Category: Baseball

We may long for anotherJuan Soto-like sweepstakes to crank up the baseball hot stove, but there’s really no player of that level available in free agency this winter. Still, there’s plenty of talented help on the market. And several players who will get big money. 

Where will they go? What franchise-shaping moves await? So exciting. 

We’re here to stoke the coals with our annual predictions of where 10 of the top MLB free agents land. Here’s our list: 

Dylan Cease - Orioles

After consecutive playoff appearances, Baltimore cratered last season, finishing last in the AL East at 75-87. Starting pitching was certainly one of the culprits – the O’s 4.65 rotation ERA was 24th in MLB. Enter Cease, who will be 30 next month. He’s got five straight seasons of 32-plus starts and at least 214 strikeouts on his resume. He’s not perfect, as a 4.55 ERA and career-high 21 homers allowed in 2025 shows. But he can deliver plenty of quality innings to a team looking to get back in the AL East mix.

Eugenio Suárez - Tigers

If the Tigers keep ace Tarik Skubal, the hottest name on the trade market, expect them to take some free-agency swings to fuel a run in what could be Skubal’s last season in Detroit. It’s only natural to think third base, since the Kitties got some of the worst production in MLB at the position. Their hot corner produced 11 home runs – only three teams, all bad, had fewer – and a .628 OPS, which ranked 27th. Suárez cranks tanks. His 49 homers last year between Arizona and Seattle matched his career high. 

Ranger Suárez - Mets

Did the Mets have a good season in 2025? No, they did not. Disappointment reigned in Queens over the summer, so big moves could rule this winter. The Mets need to enhance a shaky rotation and, while there’s been a lot of oxygen spent on the trade market, a free agency grab like Suárez would be a wonderful supplement. His 3.59 ERA since 2022 ranks 18th among pitchers with at least 550 innings pitched in that span and he’s got a lifetime 1.48 ERA in the postseason over 11 appearances. 

Pete Alonso - Mets

We’ve entered the weird portion of the baseball calendar where too many focus on what a player can’t do and gloss over what he can. Since Alonso’s career started, he’s got the third-most homers in baseball and he’s also played more games than anyone. He posts and he slugs and these are insanely valuable commodities. After a better platform year, his market should improve, but there’s a certain amount of shrugging across the game about over-30 first baseman who aren’t graceful defenders. He doesn’t fit David Stearns’ run prevention edict, but Alonso, beloved by many Met fans, fits in Queens in every other way, from providing power to enhancing club history. This’ll be the fans’ reward for showing up at the ballpark last season. 

Framber Valdez - Giants

The Giants must deal with the Dodgers in the NL West, and LA just won the World Series with a nasty rotation. Perhaps Buster Posey and Co. should build one of their own and tuck Valdez into a rotation that already features ace Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. Since 2022, only one pitcher has thrown more innings than Valdez – Webb! – and in that span Valdez has a lower ERA than Webb by a smidge (3.21 to 3.22). The Giants have made some bold moves, from hiring Posey to run the front office to trading for Rafael Devers to tabbing a college coach, Tony Vitello, to manage. Valdez is another.

Bo Bichette - Mets

Bichette, who turns 28 in March, batted .311 for Toronto this season with 44 doubles and 18 home runs. He’s probably not a shortstop anymore, which is ideal, considering the Mets have Francisco Lindor locked in there. But he might make a nifty second sacker or even a third baseman while helping to lengthen the Met lineup. He gets the ball in play effectively – he had a career-best 14.5 percent strikeout rate last year, well below MLB average. 

Cody Bellinger - Yankees

Enough already with the “takes” of Bellinger fitting here, fitting there. Of course he does! The guy fits everywhere. He’s crazy versatile, with the ability to fix any outfield hole and play a deft first base. He’s a good defensive player, a good baserunner, a glue guy. It’s just too perfect for him in the Bronx, where he enjoyed a terrific first season in 2025 with 29 homers, an .813 OPS and a bushel of clutch hits. Yanks also need guys who aren’t boom-bust homer hunters. Bellinger had a tiny 13.7 percent strikeout rate, by far the best on the roster. He’s not changing cities.

