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.
You know it as soon as the college football schedule drops. The game that’s circled, the player you love to hate, the rival coach who seems to especially delight in destroying your team’s season.
We’re getting into the dog days of summer, with the only relief being the crisp autumn days of the college football season are rapidly approaching. But that means the enemies are lining up at the gates.
Today, we’re doing recon on where each post-spring top 25 team stands and who stands in their way. These are each teams’ potential future villains, the coaches, players and teams that have the chance to make the whole season go south. — Dave Wilson
1. Penn State: Ryan Day
Penn State coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have been unable to get over the hump against Ohio State, especially since Day took over in Columbus. The Nittany Lions have dropped six straight to Day, culminating with last year’s defeat, as fourth-ranked Ohio State rallied to topple the third-ranked Nittany Lions in State College 20-13. This season, Day will have a new starting quarterback and inexperience on both sides of the ball coming off last year’s national championship. Penn State will counter with one of the most experienced teams in the country, headlined by veteran quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Franklin even hired away Day’s defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles. The Nittany Lions travel to Columbus on Nov. 1 in a showdown that figures to carry major playoff implications. — Jake Trotter
Clemson’s arch enemy for this season is obvious: Sellers. The Tigers watched the South Carolina quarterback dodge defenders, break tackles and keep one play after another alive last season in a stunning Gamecocks win that nearly derailed Clemson’s season. Clemson will be looking for revenge, of course, but new defensive coordinator Tom Allen will be more focused on finding answers for the elusive Sellers. There are lofty expectations at Clemson this season, and the Tigers don’t necessarily need a win over South Carolina to achieve them, but nobody will sleep soundly in the state if the 2025 defense coughs up another win to its biggest rival. — David Hale
3. Texas: Oklahoma
In Week 1, the Longhorns get a rubber match against an Ohio State team that eliminated Texas from the playoff last season, but the results of this game leave a lot of runway for either team to get back into this year’s postseason. Yet, there is no bigger test every year for Texas than Oklahoma in Dallas. This one’s a bit of a mystery, with the Sooners bringing in new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer, who played high school football in the Dallas area, from Washington State. The new-look Sooners could either be a launching point or a big speed bump in the SEC schedule for a Longhorns team with national championship aspirations. — Dave Wilson
4. Georgia: Alabama
The last coach Georgia fans ever wanted to see on the other sideline is doing television. Nick Saban was 5-1 against Kirby Smart, but even with Saban in his first year of retirement last season, Alabama still beat Georgia in a wild 41-34 game in Tuscaloosa the final weekend of September. Georgia has lost nine of the past 10 games in the series and hasn’t beaten Alabama in the regular season since 2007, Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa, when the Mark Richt-coached Bulldogs won 26-23 in overtime. Georgia has vaulted to elite status under Smart, but a second straight loss to DeBoer — especially with this year’s game being played in Athens — wouldn’t sit well with anybody in Athens. — Chris Low
5. Ohio State: Sherrone Moore
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore has become a problem for the Buckeyes. He might not wear the villain outfit quite as well as predecessor Jim Harbaugh did, but Moore’s rise in coaching — as Wolverines offensive line coach, offensive coordinator and now head coach — has coincided with Ohio State’s longest losing streak (four games) to its archrival since 1991. Moore served as acting head coach during Harbaugh’s Big Ten-imposed suspension in 2023, as Michigan punched its ticket to the Big Ten championship game. He then earned the permanent role and pulled off one of the more stunning upsets in the history of The Game in November in Columbus. The story of Moore’s coaching career at Michigan is really just beginning, but he has already demonstrated his ability to win the biggest games. — Adam Rittenberg
6. LSU: Daytime home games
LSU fans have been known to curse day games, especially in the sweltering September heat. It’s at night when Tiger Stadium (and typically LSU’s football team) shines. In 2025, the only SEC home game that LSU will definitely play at night is the league opener against Florida on Sept. 13. Home games against South Carolina and Texas A&M fall into the “flex” window, meaning they could start as early as 3:30 p.m. ET or as late as 8 p.m. ET. Since 2000, LSU is 112-15 in Saturday night home games at Tiger Stadium. Brian Kelly has faced just two nationally ranked SEC opponents in day games at Tiger Stadium and is 1-1. — Low
7. Notre Dame: Miami
No Notre Dame players were alive for the 1988 clash with Miami, and Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman was only 2 years old. But longtime Domers will always view the U as a true villain, and new Miami quarterback Carson Beck, the transfer from Georgia, sparks a range of reactions. Notre Dame scored a signature win in the CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl against a Georgia squad that had lost Beck to injury. When healthy, Beck is talented enough to villainize a Notre Dame defense replacing standouts Xavier Watts, Jack Kiser, Rylie Mills and others and appearing in its first game under new coordinator Chris Ash. Early season games are one of the only knocks against Freeman, who has dropped at least one September game in each of his three seasons as Irish coach. Notre Dame needs a strong start with its two most talented opponents — Miami and Texas A&M — leading off the schedule. — Rittenberg
8. Oregon: Ohio State
Is it too simple to say Ohio State? Maybe just Jeremiah Smith after he caught seven passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the Rose Bowl drubbing that the Buckeyes put on the Ducks to end their undefeated season? The good news for Dan Lanning & Co. (or bad depending on how you look at it) is that Oregon will not face Ohio State in the regular season this season and a rematch could only occur in the Big Ten title game or in the College Football Playoff. Penn State enters the fray this season as a much-hyped conference contender that the Ducks will have to face and yet it feels like Oregon and Ohio State are still the cream of the crop for the conference and are likely to continue seeing each other on the sport’s biggest stages. — Paolo Uggetti
9. Alabama: Vanderbilt
Remember when Saban won 100 straight games against unranked opponents, the longest such streak in the AP poll era? Now, all of a sudden, the Crimson Tide are 2-3 against their past five unranked foes, a stretch that started with a stunning 40-35 loss at Vanderbilt last season, which came only a week after DeBoer beat No. 2-ranked Georgia in his SEC opener as Alabama’s head coach. It was the first time Alabama had lost to Vanderbilt since 1984. Alabama will get its shot at payback this season on Oct. 4 when Vanderbilt visits Bryant-Denny Stadium. The loss to Vanderbilt a year ago ignited what was the first three-loss regular season for Alabama since 2010. Judging by some of the comments from Alabama players this offseason, nobody will need to remind the Tide when the Commodores are coming to town. — Low
10. BYU: Utah
It’s always Utah. The “Holy War” frequently manages to surprise us. A year ago, BYU was coming off a 5-7 season and Utah was considered the Big 12 favorite. This time, we have a full reversal: The Utes are the ones coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign and the Cougars are ranked the highest of any Big 12 team on this list. (Granted, this ranking doesn’t account for the sudden uncertainty BYU is dealing with at the QB position.) We’ll already have a decent idea of BYU’s capabilities by the time Utah visits Provo in Week 8, but the Holy War could serve as a Big 12 title elimination game, and it will definitely impact the tenor of the season for both teams. It always does. — Connelly
Purdue didn’t generate many highlights in 2024, but it gave Illinois a major scare at Memorial Stadium, erasing a 24-3 deficit to force overtime before falling 50-49. Among the Boilermakers’ stars that day was tight end Max Klare, who recorded his first 100-yard receiving performance, finishing with 133 yards on six catches. Klare, like most of Purdue’s best players, transferred following the team’s coaching change. He landed at Ohio State, which will visit Memorial Stadium on Oct. 11. Illinois certainly will be aware of Klare but also must contain Heisman Trophy contender Jeremiah Smith and several other standout wide receivers, if it wants any chance at knocking off the defending national champions. — Rittenberg
12. Arizona State: Regression
Arizona State had one of the hottest teams in the country at the end of 2024 and returns far more of last year’s production than most. The Sun Devils appear primed for a run at a repeat Big 12 title. The problem: No one repeats in the Big 12. ASU’s biggest archrival could simply be regression to the mean. Among current members, the past six teams to reach the Big 12 championship before 2024 — 2020 Iowa State, 2021 Baylor, 2021 Oklahoma State, 2022 Kansas State, 2022 TCU and 2023 Oklahoma State — went a combined 28-9 in one-score finishes during their title runs. The following seasons, they went a combined 9-22 in such games. ASU went 6-2 in one-score finishes last season. It’s really hard to do that twice in a row, and in the Big 12 it appears impossible. — Connelly
13. South Carolina: LSU
South Carolina has its share of hated rivals — Georgia, Clemson, anyone else who plays “Sandstorm” during timeouts — but as the Gamecocks look to make a playoff run in 2025, enemy No. 1 might well be LSU. The Bayou Bengals have dominated South Carolina over the years, holding an 18-2 all-time record and winning eight straight matchups dating to 1995. More recently, LSU escaped Columbia with a 36-33 win last season in which the Gamecocks blew a four-point lead with less than 2 minutes to play. That loss ultimately cost South Carolina a playoff bid, but the Gamecocks feel certain they’re a far better team than they were then. If they can exact some revenge this time, it’ll be a big step toward reaching those lofty goals. — Hale
14. Iowa State: Kansas State
There’s no such thing as a Week 0 elimination game, but we get the closest thing to it in Dublin to start the 2025 season. The annual (for now) Farmageddon battle between ISU and Kansas State will take place in particularly green pastures this time, and it will pit two preseason top 20 teams with major Big 12 title hopes. Last year, the Cyclones’ defense played a perfect fourth quarter against the Wildcats, allowing just one yard in 12 snaps to win 29-21 and advance to the conference title game. This time, someone will be 0-1 in conference play before Week 1 even arrives. This is about as big a season opener as you could hope for. — Connelly
15. SMU: TCU
SMU was 3-17 against TCU coaches in the Dennis Franchione/Gary Patterson era, then Sonny Dykes won two straight against the Frogs in Dallas. Once he defected for the purple pastures of Fort Worth, he then won his first two against the Mustangs. Last year, however, SMU got its revenge in a 66-42 pummeling of TCU in a game in which Dykes was ejected. This year, the two teams, which have met 103 times, are scheduled for their last Iron Skillet game for the foreseeable future. This one will have some heat. — Wilson
16. Texas Tech: Baylor
Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire got his start in college coaching at Baylor under Matt Rhule and was promoted under Dave Aranda. He left in midseason in 2021 when he got the Tech job. While trying to right the ship in Lubbock, he’s gone 1-2 against Aranda, including a 59-35 home loss last season. Since Mike Leach was fired, the Red Raiders are 5-10 against the Bears, a team they’ll need to eclipse with their big ambitions to sit atop the Big 12. — Wilson
17. Indiana: UCLA
Coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers did a great job of retaining players and coaches from a 2024 team that won a school-record 11 games and reached the CFP. But two who got away — a coach and a player — landed with UCLA, which visits Indiana on Oct. 25. New Bruins offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri coached Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke last year and had spent the previous three seasons on Cignetti’s staff at James Madison. He might know the secrets to attacking Indiana’s defense. Defensive back Jamier Johnson transferred from Indiana to UCLA after recording 35 tackles and an interception last fall for the Hoosiers. Johnson, who began his college career at Texas, will be part of a reshaped UCLA secondary. — Rittenberg
18. Kansas State: Iowa State
As mentioned above, it’s all about the season opener against Iowa State. It will be the first opportunity for quarterback Avery Johnson and K-State to prove that last year’s all-or-nothing offense has matured a bit. The Wildcats averaged 37.6 points in wins and only 15.8 in losses. They scored TDs on 75% of red zone drives in wins and 42% in losses. They committed more turnovers in the four losses (nine) than in the nine wins (seven). You could almost say that this means K-State’s biggest archrival is K-State. Regardless, Week 0 is enormous. Turnovers and later-down failures cost it dearly against Iowa State last season, and it gets an immediate opportunity to right one of 2024’s wrongs. — Connelly
19. Florida: Georgia
Florida has plenty of teams it considers rivals, but only one on the schedule this season has beaten the Gators four years in a row. That would be Georgia, which has absolutely dominated them since Kirby Smart took over the program in 2016. Smart is 7-2 against Florida, and just like that record, has finished ahead of Florida in the SEC standings seven times. We all know the Gators closed last season strong with big wins over LSU and Ole Miss, but the true litmus test for where this program is — and whether it can return to elite status under coach Billy Napier — is the Georgia game. — Adelson
20. Michigan: Ohio State
Even though the Wolverines have won four straight in the series, Ohio State remains Michigan’s archvillain for obvious reasons. The Buckeyes rattled off eight straight wins before Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh turned the tide in 2021 with the first of the four straight victories. Coach Sherrone Moore salvaged an up-and-down, first full season with a stunning 13-10 victory over Ohio State in Columbus last year. Much of that Ohio State national championship team has moved on to the NFL. But the postgame flag-plant fracas at the Horseshoe last year reinforced why this bitter rivalry has never carried more vitriol for either side. The last thing the Wolverines want this season is to watch Ohio State return the favor by planting its flag on the Block M at the Big House. — Trotter
21. Miami: Syracuse
Georgia Tech is not on the schedule this year or that would be the slam dunk choice. We could go with the obvious “traditional arch nemesis” Notre Dame, which is visiting South Florida for the first time since 2017. But there is another team that gets to wear the villain hat, if only for this season: Syracuse. That’s right, the team that beat Miami 42-38 in the 2024 regular-season finale to keep the Hurricanes out of the ACC championship game visits Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 8. While both rosters have turned over since that game, the head coaches remain the same and there might be some added fuel to the fire. — Adelson
22. Louisville: Kentucky
In 2022, Louisville was 10-1 and favored against rival Kentucky. The Cardinals lost. In 2021, they were 7-4 and lost. It was an all-too-familiar story. Since 2016, Louisville has lost as a favorite against its rival three times — often sullying otherwise impressive seasons. Last year, the Cardinals had no such worries as they beat up on the Wildcats, who were slogging through a down season, but Jeff Brohm & Co. know the history too well to assume that will be the start of a trend. There are tougher and bigger games on Louisville’s schedule this season, but none that will mean more than beating those hated Cats. — Hale
23. Texas A&M: Steve Sarkisian
Sarkisian has done a masterful job reloading Texas to meet its potential. Last year, he took the Longhorns into Kyle Field and spoiled the Aggies’ chances of getting into the SEC championship game, and this year, A&M visits Austin for the first time since 2010 where Arch Manning hysteria dominates the headlines and the Longhorns will be seeking a coronation for a playoff run. Sarkisian, an avowed fan of college rivalries and traditions, will look to push all the right buttons to ignite his team. — Wilson
24. Ole Miss: Mississippi State
Don’t get anybody in Oxford started on those “dreaded” cowbells clanging away from fans of the “school down south.” That school being bitter rival Mississippi State, whose former coach, Dan Mullen, used to refer to Ole Miss as the “school up north.” Either way, nobody in the SEC is particularly fond of the Mississippi State cowbells, in no way a banned artificial noisemaker. Yes, that’s a joke. But to Ole Miss fans, they would rather hear nails scratching on a chalkboard. The good news for the Rebels is that they’ve lost only once in the past five games between the schools but will get a heavy dose of the cowbells this Nov. 28 in Starkville. — Low
25. Oklahoma: Texas
In the Wishbone era, and then once again after Bob Stoops took over then ceded way to Lincoln Riley, the Oklahoma quarterback position made college football kings. In recent years, Landry Jones, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Caleb Williams and Dillon Gabriel all put up huge numbers. But the Sooners have fallen back a little and Texas is rolling into the Cotton Bowl with its own football royalty in Arch Manning. Oklahoma needs to right the ship, and all eyes will be on Dallas and where the program stands in the SEC era. — Wilson
It’s posturing season. Major League Baseball’s trade deadline goes through the same mechanics every year. Following June calls to indicate interest in players, early-to-mid-July brings out the first offers, which are inevitably imbalanced toward the teams willing to move players and, accordingly, holding all the leverage.
It’s the reason trades before the All-Star break are rare — and also a reminder that just because a match isn’t there now, it doesn’t preclude one going forward. So many elements play into a deadline (the keenness of teams to send away quality players, the willingness of contenders to make a move over the objection of their analytical model, the standings, recent performance and dozens of others) that to link team and player in a potential deal is a fool’s errand.
Well, consider this slightly foolish. Needs are needs, and even the best teams in baseball have them. Who would be the best players to fill them? This exercise endeavors to answer that.
Below are the 16 teams in MLB with winning records. Certainly a cadre of under-.500 teams — the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks chief among them — could work their way into the conversation despite their slow starts. For now, though, these are the best teams baseball has to offer, and for each we found a fit among available players that makes too much sense not to pursue.
Teams are listed in order of record by league.
American League
59-35, first place, AL Central
Weakness: Swing-and-miss relievers
Best match: David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
Cade Smith (Cleveland Guardians) and Griffin Jax (Minnesota Twins) are the right answers, but the likelihood of Detroit pulling off an in-division deal to get a swing-and-miss reliever is minimal. Which leaves Bednar, who has rebounded from an atrocious 2024 to recapture his form of 2021-23, when he was among the five best relievers in baseball. With a high-90s fastball, a hard-breaking curveball and a mean splitter, Bednar’s arsenal would give the Tigers a ninth-inning option beyond Will Vest or Tommy Kahnle.
Beyond the bullpen, the Tigers don’t need much. They can really hit, with eight of their nine regulars sporting slugging percentages of .415 or better. Manager AJ Hinch’s constant tinkering — the most Detroit has used one lineup this year is four times — doesn’t just work, it is an identity the team embraces.
And as much as the Tigers could use capital from their tremendous farm system to add to this team, they don’t necessarily need it. This is the second year of a window that’s bound to last. Securing Bednar’s services for two playoff runs is the sort of incremental step needed to capitalize in a down American League.
55-38, first place, AL West
Weakness: Starting pitching and left-handed hitting
Best match: Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals
The Astros lost Alex Bregman to free agency, traded Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, have spent most of the season without Yordan Alvarez, their best hitter, and currently sport a rotation that includes 26- and 28-year-old rookies. There is no reason they should be this good. And yet they are.
So even if the cost is heavy and eats into a farm system that’s among the worst in MLB, targeting a pitcher of Lugo’s ilk would give them among the nastiest postseason rotations in the game and further entrench the Astros as a force. Lugo’s peripherals suggest he’s in line for regression but even if his ERA does jump from its current 2.67 mark, Lugo’s nine-pitch mix gives him the flexibility to adjust in-game — a luxury shared by only a handful of starters in the game.
54-39, first place, American League East
Weakness: Starting pitching
Best match: Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates
Adding Keller solves multiple problems at once. The 29-year-old is producing the best season of his seven-year career with the Pirates, averaging nearly six innings a start and giving up only seven home runs in 106⅓ innings. The Blue Jays need rotation help — and, in a deal for Keller, could try to get David Bednar, Dennis Santana or Caleb Ferguson from the Pirates to complement an already-good bullpen riding breakouts from Braydon Fisher and Brendon Little.
Further, Keller remains under contract for three years at a reasonable $54.5 million, and with starters Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer free agents after this year and Kevin Gausman following the 2026 season, Toronto covets controllable starting pitching in a market that, at the moment at least, doesn’t offer much.
Pittsburgh could hold onto Keller and march into 2026 with a staff of Keller, Paul Skenes, Mike Burrows, Bubba Chandler and Bailey Falter — easily a top-10 rotation, maybe better — with Hunter Barco not far behind. But the Pirates desperately need bats and while Toronto’s farm system is not teeming with them, the Blue Jays can cobble together enough to make a deal worth Pittsburgh’s while.
51-41, second place, AL East (first wild card)
Weakness: Third baseman and pitching
Best match: Eugenio Suárez, Arizona Diamondbacks
This could be Seth Lugo. Or Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians. Or any number of players. The Yankees are not going to stop at one player this deadline. For all their strengths — and there are plenty — they have too many weaknesses to take half-measures.
Suárez is an excellent first step. His power is undeniable, a perfect fit in the middle of any lineup. He plays third base, a black hole for New York this season. The Yankees could two-birds-one-stone a deal and get Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly from Arizona, too. But Suárez is the main target, because even if other third-base options exist — Nolan Arenado in St. Louis, Ryan McMahon in Colorado, Ke’Bryan Hayes in Pittsburgh — they’re owed significant money and are under contract for multiple years. Suárez’s expiring contract would allow the Yankees a trial run, and if he thrives in the Bronx, all they would need to bring him back is cash.
50-43, third place, AL East (second wild card)
Weakness: Relief pitching
Best match: Griffin Jax, Minnesota Twins
Remember, now, this is the best match, not necessarily the likeliest. Minnesota is notoriously value-conscious in its dealings, and the Twins will put an exceptionally high price on Jax, whom they regard as one of the best relievers in baseball — an opinion shared by most teams. With a fastball that sits at 97 mph and a dastardly slider, he is a setup man in name and a closer in stuff — precisely what the Rays, who are missing Manuel Rodriguez and Hunter Bigge, could use.
The Rays aren’t typically the sort of team to overpay for relievers, even ones with two additional years of club control. If not Jax, they could opt for Brock Stewart (Twins), who likewise has a vast array of swing-and-miss stuff — and two more years of team control as well.
48-44, second place, AL West (tied for third wild card)
Weakness: Corner infielder
Best match: Josh Naylor, Arizona Diamondbacks
Though the Mariners are managing with Donovan Solano and Luke Raley at first base, upgrading to Naylor would transform Seattle’s lineup for the better. Whether it’s slotting him behind J.P. Crawford to ensure Cal Raleigh comes to the plate with more baserunners, or sticking him in between Raleigh and Randy Arozarena to do the cleaning up himself, Naylor is a high-average, low-strikeout slugger whose quality at-bats would help transform a solid Seattle lineup into something more.
Pairing him with Eugenio Suárez would plug both of Seattle’s holes, and certainly the Mariners have the prospect capital to pull off the double. Considering the state of their pitching — a tremendous rotation and a Gabe Speier–Matt Brash–Andrés Muñoz endgame — the Mariners need only a depth reliever to feel comfortable. Upgrading the lineup is the distinct priority over the next three weeks, and executives expect Seattle to act aggressively.
49-45, fourth place, AL East (tied for third wild card)
Weakness: Relief pitching
Best match: Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals
Red Sox relievers walk too many hitters and don’t strike out enough. Take away Aroldis Chapman — the best reliever in the AL this season — and the Red Sox have a middle-of-the-pack bullpen. Getting Helsley from St. Louis would give Boston arguably the top setup-closer combination in baseball and go a long way toward supporting a rotation that has been among the game’s best over the past month.
Boston has the makings of a very good team in the second half. Alex Bregman will return soon. Roman Anthony has an OPS of nearly 1.000 over his past 10 games. Ceddanne Rafaela is one of the best center fielders in baseball. Carlos Narváez is a gem. Wilyer Abreu, Trevor Story, even Abraham Toro — everyone is contributing. A reliever or two and another starter would make the Red Sox the sort of contender they envisioned being at the beginning of the season.
National League
56-38, first place, NL West
Weakness: Pitching depth
Best match: Jhoan Durán, Minnesota Twins
The Dodgers enter every deadline season seeking a major move, and the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Durán qualifies. With a fastball that averages over 100 mph, a splinker that sits at 98 and a curveball to keep hitters off balance, Durán is pitching as well as ever. He hasn’t given up a home run this season, and his 1.52 ERA is third in MLB for pitchers with at least 40 innings.
The asking price will be hefty. Durán comes with two more years of team control beyond this season. The Dodgers don’t have time to waste on taking advantage of Shohei Ohtani‘s prime, though, and assembling a team with standouts in all facets is a reasonable goal. For a group threatening to approach a major league record for pitchers used in a season — the Dodgers are at 35, the record is 42 from Seattle in 2019 — adding another wouldn’t in and of itself be a needle-mover. If that one happens to be Durán, the Dodgers could theoretically trot out him, Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Alex Vesia to make their bullpen every bit as scary as the rest of their team.
Chicago Cubs
54-38, first place, NL Central
Weakness: Starting pitching
Best match: Sandy Alcántara, Miami Marlins
The market for Alcántara might not reflect his résumé. A former Cy Young Award winner, the 29-year-old has been arguably the worst pitcher in baseball this season, with an ERA just above 7.22. Some teams — even ones that could desperately use starting pitching — see the remaining two years and $38.3 million on Alcántara’s deal as an impediment to any trade, particularly with Marlins GM Peter Bendix asking for a haul in return.
Whether it’s Alcántara or another starter, the Cubs are a good starter away from having one of the top teams in baseball. Their offense is undeniable. Their defense is magnificent. Their bullpen has been a pleasant surprise. Adding a playoff-caliber starter, even if it pushes Chicago past the $241 million luxury-tax threshold, would reward a team that has brought excitement back to the North Side of Chicago.
54-39, first place, National League East
Weakness: Bullpen and outfield
Best match: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians
As long as the Phillies are aiming high — and nobody aims high quite like Dave Dombrowski — perhaps they could take a run at landing both Clase and Steven Kwan from Cleveland. Maybe it would take Andrew Painter. Maybe Aidan Miller. Maybe Justin Crawford. Regardless, the Phillies’ window is closing, and getting both club control (Clase is under contract through 2028 and Kwan through 2027) and cost certainty (Clase is due $26 million for the next three years and Kwan less than $20 million for two) would make dealing high-end prospects significantly more palatable.
If Cleveland ultimately balks at moving Clase, it doesn’t change the imperative: Philadelphia needs to address its weaknesses. This bullpen is not suited to win a playoff series, much less the World Series. The consequence of bad relief pitching manifested itself in the postseason last year, when the New York Mets filleted Phillies relievers for 17 runs in 12⅔ innings. No other bullpen gave up more than nine runs in the division series. Clase (or Jhoan Durán or any shutdown reliever, really) is just a start. An on-the-fly overhaul is what this team needs — and deserves.
53-39, second place, NL East (first wild card)
Weakness: Pitching depth
Best match: Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Mets started 45-24 on the strength of their starting pitching. With a 2.79 ERA that was nearly a quarter-run better than the second-best rotation, they cut the figure of a juggernaut. Since June 13, their starters’ 5.61 ERA is worse than every team in baseball aside from Washington. And if your starters are getting compared to those of the Nationals, something went haywire.
Gallen has looked more like his old self in recent starts, and if his home run rate stabilizes — typically one per nine, it has jumped to 1.6 — alongside a perilously low strand rate normalizing, he can shake off the 5.15 ERA and be a real difference-maker for the Mets before hitting free agency after the season. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns doesn’t, as a general rule, spend big on pitching. In this case, though, an investment in Gallen makes too much sense for the Mets not to consider.
53-40, second place, NL Central (second wild card)
Weakness: Power
Best match: Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles
With 88 home runs, the Brewers rank just 21st in MLB. And while that hasn’t impeded their production — they’re eighth in runs scored — another big bat could do their offense wonders. Nobody will mistake the soon-to-be-32-year-old O’Hearn for Aaron Judge, but he punishes right-handed pitching, and in a lineup without any boppers, O’Hearn also could serve as the strong side of a first-base platoon and pick up outfield and DH at-bats.
Milwaukee’s options are fascinating. Jacob Misiorowski‘s arrival has been an unmitigated success and only added to the Brewers’ starting pitching depth. They could easily move a starting pitcher and tap into their deep prospect well for O’Hearn. The add-and-subtract maneuver is risky, sure, but the Brewers have steeled themselves to weather it. The Brewers, as currently constituted, are solid. Better second halves from Jackson Chourio and Joey Ortiz, continued solid pitching and the proper sort of deadline aggressiveness could make them even more.
51-43, second place, NL West (third wild card)
Weakness: Starting pitching
Best match: Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Giants made their big move already, getting the best player who will move this season — designated hitter Rafael Devers — to shore up their offense. Intradivision trades can be trying, but if Buster Posey has shown anything in his first season as president of baseball operations, it’s a willingness to stomach the sorts of deals that would scare off his peers.
Kelly represents a significant upgrade over the Giants’ backend rotation options, as Justin Verlander and Hayden Birdsong are sporting ERAs of 6.27 and 5.73, respectively, since June 1. Whether the Giants are real or simply a function of a bullpen whose core of Camilo Doval, Randy Rodriguez, Tyler Rogers, Erik Miller, Spencer Bivens and Ryan Walker has given up only 11 home runs in 232⅔ innings remains to be seen. For an organization seeking its first postseason series win in nearly a decade, though, there is never a time as urgent as now.
49-43, third place, NL West (one game behind third wild card)
Weakness: Left field
Best match: Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
No player and team have been linked as strongly as Duran and the Padres — and that’s without any knowledge of how the Red Sox intend to handle the deadline. Roman Anthony’s emergence has put Boston in a position to float Duran and Wilyer Abreu in trade discussions, and whether it’s now or over the winter, Boston wants to use its surplus of bats to fill voids elsewhere.
Left field in San Diego is among the biggest voids in the game. The Padres have tried eight players in left this season, and collectively they’re barely have an OPS of over .600. A Duran-Jackson Merrill–Fernando Tatis Jr. outfield would be a factory of dynamism that would be under team control through the end of the 2028 season. The Padres might need to get creative — beyond shortstop Leo De Vries (who’s believed to be off-limits) and catcher Ethan Salas, their farm system is middling — but nobody does creativity like GM A.J. Preller. And whether that means facilitating a deal through a third team or including one of their high-leverage relievers like closer Robert Suárez, San Diego is willing to go places most other organizations would never consider.
49-44, third place, NL Central (1½ games behind third wild card)
Weakness: Starting pitching
Best match: Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays
Certainly there’s a world in which John Mozeliak’s final deadline as St. Louis’ president of baseball operations is uneventful. The NL is stacked, and for all of the Cardinals’ improvement this season, they remain a flawed team. And yet there’s also a world in which Mozeliak can make this year’s team better and simultaneously set up his successor, Chaim Bloom, with a rotation option for the future.
The Rays don’t have a strong desire to move the 24-year-old Bradley, but with Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz and Joe Boyle all pitching well, and ace Shane McClanahan out on a rehabilitation assignment, Tampa Bay is at least entertaining the idea. Bradley’s stuff has exceeded his performance over his three major league seasons, but the controllable-starting-pitching market is practically empty, and St. Louis’ farm system is replete with high-end catchers, which would fill a vacuum for the Rays
47-46, fourth place, NL Central (3½ games behind third wild card)
Weakness: Bullpen and big bat
Best match: Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
With a sneaky-deep farm system, the Reds could put together the sort of package to convince Cleveland to move Kwan, a two-time All-Star who in his four seasons ranks fifth in wins above replacement among all outfielders, behind only Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker and Julio Rodríguez. Kwan’s bat-to-ball and defensive skills in left field are elite, and with free agency not beckoning until after the 2027 season, sandwiching him between TJ Friedl and Elly De La Cruz strengthens a Reds lineup that could use an offensive infusion.
If the cost to acquire Kwan is too high, other good options exist, chief among them Marcell Ozuna, the Atlanta slugger whose swing was built for Great American Ball Park. With a rotation that includes All-Star Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Chase Burns, the Reds are a terrifying postseason opponent. Another bat would buttress the rotation and give Cincinnati an opportunity to turn potential into its first postseason series win in three decades.
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David Schoenfield
Comparing MLB to the NBA is kind of like comparing apples to pomegranates, but the NBA, with its rapid-fire spate of blockbuster trades and signings, certainly has us wishing major league front office executives operated as daringly as their basketball counterparts.
The conservative nature in baseball is understandable. Nobody wants to end up as the general manager who trades Pete Crow-Armstrong for two months of Javier Baez and a failed playoff bid.
But every now and then we get a shocking deal. At the MLB trade deadline in 2022, the San Diego Padres gave up five highly rated young players to acquire Juan Soto, who still had two-plus seasons left of team control. Three of those young players — James Wood, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams — now form the core of the Washington Nationals. And just a few weeks ago came the surprise mid-June trade of Rafael Devers, in only the second year of a 10-year contract, from the Boston Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants.
Might another similarly entertaining megadeal occur this month ahead of the deadline on July 31? Probably not, but we can dream.
Let’s consider three players who almost certainly won’t be made available for trade this year, but whose names have been kicked around in (quite unlikely) fan trade scenarios. If the right offer did arrive, the player’s organization would have to at least consider making the deal … right?
Call them Godfather offers. Let’s see what it would take to land three star players in 2025.
(All prospect rankings are from Kiley McDaniel’s top 50 update from late May.)
Why they’ll probably keep him: He’s arguably the best starter in baseball, perhaps on his way to a Cy Young Award in his first full season. He’s one of the biggest names in the sport — despite playing for the lowly Pirates — and a player you can build not only a pitching staff around but a championship contender. He’s under team control through 2029 and doesn’t even become arbitration-eligible until 2027, so the Pirates are still years away from paying him a fair salary.
But Skenes is a pitcher — and pitchers get hurt. So, if the Pirates are open to listening …
Offer No. 1: New York Mets offer SS/CF Jett Williams (No. 20), RHP Jonah Tong (No. 50), RHP Nolan McLean, IF Ronny Mauricio, OF Carson Benge
Offer No. 2: Los Angeles Dodgers offer C/OF Dalton Rushing (No. 14), OF Josue De Paula (No. 17), IF Alex Freeland, RHP Emmet Sheehan, LHP Jackson Ferris
Offer No. 3: Detroit Tigers offer OF Max Clark (No. 8), SS Kevin McGonigle (No. 11), RHP Jackson Jobe, IF Colt Keith, RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long
The one that could get it done: Tigers
A playoff rotation with Skenes and Tarik Skubal? Thank you very much. Reminder: The Tigers haven’t won the World Series since 1984.
It will take one of the best farm systems in the sport to acquire Skenes, and Detroit is incredibly well positioned to make this kind of deal, with depth at both the major league and minor league levels, not to mention a payroll with only one expensive long-term commitment in Javier Baez. Two of the top prospects in the sport in Clark and McGonigle headline this trade, with both currently excelling in High-A ball. Clark, a speedy center fielder, has a .429 OBP with more walks than strikeouts, and McGonigle is hitting .373 with a high contact rate and OPS over 1.100. Former top pitching prospect Jobe underwent Tommy John surgery in June and would be a nice inclusion for the Pirates to gamble on.
For the Tigers, the deal wouldn’t even decimate their farm system. They would still have shortstop Bryce Rainer (No. 22), first baseman/catcher Josue Briceno and a slew of solid pitching prospects. For the Pirates, Clark and McGonigle project as solutions at two problem areas in center field (where Oneil Cruz has struggled defensively) and shortstop (stopgap Isiah Kiner-Falefa is the current starter) plus they get a solid major leaguer in Keith and a back-end rotation-type in Gipson-Long.
As much as the Mets could use a staff ace, their system is deeper in pitching prospects, which doesn’t best align with the Pirates’ needs. As the Dodgers’ pitching injuries have piled up again, Skenes could be a match. Rushing is blocked at catcher by Will Smith, and he and De Paula probably have more power upside (De Paula has drawn Yordan Alvarez comparisons) than Clark and McGonigle. The Pirates might, understandably, ask for Roki Sasaki, and that could be the deal-breaker for the Dodgers.
Why they’ll probably keep him: Acuña has been one of the best hitters in the majors since returning in late May from his second ACL surgery and has been the best hitter on a Braves team that is near the bottom of the National League in runs scored. He is signed through 2028 on an incredibly team-friendly deal that pays him just $17 million per season — making it one of the best contracts in the sport for a team. At just 27 years old, he remains in the middle of his prime and is one of the sport’s most dynamic talents.
But Acuña’s knees are a long-term concern, Atlanta lacks depth in both the lineup and pitching staff, and this looks like a lost season.
So, if the Braves are open to listening …
Offer No. 1: Milwaukee Brewers offer SS Jesus Made (No. 5), SS Luis Pena, OF Sal Frelick, RHP Logan Henderson, RHP Abner Uribe
Offer No. 2: Seattle Mariners offer SS Colt Emerson (No. 10), RHP Bryce Miller, C Harry Ford, OF Lazaro Montes, LHP Brandyn Garcia
Offer No. 3: Tampa Bay Rays offer SS Carson Willliams (No. 27), RHP Shane Baz, OF Theo Gillen, RHP Yoniel Curet, RHP Brody Hopkins
The one that could get it done: Mariners
The Mariners have never played in a World Series. Their right-field production is among the worst in the majors. Oh, and they have a loaded farm system with nine prospects on MLB.com’s recently updated top 100, more than any other team. On that list, Emerson came in at No. 18, Montes at No. 29 and Ford at No. 56. Miller’s value is temporarily down since he’s out because of right elbow inflammation, but he had a 2.94 ERA for the Mariners in 2024 and could give the Braves a front-line starter if healthy.
Ford might not be a perfect fit for Atlanta with Drake Baldwin (plus Sean Murphy) at catcher, but Cal Raleigh blocks Ford in Seattle. The Braves could trade Murphy in the offseason, and Ford does have the athleticism to play some outfield — although he has played exclusively behind the plate at Triple-A, where he’s hitting over .300 with an OBP over .400. Emerson is a favorite of scouts with his hard contact and ability to play shortstop, although he’s still learning to lift the ball more, while Montes recently earned a promotion to Double-A after slugging .572 in High-A at age 20.
For the Mariners, Acuña would fit nicely at the top of the order or hitting second in front of Raleigh, allowing them to slide Julio Rodriguez lower in the lineup — and maybe Acuña’s presence would also help take some pressure off Rodriguez. Most importantly: Acuña’s salary is a realistic fit even for the Mariners, who don’t like to spend. And despite giving up three excellent prospects and a young starting pitcher, their farm system would remain strong. Plus, they have the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft.
Milwaukee’s offer is enticing with two premium hitting prospects in Made and Pena, but it’s a riskier package as the 18-year-olds are a long way from the majors and neither is a lock to stick at shortstop, a big offensive hole in the Braves’ lineup. Williams would be the key to the Tampa Bay trade, but his sky-high strikeout rate at Triple-A has caused him to drop in the rankings and limits his offensive upside.
Why they’ll probably keep him: The Twins are under .500, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the playoff race. Buxton has been their best player and best hitter as he’s on pace for a career high in WAR. Though he hasn’t reached the heights of Acuña at Acuña’s best, Buxton’s contract is also team friendly, as he’s signed through 2028 and making $15.1 million per season. He’s 31 years old but is still one of the better defensive center fielders in the game.
But Buxton, while healthy in 2025, is frequently sidelined by injuries. So, if the Twins are open to listening …
Offer No. 1: Philadelphia Phillies offer RHP Andrew Painter (No. 23) and OF Justin Crawford
Offer No. 2: Cincinnati Reds offer RHP Rhett Lowder (No. 48), RHP Chase Petty (No. 49) and 3B Sal Stewart
Offer No. 3: Kansas City Royals offer LHP Cole Ragans and LHP David Shields
The one that could get it done: Phillies
The Phillies, Reds and Royals all could use an outfielder to add some punch to their lineups, although in Cincinnati’s case, its biggest hole is at third base. Philadelphia has a lot riding on 2025 given the age of its lineup, and executive Dave Dombrowski knows how to go all-in. In this case, that would mean parting with one of the top pitching prospects in the game in Painter, plus a promising young outfielder hitting well at Triple-A.
Trading Painter would be painful, but the Phillies remain deep in the rotation with Zack Wheeler (signed through 2027), Cristopher Sanchez (signed through 2030), Aaron Nola (signed through 2030) and Jesus Luzardo (under team control through 2026). Ranger Suarez, who’s having an excellent season, is heading into free agency, so he’s the one arm they might lose. But center field has been a soft spot in recent seasons, with the Phillies in the bottom third in the majors in OPS this year, and the team’s overall power output has been below average, even with Kyle Schwarber. Adding Buxton adds more pop to the middle of the order.
Painter gives the Twins a potential ace, and they have top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez ready to take over in center field anyway. The 21-year-old Crawford is a divisive prospect (he’s No. 49 in the MLB.com rankings) because while he’s hitting for a high average at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he hits the ball on the ground too much and has only two home runs. Still, there’s a chance he produces a good OBP and plus defense with his speed.
The Royals’ challenge trade with Ragans is intriguing but risky for Minnesota, given he’s on the injured list right now because of a rotator cuff strain. Plus, intradivision trades are hard to pull off. The Twins would want Chase Burns from the Reds, but that’s probably a nonstarter for Cincinnati.
Will we get some surprise spicy deals this trade deadline? Will it just be the usual list of free-agents-to-be and relief pitchers? In a season that remains so wide open, the time might be right for some outside-the-box movement.
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