Are all signs pointing to an Alonso reunion with Mets?
We're keeping track of all the latest free agent and trade rumors.
Dec. 23: What does the market for Alonso look like?
Several major dominos have fallen in the first-base market over the past few days, with the Astros (Christian Walker), Yankees (Paul Goldschmidt), D-backs (Josh Naylor), Guardians (Carlos Santana) and Nationals (Nathaniel Lowe) all making moves at the position.
A number of those clubs were once seen as potential fits for Pete Alonso, who remains unsigned. This could bode well for the Mets' chances of re-signing their star slugger, as the shrinking pool of suitors may pave the way for a reunion. The Mets reunited with another key free agent on Monday, reaching a three-year, $75 million deal with pitcher Sean Manaea (per a source).
Manaea opted out of his previous deal with the Mets in November, joining Luis Severino and Jos¨¦ Quintana in free agency and giving the club three rotation vacancies to address. The Mets have done just that and then some, adding Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and Griffin Canning before re-signing Manaea.
The Mets also checked off the top item on their to-do list when they signed superstar outfielder Juan Soto earlier this month. That potentially leaves just one major item on their offseason agenda: first base.
As long as Alonso is still available and the position remains unsettled for the Mets, the two sides will likely continue to be linked.
The Mariners were connected to Walker, Goldschmidt and Santana, but they likely don¡¯t have room in their budget for Alonso. Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of The Seattle Times (subscription required) have reported that Seattle only has about $15 million available in its 2025 budget.
The Giants were mentioned among the teams interested in Goldschmidt as well, but they haven't been linked to Alonso yet.
¡°[Alonso] is sort of a man without a market at the moment,¡± MLB.com¡¯s Mark Feinsand said Friday on MLB Network in the wake of Walker¡¯s agreement with the Astros.
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Dec. 23: Latest on the market for starting pitchers
Monday saw two more free-agent starting pitchers reach deals, as Sean Manaea reunited with the Mets (per a source) and Walker Buehler joined the Red Sox (per a source), further thinning the ranks of the best available mid-tier options.
Now that Manaea and Buehler are off the board, Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta are the best remaining options in the second tier of free-agent starters, while Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki make up the elite tier. The Red Sox have been connected to Burnes and Flaherty in recent reports, but it's possible they are done adding to their rotation now that they've picked up Buehler.
Andrew Heaney, Jos¨¦ Quintana, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton, Kyle Gibson and Michael Lorenzen are some of the other notable starters still available.
With the supply of difference-making options dwindling and the prices for free-agent starters remaining high, we could see continued activity on the trade market.
Jes¨²s Luzardo became the latest starter to be dealt on Sunday, as the Marlins sent him to the Phillies. Luzardo joined Garrett Crochet, Jeffrey Springs, Nestor Cortes and Brady Singer among the notable starting pitchers who have been traded this offseason.
The Mariners¡¯ Luis Castillo, the Padres¡¯ Dylan Cease and the Twins¡¯ Pablo L¨®pez are some of the other big-name starting pitchers that have been mentioned in recent trade rumors.
Of those three, L¨®pez is the newest to emerge as a potential trade candidate. ESPN's Jeff Passan (subscription required) reported on Thursday that Minnesota has listened to offers for the 2023 All-Star, "and if free-agent pitching prices remain stratospheric, perhaps [the Twins] will go beyond the listening stage."
L¨®pez, 28, is entering the second year of a four-year contract extension that he signed in '23. He is owed about $65 million through 2027, but his contract's annual average value ($21.75 million) is much lower than Max Fried's new eight-year deal with the Yankees ($27.25 million) and will also likely be far less than the AAV of Corbin Burnes' free-agent deal.
Since being acquired from the Marlins prior to the 2023 season, L¨®pez has produced a 3.87 ERA (110 ERA+) with 432 strikeouts and 89 walks over 379 1/3 innings. His 21.8% K-BB over the past two years is second-best among qualified starters, trailing only the Phillies' Zack Wheeler (21.9%).
Castillo is also signed to a long-term contract -- he¡¯s owed $68.25 million ($22.75 million AAV) over the next three years and has a $25 million vesting option for 2028. Cease, meanwhile, can become a free agent next offseason.