Kyle Schwarber - Phillies

Honestly, anything other than a return to Philly would be overthinking by both parties. Schwarber, who since 2019 has more homers than anyone in baseball other than Aaron Judge, was a dangerous slugger before he got to Philadelphia in 2022 and he’s upped his output since then with seasons of 46, 47, 38 and 56 homers. He’s even trimmed his strikeouts and improved his batting average. No brainer.

Alex Bregman – Red Sox

Bregman, a gritty-gutty third baseman who can hit and defend, opted out of his Red Sox deal, but he goes back to continue his mentorship of all those talented Boston young’uns. The Sox seem ascendant and Bregman’s wide array of talents are too good to pass on. In a world where he bolts Boston, though, watch for Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami at Fenway.

Kyle Tucker - Dodgers

Los Angeles had the second-most productive offense in baseball during the regular season (5.09 runs per game, behind only the Yankees), hit the second-most homers and notched the second-best OPS. Cool, right? Well, the lineup showed pockmarks during the postseason and the Dodgers must make upgrades. Enter Tucker, the best free agent hitter available. In 136 games with the Cubs last season, he had 22 home runs, 25 steals and an .841 OPS while dealing with injuries. He’s an able defender who fits nicely in their lineup next to Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernandez. Watch out – this is a three-peat kind of move.

Giants manager Tony Vitello details differences between coaching college, MLB originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Tony Vitello is doing what no MLB manager has done before: Make the jump from college baseball to the big leagues with no prior experience in the league. 

The new Giants manager has been peppered with questions about how his college experience will translate to the major leagues. But knowing the differences in coaching at the two levels is a good start. 

On the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, Vitello discussed two key areas of difference between college and professional baseball. 

“Recruiting, you can have a voice maybe with trades or free agency,” Vitello said. “And I think that’s something that pro players look at is: what park do I want to play in, what city do I want to live in, what coaches?” 

Recruiting was one of Vitello’s strengths as the leader of the Tennessee Volunteers’ baseball program, building many strong recruiting classes to establish a foundation on which he landed the school’s first College World Series championship. 

He can play a part in convincing free agents to sign with San Francisco and has the know-how to accomplish that, but the onus does not fall completely on him as it did in college. 

“It’s not like recruiting goes away, but you’re not in charge of your roster anymore,” Vitello noted. 

That’s where he now can rely on a baseball operations staff led by Buster Posey and Zack Minasian. 

The other key difference Vitello mentions is building relationships with a variety of players at different stages of their careers. 

“The kids you work with in college are so impressionable. They’ll latch on to about anything you’ll give them,” Vitello explained. “I don’t know what I don’t know, but I assume a 35-year-old in the big leagues for a while, he’s pretty much got his system figured out, so it’ll be a little bit different of a co-op or relationship there.” 

Two players who have made the jump from college to MLB, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer, both believe Vitello has the tools to succeed in the majors. 

“I feel blessed to be the guy, but [I’m] also the guinea pig,” Vitello said. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

After failing to get to the ALCS, the Yankees will need to retool their roster if they hope to finally capture their first World Series in more than 15 years. That's especially the case with key players like Trent Grisham, Devin Williams,and Cody Bellinger hitting the free agent market.

The free agent class is star-studded with plenty of starting arms, relievers, and a few All-Star caliber hitters who would help the Yanks in 2026 and beyond.

Of course, GM Brian Cashman and the front office can pick up any player, but there are a few specific names that the team should pursue this offseason. There are also some names that, while the Yankees don't necessarily need, could raise the team's ceiling.

Here are the top 10 free agents the Yankees should pursue this offseason...

10. 3B Alex Bregman

If this were a year ago, Bregman would be much higher on the list. But after the Yanks acquired Ryan McMahon at the trade deadline, the need for a third baseman is no longer there. But if one of the best third basemen in the league is available, you need to at least explore the possibility.

Bregman brings great defense and can still hit, both in the regular season and postseason. Yeah, his swing may not be great for Yankee Stadium, but perhaps the Yankees can get creative with how they use Bregman and McMahon. It's hard to pass up on the production Bregman can bring.

9. 1B Pete Alonso

Again, a position that the Yankees don't need to fill, but adding Alonso would raise the production they would get from that corner to heights they haven't seen in quite some time.

