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Friedman: Less “Heavy Lifting” To Do For Dodgers This Winter

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The Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions thanks to a massive financial outlay over the past two offseasons that allowed them to bring in Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and a number of other pieces that were key to their current core. As they attempt to make it a threepeat, however, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman suggested to reporters that there’s “not as much heavy lifting required” this year as there was in previous winters, and acknowledged that the Dodgers may alter their approach somewhat as they look to avoid some of the perils that come with an aging core.

Andy Pages, Hyeseong Kim, and Dalton Rushing were the only three position players younger than 30 on the Dodgers’ roster this past year to appear in even 50 games. The pitching side has a bit more young talent thanks to the additions of Yamamoto and Sasaki, and homegrown arms like Emmet Sheehan, Ben Casparius, and Jack Dreyer all impacted the team as well. Even so, the Dodgers were already the oldest team in the majors this year (their Opening Day roster had an average age of 31.5). Freddie Freeman (36) and Mookie Betts (33) are under contract through their age-37 and -39 seasons, respectively. Snell is under contract through his age-36 campaign. Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani will play next year at age-31, but they’ll both be in Dodger blue until their age-38 seasons.

Long-term deals for free agents naturally come with a roster full of aging players as those deals progress. While Plunkett notes that the Dodgers feel the players they’ve invested in will age well, it’s not hard to see why concerns of eventual decline are present. That’s why Friedman said the age of the roster is something he’s keeping in mind as he makes decisions this winter. The Dodgers have a farm system rich with young talent, with seven top-100 prospects according to MLB.com including four at the Double-A level or higher. Friedman said that it will be important to be “thoughtful” about how those players are brought along at the big league level and made part of the team’s core.

It’s not always been easy for the team to find ways to plug in young talent. Rushing was viewed as ready to step into a big league role as early as last year by some in the industry, but has been blocked by Smith behind the plate. Pages was only able to step into an everyday role with the club this year thanks to a combination of injuries to Tommy Edman and ineffectiveness from Michael Conforto. Kim was signed primarily as a utility player and did not break out of that capacity. Alex Freeland is arguably big league ready at this point but is blocked by players like Edman, Betts, and Max Muncy headed into the 2026 season.

All of that is to say that there’s reason to believe reports that indicate the Dodgers may not be inclined to pursue a long-term deal with a star outfielder like Kyle Tucker. With well-regarded outfielders like Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope coming up through the farm system, the outfield could be the team’s best opportunity to inject some youth into the roster. Signing Tucker (or even someone like old friend Cody Bellinger) on a deal that would last into his late thirties would be counter-productive to that goal, although the fit could make more sense if the Dodgers were to trade another aging player like Teoscar Hernandez, whose name has been rumored to be in play as part of trade talks this winter.

Of course, De Paula, Hope, and other young talents aren’t likely to be ready for the majors on Opening Day 2026. That means some sort of stopgap will be necessary, and Plunkett writes that the team could turn to the trade market to improve an outfield that stands out as the roster’s biggest weakness. Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan and Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan stand out as among the best fits, though the Dodgers reportedly had some interest in Luis Robert Jr. last winter as well.

Plunkett also notes that, while the bullpen figures to be a focus for the Dodgers this winter after the departure of Michael Kopech, adding a surefire closer isn’t necessarily a high priority. While Tanner Scott’s first year in L.A. did not go as planned, Plunkett writes that Friedman expressed plenty of confidence in the lefty to be a “huge part” of the Dodgers in 2026. The Dodgers have been connected to Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez this winter, but as the team looks to avoid adding aging players on long-term deals it’s possible they could instead look to pieces who could be had on short-term arrangements like Luke Weaver and Pete Fairbanks.

Mets “Reluctant” To Make Long-Term Offers For Free Agent Starters

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While it’s no secret that addressing the top of the rotation is a priority for the Mets this winter, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that the Mets are hesitant to make long-term offers to the top starters available in free agency this winter. Sammon adds that each of Framber Valdez, Tatsuya Imai, and Ranger Suarez would “hold some appeal” to the Mets on shorter-term deals.

