The biggest moves we didn't see coming this offseason

Players are filtering into Spring Training camps, and so far Alex Bregman is not among them.

That¡¯s surprising! The free-agent Bregman is a reigning Gold Glove Award winner and has been one of the most productive third basemen in baseball since his 2016 arrival with the Astros. So most of us assumed he¡¯d be on a team by now.

But then again, the Hot Stove is always full of surprises. Here¡¯s a rundown of nine others that caught us off-guard this winter.

1. Juan Soto¡¯s contract number

That Soto would defect to the crosstown Mets was seen by many as a certainty, because owner Steve Cohen was not likely to be outbid. But the 15-year, $765 million contract -- the largest in the history of professional sports -- was still staggering.

Soto had long since turned down a $440 million extension offer from the Nationals in 2022, and it was a given he would exceed that monetary total after his excellent 2024 season in the Bronx. As a free agent unlike any other, he was in excellent position to command a minimum of $500 million, with reputable outlets projecting something closer to $600 million. This alone would have set a record, because Shohei Ohtani¡¯s $700 million deal with the Dodgers from a year ago is heavily deferred, making the present-day value something more like $460 million.

But Soto -- a historically great hitter, though a player not likely to provide much long-term value in the field -- wound up beating the two-way Ohtani¡¯s number ... with zero dollars deferred! The contract includes escalators that can push it past $800 million in total value. Soto even gets a suite at home games, which is something the Yankees were unwilling to do.

Soto should occupy every spot on every ¡°offseason winners¡± list. Everyone else was just playing for 765 millionth place.

2. Corbin Burnes to the Diamondbacks

The Snakes were one of the very few teams that seemed relatively set in the starting pitching department, and they had not been connected to Burnes at all during his free agency.

But right around Christmas, Burnes, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., quietly approached the D-backs with his interest in pitching for them, and the wheels were quickly set in motion for the most surprising signing of the offseason.

It was doubly surprising given that, just this past year, the Diamondbacks had signed a large pact with Jordan Montgomery that owner Ken Kendrick had publicly lamented. So for this team, of all teams, to be the ones to do the six-year, $210 million deal with the 30-year-old Burnes -- a premier pitcher but one who did see his strikeout numbers slide slightly in 2024 -- caught a lot of people off-guard. And to date, the D-backs have not traded Montgomery, as was widely expected going into the winter. So their rotation is overflowing going into the spring.

3. The Athletics were one of the winter¡¯s biggest spenders

Though the A¡¯s are playing their home games at a Minor League ballpark in Sacramento for the time being, they had expressed to agents their intention to amplify their spending this offseason. Still, you would have been hard-pressed to guess that, between free agency, in-house investment and international acquisitions, this would be one of the top 10 spending clubs of the winter.

The A¡¯s brought Luis Severino aboard to anchor their rotation. That two-year deal with a player option for a third could have a total value of $67 million, making it the largest contract in franchise history. The A¡¯s also signed third baseman Gio Urshela and reliever Jos¨¦ Leclerc, while re-signing lefty T.J. McFarland. They traded with the Rays for lefty Jeffrey Springs. They extended designated hitter Brent Rooker on a five-year, $60 million pact. And their international class includes two-way Japanese star Shotaro Morii, whose $1.5 million signing bonus was the largest ever for a Japanese amateur outside Nippon Professional Baseball. All told, the A¡¯s have invested north of $150 million in talent this winter.

4. The Angels¡¯ aggressiveness

In 2014, the Angels and their 23-year-old superstar and first-time MVP named Mike Trout were swept by the Royals in the AL Division Series. The time since has been marked by the coming and going of Shohei Ohtani, some disappointing signings -- none more so than Anthony Rendon -- three different general managers, five different managers and only one season in which the Halos squeaked over .500. So it¡¯s been a rough go of it in Anaheim, especially with Trout limited by various injuries to just 266 games played since 2021. And one of their few positives from 2024, young shortstop Zach Neto, needed offseason shoulder surgery.

Rather than retreat, the Angels are trying to drum up a surprising team with a surprising offseason. They traded for slugger Jorge Soler and infielder Scott Kingery, signed left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to a unexpectedly robust three-year, $63 million deal and also added catcher Travis d¡¯Arnaud, right-hander Kyle Hendricks, closer Kenley Jansen (per a source) and infielders Yo¨¢n Moncada and Kevin Newman in free agency. They¡¯ve made Minor League deals with Tim Anderson and J.D. Davis as well.