Sure, there are holes in Alonso's game. His defense leaves a lot to be desired and he is not the fleetest of foot on the basepaths, but he makes up for it with his power and durability. Alonso would replace Paul Goldschmidt -- who is a free agent -- on the roster, and the team will have to decide what to do with young Ben Rice.

Alonso plays every day, so Rice would either be part of a platoon with Austin Wells at catcher or a candidate to be traded.

There's also Alonso's reported contract demands to take into account. While I don't believe he'll receive a seven-year offer, the soon-to-be-31-year-old is looking for a long-term deal and I speculate the Yanks don't have an appetite for it. But if the market brings Alonso's demands down, the Yankees could do worse at first base. 

8. RHP Luke Weaver

Weaver is one of two key relievers the Yankees could lose this offseason. And while his 2025 ended poorly, New York should seriously consider bringing Weaver back.

Every offseason, Cashman is tasked with rebuilding his bullpen, and has consistently done a good job. With David Bednar and Camilo Doval still with the club in 2026, the Yankees need another arm or two to round out the 'pen and be playoff ready. 

And while fans may scoff at bringing Weaver back, you can't deny he was dominant in 2024 and was crucial to the team's World Series run that year. He also has the temperament for the city and can handle the pressure. And if he can get over the whole pitch-tipping debacle at the end of the 2025 season, he and the Yankees should find a way to reunite.

7. INF Bo Bichette

The shortstop position is not as steady as it seemed a couple of years ago.

With Anthony Volpe's offense and defense regressing in recent seasons, the young infielder is not a shoo-in as the starter. So, what should the Yankees do? Upgrade, of course, or at least look into it.

Bichette, 27, is entering free agency after having arguably his best season as a pro. It was also a nice bounce back from his injury-plagued 2024. But with that comes some potential pitfalls. Bichette will be looking for a lucrative, long-term deal and his injury history is something to be wary of. The shortstop missed most of the postseason with a knee injury and although he likely won't need surgery, it's something that should be monitored.

Do your due diligence on the medicals, and check in to see if Bichette is gettable. It would resolve the shortstop position for years to come.

6. RHP Devin Williams

Williams is the other big reliever set to test free agency, and one the Yankees should look into bringing back. The organization clearly values and likes what Williams can bring -- they wouldn't have traded for him if they didn't. Despite his roller coaster first season in the Bronx, he rounded into form at the end, and could be a valuable piece for the 2026 Yankees.

Truthfully, Williams may not want to return. There was intense pressure on him after his early-season struggles, and perhaps he'd prefer a smaller market like when he thrived in Milwaukee. Also, he could be looking for closer money this offseason. The Yanks have Bednar, who became their closer down the stretch, but would a reunion with Williams be predicated on being the closer again?

The Yankees could use those dollars elsewhere, but checking in on Williams should be on the docket.

5. 1B/3B Kazuma Okamoto

Okamoto, on paper, fits what the Yankees need. He's a right-handed bat who, while he has some pop -- leading the Central League in home runs three times -- has a lower strikeout rate than Munetaka Murakami, another Japanese hitter ready to be posted this offseason, and is a plus defender. 

Bringing Okamoto in can allow the Yankees to have him play alongside both Rice and McMahon at either corner, depending on the pitching matchups. 

He'll also be a relatively cheaper option than Murakami. While he is already 29, the combination of power, contact skills and defense makes Okamoto an intriguing option.

4. 1B/3B Munetaka Murakami

And speaking of Murakami. Sure, Okamoto offers the defense and right-handed bat the Yankees need for their roster, but could you not explore bringing in one of the best power-hitting prospects to come out of Japan in recent memory?

His left-handed bat doesn't fit with Rice and McMahon at the corners, but like with Alonso, the addition of Murakami could free the Yanks up to deal Rice.

Murakami, 26, is also younger than Okamoto, so the Yankees could get a lot more mileage out of him.

3. RHP Michael King

Could King return to the Bronx? 

After the Yankees traded him to the Padres in the deal for Juan Soto, the right-hander is a free agent -- and a reunion is possible. 

The Yankees know what they'd be getting with King, so adding him back into the rotation mix would be seamless. Despite dealing with injuries in 2025, King still pitched to a 3.44 ERA with a strikeout rate of 9.3 per nine. He's only a year removed from his breakout 2024, when he finished seventh in Cy Young voting and pitched to a 2.95 ERA in his first full season as a starter.

