely been discussed in the rumor mill since returning to free agency back in November. With Spring Training now underway, Hoskins opted to catch on with the Guardians on a minor league pact. The veteran is a strong fit for Cleveland’s needs, and signing with them should give him every opportunity to crack the club’s Opening Day roster.
Both first baseman Kyle Manzardo and expected designated hitter C.J. Kayfus are left-handed hitters, so a right-handed first base/DH option like Hoskins is a strong on-paper fit. While Hoskins actually had reverse splits last year, he’s a career 137 wRC+ hitter against southpaws, and even last year’s 102 wRC+ would be a substantial improvement over the numbers Mazardo (83) and Kayfus (67) posted against lefties last year.
While Hoskins currently looks likely to be ticketed for a platoon role on paper, it’s not at all difficult to imagine him working his way into earning everyday reps. Kayfus is a rookie who posted a wRC+ of just 96 in 44 games last year, after all, and Hoskins is a capable hitter against righties looking at both last season (111 wRC+) and his career (115). With Cleveland, the veteran should have a strong opportunity to put together a rebound season after his struggles to stay on the field and produce consistently over a full season that have cropped up over the past few years. If he can rediscover some of the form that made him a middle-of-the-order bat for the Phillies a few years ago, it’s not too difficult to imagine Hoskins becoming an instrumental part of the Guardians’ lineup alongside stars Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan.
Red Sox Interested In Left-Handed Bullpen Depth
The Red Sox may not yet be completely done with their offseason, as Sean McAdam of MassLive reports that the club remains interested in improving their left-handed bullpen depth before the season begins. McAdam adds that Boston intends to have scouts monitoring players in other organizations during camp as they conduct their search.
That the Red Sox might want addition left-handed bullpen help isn’t exactly a shock. The team is incredibly deep in right-handed bullpen options, with Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, and Zack Kelly all more or less already assured of roles and a plethora of non-roster invitees including Vinny Nittoli, Kyle Keller, Osvaldo Bido, and Hobie Harris. From the left side, however, Boston has just three credible options: Aroldis Chapman, Jovani Moran, and Tyler Samaniego. Chapman, of course, is locked into the closer role. That leaves only Moran and Samaniego as an option to serve as a matchup lefty prior to the ninth inning. Moran has just four innings of work at the big league level over the past two years, and Samaniego has yet to make his big league debut.
Sensible as it would be for the team to look to add more lefty bullpen help, the Red Sox seem committed to doing so only on their terms. McAdam notes that the club has made clear neither of the team’s top left-handed pitching prospects, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, will be considered for moves into the big league bullpen. Both Tolle and Early are currently squeezed out of Boston’s deep rotation on paper, but it’s not hard to see why the team might prefer to have them stay stretched out at Triple-A, where they won’t need to adapt to a new role and won’t garner big league service time.
Likewise, McAdam indicates that the team doesn’t have much interest in adding a free agent on a major league contract at this point. Experienced, big league caliber southpaws including veteran Danny Coulombe and Jalen Beeks remain available in free agency, but McAdam suggests that those free agents are currently holding out for big league deals. Perhaps that stance could change in the coming weeks as Spring Training drags on, but for now that seems to leave the Red Sox scouting for waiver claims and trade additions.
Few clubs are going to willingly surrender relief depth at this point in the calendar given the possibility of injuries in their own bullpen before Opening Day. With that being said, there are some options who could plausibly be available. Ryan Borucki (White Sox), Cionel Perez (Nationals), Tayler Saucedo (Angels), Cam Booser (Rays), and Genesis Cabrera (Phillies) are among the notable non-roster invitees in other camps this spring who might be unable to secure a spot with their current club. Meanwhile, Tyler Gilbert (White Sox) and Ryan Rolison (Cubs) are among the 40-man lefties who are either out of options or could otherwise be squeezed out of their team’s roster at some point this spring.
One other possibility worth giving a particular mention to is Cardinals lefty JoJo Romero. Romero has been a known trade candidate all throughout the offseason, and while at this point he appears to be the favorite to serve as St. Louis’s closer in 2026, the rebuilding Cardinals have traded every other pending free agent from their 2025 roster this winter except for the southpaw. It certainly stands to reason that president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom would part ways with Romero in the right deal, and successful trades of both Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras from St. Louis to Boston earlier this winter show that Bloom and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow are certainly comfortable working with each other.