At this point, it seems unlikely any of those pitchers will need to settle for something short-term. MLBTR predicted both Valdez and Imai to land six-year deals worth $150MM in free agency this winter as the offseason’s #6 and #7 free agents. Meanwhile, Suarez clocked in at #10 on MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents list and was predicted for a five-year deal worth $115MM. Right-hander Dylan Cease jumped the market to sign a seven-year deal with the Blue Jays late last month. His $210MM guarantee exceeds the seven-year, $189MM guarantee MLBTR predicted for the right-hander, although that deal does include deferred money that lowers the net present value of the deal a bit.

Even with that deferred money, however, Cease’s seven-year pact is hardly a troublesome omen for Valdez, Imai, and Suarez. Imai in particular won’t celebrate his 28th birthday until May and that youth figures to help him land a long-term deal this winter. Of course, free agency can be unpredictable. While the trend of short-term deals with opt outs have been more common for position players (Carlos Correa, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Pete Alonso) than pitchers in recent years, a few hurlers have found an unexpectedly soft market as well. Jack Flaherty was widely expected to land a long-term deal in free agency last offseason but ended up signing for just two years with the Tigers. Two offseasons ago, Blake Snell was viewed as a shoo-in for a six-year deal but wound up signing with the Giants on a short-term, opt-out laden pact.

Perhaps the Mets are willing to be patient on the free agent market to see if another high-end starter falls through the cracks like Snell did during the 2023-24 offseason. Another option would be to move a tier down in free agency to sign a short-term deal with a player who has still shown front-of-the-rotation upside. Michael King is viewed as being a potential top-of-the-rotation arm whose years will be limited coming off an injury-marred season, and the Mets are among the teams with known interest. Sammon floats Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly as other possibilities, either of whom would be plausible fits. Kelly turned in a 3.52 ERA in 32 starts last year, but will be forced to stay short-term by the fact that he’ll play next season at the age of 37. Gallen has shown ace-level upside in the past and is only 30, but enters free agency coming off the worst season of his career.

Another option for the Mets would be to keep tabs on the trade market. Sammon notes that Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller is someone that New York would “likely” view as an upgrade to their internal rotation options, to say nothing of more established front-end options like Freddy Peralta or higher upside players like MacKenzie Gore and Edward Cabrera. Keller will make $54.5MM over the next three seasons, while Gore and Cabrera are controlled via arbitration through 2027 and ’28 respectively. Peralta (as well as ace lefty Tarik Skubal, should the Tigers make him available) would only be controlled for one season before they would hit free agency and surely seek the sort of long-term deals the Mets are looking to avoid.

Speculatively speaking, that could make a controllable starter like Keller, Gore, or Cabrera and ideal fit for the Mets. The club already appears motivated to make moves on the trade market this winter, with Kodai Senga and Jeff McNeil among the club’s rumored trade candidates. In addition to those veteran names, the Mets have a number of young infielders (Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuna, and Ronny Mauricio) who could be made available in the right deal. For a team like the Pirates or Marlins looking to add help on offense, any of those names would surely be attractive pieces to bring into the fold.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that a significant number of starting pitchers move on the trade market this winter. If a run on starting pitching begins in free agency while the Mets are focused on the trade market, the club could find that the patient approach it took backfired and left them without a true front-end talent to pursue—or that they had to pay a premium to land one of the last arms remaining on the market. It’s a difficult needle the Mets will have to thread if they want to land a front-end arm on a shorter-term arrangement, and fans are surely hoping they’ll do a better job of doing so than they did with last winter’s disappointing deals for Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, and Frankie Montas. Of that trio, only Holmes managed to stick in the rotation by the end of the year.

The Opener: Winter Meetings, Schwarber, Marte

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Winter Meetings Underway:

Players, agents, and executives alike arrived in Orlando last night for this year’s Winter Meetings, which officially kick off today and run through this coming Thursday. Even before the meetings began, there was significant movement around the league. The big news of this weekend was a trade between the Mariners and Nationals that saw top prospect Harry Ford head to D.C. in exchange for ground balling lefty Jose A. Ferrer. Many more trades and transactions figure to follow over the coming days, and last year’s Winter Meetings famously kicked off with a record-shattering contract between Juan Soto and the Mets. What will the biggest stories of this year’s meetings be? Be sure to check in with MLBTR throughout the coming days to hear about all the latest news!