New York has a lot of starters already, but Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon will miss the beginning of the season, and the Yankees need arms to stay afloat until reinforcements come. Adding a pitcher like King also allows them to trade one or both of Luis Gil/Will Warren to a team that could use major league ready pitchers. 

2. OF Cody Bellinger

No. 1 and No. 2 on this list can be flip-flopped, however you see fit. But either way, the Yankees need an elite outfielder and Bellinger gives them that in spades. 

Bellinger is a plus defender at various positions, giving the Yankees flexibility while also delivering power, contact hitting and base running. Most importantly, Bellinger has proven he can do it in New York. That's something that shouldn't be undervalued.

He would also cost considerably less than the No. 1 free agent, allowing the Yanks to stretch out their payroll a bit more.

1. OF Kyle Tucker

And here we are, with arguably the highest-profile name on the free agent market this year. 

The arguments can be made for either Bellinger or Tucker, but Tucker gives the Yankees a more dangerous offensive presence behind Aaron Judge. Perhaps the Yankees would overlook his defensive shortcomings -- in relation to Bellinger -- for that firepower. 

Re-signing Bellinger is the prudent and safer choice, but Tucker would be the splash this team potentially needs to get over the hump.

Given the Mets' need to dramatically improve their starting pitching, team defense, and cohesion on offense, they're going to have to attack the offseason from all angles.

That means diving head first into a free agent market that is short on big headliners, but has plenty of intriguing options.

While New York has a need at first base with Pete Alonso again a free agent, and could seek an upgrade at third base and/or second base, it can be argued that those answers can easily be found via free agency. As can a mid-rotation starting pitcher and relief help. 

When it comes to finding a starting pitcher who profiles near the top of the rotation, though, the prediction here is that the Mets will find that pitcher via the trade market.

Combine the Mets' need for top end pitching, the arms expected to be available via trade, and the fact that New York has one of the best farm systems in baseball, and you get a perfect storm.

That's why all the trade targets listed below are starting pitchers.

Here are the ones the Mets should be going after this offseason, ranked:

5. RHP Paul Skenes

Skenes would be at the very top of this list if there was a belief that the Pirates were likely to trade him this offseason. 

But when you pair Skenes' years of team control remaining (four more seasons, through 2029) and Pittsburgh's seeming reluctance to either spend enough to be a contender or maximize Skenes' value on the trade market in order to try to contend in a different way, a deal at this point seems unlikely. 

But every team with World Series hopes in 2026 should be calling the Pirates about Skenes anyway.

If offered a package that was truly outrageous, you would think Pittsburgh would have to at the very least consider it.

For example, the Mets should have Nolan McLean off limits in any other possible trade for a starting pitcher. In a deal for Skenes, McLean would be a must for the Pirates to even consider it. 

In a world where the Mets offered McLean, Jonah Tong, Jett Williams, and more, could Pittsburgh start to bend on Skenes? Probably not, when you take into account the fact that the Pirates have been unable to get out of their own way for the better part of 30 years. But it can't hurt to try!

4. RHP Freddy Peralta

In recent years, the Brewers -- often under strict payroll constraints -- have traded some of their most valuable players when they've gotten close to free agency.

They did it with Corbin Burnes during the 2023-24 offseason and Devin Williams last offseason. At the 2022 trade deadline, the Brewers dealt Josh Hader to the Padres when he still had a year and change of team control remaining.

Could the same kind of plan be in store regarding Peralta?

Peralta, who is about to enter his age-30 season, has an $8 million team option the Brewers will obviously pick up. But what happens with him after that is in question. 

Coming off a season where he had a 2.70 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while striking out 204 batters in 176.2 innings, Peralta's value will be sky high. And Milwaukee is positioned to cash in if he's made available. 

3. RHP Sandy Alcantara

It was a struggle for Alcantara during the first half of last season in what was his first year back after having Tommy John surgery.

Ahead of his start on July 23, Alcantara posted a 7.14 ERA in 97.0 innings pitched. 

But from that start through the end of the season, Alcantara turned it on.

In 12 starts over 77.2 innings from that point, Alcantara had a 3.13 ERA. Along the way, he completed 7.0 innings seven times.