AL East Notes: Westburg, Yankees, Rays
Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg has been no stranger to injuries over the first few years of his time in the majors, and his latest ailments are a partially-torn UCL and oblique soreness. The oblique issue appears to be fairly minor, but he’s received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow in hopes of rehabbing his UCL and will be out until at least May due to the issue. Setbacks of this sort have become all too common for Westburg in recent years. Since making his big league debut in 2023, he’s missed time due to a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a strained hamstring, and an index finger sprain.
When on the field, there’s no question that Westburg has proven to be one of the Orioles’ most talented young players. An All-Star in 2024, Westburg is a career .264/.312/.456 hitter in just over 1,000 career plate appearances and can play capable defense at both second and third base. The .269/.317/.497 slash line Westburg posted in 101 games prior to the aforementioned broken hand during the 2024 season is even more impressive and shows that the 27-year-old has the potential to be a star for Baltimore when he’s healthy enough to take the field at full strength.
Those times have been increasingly uncommon over the past few years, however, and when asked about it by Orioles reporters Westburg seemed frustrated. He told MASN’s Roch Kubatko that he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to play again after his latest PRP injection, and Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun relays that Westburg admitted the constant injuries have taken a mental toll on him.
“I’d like to sit here and say, ‘extremely confident,’ but some of this wears on you mentally,” Westburg said (as relayed by Weyrich) when asked about his ability to stay healthy and be an everyday player for the Orioles. “So, there are doubts, but like I said, I’m going to do my best to kind of see what avenues that I can go down to maybe help bulletproof my body a little bit more. I don’t know if there’s a way to do that, but I’m going to try.”
While Westburg looks to push through the obstacles currently standing between him and a return to the field, the Orioles will be looking to open the season without either him or second baseman Jackson Holliday. That could open the door for Coby Mayo to return to third base and recent trade acquisition Blaze Alexander to see time at they keystone. Utility man Jeremiah Jackson and third baseman Bryan Ramos are among the other players currently on the 40-man roster who could compete for additional time on the infield while Westburg and Holliday are unavailable.
More from around the AL East…
- The Yankees are bolstering their international scouting department with the addition of longtime Cubs front office member Nao Masamoto, according to a report from Patrick Mooney and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. The pair note that Masamoto has been instrumental to the Cubs’ recruitment efforts with players coming over from Nippon Professional Baseball and their ability to provide a smooth transition for the players (like Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga) who do wind up signing with them. Chicago has emerged as a destination for Japanese talent during Masamoto’s tenure with the club, while the Yankees have struggled to court players like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki in recent years. While they were once a top choice for NPB talent themselves, they haven’t rostered a Japanese player since Masahiro Tanaka departed MLB following the 2020 season.
- A pair of Rays players are facing some restrictions as Spring Training games get underway. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported recently that right-hander Steven Wilson, who Tampa acquired from the White Sox in a trade during the offseason, has been slowed by a back injury entering camp. Wilson enjoyed a solid season with Chicago last year where he pitched to a 3.42 ERA across 59 appearances despite middling peripherals. Also sidelined at the moment is shortstop Taylor Walls, who Topkin notes was scratched from the Rays’ lineup due to oblique tightness. That sounds worrisome for Tampa, but the club has fortunately described Walls’ removal from today’s lineup as purely precautionary. Carson Williams would likely be the next man up to handle shortstop if Walls were sidelined during the regular season.
MRI Reveals Lower Back Inflammation For Joe Ryan
Right-hander Joe Ryan was scratched from his scheduled Spring Training start yesterday due to lower back tightness and underwent an MRI yesterday to determine the severity of the issue. Those results came back today, and The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that the MRI revealed only inflammation in Ryan’s lower back.
That’s a “best case scenario” for Ryan, in the words of Hayes. It should allow the right-hander to avoid a lengthy layoff and, while the Twins’ exact plans for Ryan as he nurses that inflammation aren’t yet clear, it seems reasonable to expect the right-hander’s ability to be available for Opening Day to be unaffected by this injury. That’s great news for the Twins, who have already lost right-hander Pablo Lopez to the injured list for the year as he prepares to undergo Tommy John surgery. Losing Lopez from the front of the team’s rotation was already a tough blow, but the loss of Ryan as well would’ve been devastating for Minnesota. Ryan figures to be joined in the rotation by Bailey Ober, with the final three spots left to some combination of youngsters Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, and David Festa.