2. Schwarber gets a big offer… from the Pirates?

The market for slugging DH Kyle Schwarber has been among the most active for any position player this offseason, and last night word broke that he’s received at least one significant offer. That four-year offer is expected to be worth more than $100MM, and comes from an unusual place: Pittsburgh. Pirates brass have frequently indicated this winter that they have more resources at their disposal than usual, but a nine-figure deal for Schwarber would be a massive departure from the franchise’s previous comfort zone; they’ve never signed a free agent to a guarantee of $40MM in the past. Schwarber is also known to be pursued by the incumbent Phillies as well as the Reds, Red Sox, Giants, and Orioles. With one offer already on the table, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the slugger’s market move quickly over the coming days.

3. Teams keeping an eye on Marte:

While the Diamondbacks have made clear that they don’t necessarily plan on trading Ketel Marte, that hasn’t stopped various teams from keeping an eye on the switch hitting All-Star. The 32-year-old would immediately become the best hitter available on the trade market if Arizona were to shop him, and there’s a number of teams already checking in. Yesterday, it was reported that the Red Sox, Rays, Tigers, Pirates, and Mariners have all been keeping an eye on Marte as a possible addition to their respective lineups. In a market where Bo Bichette is the only star-level middle infielder available via free agency, Marte figures to be especially attractive to teams in need of infield talent. That could spur the Diamondbacks to consider a trade, particularly as their payroll has reached record levels in recent years and their rotation has been depleted by the departures of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly (not to mention Tommy John surgery for Corbin Burnes).

Cubs Have Interest In Eugenio Suarez

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The Cubs have interest in Eugenio Suarez as they explore the third base market, according to a report from Francys Romero of Beisbol FR.

While Chicago doesn’t appear to be getting involved in the sweepstakes for outgoing superstar Kyle Tucker, that doesn’t mean they won’t be active in other areas of free agency this winter. The Cubs haven’t been shy about their focus being on adding a starter to the front half of their rotation, and they’ve been connected to players like Michael King, Tatsuya Imai, Zac Gallen, and Ranger Suarez amid those efforts. They also remain in the market for bullpen help even after signing Phil Maton and missing out on Ryan Helsley when the latter signed in Baltimore last month.

While the focus on Chicago’s offseason seems to primarily be on pitching, bolstering a lineup that appears poised to lose Tucker makes plenty of sense. The Cubs have been connected to Alex Bregman with relative frequency in recent days after being one of the final teams in on his market last winter. After a solid but unspectacular (93 wRC+, 1.5 fWAR) season from Matt Shaw at the hot corner last year and with second baseman Nico Hoerner ticketed for free agency after the 2026 season, it’s easy to see why the Cubs might want to bolster their infield mix this winter.

As for Suarez himself, he’d surely be a more affordable option than Bregman. The 34-year-old is coming off one of the best seasons of his career as he slugged 49 home runs and posted a 125 wRC+, but his market has been relatively quiet to this point in the winter. The Mariners are open to reuniting with Suarez, but are seemingly prioritizing a potential reunion with Jorge Polanco at this point. Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, and Astros were connected to Suarez on the trade market over the summer, but there have been no connections drawn between Suarez and any of those teams this offseason. That’s not necessarily a surprise, of course; trading for a few months of a player just before they hit free agency is a very different decision than signing them to what could be a multi-year commitment.

Even so, the fit between the Cubs and Suarez is a fairly apparent one. He would help boost the Cubs’ offense and provide cover for Shaw at third base, just as Bregman would, though he likely wouldn’t command nearly as much of a commitment in terms of years or dollars. MLBTR predicted Suarez would land a deal worth three years and $63MM in free agency this winter as part of our Top 50 MLB Free Agents list, where Suarez ranked 20th. By contrast, MLBTR’s prediction for Bregman (ranked 5th in this year’s class) landed at six years and $160MM. That difference can be attributed to the fact that Bregman is two years younger than Suarez and has been much more consistent throughout his career, in addition to being a significantly better defender at third base.

Even with Suarez’s flaws, that discrepancy in price tag could make him an appealing alternative to Bregman for a few reasons. The Cubs have treated the first luxury tax threshold as something of a soft cap in recent years, and according to RosterResource the club has just under $197MM in commitments for luxury tax purposes in 2026. The difference in AAV on MLBTR’s contract predictions for Suarez and Bregman sits at just under $6MM. That’s a relatively small amount compared to the roughly $46MM between the Cubs’ current spending level and the first threshold of the luxury tax, but that wiggle room could be meaningful if the team also looks to add a rotation arm in free agency.