Alcantara has two years to go until hitting free agency. But it would be wise for the Marlins, whose core of young pitching includes Eury Perez and Edward Cabrera, to deal the former Cy Young winner this offseason in order to maximize his value.

2. RHP Joe Ryan

Ryan had the best season of his career in 2025, posting a 3.42 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while striking out 10.2 batters per nine in a career-high 171.0 innings. He has always missed lots of bats (his career strikeout rate is 10.1 per nine) and his four-seam fastball (which he uses about half the time) has graded out as one of the best in baseball each of the last four seasons.

The big question here is whether the Twins would trade Ryan, who has two more years of arbitration remaining and will be very inexpensive (he made just $3 million in 2025).

In the midst of an incredibly disappointing 2025 season, Minnesota had a fire sale, trading 10 players from the big league roster. That included Carlos Correa, Griffin Jax, and elite closer Jhoan Duran, who -- like Ryan -- has two more years of arbitration remaining and will be wildly inexpensive in 2026 (he made just $1.3 million this past season).

The Twins can definitely get a haul for Ryan this offseason, and it would behoove them to take advantage of that as they embark on some form of a rebuild.

1. LHP Tarik Skubal

Skubal is set for free agency after 2026, so the Mets -- and any other team expecting to contend next season -- should be on the Tigers' case about him.

Would it be surprising if Detroit traded the best pitcher in the American League fresh off back-to-back Cy Young seasons? Perhaps.

But what makes this intriguing is that when the Tigers attempted to extend Skubal, it was reportedly not just a non-competitive offer, but one that was relatively insulting. And owner Christopher Ilitch gave a bit of a weird answer recently when asked about a possible Skubal extension. The 28-year-old left-hander is repped by Scott Boras.

Even with just one year left on his deal, it would likely take a King's ransom to pry Skubal from Detroit.

For the Mets, that could mean trading Jonah Tong and/or Brandon Sproat along with Jett Williams or Carson Benge. For a talent like Skubal, though, that's simply the cost of doing business. 

After tense 2025, should the Phils move on from Castellanos? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Few players in Philadelphia sparked more conversation in 2025 than Nick Castellanos. Now, entering the final year of his five-year, $100 million deal, the focus shifts from his performance to his future with the Phils in 2026.

A season blemished by tension

Castellanos’ frustration boiled over multiple times last year.

On June 16 against the Marlins, Phils manager Rob Thomson pulled him late for defense — a move that led to what the skipper later called “an inappropriate comment” from Castellanos and a one-game benching. The decision snapped a streak of 236 consecutive starts.

“I wasn’t happy about it,” Castellanos said afterward. “I spoke my mind, and he said I crossed a line.”

The situation didn’t improve after the trade deadline. When the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader from Minnesota, the outfield suddenly became crowded — Bader, Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler and Castellanos vying for consistent at-bats.

On August 20, Castellanos even told reporters that Bader was “pretty frustrated” with his part-time role, a strange comment given the two were competing for playing time.

A week and a half later, when Thomson again replaced him defensively, Castellanos voiced disappointment about the lack of communication between the two. “I don’t really talk to Rob all that often,” he said. “The communication over the years has been questionable, at least in my experience.”

Even during the postseason, the frustration lingered. After the Phillies’ Game 2 loss to the Dodgers in the NLDS, Castellanos commented on the energy at Citizens Bank Park:

“When the game is going good, it’s wind at our back, but when the game is not going good, it’s wind in our face. The environment can be with us and the environment can be against us.”

That quote reflected how his tone to the manager, the media and the fans worked against his favor this season.

Through it all, the production simply wasn’t there in his 13th professional campaign. Castellanos finished with a .250/.294/.400 slash line, 17 home runs and a -1.0 WAR. Defensively, he ranked last among qualified outfielders with -12 outs above average and -90 defensive runs saved since 2016, the worst total in baseball over that span. Each of those stats are calculated based on the “average” player showing just how substandard his defense has been.

The path forward

Castellanos is still owed $20 million in 2026. For a player now best suited for a designated-hitter role, that salary is a financial burden given his below average run production at the plate. The Phillies could try to trade him, eating part of his remaining salary, or, if no trade partner emerges, designate him for assignment and absorb the entire cost.

