December 4: The first two big free-agent signings took place, both involving a couple of superstars who are on their 2nd free agent contract after signing big deals early in the decade. 36-year-old Mookie Betts went back to the Dodgers on a 3/72.6 deal after 8 years with the Braves, and 35-year-old Francisco Lindor inked a 3/79.2 deal with the Cubs after spending the last 6 in Philly.
December 5: Big deal incoming!
The trade really isn't for Barreto, I had to take him so the Cubs could afford to take Alvarez. Anyway it was time to move on from Yordan after two disappointing years capped by a pretty good postseason. He only hit 62 HR in his 2 years in Tampa Bay, dropping to 30 last year in an offensive environment that was enhanced. We're retaining $7.1M/year, which will save us $9M/year (once we get rid of Barreto and his $6.9M not-so-nice contract). It's time to turn over the reins at 1B to Joe Barker, who hit in his limited at-bats last year and actually projects better at the plate than Alvarez after his eye, contact and power ratings were upgraded by the scouts which translates to 298/401/618 with 46 homers. He's a downgrade defensively, a 40 to Yordan's 60, but 1B defense isn't critical. What we get in return here are two premier bullpen arms I've been coveting for about a year now in Jordan Diaz and Mike Mooney. Diaz finished second in the reliever of the year voting, with a 29/113 BB/K ratio in 79 innings and 37 saves for the Cubs. 70 stuff, 60 movement, 55 control, all good stuff. And Mooney is the power lefty I've wanted since Evan Godwin has become less reliable. He's 60/55/50 but 70 potential stuff and has pitched well even with those ratings this year, with a 1.89 ERA and a 22/68 BB/K ratio in 66 innings. Both Diaz and Mooney throw 98-100 and we now have a truly sick bullpen with Diaz, Espino and JDLC from the right side and Alvarado and Mooney from the left for the late innings. Andy Aparicio, who has 80 stuff as a reliever and will pitch in the pen this year, will man the middle innings with Godwin and Jack Leiter is the likely long reliever as things stand. Of course this still leaves us with Jack Filby, Jeremy Bowers, Christian Chamberlain, not to mention AAA/MLB tweeners like Tyler Gough and Mike Bayley. So look for more deals, and look for one involving Barreto as well. Spencer Torkelson will serve as the backup 1B now when he isn't playing the OF or DHing, although the OF is still a crowd with Tork, Clark, Dominguez, Jhon Diaz (now we have two J.Diazes), Fabian and Cedillo (which is why Berdin was included in this deal). Berdin will probably be this year's Bramdon Perez, who will become a stud with his new team after we didn't have any room for him (and who ironically went to Houston for Yordan Alvarez in the first place). The only problem for Berdin is that the Cubs already have two pretty good corner OFs in Brian Reynolds and Austin Hays. Oh well, that's their problem now.
December 6: The Barreto shoe drops:
Turned Barreto into a couple of useful prospects. Barreto isn't garbage by the way, he was a 3 WAR player last year with 23 HR and is an upgrade over George Arias at 2B for Boston. Hate dealing with a division rival but they had the best offer between Jackson, who was their top pick in 2025 but has slipped some as a prospect, a decent but not overpowering lefty, and Andrade who could be the real steal here, their 2027 #1 pick whom the scouts think will be a power-hitting CF. Jackson is eligible for the Rule 5 draft and if he's taken, he's taken. Lambeth has some mild potential as a 3B, but nobody I couldn't part with.
December 9: Jack Little, who won 20 for the Dodgers a couple of years ago but missed most of 2028 due to injury although he came back effective, signed a 2-year, $29.2M deal with Philadelphia. The Phillies had also acquired Kyle Seager from the White Sox earlier to fill the hole at SS when Francisco Lindor left.
December 11: Some big free agent news as Pete Alonso trades in the Big Apple for Hollywood as he signs a 4/105 deal with the Dodgers, who lost 1B Josh Bell to free agency. Also the A's dealt catcher Will Smith to the Cardinals for 3 minor leaguers, a year after signing him as a free agent.
December 12: More free agent fun as Josh Bell signs a 1-year, $9.7M deal with the Giants, while the Brewers snapped up two of the top FA starts on the market in Noah Syndergaard (down to 45 stuff but still effective) on a 2/46 deal and Nick Lodolo at 4/65.
