The moves that rocked the MLB offseason – and what they mean for the 2025 season
The opening week of the 2025 MLB season is upon us — on the heels of a chaos-packed offseason.
Not long after the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their 2024 World Series title, they made the first big strike of the offseason, landing a two-time Cy Young winner — and that was just the start for Los Angeles. But the Dodgers weren’t the only ones keeping the hot stove warm in a winter that had a little bit of everything — from a $765 million contract to lure a superstar across New York City boroughs to a pair of aces signing record nine-figure deals. And the offseason drama continued well into spring training, with two top sluggers finally signing after camps opened.
Whether you are just realizing that Alex Bregman left Houston for the Boston Red Sox or the Dodgers signed … well, it felt like just about everyone — or you know all the moves that went down and still aren’t quite sure what to make of them, we’ve got you covered for Opening Day on Thursday.
ESPN baseball experts Jorge Castillo, Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez and David Schoenfield break down the moves that rocked the offseason, what they mean for the teams that made them — and how they’ll shape the season ahead.
Dodgers get the offseason rolling — with a sign of what’s ahead
Date of the deal: Nov. 26 — Dodgers sign Snell to $182 million deal
What it means for the Dodgers: The Dodgers began the offseason with one clear target in mind — not Juan Soto, but Blake Snell. They had just won the World Series, but they did so despite an injury-ravaged starting rotation that required them to stage bullpen games on multiple occasions throughout October. They needed some certainty at the top of their pitching staff, and Snell, the two-time Cy Young Award winner they almost signed when his market collapsed last offseason, was seen as an ideal fit.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman engaged with Snell’s agent, Scott Boras, at the start of November, and it ultimately took some creativity to come together on a deal that satisfied both parties. They settled on a five-year, $182 million contract that included $66 million in deferred salary but also a $52 million signing bonus.
How it will shape the 2025 season: Snell spent the past two years pitching for the Dodgers’ biggest division rivals, dominating for the San Diego Padres in 2023 and, after an abbreviated spring training, putting together a masterful second half for the San Francisco Giants in 2024. Snell’s presence on the Dodgers, when coupled with another massive move later in the winter, would give them a rotation that is just about as dominant as their lineup — and it would set the tone for another blockbuster offseason.
Dominoes: Boras was coming off a rocky offseason in which four of his biggest clients — Snell, Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery — didn’t sign until well into spring training. Boras chalked it up to a bad market replete with unwilling spenders, and Snell’s signing showed that this offseason — another one in which Boras would represent some of the best players available — might be different. It also helped trigger a run of exorbitant starting-pitching contracts over the next three weeks. — Gonzalez
Giants finally get their big-money free agent
Date of the deal: Dec.7 — Adames joins Giants on 7-year deal
What it means for the Giants: The Giants began the offseason with a glaring need at shortstop, and Willy Adames was the best player available at that position. It was really that simple — and the Giants acted as such, chasing Adames aggressively and signing him before the start of baseball’s winter meetings.
The Adames signing represented the first major free agent addition under Buster Posey, the iconic Giants catcher who shockingly stepped in as the new president of baseball operations shortly after the 2024 regular season. Adames landed a seven-year, $182 million contract that set a new franchise record — breaking the $167 million extension Posey himself signed nearly a dozen years earlier.
How it will shape the 2025 season: The Giants had been having a tough time attracting star players to San Francisco. And though Adames isn’t as big a name as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge or Bryce Harper — stars who recently spurned them to sign elsewhere — his arrival represents a shift in tone for a front office group that, under Posey, wants the Giants to get back to being the type of organization a community will rally around.
Dominoes: The New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays had all been linked, to varying degrees, to Adames. He represented a natural pivot if they could not land Juan Soto for those teams. But they needed to wait on Soto first. The Giants knew this. It triggered their aggression. And it eventually prompted the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays to get even more creative than they hoped. — Gonzalez
Soto joins the Mets for $765 million — yes, you heard that right: $765 million
Date of the deal: Dec. 8 — Soto joins Mets on 15-year deal
What it means for the Mets: The Mets’ interest in Juan Soto was a poorly kept secret — pursuing the superstar outfielder was central to their long-term plans since Steve Cohen hired David Stearns to run baseball operations in 2023. Landing him, however, was monumental for the franchise.
First, on the field, Soto is possibly the best hitter in the world. His consistency is unmatched. His floor sits stories above most of his peers’ ceilings. He will mash hitting behind Francisco Lindor in a lineup that should rank among baseball’s best.
But the move was about more than just Soto’s on-field impact. It signaled that the Mets really will be different with Cohen in control. Not only did the Mets sign the most sought-after free agent in over two decades to the richest contract in professional sports history (15 years, $765 million with the potential for the compensation to reach $805 million), they signed him away from the Yankees and beat them for his signature. The Yankees are still the top team in New York. But the Mets are ready to compete for championships and the city’s top spot.
How it will shape the 2025 season: The outlook in Queens changed as soon as Soto signed on the dotted line. A year ago, the Mets were projected as a fringe playoff team before exceeding expectations with a magical summer. Signing Soto meant just reaching the postseason is no longer enough — and that the Mets had more work to do.