Additionally, Chicago has seemingly been hesitant to add significant money to the books long-term outside of Dansby Swanson’s contract with the club. Maton (signed through 2027) became just the second player on the roster signed to a guaranteed deal beyond the 2026 season. While it stands to reason that more are likely to come throughout this winter, it’s fair to think the Cubs might value the long-term flexibility signing someone like Suarez would provide given how they’ve constructed the rest of their roster. For example, if the Cubs were interested in either extending Hoerner or re-signing him next offseason, committing to a multi-year deal for their second baseman might seem more palatable with a short-term deal for Suarez on the books rather than a long-term deal for Bregman.

It should be noted that while the Cubs have only been directly connected to Suarez and Bregman so far, they’re far from the only two third basemen who figure to be available this winter. NPB star Kazuma Okamoto is set to come over from Japan this winter and has spent most of his career at the hot corner. The aforementioned Polanco also has some limited experience at the hot corner. KBO infielder Sung Mun Song, veteran Yoan Moncada, utility man Willi Castro and former Gold Glover Ramon Urias are among the lower-tier third base capable players on the market this winter.

Former Rangers Owner Tom Hicks Passes Away

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The Rangers announced this morning that Tom Hicks has passed away at the age of 79. Hicks owned the Rangers from 1998 to 2010. The club released a statement about Hicks’s passing.

“Mr. Hicks was a passionate and competitive owner and Texas Rangers fan,” the statement read. “The club extends its thoughts and prayers to Mr. Hicks’ wife Cinda, his six children and his entire family as they mourn a legendary Texas businessman, philanthropist, and sportsman.“

A private equity investor based in Dallas, Hicks made over $1B as part of a partnership that invested in soft drink brands Dr. Pepper and 7 Up and merged the two companies together in the late 1980s. Hicks moved into sports franchise ownership when he purchased the NHL’s Dallas Stars in 1995. It was just a few years later in 1998 that Hicks purchased the Rangers from an investment group managed by future U.S. President George W. Bush. He would later go on to purchase Liverpool F.C. in 2007.

The Rangers found immediate success under Hicks’s ownership with back-to-back AL West titles led by future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez. The team began to struggle in 2000, however, and that led Hicks to sign superstar Alex Rodriguez to a ten-year, $252MM contract that shattered records at the time during the 2000-01 offseason’s Winter Meetings. While A-Rod hit an incredible .305/.395/.615 over the 2001-03 seasons with 156 home runs and 27.0 fWAR, his supporting cast left much to be desired around the rest of the roster and the Rangers lost 90, 91, and 89 games during his three years with the franchise.

That spurred Hicks to trade Rodriguez following the 2003 season, and he was dealt to the Yankees in exchange for Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias during the 2003-04 offseason. New York picked up $112MM of the $179MM remaining on Rodriguez’s contract. The Yankees went on to win the 2009 World Series with Rodriguez in tow, and A-Rod added two more MVP trophies to his mantle after winning his first with Texas in 2003. Meanwhile, the Rangers continued to struggle to break back into relevance. They did manage to win 89 games the year after the Rodriguez trade in 2004, but finished third in a highly competitive AL West and missed out on the postseason nonetheless.

It took until the 2009 season for the Rangers to be back on the upswing, when they won 87 games and once again narrowly missed out on a postseason berth with a roster headlined by Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and the rookie season of Elvis Andrus. That season was stained, however, by the club’s inability to sign first-rounder Matt Purke. Purke and the Rangers verbally agreed on a $6MM bonus after he was drafted, but the Rangers ultimately backed out of it. While Hicks contended that the club simply was unwilling to spend that amount to sign the 14th-overall selection in that year’s draft, team president Nolan Ryan suggested that the team’s finances were being closely monitored by the league at the time, who rejected the $6MM expenditure.

In January of 2010, Hicks announced that he had agreed to sell the Rangers to a group led by Ryan and Chuck Greenberg. The sale was delayed by a number of legal and financial issues throughout the year, including Hicks Sports Group filing for bankruptcy in May. The franchise was ultimate put up for public auction in August of 2010, which the group led by Ryan and Greenberg won. That ended Hicks’s tenure with the Rangers, and he went on to sell Liverpool a few months later as well as the Stars the following year.