December 13: Makin' some room on the 40-man:
Always like Bayley's arm but his control is horrendous and recently was downgraded further by my scouts. Speaking of my scout, he likes Moorehead better than OSA which is a rare occurrence, so perhaps I'm getting an underappreciated asset here. Rob Metzler thinks Moorehead could have 60 power and 50 contact eventually. Not bad for clearing a 40-man spot, which is going to Malachi Benford.
December 17: Another free agency double-dipper signed as Austin Meadows opted out of the deal he originally signed with Milwaukee a few years back and became a free agent again, this time joining the Dodgers in a 5/115 deal as they've loaded up in free agency after being eliminated as a wild card last year. Meadows joins Mookie Betts and Pete Alonso as their big acquisitions. They also earlier gave Nick Gonzales a 5/33.4 extension after he had a middling debut season with them, going .272/339/401 and accumulating 2.5 WAR.
December 19: OK, this should be our final deal for a while:
Filby became expendable of course with the relievers acquired from the Cubs in the Yordan Alvarez deal, and Saucedo was Rule 5-eligible. Opening up a 40-man with this deal also allows me to protect top reliever prospect Jon Whiteleather, and we acquire another fireballing reliever in Carter with 70 current and 80 potential stuff who doesn't have to be protected. Also Rouse might be a useful piece somewhere down the line.
This has been the most exhausting offseason I've had so far. Usually I have a deal or two lined up in advance or in my head and I make it, and the roster is pretty set. But this year with a much better cadre of Rule 5-eligible players and various surpluses among the big-league talent I've had to deal with a lot of moving parts. Right now the only thing left to address is the OF glut, but I want to wait to see how things shake out in spring training. For example, Julio Cedillo would seem to be prime trade bait but Jasson Dominguez went on the DL twice last year and I had to play Jhon Diaz there out of position. And Spencer Torkelson has yet to prove he can stay healthy for more than a month or two over the last two years, so I'm going to hang on to my depth there for now.
December 21: The Yankees' lineup got a little more fearsome with the signing of Miguel Sano to a 3/61 deal. He'll be an upgrade over Alfonso Rivas for sure, even if he is 35.
December 22: Time for the Rule 5 Draft. We lost 3B Aidan Meola to the White Sox. Not a tremendous loss, but he'll be missed. We're covered at 3B with Witt, DeLeon and Lammers so it would have taken a cascade of injuries for him to be needed.
December 26: Milwaukee continued its starting pitcher free agent binge by signing Touki Touissant to a 5/84 deal on the heels of signing Noah Syndergaard and Nick Lodolo. Touissant has WAR #s of 3.3, 3.3 and 2.9 the last 3 seasons so he's been consistent.
December 27: Amed Rosario moved across town in Chicago as he left the Cubs to sign with the White Sox on a 4/65 deal to fill the hole left when they traded Corey Seager to the Phillies, and old friend Yonny Chirinos signed a 1/1.9 deal with the Red Sox.
December 30: After over a decade in Milwaukee, Christian Yelich signed a 2/33 deal with Seattle. The 37-year-old superstar had a down (by his standards) year with only 3.3 WAR, off a couple of 5-WAR seasons.
December 31: And there it is - Gavin Lux signs a 5/98 deal with Arizona. That's actually a pretty good bargain as big-name free agents go and I might have been interested in something like that had I known that's what he would settle for, but the last time I checked in he was wanting over $30M/year. Oh well, we'll take the compensatory pick.
January 7: Old friend Diego Castillo signed a 2/9.4 deal with the Yankees, so we'll be seeing a bunch of him next season.
January 10: Hall of Fame balloting revealed, congrats Robinson Cano!
Spring Training Update: One big injury so far, Ricky Widmar tore his quadriceps and will be out 7 weeks, putting him on the shelf until at least mid-May. Isaac DeLeon will become an everyday player again, and Mike Lammers should make the team. Shane McClanahan strained his back early in ST and is out 2 weeks, setting him behind in getting ready for the season so Jack Leiter may make a start or two in his place at the beginning of the season.
Some veteran big names signed 1-year FA contracts: Matt Chapman with the Giants, Aaron Judge with the Blue Jays, Matt Olson with the Pirates.