Ryan figures to be especially important to the Twins this year given that he’s coming off the best season of his career. An All-Star for the first time in 2025, the right-hander posted a 3.42 ERA in 171 innings of work. He made 30 starts (31 total appearances) and struck out an impressive 28.2% of his opponents while walking just 5.7%. Ryan was held back from true ace-level production by his lackluster 11.5% barrel rate; only five qualified pitchers allowed more home runs than the righty’s 26 last year. Even with that flaw, however, Ryan was a quality front-of-the-rotation starter who garnered plenty of interest at last summer’s trade deadline. While the Twins conducted a fire sale that saw them part ways with Carlos Correa, Harrison Bader, and nearly their entire bullpen, Ryan was one of the most notable pieces to remain in place.
The Twins once again entertained offers on him (plus other stars like Pablo Lopez and Byron Buxton) early in the offseason but eventually took those players off the market in December following Tom Pohlad’s ascension to the role of control person for the franchise. Pohlad, who mutually parted ways with team president Derek Falvey last month, is pushing for the club to contend in 2026 despite a roster that doesn’t look substantially different than the one that was among the worst teams in baseball after the trade deadline. There’s enough talent youngsters on the roster (including Luke Keaschall, Royce Lewis, and Brooks Lee) that it’s not impossible to imagine the team taking a step forward this year, but if the team fails to do so Ryan could once again find himself in trade conversations this summer should he remain healthy.
In the shorter term, it remains to be seen what Ryan’s inflammation will mean for his anticipated participation in the World Baseball Classic. Ryan was announced as part of the Team USA roster for the WBC, but it’s possible he’ll be forced to sit out the tournament due to the injury even in spite of its mild nature. Players around the league have been denied insurance ahead of the WBC, causing issues for all sorts of teams as they prepare for the event. That’s led to additional caution around rostering players who would otherwise seem like safe bets to roster for the tournament, and it’s unclear what impact (if any) that could have on Ryan’s participation at this point. The good news for Team USA is that their group of rotation options remains stacked even if Ryan is unable to participate; Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal headline a group of starters that also includes Logan Webb, top Mets prospect Nolan McLean, and veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd.
The Opener: Spring Training, Westburg, Rays
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. Spring Training games begin:
Baseball games are officially back today! Five games between MLB clubs are on the docket, starting with the Yankees and Orioles at 1:05pm local time. Later in the afternoon, the Royals and Rangers, Cubs and White Sox, Diamondbacks and Rockies, as well as the Padres and Mariners will all face off. Trevor Rogers, Jameson Taillon, and Stephen Kolek are among the names making their 2026 debuts today. Meanwhile, the Grapefruit League in Florida will also play host to a pair of exhibition games; the Red Sox take on Northeastern University at 1:05pm, and the Twins take on the University of Minnesota at 6:05pm local time (5:05pm in Minnesota).
2. Westburg update incoming:
Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg has been sidelined in camp so far, first due to an oblique strain but now also due to a possible elbow injury. Westburg was recently sent for imaging on his ailing elbow. President of baseball operations Mike Elias is scheduled to meet with the media at 9:50am ET, per MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, and will likely provide an update on his third baseman. Westburg, an All-Star in 2024, has hit an impressive .265/.312/.470 over the past two years but has been limited to just 192 games by a variety of injuries. Significant missed time for Westburg could mean Coby Mayo getting another shot at regular playing time as a third baseman.
3. Rays send Uceta for imaging:
Elsewhere in the AL East, the Rays are dealing with an injury scare of their own. Right-hander Edwin Uceta is headed for imaging on what the club has described as a “cranky” right shoulder that has continued to cause him discomfort. An update on Uceta’s status seems likely over the next couple of days, but it would be a tough pill for Tampa to swallow if the righty is set to miss significant time. Uceta has a 2.98 ERA with an identical FIP in 100 appearances over the past two seasons, and was among the top candidates to replace Pete Fairbanks in the ninth inning in 2026. Griffin Jax and Garrett Cleavinger would see even more high-leverage work if Uceta is out for any period. And, while Cleavinger has seen his name pop up in trade rumors, that could come to a halt if Uceta is diagnosed with a serious injury.