While Hicks’s time with the Rangers ended in rocky fashion, the personnel who were hired to oversee the team during his tenure (including Ryan, GM Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington) managed to lead the Rangers to great success on the field in spite of this off-the-field drama. The Rangers won back-to-back AL pennants during the 2010 and ’11 seasons, with 90- and 96-win campaigns thanks to impact performances from stars Josh Hamilton and (in the case of 2011) Adrian Beltre.

MLB Trade Rumors extends our condolences to Hicks’s family, friends and loved ones.

Royals Interested In Re-Signing Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier

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After doing some light buying at the trade deadline over the summer in order to keep themselves in contention, the Royals have some interest in reuniting with two of the rental bats they brought on board back in July. According to a report from Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star, the club has interest in reunions with both outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and second baseman Adam Frazier.

That the Royals would want to bring Yastrzemski back into the fold is hardly a surprise. The 35-year-old veteran was a late bloomer with the Giants who didn’t debut in the majors until his age-28 season, but he’s been a consistently above-average hitter in seven seasons since then. Over the past three years, Yastrzemski is a .232/.322/.426 (107 wRC+) hitter with a 23.4% strikeout rate against an excellent 11.0% walk rate. He’s a consistent source of decent power as well, typically offering 15 to 20 homers and 20 to 30 doubles in a given season.

All of that already points to Yastrzemski offering a solid floor for an outfield that desperately needs stability, but Yastrzemski also impressed in a big way after being dealt from San Francisco to Kansas City down the stretch last year. While the team wasn’t able to squeak into the playoffs, Yastrzemski delivered a phenomenal performance with nine home runs and a 127 wRC+ in 50 games for the Royals while also walking (13.4%) more often than he struck out (11.8%). All of this occurred in a small sample of just 186 plate appearances, but if Yastrzemski could turn in a performance even close to that in 2026 he’d surely be one of the biggest bargains in this winter’s free agent class.

As for Frazier, a reunion for the 2026 campaign would mark the soon to be 34-year-old’s third stint in Kansas City across three seasons. Frazier struggled badly as a Royal in 2024, posting a wRC+ of 65 across 104 games in a part-time role. He rejoined the team in a trade with the Pirates at this summer’s deadline, however, and turned in a much more respectable performance. In 197 plate appearances with the Royals, Frazier slashed .283/.320/.402 with a wRC+ of 98 to lift his season-long figure across 134 games to 89. Frazier lacks the track record of consistent above-average offensive that Yastrzemski offers but would help back up Michael Massey and Jonathan India at second base, which proved to be a major hole for the Royals last season.

Neither player’s contract figures to break the bank, which is surely part of why Kansas City is interested in re-upping with both players. Club payroll isn’t expected to go up much in 2026 if it does at all, and with the team already projected by RosterResource for $139MM in payroll ($1MM more than last season) the Royals find themselves in a bit of a financial bind as they look to reshape their offense. They’ve already expressed a willingness to deal from their rotation mix in order to bring in offense, but with holes all over the outfield and on the bench they’ll surely need to add more than one bat if they hope to improve their offense in 2026. That’s where a cheaper free agent addition like Yastrzemski or Frazier could come in, providing roughly average production at an affordable rate.

Red Sox, Rays, Tigers Among Teams To “Check In” On Ketel Marte

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The Red Sox, Rays, and Tigers are among the teams to have checked in with the Diamondbacks regarding star second baseman Ketel Marte, according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale this morning. Reporting last month indicated that at least seven teams had inquired after Marte with Arizona, and this trio of names joins the Phillies and Blue Jays as known teams with interest in Marte’s services. None of this should be taken as an indication that a trade is necessarily close or expected; D-backs GM Mike Hazen emphasized at the outset of the offseason that a trade of Marte was “mostly unlikely.”

Marte, 32, is a three-time All-Star who was an MVP finalist just last year. Easily one of the best offensive infield talents in the game at the moment, Marte is slashing .283/.368/.519 (140 wRC+) over the past three years with 15.3 fWAR. That’s good for he ninth-best wRC+ and 12th-highest fWAR total of any position player over the stretch, and his 145 wRC+ in 126 games this year led all infielders. It’s easy to see, then, why so many teams would be interested in the star’s services if the Diamondbacks were to decide to make him available. That’s especially true given that he remains an above-average defender at second base with +10 Outs Above Average at the position over the past three years.

That might make it hard to imagine why the Diamondbacks would even consider dealing one of their franchise’s biggest stars, but Arizona will need to re-evaluate much of its future after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and falling to fourth in the NL West this past year despite record-setting payroll numbers for the franchise. The Diamondbacks haven’t been shy about the idea that their current spending isn’t sustainable, and getting the $101MM owed to Marte over the next five years off the books would surely help pay for players like Corbin Carroll and Corbin Burnes who are already on longer deals themselves.

In addition to potential financial concerns, the Diamondbacks clearly need to bolster a rotation that will not only be without Burnes for most (if not all) of 2026 as he rehabs Tommy John surgery, but also saw Zac Gallen head into free agency this winter and lost Merrill Kelly in a trade with the Rangers over the summer. Even with his nine-figure contract, Marte would surely bring back a haul of pitching talent if traded, leaving Arizona in a position where they at least have to consider offers from clubs loaded with young talent to offer.

All three of the clubs mentioned by Nightengale certainly fit that description. The Red Sox are overflowing with controllable starting pitching talent at this point. After adding Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo to a rotation that already included Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, and Patrick Sandoval this winter, Boston’s rotation mix appears to be more or less set headed into 2026. That leaves players like Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Kyle Harrison, Hunter Dobbins, and Kutter Crawford without clear paths to regular starts.

While some of those pieces will surely be kept around as depth and protection against injury, the team could certainly afford to part ways with some of that pitching talent in order to bring in a player of Marte’s caliber. That could be especially appealing for Boston given reports that the club wants to add multiple big bats to the lineup this winter but may not have the financial flexibility to do so through the free agent market. In addition, the Sox could also a young position player to help replace Marte in Arizona’s lineup such as Triston Casas and Kristian Campbell.

Turning to the Rays, they’d be a surprising fit for Marte’s services to say the least. The team’s financial flexibility is said to be very limited this winter, as is typically the case for a team that routinely runs a payroll below $100MM. That led the club to decline their one-year option on righty Pete Fairbanks and even is spurring some rumors about the possibility of a Brandon Lowe trade. With that being said, however, a fit isn’t completely impossible to imagine. The Rays have always operated in creative and unconventional ways, after all, and replacing Lowe with Marte would only add $4MM to the team’s budget for this year due to the structure of Marte’s contract.

That could allow the Rays to add a major offensive upgrade for a year or two before looking to flip the veteran to another club when his contract gets more expensive in later seasons. It wouldn’t be the first time the Rays have weighed the possibility of adding a star-caliber player, as they pursued Freddie Freeman in free agency and considered attempting to pull off a Shohei Ohtani trade at the 2023 trade deadline. Of course, that was under Stu Sternberg’s ownership, and how exactly Patrick Zalupski will differ from his predecessor on these matters is yet to be seen. The biggest question regarding a possible Marte pursuit from the Rays mostly has to do with what they could offer in return; young starters like Shane Baz and Ryan Pepiot would certainly be enticing, but both figure to be key pieces of a somewhat depleted Rays rotation in 2026.

As for the Tigers, the club figures to be hungry to improve in what could be Tarik Skubal’s final year with the organization. Detroit has one of the league’s very best farm systems, and while their best prospects lean more towards the positional side of things, a young pitcher like Troy Melton would surely have plenty of appeal for the Diamondbacks if surrounded by other top talent. Marte’s fit with the Tigers might be a bit complicated in 2026 given that Gleyber Torres accepted the qualifying offer and will return to the keystone next year, but Detroit has shown a willingness to get creative with its players’ positions in the past. It’s also worth noting that, while Marte has played second base exclusively in recent years, he does have nearly 1300 innings under his belt in center field, which saw Detroit rely on players like Parker Meadows and Javier Baez in 2025.

The Opener: Winter Meetings, Red Sox, Eras Committee

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on headed into the weekend:

1. Winter Meetings to begin:

The Winter Meetings are set to begin next week, which means on Sunday players, agents, and executives alike from around the game will begin flocking to Orlando. There’s been plenty of trade and free agent activity already. Impact free agents like Devin Williams and Dylan Cease have already signed, and the trade market has been buzzing all winter long with deals like the Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien swap, Boston’s acquisition of Sonny Gray, and last night’s five-player deal between the Pirates and Red Sox. The activity should only ratchet up from here leading up to and throughout the meetings, with plenty of exciting moves to come in the next few days. Be sure to stay tuned in to MLBTR for all the latest rumors and deals!

2. Red Sox loading up on pitching:

Yesterday’s aforementioned trade saw Boston ship top outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia (along with pitching prospect Jesus Travieso) to Pittsburgh for a package consisting of right-hander Johan Oviedo, minor league lefty Tyler Samaniego, and catching prospect Adonys Guzman. The deal added another viable starter to a Red Sox club that was already deep in rotation candidates. Oviedo likely slots in towards the back of the club’s rotation alongside Patrick Sandoval, with Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, and Brayan Bello in the first three slots and younger pieces like Connelly Early, Kyle Harrison, and Payton Tolle serving as depth. Even that doesn’t factor in Kutter Crawford, who missed the 2025 season due to injury but was a valuable rotation piece as recently as 2024. The Red Sox figure to remain quite active in the offseason markets headed into next week’s Winter Meetings.

3. Eras Committee voting results to be revealed:

One of the first pieces of the Winter Meetings schedule is also one of its most important, as a committee of former players, executives, and media members will convene to vote on the Hall of Fame candidacies of this year’s slate of Eras Committee nominees. This year’s nominees are Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Valenzuela. At least 12 votes from the committee’s 16 members are needed to be inducted into Cooperstown, and the results of that vote will be revealed at 6:30pm CT this coming Sunday on MLB Network.

Poll: Would Kyle Tucker Or Bo Bichette Fit The Blue Jays Better?

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The Blue Jays have been the most aggressive team in free agency by far this winter. Their offseason so far has been headlined by a seven-year deal for Dylan Cease. That hasn’t stopped them from remaining aggressive at the top of the market, however, and the Jays remain the team that’s been most clearly connected to the winter’s top two free agents: outfielder Kyle Tucker and infielder Bo Bichette. Bichette, of course, has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays and has not been shy about his desire to remain with Toronto going forward. Tucker, meanwhile, seems all but certain to depart from the incumbent Cubs for greener pastures and just yesterday met with the Jays at the club’s Spring Training complex in Dunedin.

While Toronto is very clearly involved in the markets for both players, it’s worth remembering that the Blue Jays already have a luxury tax payroll of around $282MM, according to RosterResource. Adding Tucker or Bichette and a $25-40MM annual salary to the books would push them past the highest threshold of the luxury tax, which sits at $304MM and carries with it the steepest penalties for going over.  They might not be willing or able to both re-sign Bichette and also bring Tucker into the fold. If the Jays are only able to land one of the offseason’s top two hitters, then, who would be the better fit for their roster?

Bichette is the familiar pick, and it’s hard to argue with his impact on the team. A three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani Bichette hit while playing through injury in Game 7 of this year’s World Series nearly made the Jays champions and that was just one piece of the .348/.444/.478 performance he turned in across seven Fall Classic games despite being hobbled on the bases and in the field. While an injury-marred and deeply disappointing season for Bichette in 2024 soured some on his overall profile, he’s still turned in a wRC+ of 120 or higher in six of his seven MLB seasons with a career mark of 122. That he’s done all that while typically playing a generally adequate shortstop is all the more impressive.

With that being said, Bichette isn’t exactly a perennial MVP candidate. His defense on the infield has never been great and a disastrous defensive season by the metrics this year has made it all the more clear that his future is likely at second or third base. For as consistently impressive as Bichette has been when healthy, he was only the third-best hitter on the Jays in 2025. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has, of course, stood head and shoulders above the rest of the team in terms of star power and overall offensive impact, but there have been years where Bichette was outperformed by George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Brandon Belt, Marcus Semien, and Teoscar Hernandez in the Jays’ lineup over the years. None of those players come close to matching Bichette’s consistency, but it’s fair to argue that he doesn’t offer the sort of six-plus win upside offered by many of the recent top free agents available.

That’s where Tucker stands out. The 28-year-old (29 in January) is a simply a cut above Bichette as a hitter. Tucker’s career 138 wRC+ is four points higher than the mark Bichette posted this year, which was his career-best in a season, outside of his 46-game rookie campaign in 2019. Since the start of the 2021 season, Tucker has hit .277/.365/.514 with 23.4 fWAR, a greater total than Bichette has accumulated across his entire career. Tucker is also a perennial threat to steal 25 to 30 bases, while Bichette has swiped more than 13 bags just once before in his career. Tucker’s status as a left-handed bat would also make him a strong complement to the Jays’ cache of impressive right-handed hitters, which includes not only Guerrero but also Springer and Kirk.

As perfect as the fit between Tucker and the Jays might seem, however, it’s worth considering the fact that Bichette could prove to be a better long-term investment. Both have dealt with injuries over the past two years, with 214 games played for Tucker and 220 for Bichette. With that said, Bichette is a year younger than Tucker and also figures to command the shorter (and cheaper) deal of the two; MLBTR predicts an eight-year, $208MM deal for Bichette, while Tucker is predicted to land a $400MM deal across 11 years. Paying Bichette through his age-35 season certainly sounds more appealing than paying Tucker through his age-39 campaign in terms of the team’s long-term prospects. At the same time, Tucker would undoubtedly offer more near-term impact to a team that just came just a few outs within a World Series title and has already made it as clear as can be that they’re all-in on their current window.

There’s also the positional fit to consider. Bichette could either return to his shortstop position or take second, with Andres Gimenez taking the other middle infield spot. That would leave every other position player in a similar spot to 2025. Addison Barger and Davis Schneider both played some infield and some outfield while Ernie Clement played all around the infield.

If Tucker were signed, he would jump into an outfield mix with Springer, Anthony Santander and Daulton Varsho. It would push Barger and Schneider more firmly into the infield and bump Nathan Lukes to the bench, unless someone were then traded.

Assuming the Blue Jays can only sign one of Bichette or Tucker, which one do MLBTR readers think would be a better fit for the organization? Would Bichette’s status as an anchor of the current team, consistency, and more affordable expected contract make him the better choice? Or does the immediate impact and big lefty bat Tucker offers outweigh those advantages? Or should they skip both and spend their money on relievers or a different bat? Have your say in the poll below:

The Opener: Tucker Market, Rays Roster, Signings

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Movement in Tucker’s market?

It’s been a fairly active week on the free agent market, but things have mostly been quiet surrounding star outfielder Kyle Tucker. That changed yesterday, however, when a report emerged that Tucker had visited the Blue Jays’ spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida. It’s the first known meeting between the winter’s top free agent and a team, and the news continues a trend of Toronto being by far the most aggressive team in baseball to this point in the offseason. Adding Dylan Cease to the rotation and Kyle Tucker to the lineup would be enough for a banner offseason by itself, to say nothing of the Jays’ deal with Cody Ponce or their reported pursuits of players like Bo Bichette and Pete Fairbanks, who are still on the market.

Does Tucker have other in-person visits lined up? Are the Jays preparing a formal offer? More details on his market could emerge in the near future.

2. Rays 40-man roster move incoming:

The Rays reached an agreement with outfielder Cedric Mullins on a one-year deal yesterday, adding to an outfield that was in desperate need of reinforcements beyond re-signing Jake Fraley shortly after his non-tender. Tampa Bay will need to clear a spot on their 40-man roster to accommodate Mullins. The most common way to accomplish that is simply by designating a player for assignment, but it’s also possible the Rays could look to work out a trade that clears 40-man roster space instead. Tampa Bay is hardly a stranger to the trade market, and players on the roster like Brandon Lowe are already garnering attention as potential trade pieces this winter.

3. Other signings to be made official:

Mullins isn’t the only reported deal that has yet to be made official. Deals between the Dodgers and Miguel Rojas, the Blue Jays and Cody Ponce, the White Sox and Anthony Kay, as well as the Reds and Emilio Pagan are all still pending physicals and will need to be formalized in the coming days. That’s in addition to the deal between the Astros and Ryan Weiss, which has still yet to be made official and (unlike Rojas, Ponce, Kay, and Pagan) will require a 40-man roster move on the part of Houston. With the Winter Meetings fast approaching, signings and the subsequently required 40-man roster maintenance necessary to accommodate those fresh deals will surely continue to pile up.

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