Dominoes: Soto’s decision opened the offseason’s floodgates — for the four other finalists to land him and several other clubs. The Yankees were forced to turn to Plan B and beyond, prompting a series of moves in December. The Red Sox also spent money elsewhere and the Blue Jays tried to. The Dodgers, the fifth finalist for Soto … well, the Dodgers just kept spending money.
Beyond this winter, though, Soto’s record-setting contract set the market for future high-profile free agents in his age range. The first test case will be Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is expected to reach free agency next winter at 26 after turning down a $500 million extension offer (with deferrals) from the Blue Jays last month. — Castillo
Yankees respond to losing Soto with a $218 million ace signing
Date of the deal: Dec. 10 — Fried, Yankees reach 8-year, $218 million deal
What it means for the Yankees: The Yankees had money to spend and choices to make once Juan Soto spurned them for the Mets. The most obvious need was replacing Soto’s offensive production, but they opted to bolster their biggest strength for their first move of the post-Soto era by investing heavily in another frontline starter.
After missing out on Blake Snell and not fitting Corbin Burnes’ preference to join a club with spring training in Arizona, the Yankees set their sights on Max Fried. He became the third starter in the past six offseasons whom the Yankees have signed to a long-term deal after Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon.
The signing for eight years and $218 million gave New York arguably the best starting rotation in baseball — a fivesome rounded out by Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. The starting rotation lifted the Yankees to the American League East title in 2024. They determined it would make for the best strategy moving forward for 2025 and beyond.
How it will shape the 2025 season: The starting rotation became more formidable with a two-time All-Star with a 3.07 career ERA across eight seasons. And the move proved even more crucial for 2025 than initially believed when Cole’s elbow started barking again. Losing Cole for the entire season means Fried will begin 2025 as the club’s No. 1 starter. Fried has dealt with forearm injuries the past two seasons. Staying healthy will be imperative for a rotation also without Gil for at least three months to start the season.
Dominoes: The Yankees beat out their rival Red Sox for Fried’s services, prompting Boston to turn to another ace in the trade market the very next day and leaving Burnes as the only ace-level starter left on the free agent market. But Fried doesn’t hit, and the Yankees needed to improve the lineup. They addressed that before the end of the month. — Castillo
Red Sox get an ace of their own in blockbuster trade with White Sox
Date of the deal: Dec. 11 — Boston lands Garrett Crochet for prospects
What it means for the Red Sox: The Red Sox haven’t really had an ace since Chris Sale blew out his elbow back in 2019, but after losing out on Snell and Fried, they used their prospect depth to acquire Garrett Crochet, coming off a big season for the White Sox.
The Boston rotation was pretty solid in 2024, ranking seventh in the majors in ERA, although it was just middle of the pack in innings (16th) and strikeout rate (15th). In his first season starting, Crochet made 32 starts and pitched 146 innings (the White Sox limited his innings the final two months) — and, most impressively, topped all pitchers with at least 100 innings by posting a 35.1% strikeout rate.
Crochet was the most in-demand non-free agent of the offseason — he’s under control for two more seasons and will make just $3.8 million in 2025 — and it cost the Red Sox a heavy price in Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery, their first-round picks in 2023 and 2024 respectively, plus two other prospects.
How it will shape the 2025 season: With Rafael Devers, 2024 breakout star Jarren Duran, last year’s impressive rookies Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela, and an exciting group of prospects ready to help in outfielder Roman Anthony (ESPN’s No. 2 overall prospect), shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 4) and second baseman Kristian Campbell (No. 26), it was time for the Red Sox to make a push to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021. Maybe it’s a year early for all this talent to coalesce into a World Series contender, but Crochet improves those odds.
Dominoes: One key factor is that Crochet’s low salary allowed the Red Sox to make a couple of other moves. First, they would sign Walker Buehler for even more rotation depth. But an even bigger move would come right as spring training kicked off. — Schoenfield
Yankees continue their pitching push with trade for star closer
Date of the deal: Dec. 13 — Yankees acquire star closer Williams from Brewers
What it means for the Yankees: Clay Holmes was demoted from the closer role in September, so it wasn’t a surprise that the Yankees decided to let him walk in free agency. The thinking was the Yankees could hand the role to Luke Weaver, who sparkled closing games in September and October. But the Yankees aimed higher, acquiring Devin Williams, perhaps the best closer in baseball, from the Milwaukee Brewers for Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin.
The 2020 National League Rookie of the Year, Williams is a two-time NL Reliever of the Year and a two-time All-Star. He owns a 1.83 career ERA and 68 career saves behind a screwball-changeup fusion known as The Airbender. He’s a clear upgrade. But he’s also under team control for just one more season, marking the second consecutive winter that the Yankees traded for a star one year from free agency.
How it will shape the 2025 season: Williams’ inclusion moved Weaver back to a multi-inning setup role after his breakout 2024 season — his first as a reliever. Fernando Cruz, acquired in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds for Jose Trevino later in the month, has the fourth-highest strikeout rate among relievers with at least 130 innings thrown since he debuted in 2022. With them in the back end, the Yankees’ bullpen should improve upon its 12th-ranked strikeout rate from last season.