Per Passan, other trade candidates include the Rangers¡¯ Jon Gray, the Cardinals¡¯ Erick Fedde and the Twins¡¯ Chris Paddack, each of whom is entering the final year of his contract. (Gray is owed $13 million, while Fedde and Paddack are owed $7.5 million apiece.)
The Astros' Framber Valdez (controllable through 2025) also looked like a possibility to be traded, especially after Houston dealt fellow pending free agent Kyle Tucker to the Cubs, but Passan reports that the club has told rival executives that it plans to keep the lefty.
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Dec. 23: Rangers stay busy, reportedly add Pederson on two-year deal
The Rangers and free-agent DH Joc Pederson have agreed to terms pending a physical, according to multiple reports. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the agreement is for two years and $37 million, though Pederson can opt out after one season.
The move to add Pederson comes one day after Texas traded first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to the Nationals. With Lowe gone, Jake Burger could slot in as the Rangers¡¯ new starting first baseman, opening up the DH spot for Pederson (at least against right-handed pitching). The club acquired Burger from the Marlins on Dec. 11.
After following up their 2023 World Series title with a 78-win season in 2024, the Rangers have had a busy offseason. In addition to the aforementioned moves, the team re-signed starter Nathan Eovaldi and added catcher Kyle Higashioka and a quartet of relievers (lefty Hoby Milner and righties Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong and Luis Curvelo) in free agency.
According to a report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), re-signing free-agent closer Kirby Yates remains a priority for Texas. Yates was one of a number of Rangers relievers who hit free agency in November, along with Jos¨¦ Leclerc, David Robertson, Andrew Chafin and Jos¨¦ Ure?a.
Dec. 23: Rangers met with Sasaki, Giants 'believed to have met' with him (reports)
The Rangers met with Sasaki last week, general manager Chris Young told reporters on Monday. While Texas has what appears to be a complete starting rotation after re-signing veteran right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, Sasaki is the type of superstar that any club would like to be able to sign, particularly since he'll be signing as an international amateur and therefore won't be as expensive as other recent pitchers from Japan, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga.
The Giants, meanwhile, are "believed to have met" with Sasaki, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. More >
Dec. 20: Blue Jays open to trading Bichette; eyeing Bregman (report)
At the beginning of the offseason, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi that his answer was ¡°an easy no¡± to any trade inquiries about shortstop Bo Bichette. Less than two months later, the club¡¯s stance on trading the upcoming free agent appears to have softened a bit.
According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), a Bichette trade is one of three major moves that are ¡°in play¡± for the Blue Jays as they look to remove some of the uncertainty surrounding their starting lineup. Toronto is also eyeing free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman and talking to first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. about a long-term contract extension. Guerrero, like Bichette, can become a free agent after the 2025 season.
After falling short in their pursuits of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in back-to-back offseasons, ¡°[t]he perception within the industry remains that the Jays are desperate to do something big,¡± Rosenthal writes.
A Bichette trade would clear the way for Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez -- acquired from the Guardians during the Winter Meetings -- to take over as the Blue Jays' new starting shortstop and add some more financial flexibility for the team to make another big addition, such as Bregman or ace pitcher Corbin Burnes. Bichette is owed $16.5 million in the final year of the three-year, $33.6 million contract he signed before the 2023 season, covering his final three arbitration years.
That said, a Bichette trade remains unlikely. Rosenthal reports that Toronto is open to moving Bichette, but only for a high price. It¡¯s going to be tough to find a team willing to meet the team¡¯s demands when Bichette has only one year of control remaining and is coming off his worst season, one in which he missed almost three months with a right calf strain and posted a 71 OPS+ with four homers over 81 games.
Dec. 21: Dodgers looking at alternatives for Teoscar (report)
Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez played an integral in the Dodgers' 2024 World Series run. While Los Angeles and Hern¨¢ndez have both shown interest in a return for the current free agent, the Dodgers have reportedly been seeking other options.