Poll: Which Team Had The Best Offseason?
The offseason has more or less come to a close at this point. While a handful of players remain available in free agency and there’s always a chance of a surprise trade or two throughout Spring Training, the vast majority of the heavy lifting has been done. As Spring Training begins, it’s worth checking in on what teams around the league did this winter to see which club had the strongest offseason. A look at a few of the candidates:
Baltimore Orioles
After a disastrous 2025 season that saw the club fall to the basement of the American League, the Orioles have been very busy in their efforts to turn things around. A rotation that struggled to stay above water last year saw the return of Zach Eflin as well as the additions of both Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt. Those additions may not have included the front-of-the-rotation ace the Orioles were widely expected to pursue, but the club was aggressive elsewhere on the roster. Ryan Helsley was brought in to close while Felix Bautista is injured, and the club swung a deal for Taylor Ward to help round out their outfield. By far the biggest addition of the winter, however, was slugger Pete Alonso, who signed a five-year, $155MM contract. Alonso adds a legitimate 40-homer threat to the middle of a lineup that struggled to generate much offense outside of Gunnar Henderson last year and was heavily slanted toward lefty hitters.
Chicago Cubs
It’s rare that a team would be in this conversation after losing the offseason’s top-ranked free agent, but there’s a lot to like about the 2026 Cubs even after bidding farewell to Kyle Tucker. Alex Bregman, signed to a five-year, $175MM deal, can’t be expected to be the same offensive force as peak-level Tucker, but he makes up for that by helping to complete what’s arguably become the best defensive infield in baseball alongside Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Michael Busch. The move pushes Matt Shaw into a utility role, where he can serve as protection against injury for the club while also potentially sharing time with fellow youngster Moises Ballesteros at DH. The addition of Bregman was complemented by the decision to swing a trade for high-upside righty Edward Cabrera in the rotation. That likely pushes swingman Colin Rea back into a bullpen that’s been rebuilt with Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, and Hoby Milner after losing Brad Keller, Andrew Kittredge, and Drew Pomeranz back in November.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers’ offseason hasn’t been an exceptionally busy one, but the few moves they wound up making could prove to be the most impactful of any team this winter. They kicked off their offseason by poaching star closer Edwin Diaz away from the Mets, but their biggest splash was the addition of Tucker to their outfield. Diaz and Tucker are both All-Stars with among the highest ceilings in the game at their respective positions. Adding both to an already star-studded roster, the Dodgers managed to address the 2025 team’s biggest weaknesses: a lackluster outfield and a leaky bullpen. They also extended Max Muncy on an affordable one-year deal and reunited with Kiké Hernandez and Evan Phillips. After back-to-back World Series championships, the Dodgers look even better headed into 2026 despite their relatively low volume of transactions.
New York Mets
While the Dodgers mostly kept their 2025 team intact for 2026 with just a few additions, the Mets went in the opposite direction with a complete roster overhaul. Out went Alonso, Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil. Replacing them is a host of talent ranging from new staff ace Freddy Peralta to relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver on the pitching side, and a cluster of position players headlined by star infielder Bo Bichette. In addition to Bichette, who’ll move to third base alongside shortstop Francisco Lindor, the team brought in Marcus Semien to handle the keystone, Jorge Polanco to cover first base, and Luis Robert Jr. to work in center field. It’s a busy offseason that completely changed the look of the team that failed to make the playoffs last year, though it remains to be seen if this team will better support Lindor and Juan Soto in their pursuit of a World Series championship.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays finished just shy of a World Series championship last year, and this winter they acted like a team that wanted to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to close the gap. A new-look rotation added Dylan Cease at the front and Cody Ponce at the back. A lineup that lost Bichette in free agency looked to make up for it by bringing in Kazuma Okamoto and Jesus Sanchez. Meanwhile, the team’s shaky bullpen upgraded from hard-throwing righty Seranthony Dominguez by bringing in ever-reliable soft-tosser Tyler Rogers. Missing out on both Bichette and Tucker takes some of the punch out of Toronto’s offseason, but adding Cease to a rotation that already includes Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage should make the Jays significantly more threatening than they already were last year.
