MLB free agency tracker: Keep up with all the latest offseason moves
The 2022-23 MLB hot stove is in full swing. Aaron Judge has made his decision to return to the New York Yankees, while a number of other big names have signed as well, including Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and Trea Turner .
Which teams will go all-in for a 2023 World Series push? Where will other top free agents such as Carlos Correa sign? Who will make the trades that has everyone buzzing this offseason?
Below is a running list of notable transactions and updates from throughout the MLB offseason.
Latest updates, rumors and news from the MLB winter meetings in San Diego
Key links: All transactions | Free agency grades
Top 50 free agents | Passan’s offseason preview
Key MLB offseason dates
Dec. 4-7: Winter meetings in San Diego
Dec. 7: Rule 5 draft
Jan. 13: Deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures
Jan. 30: Arbitration hearings begin
Feb. 24: 2023 spring training games begin
Notable MLB offseason transactions
Grades for every big signing and trade
Dec. 7
Red Sox sign NPB outfielder Masataka Yoshida
The 29-year-old Yoshida, who led Nippon Professional Baseball in OPS the last two seasons, agreed to a five-year, $90 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, sources tell ESPN. With a posting fee of $15.4 million, the total cost of the deal will be $105.4 million. Story »
Cardinals nab their starting catcher
Willson Contreras and the St. Louis Cardinals are in agreement on a five-year, $87.5 million contract, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Red Sox add to their bullpen
Closer Kenley Jansen and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $32 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Mets land another rotation piece
Left-hander Jose Quintana and the New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year, $26 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Aaron Judge is staying with the Yankees … for $360 million
Judge answered baseball’s biggest offseason question Wednesday morning, agreeing to a nine-year, $360 million contract to remain with the New York Yankees, sources confirmed to ESPN. Story »
Did the Yankees overpay? Grading Judge’s $360 million deal to stay in New York
Cubs bolster rotation with Taillon
The Chicago Cubs are in agreement with free agent pitcher Jameson Taillon on a four-year, $68 million deal, sources tell ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Dec. 6
Phillies make more big moves, add pitching
Right-hander Taijuan Walker and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a four-year, $72 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The Phillies also finalized a two-year, $15 million contract with left-handed reliever Matt Strahm. Story » | Grades »
Giants add Haniger to outfield with three-year deal
Outfielder Mitch Haniger and the San Francisco Giants agreed on a three-year, $43.5 million contract Tuesday, sources told ESPN, filling a hole in the Giants’ outfield as they continue to their free-agent pursuit of American League MVP Aaron Judge. Story » | Grades »
Cubs bring in Bellinger on one-year deal
Outfielder Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs are in agreement on a one-year, $17.5 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Tuesday. Story » | Grades »
Rangers add another arm to rotation
Left-handed starter Andrew Heaney is signing a two-year deal worth $25 million (includes an opt-out) with the Texas Rangers, a source tells ESPN. Story »
Bell heading to Cleveland
First baseman Josh Bell and the Cleveland Guardians are in agreement on a two-year contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Pirates land right-hander
Vince Velasquez has an agreement on a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a source tells ESPN. Story »
Yankees add a reliever
Right-hander Tommy Kahnle and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a two-year, $11.5 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Story »
Dec. 5
Trea Turner lands megadeal from Phillies
Shortstop Trea Turner and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed on an 11-year, $300 million contract that includes a full no trade clause, sources tell ESPN. Story »
Another NL East winter meetings splash! Grading Turner’s deal with Phillies »
Mets agree to deal with Verlander
Justin Verlander and the New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year, $86 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tells ESPN. Story »
$86 million for a 40-year-old ace? Grading the Verlander deal »
Dodgers re-sign Kershaw to 1-year, $20M deal
The Los Angeles Dodgers have re-signed ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw to a one-year contract worth $20 million. Story » | Grades »
Angels add Estevez to bullpen
The Los Angeles Angels, looking to patch several holes in their pitching staff, signed right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez to a two-year, $13.5 million contract. Story »
Dec. 2
Rangers sign deGrom to $185 million contract
Two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom signed a five-year, $185 million deal with the Texas Rangers. Story »
Texas goes bold, but can this really work? Grading the deGrom deal »
Olney: How Jacob deGrom decided to ditch New York and become a Texas Ranger
Mariners and Brewers agree to deal
The Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers are in agreement on a trade that will send outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro to the Brewers for second baseman Kolten Wong and around $1.75 million in cash, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Story »| Grades »
Red Sox add reliever Martin
Right-handed reliever Chris Martin and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $17.5 million contract, pending physical, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Story »
Dec. 1
Boyd returns to Tigers
Left-hander Matthew Boyd and the Detroit Tigers are in agreement on a contract bringing the pitcher back to Detroit, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Story »
Nov. 28
Astros sign Abreu to three-year deal
First baseman Jose Abreu and the Houston Astros are in agreement on a three-year contract, a source told ESPN. Story »| Grades »
Nov. 27
Clevinger signs one-year deal with White Sox
Free agent pitcher Mike Clevinger is in agreement with the Chicago White Sox on a contract for the 2023 season, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Story »
Nov. 25
Pirates agree with 1B/DH Carlos Santana
First baseman Carlos Santana and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement on a one-year, $6.7 million contract, pending the results of a physical, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN. Story »| Grades »
Nov. 22
Angels trade with Brewers for Renfroe
The Los Angeles Angels acquired outfielder Hunter Renfroe in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for right-handers Janson Junk and Elvis Peguero and minor league lefty Adam Seminaris. Story » | Grades »
Nov. 18
Dodgers part ways with Bellinger
Outfielder Cody Bellinger has been non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team announced Friday. Story »
Angels and Twins complete trade
The Los Angeles Angels are in agreement to acquire third baseman Gio Urshela from the Minnesota Twins for minor league RHP Alejandro Hidalgo, sources tell ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Yankees bring back IKF
Shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a one-year, $6 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Story »
Mets add two righties in deal with Marlins
The New York Mets acquired right-handers Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham in a trade with the Miami Marlins. Miami receives minor league righty Franklin Sanchez and a player to be named or cash. Story »
Nov. 17
Mariners and Diamondbacks swap position players
The Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a trade that will send outfielder Kyle Lewis to Arizona and outfielder/catcher Cooper Hummel to Seattle, sources familiar with the situation tell ESPN.
Nov. 16
Padres bring back Martinez
Pitcher Nick Martinez has returned to the San Diego Padres with a new three-year contract, a source confirmed to ESPN. Story »
Mariners acquire All-Star Hernandez from Blue Jays
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has been traded to the Seattle Mariners from the Toronto Blue Jays, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Nov. 15
Rizzo returning to Yankees on a multiyear deal
First baseman Anthony Rizzo is returning to New York on a deal worth $17 million per season with a $6 million buyout for a 2025 option, sources tell ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Anderson turns down Dodgers to join Angels
Starting pitcher Tyler Anderson is headed to the Angels on a three-year deal and expected to be in the $39 million range, sources tell ESPN. Anderson turned down a qualifying offer from the Dodgers so the Angels will lose their second-round 2023 MLB draft pick while Dodgers get a pick after the fourth round. Story » | Grades »
Pederson accepts qualifying offer
Outfielder Joc Pederson has accepted the qualifying offer and will return to the Giants on a $19.65 million deal for 2023. Story »
Perez accepts qualifying offer to return to Rangers
Starting pitcher Martin Perez is accepting the Rangers’ qualifying offer and will make $19.65 million for Texas in 2023. Story »
Nov. 12
Montero returns to Astros with a three-year deal
Reliever Rafael Montero agreed to a three-year, $34.5 million contract that will bring the right-hander back to the Houston Astros‘ dominant bullpen a week after the team rode its pitching staff to a World Series title, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Nov. 11
Rockies shore up bullpen with Urena
The Colorado Rockies agreed to a $3.5 million, one-year deal Friday night with right-hander Jose Urena. Story »
Braves sign reliever Nick Anderson to split deal
The Atlanta Braves signed right-hander Nick Anderson to a one-year, non-guaranteed split contract on Friday, earning Anderson $875,000 while he is in the majors and $185,000 if he is in the minors. Story »
Nov. 10
Dodgers re-sign Clayton Kershaw to one-year deal
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw are nearing agreement on a one-year deal Thursday, bringing the future Hall of Fame left-hander back to Los Angeles for a 16th season. Story » | Grades »
Reliever Robert Suarez re-signs with Padres
Suarez agreed with the San Diego Padres for a $46 million, five-year contract. Story » | Grades »
Rays trade Ji-Man Choi to Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquire 1B Ji-Man Choi from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor league pitcher Jack Hartman. Story »
Nov. 6
Edwin Diaz re-signs with Mets
Star closer Edwin Diaz and the New York Mets are in agreement on a five-year, $102 million contract. Story »
The first 12-team College Football Playoff is down to the final two contenders: Notre Dame and Ohio State.
The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish and eighth-seeded Buckeyes will meet Jan. 20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T. Whichever team wins will end a championship drought. Notre Dame aims for its first title since 1988. Ohio State’s lull isn’t nearly as long, as the Buckeyes won the first CFP championship a decade ago, but given how consistently elite they are, it seems like a while.
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Ohio State’s Ryan Day are also aiming for their first championships as head coaches, and Freeman’s past will be in the spotlight. Freeman and the Irish lost to the Buckeyes and Day in each of the past two seasons. But after a masterful coaching job this season, Freeman now will face his alma mater — he was an All-Big Ten linebacker for Ohio State under coach Jim Tressel — with everything on the line. Day, meanwhile, can secure the loftiest goal for a team that fell short of earlier ones, but never stopped swinging.
Here’s your first look at the championship matchup and what to expect in the ATL. — Adam Rittenberg
When: Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN
What we learned in the semifinal: Notre Dame’s resilience and situational awareness/execution are undeniably its signature traits and could propel the team to a title. The Irish have overcome injuries all season and did so again against Penn State. They also erased two deficits and continued to hold the edge in the “middle eight” — the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half — while dominating third down on both sides of the ball. Notre Dame can rely on front men such as quarterback Riley Leonard, running back Jeremiyah Love and linebacker Jack Kiser, but also on backup QB Steve Angeli, wide receiver Jaden Greathouse and kicker Mitch Jeter. These Irish fight, and they’re very hard to knock out.
X factor: Greathouse entered Thursday with moderate numbers — 29 receptions, 359 yards, one touchdown — and had only three total catches for 14 yards in the first two CFP games. But he recorded career highs in both receptions (7) and receiving yards (105) and tied the score on a 54-yard touchdown with 4:38 to play. A Notre Dame offense looking for more from its wide receivers, especially downfield, could lean more on Greathouse, who exceeded his receptions total from the previous five games but might be finding his groove at the perfect time. He also came up huge in the clutch, recording all but six of his receiving yards in the second half.
How Notre Dame wins: The Irish won’t have the talent edge in Atlanta, partly because they’ve lost several stars to season-ending injuries, but they have the right traits to hang with any opponent. Notre Dame needs contributions in all three phases and must continue to sprinkle in downfield passes, an element offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has pushed. And they finally did start seeing results against Penn State. The Irish likely can’t afford to lose the turnover margin, although they can help themselves by replicating their third-down brilliance — 11 of 17 conversions on offense, 3 of 11 conversions allowed on defense — from the Penn State win. — Rittenberg
What we learned in the semifinal: The Buckeyes have a defense with championship mettle, headlined by senior defensive end Jack Sawyer, who delivered one of the biggest defensive plays in Ohio State history. On fourth-and-goal with just over two minutes remaining, Sawyer sacked Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, forcing a fumble that he scooped up and raced 83 yards for a game-clinching touchdown, propelling Ohio State to the national title game. The Buckeyes weren’t perfect in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and they struggled offensively for much of the night against a talented Texas defense. But Ohio State showed late why its defense is arguably the best in college football, too.
X factor: The play two snaps before the Sawyer scoop-and-score set the table. On second-and-goal from the Ohio State 1-yard line, unheralded senior safety Lathan Ransom dashed past incoming blockers and dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss. After an incomplete pass, the Longhorns were forced into desperation mode on fourth-and-goal down a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining. All-American safety Caleb Downs, who had an interception on Texas’ ensuing drive, rightfully gets all the headlines for the Ohio State secondary. But the Buckeyes have other veteran standouts such as Ransom throughout their defense.
How Ohio State wins: Texas took away Ohio State’s top offensive playmaker, true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who had only one reception for 3 yards on three targets. As the first two playoff games underscored, the Buckeyes offense is at its best when Smith gets the ball early and often. Notre Dame is sure to emulate the Texas blueprint, positioning the defensive backs to challenge Smith. Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has to counter with a plan that finds ways to get the ball into Smith’s hands, no matter what the Fighting Irish do. — Jake Trotter
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Doug Greenberg, ESPN
Ohio State opened as a 9.5-point favorite over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T, per ESPN BET odds.
If that line holds, it would be tied for the second-largest spread in a CFP national championship game and the fourth largest in the CFP/BCS era. Georgia was -13.5 against TCU in the 2022 national championship, while Alabama showed -9.5 against none other than Ohio State to decide the 2020 campaign. Both favorites covered the spread in blowout fashion, combining for a cover margin of 63.
Notre Dame is 12-3 against the spread this season, tied with Arizona State (12-2) and Marshall (12-1) for the most covers in the nation. The Irish are 7-0 ATS against ranked teams and 2-0 ATS as underdogs, with both covers going down as outright victories, including their win over Penn State (-1.5) in the CFP national semifinal.
However, Notre Dame was also on the losing end of the largest outright upset of the college football season when it fell as a 28.5-point favorite to Northern Illinois.
Ohio State is 9-6 against the spread and has been a favorite in every game it has played this season; it has covered the favorite spread in every CFP game thus far, including in its semifinal win against Texas when it covered -6 with overwhelming public support.
The Buckeyes also have been an extremely popular pick in the futures market all season. At BetMGM as of Friday morning, OSU had garnered a leading 28.2% of money and 16.8% of bets to win the national title, checking in as the sportsbook’s greatest liability.
Ohio State opened at +700 to win it all this season and is now -350 with just one game to play.
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