The Angels finished 36 games under .500 last year. Even if the reigning AL West champion Astros prove not to be the force they once were, the Halos have a mountain to make up in a division that features the 2023 World Series champion Rangers, as well as Mariners and Athletics teams that intend to contend this year. But on the heels of a wild winter, the Angels will try to be like the 2024 Royals and make a major surge up the standings.

5. The Cardinals haven¡¯t really done anything (yet)

This was supposed to be an offseason reboot for the Cards following a second straight season without reaching October. The idea was to shed salary and get younger -- goals that obviously don¡¯t point to big-ticket free-agent acquisitions. But certainly, we thought the Cards would have a more active role in the offseason¡¯s trade market.

OK, let¡¯s rephrase that. We thought the Cardinals would have a more active role in the offseason¡¯s completed trade market. Because they have certainly tried to deal star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who used his veto power to strike down a deal to the Astros. With veterans Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras also in possession of no-trade power, the Cards have been kind of landlocked. Still, there should be a way to get an Arenado deal done. And one could argue that if this team is truly looking to reset, the Cards ought to make moves involving starter Erick Fedde and All-Star closer Ryan Helsley. To date, all that¡¯s happened with the Cardinals is bidding adieu to Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Kittredge in free agency. Of course, that could change at any time.

6. Clay Holmes was signed as a starter

Though he had a rocky 2024 with the Yankees, Holmes was an All-Star reliever in his walk year and is not far removed from having a reputation as one of the game¡¯s more lethal relievers. He also had a strong October, which has a way of lingering in people¡¯s minds. So as a free agent entering his age-32 season, it seemed Holmes would be near the top of the free-agent reliever board.

Instead, Holmes will enter the first year of his three-year pact with the Mets looking to stick as a full-time starter. Like many MLB relievers, Holmes was a starter during his Minor League career. He debuted as a starter in Pittsburgh, resulting in a 7.80 ERA in 15 forgettable innings in 2018. Now, mid-career, he has a second chance in that role, with the Mets hoping he can prove to be a creative solution to their rotation need.

7. The Guardians traded Andrés Giménez

It¡¯s not every year that a League Championship Series participant trades away the right-hand side of its infield, but that¡¯s just what the defending AL Central champion Guardians did in dealing first baseman Josh Naylor to the Diamondbacks and second baseman Gim¨¦nez to the Blue Jays.

The Naylor trade wasn¡¯t shocking, even though he was coming off an All-Star season. The organization is known for being proactive on the trade front with pending free agents on accelerating arbitration salaries. Old friend Carlos Santana was signed to replace him, and young Kyle Manzardo is also an option at first.

But Gim¨¦nez? His Gold Glove defense was a cornerstone for a club that placed a high value on catching the ball. And the Guards had extended him through the 2030 season. The problem is that his bat was not producing at a rate befitting his rising salary on a club with a modest budget, so he went to the Blue Jays in essentially a three-team deal that brought in starting pitching option Luis Ortiz but created an open question at the keystone.

8. Terry Francona is managing the Reds

His body battered by some untold number of surgeries through the years, Francona ¡°retired¡± after the 2023 season, completing 11 seasons in Cleveland and, seemingly, a Hall of Fame-worthy managerial career. He was feted with league-wide salutes and congratulatory T-shirts. Though he had hinted to friends that he might be open to one day managing again, at that time he didn¡¯t feel physically capable of doing the job the right way.

Well, all it took was one summer off and an unexpected phone call from the Reds to get Tito feeling frisky again. The club had its legendary retired broadcaster Marty Brennaman reach out to Francona to gauge his interest after David Bell was dismissed, general manager Nick Krall visited Francona in his Arizona home and, next thing we knew, the 65-year-old Francona was right back in the game. Hey, no one said retirement has to last forever.

9. The Astros traded Kyle Tucker

By the time the deal to the Cubs actually went down, it wasn¡¯t terribly surprising, because by that point it had been hinted at by general manager Dana Brown and then run through the rumor mill.

But we didn¡¯t enter the Hot Stove with Tucker identified as an obvious trade candidate. The Astros are leery of long-term deals, and Tucker is a 28-year-old pending free agent. Still, this is a top-flight team that took the likes of George Springer and Carlos Correa into their walk years with a plan to win with them. And Tucker was their best all-around player. Their system looks stronger now after receiving third base prospect Cam Smith, and acquiring Isaac Paredes in the deal helps Houston account for the anticipated departure of Bregman. But it was definitely unusual to see the Astros operate this way.