Dominoes: Williams knew a trade was coming. He was just surprised that it was to the Yankees and not the Dodgers, who were in pursuit of the right-hander. Instead, the Yankees outbid Los Angeles, leaving the Dodgers to continue their search for bullpen help. They ultimately settled on signing the best reliever on the free agent market and a 2024 All-Star, continuing their offseason shopping spree. — Castillo
Cubs get their star hitter in blockbuster between contenders
Date of the deal: Dec. 13 — Cubs get Tucker from Astros
What it means for the Cubs: The Cubs needed to improve their power profile while servicing an apparent need to avoid long-term entanglements. In acquiring Kyle Tucker in advance of his walk year, they accomplish both. Chicago leveraged a moment of abundance at third base in its system to land Tucker, one of the game’s most potent left-handed sluggers and well-rounded outfielders. Tucker is an upgrade over soon-to-be-dealt Cody Bellinger, but when the latter was traded to the Yankees, it rendered the addition of Tucker more marginal than it had to be. That will be especially true if (when?) the Cubs don’t pony up to retain Tucker for the long term.
How it will shape the 2025 season: Chicago traded a serviceable starting third baseman (Isaac Paredes) and a rapidly rising third base prospect (Cam Smith) to snag Tucker. The outgoing package was made possible by the presence of another hot corner prospect — Matt Shaw — who opened the season as the regular at the position. Thus, the move needs two things to happen to achieve its short-term aim: Tucker to stay healthy, and Shaw to justify the Cubs’ faith.
Dominoes: The Tucker trade will be pushing over dominoes for some time. Bellinger’s departure was the start, which also led to low-level rumbling in Chicago over the Cubs’ often thrifty ways. Those rumbles grew louder when the Cubs were suitors for Alex Bregman, only to fall short. However, that failed pursuit kept the path clear for Shaw, who earned the third-base job during spring training. Those rumbles may turn into a full-blown uproar if the Cubs disappoint and Tucker signs elsewhere after the season — or is dealt at the trade deadline. — Doolittle
Cubs follow Tucker deal by sending a former MVP to the Yankees
Date of the deal: Dec. 17 — Cubs trade Bellinger to Yankees
What it means for the Yankees: With Juan Soto now with the Mets and Anthony Rizzo a free agent, the Yankees had holes to fill in the outfield and first base. Why not solve one of those with Cody Bellinger, the 2019 NL MVP who can play both positions?
With Kyle Tucker in right, Pete Crow-Armstrong ready to take over in center and the less expensive Michael Busch at first base, the Cubs wanted to dump Bellinger’s $27.5 million salary. The Yankees were the perfect fit. They later signed Paul Goldschmidt to play first, so Bellinger will end up as the regular center fielder with Aaron Judge moving back to right field.
How it will shape the 2025 season: The Yankees knew they couldn’t replace Soto with one player, so they’re hoping they can replace his production with multiple players. Bellinger has never come close to his 2019 numbers since injuring his shoulder in the 2020 World Series, but he’s coming off back-to-back solid seasons with the Cubs (139 OPS+ in 2023, 111 in 2024 when he hit .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs). He has morphed into a more contact-oriented hitter these days, but his pull-heavy approach could work well at Yankee Stadium. Goldschmidt, meanwhile, will try to rebound at age 37 from his worst offensive season (.245/.302/.414, 22 home runs).
Dominoes: With Bellinger and Goldschmidt, the Yankees were no longer a viable landing spot for Pete Alonso, eliminating a key bidder for the slugger’s services. Scott Boras had lost his leverage. And the Cubs? In subtracting Bellinger’s salary, perhaps they had room for another free agent with Alex Bregman looking like a potential fit. — Schoenfield
A $200 million ace joins … the Diamondbacks!?
Date of the deal: Dec. 28 — Arizona, Burnes finalize six-year deal
What it means for the Diamondbacks: As much as anything, Arizona’s second straight offseason investment in its starting rotation declares that even as the Diamondbacks share a division with baseball’s newest Evil Empire, the Snakes aren’t conceding anything to the high-dollar Dodgers.
After splurging for Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez last year, it would have been easy for Arizona to stand pat with its rotation depth chart, hoping for Montgomery to bounce back and E-Rod to be healthy. Instead, the addition of Corbin Burnes gives Arizona a rotation big three in Burnes, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly that can match anyone. It also makes the Diamondbacks a pickle to match up against in any October series — even one against the Dodgers.
How it will shape the 2025 season: Gallen and Kelly are healthy this spring after missing time in 2024, and if they can stay that way, this stat might be highly relevant: Those two and Burnes, between them, have averaged 176 innings over the past three years, and that number jumps to 189 if you remove Kelly’s 13-start 2024 campaign.
The addition of Burnes pushed everyone else down a slot, giving the Diamondbacks superior rotation depth, which in turn should help cover them against a lack of numbers in the middle and front of the bullpen. (The back is in good shape.) The defense behind the starters should incent the hurlers to be pitch efficient, as will an athletic, potent lineup.
Dominoes: For Arizona, the Burnes signing places the need to find a taker for Montgomery at the top of the to-do list, as he simply makes too much money to be just a rotation depth guy. The larger dominoes were felt elsewhere in the pitching market, as teams aching for Burnes’ ace production were left wanting. That begins with Burnes’ old team, Baltimore, which would likely rate as a solid favorite in the AL East had Burnes returned. But the Blue Jays, Giants and others were also left to look elsewhere for an impact addition. — Doolittle
Much-anticipated Sasaki sweepstakes has a Hollywood ending
Date of the deal: Jan. 17 — Japanese ace Sasaki says he’s joining Dodgers
What it means for the Dodgers: In some ways, the Dodgers had been building up to this moment — all the way back to the mid-1990s, when Hideo Nomo blazed a path for Japanese pitchers to the United States and turned a generation of children in his home country into Dodger fans. In the ensuing years, as Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish and others starred elsewhere, the Dodgers’ influence in Japan began to fade. Then Shohei Ohtani signed with them on Dec. 11, 2023. Then Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined him weeks later. Then, powered in part by those two, the Dodgers won the World Series.
By the time Sasaki was posted in December of 2024, the Dodgers had once again established themselves as the predominant major league team of Japan. So much so that Sasaki chose them, too, even though their starting rotation was already quite full. He chose them mostly because he believed they gave him the best chance to develop, but the presence of Yamamoto and Ohtani, and the fact that the Dodgers carried such massive influence in his country, certainly helped.
How it will shape the 2025 season: In a span of 13 months, the Dodgers added Tyler Glasnow, Yamamoto, Snell and Sasaki to their rotation. To that group you can add Ohtani, who is expected to return as a two-way player this season. And Clayton Kershaw, who is on track to join the rotation around June. And a host of promising arms, including Dustin May. Add in their star-studded lineup, and what they would later add to their bullpen, and the Dodgers have put together one of the most talented rosters in baseball history.
Dominoes: The San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays emerged as the other two finalists for Sasaki, and his decision was a massive blow to both. To the Blue Jays, it meant coming up just short on another premier player after failed pursuits of Ohtani, Soto and Burnes, among others. The Padres had a hole in their rotation and were continuing to operate on a tight budget. In some ways, they had built their entire offseason around the prospect of landing Sasaki. Him choosing their biggest rival prompted them to instead sign Nick Pivetta. — Gonzalez
The Dodgers add top free agent reliever — and become baseball’s new Evil Empire?
Date of the deal: Jan. 19 — Dodgers land Scott for $72 million
What it means for the Dodgers: Landing Snell and Sasaki apparently wasn’t enough for one offseason: The Dodgers then decided to upgrade an already strong bullpen, signing Tanner Scott, arguably the top lefty reliever in the game over the past two seasons, to a four-year, $72 million contract.
Call it a baseball version of adding Kevin Durant to the Warriors: It seemed like piling on at this point (and especially so when the Dodgers then signed Kirby Yates, who held batters to a .113 average last season, the lowest ever for a pitcher with at least 50 innings).
It also seemed like the final exclamation point on the past two seasons: The Dodgers are officially baseball’s Evil Empire. Heck, after this signing, even Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said it is “difficult” for other teams to keep up with the Dodgers. Yes, that’s a bit like Darth Vader complaining about Voldemort. Welcome to baseball in 2025.
How it will shape the 2025 season: The Dodgers have always had good bullpens — fourth in ERA in 2024, third in 2023, second in 2022 and 2021 — but with Scott and Yates added to Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Michael Kopech, Anthony Banda and others, the pen appears deeper and better than ever. It makes it even easier for Dave Roberts to limit innings for his stellar rotation with the hope of keeping those starters healthy for October.
Dominoes: This was more about who didn’t land Scott. The Cubs were reportedly runners-up in the bidding with a four-year, $66 million offer, and a few days after the Scott signing they traded for former Astros closer Ryan Pressly. The Blue Jays pivoted and signed Max Scherzer instead. The Orioles signed Andrew Kittredge when they realized they weren’t going to land Scott. — Schoenfield
After monthslong standoff, a Mets icon returns to Queens
Date of the deal: Feb. 5 — Alonso, Mets agree to 2-year deal
What it means for the Mets: The Mets might have won the offseason by signing Juan Soto, but Pete Alonso’s free agency hung over Queens for the rest of the winter. Alonso, on paper, made sense for the 2025 Mets. He was a right-handed power bat to protect Soto. He was an adored homegrown player. But the 30-year-old first baseman wanted more than the Mets were willing to offer and the negotiations turned unusually public — and ugly — when owner Steve Cohen expressed his frustration during a fan event in January. A breakup seemed possible. The Mets signaled they were ready to move on. Alonso talked with other teams in search of a long-term contract. But, after a face-to-face meeting with Cohen and David Stearns in Tampa, the two sides agreed on a two-year, $54 million contract with an opt-out after this season the week before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training.
The reunion elevated the Mets to one of the best lineups in baseball, featuring a 1 through 5 of Francisco Lindor, Soto, Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos that should wreak havoc on pitchers when healthy.
How it will shape the 2025 season: Signing Soto was significant, but more was needed to compete in a loaded National League East.
The Phillies, the defending division champs, have one of the best rotations in baseball to complement a veteran, battle-tested, star-studded lineup. The Braves, the division champs the previous six seasons, should rebound from a nightmare, injury-riddled season in which they still managed to reach the postseason as a wild card.
Alonso, who is 27 home runs shy of becoming the franchise’s all-time leader, gives the Mets a lineup to compete with those contenders. The starting rotation, however, might be another matter.
Dominoes: If Alonso’s season goes as both sides hope, the first baseman will opt out of his contract and become a free agent again in search of a long-term deal next winter. But this past winter suggests finding one could be difficult.
Alonso, who will be the highest-paid first baseman in the majors this season with a $30 million salary, is one of baseball’s top sluggers. His 226 home runs are the second most in the sport since his debut in 2019. But the long-term contract he expected — one similar to, or even better than, the seven-year, $158 million extension he declined in 2023 — never materialized. Teams have seemingly decided slugging first basemen on the wrong side of 30 without much value on defense and on the basepaths aren’t worth that much. Alonso hopes that will change after a strong 2025 season.
The Mets, meanwhile, are expected to pursue Vladimir Guerrero Jr. next winter to replace Alonso if he reaches free agency and Alonso indeed opts out. — Castillo
Blue Jays get their big-name free agent in Soto, Ohtani, Roki … Anthony Santander
Date of the deal: Jan. 20 — Toronto, Santander reach $92 million deal
What it means for the Blue Jays: Over the past couple of years, the Blue Jays have been frequent headliners in the rumor mills around the top acquisition targets in the marketplace. Time after time, Toronto fell short in these pursuits. Then they inked Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million deal that also cost Toronto a compensatory draft pick because Santander had been saddled with a qualifying offer by his old team, Baltimore.
For the Blue Jays, it at least proves that they can still get someone to take their money, and if Toronto hadn’t been featured so prominently in the other quests, the addition of Santander wouldn’t feel so much like settling. Santander isn’t a perfect player, but he’s a legit, middle-of-the-order power hitter threat who has averaged 35 homers over the past three years. The Blue Jays didn’t get everything they wanted this winter, but in Santander, they did land a bona fide threat to slot behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the batting order.
How it will shape the 2025 season: With Guerrero’s future in Toronto in doubt, there’s a lot riding on the Blue Jays’ short-term fortunes. After leaning a little too far over to the defensive side when picking their ancillary position players the past few seasons, Santander will help turn the scoreboard and perhaps unlock Guerrero’s game even more. If so, it can only help the case Toronto will continue to make in attempting to keep Vlady for the long haul.
Dominoes: The relatively late date of Santander’s signing bolstered the Blue Jays’ offseason work considerably and still left them time to add more, which resulted in, among other things, the signing of Max Scherzer to the rotation. It also left other teams looking for a big outfield bat out in the cold, with the Royals, Angels, Red Sox and Tigers reportedly among them. –– Doolittle
Braves finally get in on the offseason fun
Date of the deal: Jan. 23 — Atlanta, Profar agree to 3-year deal
What it means for the Braves: The offseason had been distinctly silent for the Braves until Profar agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal in the latter part of January. If Profar, coming off an age-31 season that was easily the best of his career, can retain most of last season’s gains, he fills the one concerning spot in the potent Atlanta lineup. He would do so at salary level (a $14 million-per-season luxury tax number) that, for now, apparently keeps the Braves under the tax line, and even with a bit of room to make in-season adds.
How it will shape the 2025 season: When Ronald Acuna Jr. returns (soon) to regular duty, the Braves will have a fully stocked, powerhouse regular lineup and a quality bench. Profar not only completes the puzzle but will help bridge whatever gap remains between now and Acuna’s first game.
That said, Profar’s yearly OPS+ figures, beginning in 2018, are: 107, 91, 114, 83, 109, 81, 134. After signing Profar for three seasons, the Braves need him to break that pattern. If he can, the Braves’ lineup should have no holes.
Dominoes: Profar turned out to be the one multiyear free agent the Braves signed this winter. Every signing since has been a recognizable veteran on a minor league deal and spring training invite. For Atlanta, Profar was the lone domino.
The timing of his signing with Atlanta might prove to be painful for Profar’s old team in San Diego. The Padres never really filled the void opened by Profar’s departure. At the time he joined Atlanta, the Padres had not added a free agent on a big league deal, but they later added five. If the purse strings had been loosened just a little sooner, might Profar have been retained? — Doolittle
The offseason’s final star free agent lands in Boston
Date of the deal: Feb. 12 — Bregman signs with Red Sox
What it means for the Red Sox: The Red Sox have had three straight non-winning seasons — the first time that has happened since 1992-94. In signing Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal (with player opt-outs after 2025 and 2026), the Red Sox get a winning player to help reverse that trend, a former MVP runner-up who has averaged 4.5 WAR the past three seasons. They also get a hitter who has dominated at Fenway Park in his career, hitting .375/.490/.750 with seven home runs in 21 games.
They also created some internal strife, with Rafael Devers initially saying he would not be open to moving from third base to DH. Bregman, who won a Gold Glove in 2024, said he’d be willing to move to second base. A month later, Devers changed his stance and told reporters, “I’m good to do whatever they want me to do.”
Maybe Devers settles in at DH. Maybe Bregman ends up sliding back and forth. Maybe second-base prospect Kristian Campbell goes down to Triple-A and plays more outfield. No matter what, manager Alex Cora will have his work cut out keeping Devers happy and figuring out how and when to integrate all the young players into the lineup.
How it will shape the 2025 season: Bregman is coming off a .315 OBP, his worst since his rookie season, and 51 points below his career average. It remains to be seen whether he’s a major addition to the lineup or merely a solid contributor.
The Red Sox were third in the AL in runs in 2024, but if Bregman’s bat plays as hoped at Fenway and some of the young hitters improve, this team could lead the league in runs — and that could mean their first AL East title since the World Series championship season in 2018.
Dominoes: The Tigers and Cubs were other potential landing spots for Bregman, and both have intriguing rookie third basemen — Jace Jung in Detroit and Matt Shaw in Chicago. Shaw is the better prospect of the two (No. 23 overall, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel), although he has just 35 games above Double-A. Jung got some big league time in 2024, hitting .241/.362/.304 in 94 plate appearances after hitting .257/.377/.454 in Triple-A, but got sent down last week, so it looks like Detroit will open with a Zach McKinstry/Andy Ibanez platoon.
The opening weekend of the 2025 MLB season was taken over by a surprise star — torpedo bats.
The bowling pin-shaped bats became the talk of the sport after the Yankees’ home run onslaught on the first Saturday of the season put it in the spotlight and the buzz hasn’t slowed since.
What exactly is a torpedo bat? How does it help hitters? And how is it legal? Let’s dig in.
Read: An MIT-educated professor, the Yankees and the bat that could be changing baseball
What is a torpedo bat and why is it different from a traditional MLB bat?
The idea of the torpedo bat is to take a size format — say, 34 inches and 32 ounces — and distribute the wood in a different geometric shape than the traditional form to ensure the fattest part of the bat is located where the player makes the most contact. Standard bats taper toward an end cap that is as thick diametrically as the sweet spot of the barrel. The torpedo bat moves some of the mass on the end of the bat about 6 to 7 inches lower, giving it a bowling-pin shape, with a much thinner end.
How does it help hitters?
The benefits for those who like swinging with it — and not everyone who has swung it likes it — are two-fold. Both are rooted in logic and physics. The first is that distributing more mass to the area of most frequent contact aligns with players’ swing patterns and provides greater impact when bat strikes ball. Players are perpetually seeking ways to barrel more balls, and while swings that connect on the end of the bat and toward the handle probably will have worse performance than with a traditional bat, that’s a tradeoff they’re willing to make for the additional slug. And as hitters know, slug is what pays.
The second benefit, in theory, is increased bat speed. Imagine a sledgehammer and a broomstick that both weigh 32 ounces. The sledgehammer’s weight is almost all at the end, whereas the broomstick’s is distributed evenly. Which is easier to swing fast? The broomstick, of course, because shape of the sledgehammer takes more strength and effort to move. By shedding some of the weight off the end of the torpedo bat and moving it toward the middle, hitters have found it swings very similarly to a traditional model but with slightly faster bat velocity.
Why did it become such a big story so early in the 2025 MLB season?
Because the New York Yankees hit nine home runs in a game Saturday and Michael Kay, their play-by-play announcer, pointed out that some of them came from hitters using a new bat shape. The fascination was immediate. While baseball, as an industry, has implemented forward-thinking rules in recent seasons, the modification to something so fundamental and known as the shape of a bat registered as bizarre. The initial response from many who saw it: How is this legal?
OK. How is this legal?
Major League Baseball’s bat regulations are relatively permissive. Currently, the rules allow for a maximum barrel diameter of 2.61 inches, a maximum length of 42 inches and a smooth and round shape. The lack of restrictions allows MLB’s authorized bat manufacturers to toy with bat geometry and for the results to still fall within the regulations.
Who came up with the idea of using them?
The notion of a bowling-pin-style bat has kicked around baseball for years. Some bat manufacturers made smaller versions as training tools. But the version that’s now infiltrating baseball goes back two years when a then-Yankees coach named Aaron Leanhardt started asking hitters how they should counteract the giant leaps in recent years made by pitchers.
When Yankees players responded that bigger barrels would help, Leanhardt — an MIT-educated former Michigan physics professor who left academia to work in the sports industry — recognized that as long as bats stayed within MLB parameters, he could change their geometry to make them a reality. Leanhardt, who left the Yankees to serve as major league field coordinator for the Miami Marlins over the winter, worked with bat manufacturers throughout the 2023 and 2024 seasons to make that a reality.
When did it first appear in MLB games?
It’s unclear specifically when. But Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton used a torpedo bat last year and went on a home run-hitting rampage in October that helped send the Yankees to the World Series. New York Mets star Francisco Lindor also used a torpedo-style bat last year and went on to finish second in National League MVP voting.
Who are some of the other notable early users of torpedo bats?
In addition to Stanton and Lindor, Yankees hitters Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt have used torpedoes to great success. Others who have used them in games include Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers and Toronto’s Davis Schneider. And that’s just the beginning. Hundreds more players are expected to test out torpedoes — and perhaps use them in games — in the coming weeks.
How is this different from a corked bat?
Corking bats involves drilling a hole at the end of the bat, filling it in and capping it. The use of altered bats allows players to swing faster because the material with which they replace the wood — whether it’s cork, superballs or another material — is lighter. Any sort of bat adulteration is illegal and, if found, results in suspension.
Could a rule be changed to ban them?
Could it happen? Sure. Leagues and governing bodies have put restrictions on equipment they believe fundamentally altered fairness. Stick curvature is limited in hockey. Full-body swimsuits made of polyurethane and neoprene are banned by World Aquatics. But officials at MLB have acknowledged that the game’s pendulum has swung significantly toward pitching in recent years, and if an offensive revolution comes about because of torpedo bats — and that is far from a guarantee — it could bring about more balance to the game. If that pendulum swings too far, MLB could alter its bat regulations, something it has done multiple times already this century.
So the torpedo bat is here to stay?
Absolutely. Bat manufacturers are cranking them out and shipping them to interested players with great urgency. Just how widely the torpedo bat is adopted is the question that will play out over the rest of the season. But it has piqued the curiosity of nearly every hitter in the big leagues, and just as pitchers toy with new pitches to see if they can marginally improve themselves, hitters will do the same with bats.
Comfort is paramount with a bat, so hitters will test them during batting practice and in cage sessions before unleashing them during the game. As time goes on, players will find specific shapes that are most comfortable to them and best suit their swing during bat-fitting sessions — similar to how golfers seek custom clubs. But make no mistake: This is an almost-overnight alteration of the game, and “traditional or torpedo” is a question every big leaguer going forward will ask himself.
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‘It’s taken on a life of its own’: Inside the 48 hours torpedo bats launched into baseball lore
At 1:54 ET on Saturday afternoon, New York Yankees play-by-play man Michael Kay lit the fuse on what will be remembered as either one of the most metamorphic conversations in baseball history or one of its strangest.
During spring training, someone in the organization had mentioned to Kay that the team’s analytics department had counseled players on where pitches tended to strike their bats, and with subsequent buy-in from some of the players, bats had been designed around that information. In the hours before the Yankees’ home game against the Brewers that day, Kay told the YES Network production staff about this, alerting them so they could look for an opportunity to highlight the equipment.
After the Yankees clubbed four homers in the first inning, a camera zoomed in on Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s bat in the second inning. “You see the shape of Chisholm’s bat…” Kay said on air. “It’s got a big barrel on it,” Paul O’Neill responded, before Kay went on to describe the analysis behind the bat shaped like a torpedo.
Chisholm singled to left field, and after Anthony Volpe worked the count against former teammate Nestor Cortes to a full count, Volpe belted a home run to right field using the same kind of bat. A reporter watching the game texted Kay: Didn’t he hit the meat part of the bat you were talking about — just inside where the label normally is?
Yep, Kay responded. Within an hour of Kay’s commentary, the video of Chisholm’s bat and Kay’s exchange with O’Neill was posted on multiple platforms of social media, amplified over and over. What happened over the next 48 hours was what you get when you mix the power of social media and the desperation of a generation of beleaguered hitters. Batting averages are at a historic low, strikeout rates at a historic high, and on a sunny spring day in the Bronx, here were the Yankees blasting baseballs into the seats with what seemed to be a strangely shaped magic bat.
An oasis of offense had formed on the horizon, and hitters — from big leaguers to Little Leaguers, including at least one member of Congress — paddled toward it furiously. Acres of trees will be felled and shaped to feed the thirst for this new style of bats. Last weekend, one bat salesman asked his boss, “What the heck have we done?”
Jared Smith, CEO of bat-maker Victus, said, “I’ve been making bats for 15, 16 years. … This is the most talked-about thing in the industry since I started. And I hope we can make better-performing bats that work for players.”
According to Bobby Hillerich, the vice president of production at Hillerich & Bradsby, his company — which is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and makes Louisville Slugger bats — had produced 20 versions of the torpedo bat as of this past Saturday, and in less than a week, that number has tripled as players and teams continually call in their orders.
Even though Saturday marked its launch into the mainstream, this shape of bat has actually been around for a while. Hillerich & Bradsby had its first contact with a team about the style in 2021 and had nondisclosure agreements with four teams as the bat evolved; back then, it was referred to as the “bowling pin” bat. The Cubs’ Nico Hoerner was the first major leaguer to try it — and apparently wasn’t comfortable with it. Cody Bellinger tried it when he was with the Cubs before joining the Yankees during the offseason.
Before Atlanta took the field Sunday night, Braves catcher Drake Baldwin recalled trying one in the Arizona Fall League last year (noting that his first impression was that it “looked weird”). Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor used it in 2024, in a year in which he would finish second in the NL MVP voting; Lindor’s was a little different from Volpe’s version, with a cup hollowed out at the end of the bat. Giancarlo Stanton swung one throughout his playoff surge last fall, but no one in the media noticed, perhaps because of how the pitch-black color of Stanton’s bat camouflaged the shape.
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli saw one in the Twins’ dugout during spring training and picked it up, his attention drawn to the unusual shape. “What the hell is this thing?” he asked, wondering aloud whether the design was legal. When he was assured it was, he put it back down.
Baldelli’s experience reflected the way hitters have used and assessed bats since the advent of baseball: They’ll pick up bats and see how they feel, their interest fueled by the specter of success. Tony Gwynn won eight batting titles, and many teammates and opposing hitters — Barry Bonds among them — asked whether they could inspect his bats. The torpedo bat’s arrival was simply the latest version of that long-held search for the optimal tool.
On Opening Day, eight teams had some version of the torpedo bat within their stock, according to one major league source. But with video of the Yankees’ home runs being hit off unusual bats saturating social media Saturday afternoon, the phone of Kevin Uhrhan, pro bat sales rep for Louisville Slugger, blew up with requests for torpedo bats. James Rowson, the hitting coach of the Yankees, began to get text inquiries — about 100, he later estimated. Everyone wanted to know about the bat; everyone wanted to get their own.
In San Diego, Braves players asked about the bats, and by Sunday morning, equipment manager Calvin Minasian called in the team’s order. By the middle of the week, all 30 teams had asked for the bats. “Every team started trying to get orders in,” Hillerich said. “We’re trying to scramble to get wood. And then it was: How fast can we get this to retail?”
Victus produces the bats Chisholm and Volpe are using and has made them available for retail. Three senior players, all in their 70s, stopped by the Victus store to ask about the torpedoes. A member of Congress who plays baseball reached out to Louisville Slugger.
The Cincinnati Reds contacted Hillerich & Bradsby, saying, “We need you in Cincinnati on Monday ASAP,” and soon after, Uhrhan and pro bat production manager Brian Hillerich, Bobby’s brother, made the 90-minute drive from the company’s factory in Louisville with test bats.
Reds star Elly De La Cruz tried a few, decided on a favorite and used it for a career performance that night.
“You can think in New York, maybe there was wind,” Bobby Hillerich said. “Elly hits two home runs and gets seven RBIs. That just took it to a whole new level.”
A few days after the Yankees’ explosion, Aaron Leanhardt, who had led New York’s effort to customize its bats as a minor league hitting coordinator before being hired by the Marlins as their field coordinator, was in the middle of a horseshoe of reporters, explaining the background. “There are a lot more cameras here today than I’m used to,” he said, laughing.
Stanton spoke with reporters about the simple concept behind the bat: build a design for where a hitter is most likely to make contact. “You wonder why no one has thought of it before, for sure,” Stanton said. “I didn’t know if it was, like, a rule-based thing of why they were shaped like that.”
Over and over, MLB officials assured those asking: Yes, the bats are legal and meet the sport’s equipment specifications. Trevor Megill, the Brewers’ closer, complained about the bats, calling them like “something used in slow-pitch softball,” but privately, baseball officials were thrilled by the possibility of seeing offense goosed, something they had been attempting through rule change in recent years.
“It’s all the rage right now, given what transpired over the weekend,” said Jeremy Zoll, assistant general manager of the Twins. “I’m sure more and more guys are going to experiment with it as a result, just to see if it’s something they like.”
That personal preference is a factor for which some front office types believe the mass orders of the bats don’t account: The Yankees’ recommendations to each hitter were based on months of past data of how that player tended to strike the ball. This was not about a one-size-fits all bat; it was about precise bat measurements that reflected an individual player’s swing.
“I had never heard of it. I’ve used the same bat for nine years, so I think I’ll stick with that,” White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi said. “It’s pretty interesting. It makes sense. If it works for a guy, good for him. If it doesn’t, stick with what you got.”
As longtime player Eric Hosmer explained on the “Baseball Tonight” podcast, the process is a lot like what players can do in golf: look for clubs customized for a player’s particular swing. And, he added, hitting coaches might begin to think more about which bat might be most effective against particular pitchers. If a pitcher tends to throw inside, a torpedo bat could be more effective; if a pitcher is more effective outside, maybe a larger barrel would be more appropriate.
That’s the key, according to an agent representing a player who ordered a bat: “You need years of hitting data in the big leagues to dial it in and hopefully get a better result. He’s still tinkering with it; he may not even use it in a game. … I think of it like switching your irons in golf to blades: It will feel a little different and take some adjusting, and it may even change your swing subtly.”
Two days after the home run explosion, Boone said, “You’re just trying to just get what you can on the margins, move the needle a little bit. And that’s really all you’re going to do. I don’t think this is some revelation to where we’re going to be — it’s not related to the weekend that we had, for example. I don’t think it’s that. Maybe in some cases, for some players it may help them incrementally. That’s how I view it.”
“I’m kind of starting to smile at it a little more … a lot of things that aren’t real.”
Said the player agent: “It’s not an aluminum bat with plutonium in it like everyone is making it out to be.”
Reliever Adam Ottavino watched this all play out, with his 15 years of experience. “It’s the Yankees and they scored a million runs in the first few games, and it’s cool to hate the Yankees and it’s cool to look for the bogeyman,” Ottavino said, “and that’s what some people are going to do, and [you] can’t really stop that. But there’s also a lot of misinformation and noneducation on it too.”
Major league baseball mostly evolves at a glacial pace. For example, the sport is well into the second century of complaints about the surface of the ball and the debate over financial disparity among teams. From time to time, however, baseball has its eclipses, moments that command full attention and inspire change. On a “Sunday Night Baseball” game on May 18, 2008, an umpire’s botched home run call at Yankee Stadium compelled MLB to implement the first instant replay. Buster Posey’s ankle was shattered in a home plate collision in May 2011, imperiling the career of the young star, and new rules about that type of play were rewritten.
The torpedo bat eruption could turn out to be transformative, a time when the industry became aware how a core piece of equipment has been taken for granted and aware that bats could be more precisely designed to augment the ability of each hitter. Or this could all turn out to be a wild overreaction to an outlier day of home runs against a pitching staff having a really bad day.
On Thursday, Cortes — who had been hammered for five homers over two innings in Yankee Stadium — shut out the Reds for six innings.
In Baltimore, Bregman, who had tried the torpedo bat earlier this week, reverted to his usual stock and had three hits against the Orioles, including a home run. Afterward, Bregman said, “It’s the hitter. Not the bat.”
This story was also reported by Jeff Passan, Jorge Castillo, Jesse Rogers and Kiley McDaniel.
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