Other Options
Plenty of teams had offseasons worthy of praise aside from the five listed above. The Tigers managed to snag arguably the top pitcher available in lefty Framber Valdez on a short-term deal while also reuniting with future Hall of Famer and Detroit legend Justin Verlander, though failing to upgrade the lineup is surely disappointing for fans hoping to see the team make the most of Tarik Skubal‘s likely last year in town.
The Red Sox were very busy this winter as they brought in Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, Willson Contreras, and Caleb Durbin via the trade market while signing Ranger Suarez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in free agency, but the team’s failure to reunite with Bregman casts a shadow over their busy winter.
The Astros got the rotation depth they coveted, signing NPB star Tatsuya Imai to a three-year deal with multiple opt-outs and acquiring righty Mike Burrows in a three-team trade that sent outfielder Jacob Melton to the Rays. They’re still too right-handed and have a glut of infielders that could still lead to one more big spring trade.
The Pirates were very active by their usual standards, overhauling the lineup to bring in Ryan O’Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, and Brandon Lowe among others. The Rangers came into the winter without much room to add but managed to come away with a solid bat (Nimmo) for the lineup and a big arm (MacKenzie Gore) for the rotation nonetheless. The Mariners kept Josh Naylor and added Brendan Donovan to the infield. The A’s added only complementary pieces (McNeil, Aaron Civale) in terms of external additions but deserve praise for their franchise-altering extensions of Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson.
On the flipside, the rebuilding Cardinals managed to shed significant portions of the Contreras, Gray and Nolan Arenado contracts and pulled in a nice return from the Mariners (and Rays) in the three-team Donovan trade.
What team do MLBTR’s readers think had the best offseason this winter? Have your say in the poll below:
Which team had the best offseason?
The Opener: Astros, Rays, Twins
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Astros still looking for outfield help:
The Astros have been looking for left-handed outfield help throughout the offseason in an effort to balance out a heavily right-handed lineup. One might think that the team’s recent acquisition of Joey Loperfido helped to solve that issue, but it was more of a net-neutral move given that Loperfido was brought in as the return for lefty-swinging outfielder Jesus Sanchez. Yesterday’s report that Houston has some interest in veteran outfielder Michael Conforto suggests they’re still open to a lower end move in free agency, and a trade of Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker could still theoretically yield the left-handed hitter the team has sought. Other lefties still available in free agency include Jesse Winker and Alex Verdugo.
2. Will the Rays be able to extend another young star?
The Rays have long been known to get aggressive with extensions for their players, dating back to early-career deals for Evan Longoria and Matt Moore. In more recent years, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs, Pete Fairbanks, and Tyler Glasnow are among the players they’ve extended prior to or early in arbitration, even if many of those players were ultimately traded before those extensions ran their course.
Budding superstar Junior Caminero has voiced an openness to an extension this week. The question is whether or not the Rays have interest in putting together the sort of offer it would take to lock up a 22-year-old who just hit 45 homers in his first full MLB season. It would surely require the Rays leaving their typical comfort zone, though Tampa Bay did give Wander Franco a $182MM deal before his career came to an abrupt halt over off-the-field improprieties and legal issues. That was under Stu Sternberg’s ownership, and it’s unclear what appetite the team’s new ownership group would have for a big-time extension of that sort.
3. Will the Twins add to their rotation?
Yesterday’s news that Twins ace Pablo López suffered a UCL tear that will likely end his season was a gut punch for a Minnesota club that opted not to follow up on last summer’s deadline sell-off and instead make some modest additions to the roster. The rotation, led by López and Joe Ryan, had the makings of a solid group. Bailey Ober is looking to bounce back from a hip injury, while Simeon Woods Richardson pitched well down the stretch. Young arms like Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, David Festa, Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp give the Twins plenty of options to round out the staff.
However, the Twins made a late run at Framber Valdez, with new executive chair Tom Pohlad publicly confirming the team’s interest. That was before López suffered his elbow injury. There’s no one akin to Valdez left in free agency, but the Twins clearly have at least some room for additional spending, and free agency offers names like Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell.