Category: MLB

The big boys are off the board. The quick pivots have been exhausted. Now, Major League Baseball teams must make do with whatever's left on the free agent market a little more than three weeks before spring training camps open.

There have been some notable salvage jobs in the past week, with the Boston Red Sox losing out on Alex Bregman, only to pivot to run prevention and snag lefty Ranger Suárez. Or the Kyle Tucker-to-L.A. stunner prompting the Mets to ambush Bo Bichette with a $42 million annual salary.

Now, the wriggle room is less, the surefire talents all but gone from our list of available players. There are still avenues to improve, but they are narrower. Let's explore them:

Cody Bellinger: Last big bat standing

And that's no exaggeration. With Tucker, Bichette and Bregman spoken for, Bellinger represents the lowest-hanging fruit on a board that counts 34-year-old third baseman Eugenio Suárez as the next-best available positon player.

Two questions: How badly do the Yankees want Bellinger back - and do the spurned Mets and Blue Jays loom as legitimate threats?

In one sense, Bellinger was dealt a losing hand with the Tucker-Bichette shuffle, with Citi Field and Dodger Stadium both potential destinations. Tucker closes the door on L.A., but the Mets still have a massive hole in left field. The Blue Jays missed out on Tucker, couldn't renew vows with Bichette and now it's unknown if they're so desirous of an outfield upgrade that they'd be willing to spend the cash on a nine-figure deal for Bellinger, 30, after the 28-year-old Tucker spurned them.

The Yankees, meanwhile, still exist.

Other than welcoming back Trent Grisham once the center fielder accepted the $22 million qualifying offer, and trading for lefty Ryan Weathers to hold down the fort until a group of starting pitchers get healthy, it's been a virtually silent winter. Sure, their payroll will be north of $250 million, and creeps toward $300 million for tax purposes at the moment.

For now that's well shy of the Dodgers, Mets and Phillies and even trails the Blue Jays. In a relative sense, they've got money to burn. Yet they've made it clear so far that Bellinger doesn't fall into their "spare no expense" bucket. We'll see if they find a mutually happy zone.

Summer 2026 belongs to Jeff Kent.

The San Francisco Giants legend will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on July 26. However, his ceremonious affairs won't stop there.

The Giants plan to have a Hall of Fame celebration for Kent on Aug. 29 at Oracle Park when they play the Arizona Diamondbacks. To honor Kent, San Francisco will also retire his No. 21 jersey before the game.

Kent, who spent six seasons in San Francisco, became a member of the Giants Wall of Fame in 2009. His bronze plaque is located along King Street.

The Giants Wall of Fame pays tribute to the organization’s greatest players who have, either, played a minimum of nine seasons for the Giants or played five seasons with at least one All-Star appearance or championship win in San Francisco, according to MLB.com.

It was a heck of a hot stove week, with two pairs of transactions seemingly moving in unison. The Cubs swiped Alex Bregman from the Red Sox, which prompted Boston to pivot to a five-year deal with Ranger Suarez. A couple nights later, the Dodgers did what they do and signed Kyle Tucker, which appeared to spur the Mets into inking their own opt-out-laden deal with Bo Bichette. Will the dominoes keep falling? This flurry of activity leaves Cody Bellinger as the last big bat on the market, and the Yankees, for now, still seem to have the best offer on the table. Will the saga, finally, come to a conclusion? Perhaps we’ll know this weekend. On the site today, it’ll be a quieter one, with Jeff profiling Chili Davis as part of our Yankees Birthday series.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Do you expect the Mets’ signing of Bo Bichette to take them out of the running in the Cody Bellinger sweepstakes? Or will they still compete with the Yankees for the outfielder’s services?

2. Who will emerge from this weekend of the NFL playoffs as the Super Bowl favorite?

The San Diego Padres have a long history of signing top international prospects. Catcher Ethan Salas signed in 2023, and shortstop Leo De Vries signed in 2024. Top reliever Adrian Morejon was a 2016 signee, part of the biggest and most expensive Padres amateur class.

