You might not be able to tell by the frigid temperatures around the country, but the Hot Stove is still simmering with only a few weeks remaining until Spring Training.

Much of the sports world will be focused on a pair of conference title games in the NFL this Sunday (full disclosure: I am a lifelong Washington fan and haven¡¯t been this excited/anxious/crazy about one of its games in more than three decades), but there are still some pretty big names available on the free-agent market that can help shape the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

We know the names: Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Jack Flaherty, Nick Pivetta and a handful of impact relievers led by Carlos Estevez, David Robertson and Kirby Yates.

Where will those players wind up? Or, more specifically, which teams have the biggest need to make big moves before opening camp?

That question was posed to a number of executives, and while the answers varied, there were some teams that stood out above the rest.

¡°I think all of the big-market clubs that went into the winter intending to be able to compete with the Dodgers in 2025 have work to do given the offseason the Dodgers have had,¡± a National League executive said. ¡°If I¡¯m the Padres, Giants, Mets, Phillies, Braves, etc., I would feel pressure to do more to keep up with them somehow. The problem is that spending like that isn¡¯t an option for everyone, so it¡¯ll have to come from trade talk and/or pure development of prospects.¡±

Let¡¯s take a look at the three teams mentioned most often by executives this week.

Padres

San Diego counted Roki Sasaki as its Plan A this offseason, but after losing the Japanese phenom to the rival Dodgers, the Padres¡¯ offseason moves have been limited to some Minor League deals and a Rule 5 Draft selection.

The top of the rotation remains solid even without Sasaki, with Dylan Cease and Michael King ¨C who are both slated to become free agents after the season ¨C leading the group. Yu Darvish returns for his age-38 season, though Joe Musgrove will miss the season following Tommy John surgery. Randy Vasquez, Matt Waldron and Jhony Brito will compete for the final two spots, though adding another veteran arm would ease the burden on that trio.

• Padres next steps after missing out on Sasaki

¡°San Diego stands out as the absolute obvious team [that needs to make more moves],¡± an American League executive said. Asked to identify the Padres¡¯ biggest need, the exec said, ¡°Enough players to field a team.¡±

The three biggest holes on offense are at catcher; first base/DH, with Luis Arraez set to handle one of those spots; and left field, where Jurickson Profar played last season. Profar signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Braves on Thursday, erasing one of San Diego¡¯s options. It remains to be seen whether the Padres have much financial flexibility to sign a notable free agent, so the trade route might be the best route for San Diego, which has Cease, King and Arraez all entering their final year before free agency.

Blue Jays

The other finalist in the Sasaki sweepstakes, the Blue Jays have been high-profile bidders for Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Sasaki, only to watch them all sign elsewhere.

Toronto finally landed a bat with its signing of Anthony Santander, but there are still areas that need addressing in the coming weeks.

¡°It feels like the Blue Jays are a team desperate to make moves,¡± an AL executive said.

In addition to Santander, the Blue Jays have signed relievers Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garc¨ªa, also acquiring Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez and Myles Straw in separate trades. The rotation could still use another arm ¨C Max Scherzer has drawn the club¡¯s attention, per sources ¨C but adding another impact bat is likely the biggest goal.

• 3 more offseason steps remain for Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have been engaged with Alonso, who would be another impact bat to insert into the lineup along with Santander, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. An Alonso signing would likely mean some kind of role-share with Guerrero between first base and DH, but two different execs believe that Bregman would make more sense for Toronto.

¡°Bregman and Alonso are obviously the big fish left in the market,¡± an NL executive said. ¡°I think if there¡¯s a top-tier team willing to pay up to land one ¨C or both ¨C of them, that would make things really interesting. But it¡¯s really hard to know what the market looks like for those guys given what other free agents have already earned this winter.¡±

Mets

Handing out a $765 million contract should be enough for any team to consider its offseason to be a success, but the Mets have more needs to fill on their roster if they hope to return to the postseason again in 2025.

The Mets addressed the holes in the rotation with their signings of Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes, while A.J. Minter strengthened the bullpen and Jesse Winker returns as an outfield bat. Adding another relief arm ¨C a reunion with Robertson, perhaps? ¨C would seem to make sense, but it¡¯s the lineup where the biggest hole may exist.

But even with the addition of Soto, the Mets have yet to address the potential loss of Pete Alonso, one of the most consistent home run hitters in the game. It¡¯s still conceivable that Alonso could return to the Mets ¨C ¡°It seems inevitable that they figure out a reunion,¡± one NL exec said ¨C but given the competition they face from the Phillies and Braves, it would be surprising if the Mets didn¡¯t have one more notable move up their sleeve.

¡°The Mets still have work to do; you don¡¯t spend three quarters of a billion dollars on a single player just to be the third-best team in your division,¡± the NL exec said. ¡°I think they¡¯re in a strange spot where they have a decent shot at the postseason while also being only the third-best club in their division.¡±