According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), the Dodgers have explored a handful of intriguing right-handed-hitting options, which include Ha-Seong Kim in free agency and Luis Robert Jr. and Seiya Suzuki in trades. More >
Dec. 21: Mets continue to show interest in Bregman (report)
The Mets continue to have interest in signing third baseman Alex Bregman, and the team is seen as "a legitimate potential landing spot" for him, according to Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online.
The Mets currently have Mark Vientos at third base, but they could decide to move him to first base in order to make room for Bregman. If the Mets do add Bregman and put Vientos at first, would that mean the club is moving on from first baseman Pete Alonso? More >
Dec. 20: Walker's deal with Astros likely closes the door on Bregman reunion
The Astros and free-agent first baseman Christian Walker are in agreement on a contract, a source tells MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the deal is for three years at $60 million.
Walker was one of the most coveted first basemen on the open market as the 33-year-old hit 95 home runs over the past three seasons with the D-backs and won a Gold Glove in each of those years. The Astros had a clear need at first, where their top in-house option was Jon Singleton. But his inability to hit left-handed pitching (.457 OPS in 82 PA this past season) leaves him best suited as more of a platoon bat.
Houston pivoted to Walker after third baseman Nolan Arenado used his no-trade clause to block a deal that would have sent him from the Cardinals to the Astros (per sources).
As Feinsand noted Friday on MLB Network, the move to add Walker likely closes the door on the possibility of a reunion with free agent Alex Bregman. Isaac Paredes -- acquired from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade -- is now locked in as the team's new starting third baseman.
"Paredes would have moved over to first if they had gotten Arenado or re-signed Bregman," Feinsand said. "Now Christian Walker takes that first-base spot and you have to assume that means the end of any talks for Arenado or Bregman to come to Houston."
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Dec. 20: Sasaki has started meeting with teams
The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes are progressing, as the Japanese phenom has started to meet in person with MLB teams in Los Angeles. Thus far, the following clubs have reportedly met with Sasaki or have a meeting scheduled:
Dec. 17: What's next for O's after signing Sugano?
Facing the prospect of losing ace right-hander Corbin Burnes in free agency, the Orioles have been exploring the market for starting pitching. They made a move to bolster their rotation by signing Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year deal for a reported $13 million on Monday.
Sugano, 35, is one of Japan's most accomplished pitchers. In 12 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, he posted a 2.45 ERA. Though his velocity and strikeout rate have declined as he's aged, he's coming off a season in which he had a 1.67 ERA over 156 2/3 innings.
As The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal noted on the Foul Territory podcast on Tuesday, Baltimore likely isn't done adding to its rotation.
"They entered the offseason looking for two starters. They wanted two," Rosenthal said. "The first one would be, ideally, a top-of-the-rotation guy, a front-of-the-rotation guy, a [No.] 1, 2 or 3 [starter]. The second one, the way it was explained to me, was more of an upside play, someone maybe off the radar a little bit. Well, that's Sugano. It seems to me that this can only be a prelude to a bigger move."
The remaining options, outside of Burnes, for the Orioles to further fortify the rotation include right-handers Jack Flaherty -- who pitched for Baltimore after he was acquired in a 2023 trade with the Cardinals -- and Dylan Cease.
Flaherty is a free agent, and a reunion with the O's is certainly possible after he posted a 3.17 ERA over 28 starts between the Tigers and Dodgers last season. Cease, meanwhile, is also coming off a strong season for San Diego -- he finished with a 3.47 ERA over 33 starts, including the second no-hitter in Padres history.
Both pitchers will be entering their age-29 seasons in 2025. Another possibility is a trade for Luis Castillo of the Mariners, though according to Rosenthal in an article for The Athletic (subscription required), that may be less likely. Rosenthal reported that the Orioles have "at least inquired" about Castillo.
Dec. 16: Giants viewed as possible favorite to sign Burnes
In the wake of Max Fried's reported eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees, Corbin Burnes is now in a tier of his own when it comes to free-agent starting pitchers. There are multiple clubs trying to woo the frontline starter, but MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi said during Monday's edition of Hot Stove that the Giants are viewed as "perhaps the frontrunner" to sign Burnes. More >