The 2026 signing window opened Jan. 15 and closes on Dec. 15. The Padres have $5.94 million available to them for signing players. The total amount spent so far is not currently publicly known but their two biggest bonuses, $1.4 million to Cuban shortstop Joniel Hernandez and $1 million to Mexican LHP Diego Serna, was a good start.

Both players are ranked in the top 100, per Baseball America, and were joined by Curacao shortstop Timothy Mogen, who signed for $600,00. All three had prior agreements with the organization and the announcements came soon after the opening of the official window.

#31 Hernandez, 16, is a plus-runner with a plus-arm and athleticism. He has good bat speed and could develop above average power. If he doesn’t stick at shortstop, he has the skills to also profile in center field.

#45 Serna, 16, could be the best lefty pitcher in the class. He has a starter profile and is already 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. He throws a mid-90s fastball, a plus-slider and a changeup with an advanced development due to his extensive experience in Mexico.

#76 Mogen, 17, is a shortstop from Aruba with plus-speed and a plus-arm and could develop power as he fills out his 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame. He has good contact skills and a high baseball IQ.

The other players signed in the first 24 hours include:

RHP Joel Duarte, 17, ($150,000) from Venezuela was training as a shortstop but converted to pitching recently with a plus-arm. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, started with a mid-90s fastball and has topped at 98 mph.

Catcher Jhoneiker Leon is from Venezuela with a strong arm and plus-power as a hitter.

RHP Jordan Perez ($300,000) is a Cuban that has starter tools. He currently shows a low-90s fastball and a good curveball.

LHP Joel Gonzalez is out of Panama and shortstop Osmy Osorio is from Venezuela. There are no current scouting reports for either of these players.

Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the above signings as well, but they are not confirmed by the team.

Expect more players to sign over the next year. All international players must be 16 before they sign and turn 17 by Sept. 1 of the following year. They must all be registered with MLB before signing. All players signed before summer will be part of a group who will start their professional careers as part of the Padres international group that lives and trains at their complex in the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Summer League is home to several of the Padres top prospects and last year featured No. 9 prospect Deivid Coronil, an infielder who spent his rookie season as part of the DSL Padres Gold team, and No. 17 prospect Jhoan De La Cruz. Cruz, a shortstop and second baseman, spent his rookie season playing alongside Coronil in the Gold team infield.

Some DSL players play more than just their rookie season in the Dominican, but the more advanced players transfer stateside to begin their US careers with Lake Elsinore.

These Phillies podcasters were flabbergasted as they found out Bo Bichette agreed to a deal with the Mets on Friday.

Jamie Lynch and Tyler Zulli of PHLY Sports were filming their podcast — and analyzing Bichette’s potential suitors in free agency — when one of their staffers interrupted them with the news of the infielder’s three-year, $126 million contract with the Mets, leaving the two in absolute shock.

After some screaming followed by a brief silence, Lynch then asked where Bichette would play in the Mets’ infield.

The moment we found out Bo Bichette signed with the Mets…@Xfinitypic.twitter.com/rVDIDnbysK

— PHLY Sports (@PHLY_Sports) January 16, 2026

“Why, they have [Marcus] Semien, [Francisco] Lindor, and [Mark] Vientos,” Lynch said, referring to the Mets’ rather full infield for next year.

Lynch and Zulli then broke some more silence by simultaneously yelling out, “what” into the cameras.

Zulli then speculated on where the Mets could place Bichette come next season, saying that he could play “a little bit of everywhere.”

“He’s not going to DH,” Zulli said. “I imagine he will play a little bit of everywhere?”

According to The Post’s Jon Heyman, Bichette, 27, is expected to play third base in Queens — despite never playing the position in professional baseball.

The PHLY Sports podcasters were also likely shellshocked by the deal, as the Phillies were initially one of the favorites to land Bichette in free agency.

Heyman reported earlier in January that it “feels like there’s strong mutual interest” between the two parties after they met to discuss a potential contract.

Additionally, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the “Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign” the two-time All-Star, while also mentioning that the “Yankees and Mets will now be in a bidding war for outfielder Cody Bellinger.”

Philadelphia quickly pivoted after striking out on Bichette, however, re-signing three-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto to a three-year, $45 million deal on Friday.

CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: Thursday night’s bombshell that Kyle Tucker would be heading to Los Angeles seemed to set up another potential Yankees vs. Mets showdown for a free agent outfielder. The Mets were heavily involved in the Tucker bidding, which would lead one to believe that they could turn their atention to Cody Bellinger. But now, the Mets have made their own major move, grabbing Bo Bichette on a three-year, $126-million deal with two opt outs. Have the Mets removed themselves from the Bellinger sweepstakes? Or will they challenge the Yankees once again?

New York Post | Jon Heyman: We’ve gotten a lot of detail about the Yankees’ reported offer to Bellinger lately, as it’s widely assumed that New York has something like five years and $155 million on the table for the outfielder. Heyman reports further, suggesting that the Yankees are also comfortable offering not one but two opt-outs in the deal. That would be a pretty favorable contract from the player’s perspective, and it’s worth wondering whether Bellinger can expect to extract much more favorable terms than what’s already out there.

MLB.com | David Adler: Ryan Weathers, breakout candidate? The Yankees sure hope so, and there is reason to believe. Weathers’ arsenal last year comps well to Jesús Luzardo, Tarik Skubal, and Garrett Crochet, per Statcast, a pretty tantalizing group to be associated with. There’s clear potential for huge strikeout stuff, but the whiffs haven’t all the way come yet for Weathers, his 8.5 K/9 rate with the Marlins solid but far from elite, and staying on the field has always been a problem for the lefty. The Yankees have a promising project on their hands, but a project nonetheless.

FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: If you’re in the mood, here’s more analysis of the fateful Tucker deal. Jaffe writes that it sets a new standard for short-term, high-AAV deals, with Tucker’s $57 million annual luxury tax hit (after accounting for deferrals), making him the highest-paid player on an annual basis in MLB history, outstripping Juan Soto’s $51 million number and Shohei Ohtani’s $46 million figure. If you’re coming away from this feeling like this is all a bit much for a player of Tucker’s caliber (read: very, very good, but perhaps not great), then you’d probably be justified, with FanGraphs’ ZiPS projections suggesting about $150 million as an appropriate median offer for Tucker over a four-year term.

Though a quiet day for the Atlanta Braves, it was a pretty active day for other clubs in the NL East. The Braves may not have made any blockbuster moves on Friday, but the slow day did give us a chance to look at Austin Riley’s 2025 season and gear up for a (hopefully) successful 2026. 

MLB News:

The New York Mets and infielder Bo Bichette have agreed to a three-year, $126M deal. The contract does not contain any deferred money. The Philadelphia Phillies reportedly made a seven-year offer to Bichette.

Catcher J.T. Realmuto is off the board after the Philadelphia Phillies re-signed him to a three-year contract worth $45M. 

The Miami Marlins claimed right-hander Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Mets also claimed a player off waivers from Tampa in infielder Tsung-Che Cheng.

The Minnesota Twins agreed to a two-year, $14M deal with catcher Victor Caratini. Minnesota’s 40-man roster is full, so a corresponding move is required.

Bo Bichette wasn’t the only infielder the Mets added Friday.

The team also announced it claimed lefty-hitting Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from the Rays.

The 24-year-old Cheng appeared in three games with the Pirates last season, going 0-for-7 with three strikeouts,

He was selected off waivers by Tampa Bay earlier this month before the Mets snagged him Friday.

The native of Taiwan has primarily been a shortstop in the minors and also spent time at second and third base.

He signed with the Pirates as an international free agent in 2019 and was designated for assignment by the team in December and figures to provide minor league depth at Triple-A Syracuse, since the Mets appear set in the infield after they agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal with Bichette, who will shift over from shortstop to third.

Bichette will join Francisco Lindor at short and newly-acquired Marcus Semien at second, while Brett Baty may have a utility role and another recent acquisition, Jorge Polanco could see time at first with Mark Vientos.

Chicago Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts announced at Friday night’s Cubs Convention Opening Ceremony that former Cubs catcher Jody Davis and pitcher Jon Lester will be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame this year.

Also, former broadcaster Vince Lloyd will be inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame and given a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” a new award honoring individuals who made a significant contribution to the Cubs organization over their lifetime. The 2026 Cubs Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at Wrigley Field at a date to be announced later.

Ricketts said, “The Cubs Hall of Fame Committee selected three people representing three eras of Cubs baseball—fitting as the team celebrates its 150th anniversary. Jody Davis was a part of the legendary 1984 Cubs team that helped create a generation of fans across the country—legions of whom can still sing Harry Caray’s theme song for this durable catcher who made the All-Star Game that year. He rarely took a day off from catching and was a tough out who hit 129 homers as a Cub.

“Jon Lester was perhaps the greatest free agent signing in team history. He already had two World Series rings and when we announced his signing in December of 2014 as we headed into the 2015 season, it was an inflection point for this team. His leadership helped power our team to the NLCS that seasons. In 20216, in Game 5 of the World Series, with our backs against the wall, he earned the win with a six-inning performance that saved the series for us.

“For over 34 seasons, Vince Lloyd was the ‘Voice of Summer’ for Cubs fans. From the earliest days of Cubs baseball on television in the 50s all the way through the 80s on radio, Lloyd brought Cubs games into people’s homes. The former U.S. Marine brought the ‘Holy Mackerel’ to Jack Brickhouse’s “Hey Hey.’ For 23 years on the radio, he was the play-by-play voice alongside Hall-of-Famer Lou Boudreau, including the great runs of 1969 and 1984. Vince’s dedication to his craft on the radio made him like family to generations of Cubs fans.”

Davis was a Cubs catcher for eight seasons (1981-1988) and a two-time all-star (1984, 1986) during his tenure. He was a key member of the 1984 National League Eastern Division Champions team hitting .256 with 19 home runs and 94 RBI that season.

Lester played six of his 16 major league seasons with the Cubs, including the 2016 World Series championship team. A fierce competitor and big-game pitcher, he was Co-MVP of the 2016 National League Championship series and a two-time All-Star (2016, 2018). He played on four Cubs postseason teams and will go down in history as one of the greatest free agent signings in Chicago sports history.

Lloyd was a beloved and versatile broadcaster of Chicago sports for almost four decades and served 34 seasons (1950, 1954-1986) as a Cubs broadcaster. He called over 6,000 major league games in his career, including 5,000 for the Cubs. He started his Cubs broadcasting career on WGN-TV in 1950, broadcasting home Cubs games with Jack Brickhouse. In 1965, he moved to the radio booth to serve as play-by-play on WGN-AM where he spent the next twenty years. He was especially known for his trademark call, “Holy Mackerel!” and for ringing a bell after every Cubs home run. Lloyd passed away in 2003 and is receiving this honor posthumously.

The Cubs Hall of Fame will now include 68 plaques which represent individuals who dedicated their time to Cubs baseball, both on and off the field. Baseball legends, former players and managers, beloved broadcasters and announcers, team owners and front office executives grace the walls of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame, immortalized at Wrigley Field since 2021 in the bleacher concourse under left field, open to all fans. The plaques included in the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame represent individuals previously enshrined in the original Cubs Hall of Fame (1982-86) and in the Cubs Walk of Fame (1992-98).

The statement issued to fans from New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury on Friday will have major ramifications on the future of the franchise. 

Drury wrote about his plan to “retool” the team in a letter awfully similar to the one former Rangers president Glen Sather and general manager Jeff Gorton released in 2018 when the Rangers planned to embark on a plan they described as a “reshaping” of the team. 

There’s a lot to dissect regarding Drury’s message, so let's dive into it.

The first notable thing of substance is Drury’s words to describe where the Rangers are right now in the standings (last place in the Eastern Conference) and how the team will not accept the status quo. 

“With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation,” Drury emphasized. “We are not going to stand pat - a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team.” 

To state the obvious, Drury, along with owner James Dolan have accepted the reality that the Rangers will, in all likelihood not make the playoffs this season, let alone compete for a Stanley Cup, so they are essentially punting on this season with their sights set on the future. 

That leads to the next order of business: who will Drury look to trade, and how will he approach this retool as he phrases it?

“This will not be a rebuild,” Drury wrote. “This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years. These players represented the Rangers with pride and class and will always be a part of our family.”

Which players is Drury hinting at trading when he says that fans may have to say “goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years”?

For starters, Drury reportedly had an individual meeting with Artemi Panarin, who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and informed him that he will not be offered a contract extension, while the team is prepared to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to trade him anywhere he wishes to go. 

Panarin will almost certainly be dealt before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline. 

According to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, other players who holds a no-move clause in their contract have been asked about how they feel about the retool plan and whether they'd be open to sticking around for it or would rather go elsewhere, which includes Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, J.T. Miller, and Igor Shesterkin, who all sound like they're on board with the retool plan and expressed that they want to stay in New York, per Mercogliano. 

Meanwhile, Vincent Trocheck has a partial no-trade clause and is under contract until 2029 at a manageable cap hit of $5.6 million per year, making him a more desirable player to trade for the Rangers, as he could garner a high return from contending teams looking to make a Stanley Cup push.

There are also other veteran players set to become unrestricted free agents this upcoming offseason, headlined by Carson Soucy, Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary, and Jonathan Quick. All of these players could be viewed as easy trade assets given Drury’s selling approach, but how much value could they really fetch on the open market?

There’s a grey area when it comes to Alexis Lafrenière and Braden Schneider’s trade availability because while both of these players are young and fit the team’s current window, they have failed to live up to original expectations placed upon them as prospects, and their value is quickly diminishing. 

Chris Drury Issues Message To Fans Announcing The Rangers' Intentions To Retool New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/">Rangers</a> president and general manager Chris Drury sent out a message to fans on Friday indicating the direction the franchise will take as the trade deadline looms.&nbsp;

It’s unclear who Drury considers to be the Rangers’ “core players and prospects” he wants to build around, which is why it is difficult to predict which players are actually on the trade block outside of Panarin. 

On top of draft picks, Drury mentions the team’s desire to clear up cap space to allow flexibility moving forward. 

The Rangers are looking to get younger and accumulate more draft picks, but Drury was very specific in mentioning that this process is a “retool” and not a “rebuild”, meaning if they are able to build enough assets and clear up a sufficient amount of cap space, a trade or signing of a superstar caliber player in the near future is not entirely out of the picture.

Remember, the Rangers took this same approach in 2019 when, despite still going through a rebuilding process, the Blueshirts went out and signed Panarin to a 7-year, $81.5 million contract.

Drury ends the letter by letting fans know that his plan will begin to take shape within the “coming weeks and months” and with the trade deadline just a few weeks ago, Drury will likely spend the remaining time until the trade deadline fielding offers for some of his most prominent veteran players. 

This is what is in the pipeline for the Rangers in what will be a franchise-altering few months.

Bo Bichette has a friend waiting for him in Queens. 

The newest Mets star will reunite with Marcus Semien, with whom he previously spent a season in Toronto. 

During a postgame press conference at the end of that 2021 season, Bichette showed his immense respect for the veteran second baseman, which could indicate that he’s pumped to be reunited with Semien.

“Everything,” Bichette said when asked what took away from playing with Semien. “He’s meant a lot to me.”

The pair shared the middle infield in Toronto during Semien’s first and only season with the Blue Jays after leaving in free agency that winter for a seven-year, $175 million deal with the Rangers. 

Semien had signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Blue Jays before that campaign. 

Both players enjoyed some of the best seasons of their careers in ’21. 

"Everything… He's meant a lot to me."

An emotional Bo Bichette reflects on what he learned from his teammate Marcus Semien this season. pic.twitter.com/GYSuCd3R06

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 4, 2021

Bichette, playing in his third big league season, made his first All-Star team, hitting 29 home runs with 102 RBIs while leading the American League with 191 hits. 

Semien’s year was even better. 

After slashing .265/.334/.538 with a career-high 45 homers and 102 RBIs, Semien finished third in the AL MVP voting. 

He also had a trio of firsts, making his first All-Star team and winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at second base.

The Blue Jays went 91-71, but finished outside the playoff picture in a tough AL East. 

Bichette and Semien both joined the Mets from the junior circuit this offseason. 

In November, the Mets sent Brandon Nimmo to Texas for Semien in what David Stearns described as a better fit on the field, in the clubhouse and contractually. 

On Friday, Bichette joined him, signing a three-year, $126 million deal with opt-outs after the first two years to come to Queens.

The benefits of the Mets’ Bo Bichette signing are twofold. 

Not only are they adding a two-time All-Star to their lineup, but the Amazin’s seemingly stole him right from under the hands of a bitter division rival. 

All offseason, the Phillies were seen as one of the favorites — if not the favorite — to land Bichette in free agency. 

Earlier this month, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported that it “feels like there’s strong mutual interest” between the Phillies and Bichette as the two sides met to discuss a potential deal. 

As recently as late Thursday night, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the “Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign” Bichette, adding that the “Yankees and Mets will now be in a bidding war for outfielder Cody Bellinger.”

Less than 12 hours later, the Mets proved otherwise, landing Bichette on a three-year, $126 million deal with opt-outs after the first two years. 

Philadelphia was reportedly caught off guard by the shock signing. 

“The Phillies had agreed to Bo Bichette’s request for a 7-year, $200 million deal last night and believed they would sign him until the Mets swooped in with their 3-year, $126 million offer after losing out in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes,” Nightengale wrote on X after news of the deal broke on Friday. 

After missing out on Bichette, the Phillies quickly pivoted, re-signing catcher J.T. Realmuto to a three-year, $45 million contract.

The Bichette deal came after the Mets were swooped in on themselves, losing out to the Dodgers on Kyle Tucker, who signed a four-year, $240 million pact on Thursday night. 

The Mets offered a four-year deal worth $220 million, which included no deferrals and was worth $60 million for each of the first two seasons and $50 million for the final two on the table for Tucker, per Heyman.

With Christian Vazquez’s contract finally off the books, the Twins have been searching for a new catcher behind starter Ryan Jeffers. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Minnesota got their man in Caratini who agreed to a two year, $14M deal.

Caratini, 32, has spent the past two season with the Astros backing up Yainer Diaz where he managed slightly above-average offensive production, hitting .263/.329/.406 with 20 total home runs, 76 RBI, and a 108 wRC+. He appeared in 114 games for Houston in 2025, though just 49 of those came behind the plate. Injuries to Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes left them in need of coverage at 1B and DH, where Caratini was a mainstay down the stretch as the Astros fought to stay in the playoff race. Caratini actually hasn’t caught more than 55 games since 2022, meaning he should firmly slot in behind Jeffers while providing some coverage for 2027 should they lose their starting backstop in free agency.

With the 40 man roster full, the Twins will need to make a roster move before the signing can be made official. There’s several fringe candidates who could be designated for assignment to make room, but fellow catcher Alex Jackson will likely need to be moved either now or during Spring Training. Jackson is out of minor league options and the Twins are very unlikely to carry three catchers on their active roster with how they like to manage playing time and platoon their lefties.