There’s reason to expect the front office to explore those options. Dombrowski said at the season’s end, “We’ll see what happens. I’m not going to get into specific players.”

With younger outfielders like Otto Kemp, Johan Rojas and top prospects Justin Crawford and Gabriel Rincones Jr. nearing solidified roles on the big league roster, the willingness to retain a declining veteran has faded – especially one who injected tension in the clubhouse.

Castellanos’ time in Philadelphia featured key postseason moments – his October in 2023 included six homers – and stretches of strong production. 

But after four playoff runs without a title, the Phillies may need to do what Castellanos once told the On Base podcast: “Help the team however it needs to be to win a World Series.”

In this case, the Phils may have to move on.

Schwarber, Sanchez named finalists for MVP, Cy Young awards originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies had a strong regular season in 2025, and it wouldn’t have been possible without some superlative individual efforts. But like their experience in the postseason, two of their stars will have to overcome some fierce competition to win the big trophies.

Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber was named a finalist for the National League Most Valuable Player award, and Lefty Cristopher Sanchez is one of three finalists for the NL Cy Young award.

Schwarber, a 3-time All-Star, played his best season by far, leading the NL in home runs with 56 and RBI with 132, both career highs. The closest he had ever come to winning an MVP award was last season, when he finshed 15^th in the voting. He is also a finalist to win the NL Silver Slugger.

Standing in Schwarber’s way are the other two nominees, both of whom had very strong seasons. Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers is in pursuit of his third straight MVP, and fourth in five years. He finished just behind Schwarber with 55 homers, and added 102 RBI and 146 runs scored, a mark which led the majors. He also started in 14 games, striking out 62 in 47 innings.

Juan Soto had a very good inaugural season with the Mets, leading the NL in walks (127), stolen bases (38), and on-base percentage (.396). He added 43 homers and 105 RBI, and scored 120 runs.

Like Schwarber, Sanchez also had a career year. The 28-year-old reached new personal bests in wins (13), innings (202), ERA (2.50), and strikeouts (212). He led NL pitchers in bWAR (8.0) and finished in the top five in ERA, innings, and Ks. Sanchez finished 10^th in Cy Young voting last season.

The other nominees along with Sanchez are Pirates ace Paul Skenes and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers. Skenes led all of MLB with a 1.97 ERA, and finished just ahead of Sanchez with 216 strikeouts. Yamamoto, the World Series MVP, was largely unhittable, leading MLB in hits allowed per 9 IP (5.8), and striking out 201 in 173 innings.

The Cy Young awards for both leagues will be announced Wednesday, November 12, while the MVP awards will be announced the following day.

The Dodgers walked into a packed home stadium when their World Series parade was over, waving to an adoring crowd that viewed them as more than back-to-back champions.

They were beloved Angelenos.

Many of the players are on a first-name basis with the city, and if they aren’t, they’re identified by a nickname.

Freddie, Mookie and Shohei.

Yoshi and Roki.

Read more:Dodgers celebrate repeat World Series title with another downtown parade, stadium rally

Miggy Ro and Kiké.

Players who were once strangers are now extended members of hundreds of thousands of families.

Ordinarily, a team as old as the Dodgers would have to consider a roster makeover. Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas will be 37 by the start of the next World Series. Max Muncy will be 36, Kiké Hernández 35, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernández 34 and Shohei Ohtani 32.

But under these circumstances, how could the Dodgers think of breaking up their team?

How could they unload any of their superstars, regardless of how much they could decline in the next year? How could they not retain their key free agents, regardless of how old they are?

They can’t, they can’t and they can’t.

The Dodgers have to run this back — again.

“Obviously, we would love everybody to come back,” Freeman said.

Muncy has a $10-million team option for next season. The Dodgers have to pick it up.

Rojas and Kiké Hernández are free agents. The Dodgers have to re-sign them.

Freeman won’t be making the calls on his teammates, of course. The decisions will be made by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who was characteristically evasive when asked about the efforts the Dodgers would make to keep their out-of-contract players.

“Obviously, guys who have been here and been a big part of it start with a major upper hand,” Friedman said. “That being said, they’re free agents. They’ve earned the right to go out and talk to the 29 other teams as well.”

Muncy doesn’t have a choice to leave if the Dodgers exercise his option, but Rojas and Kiké Hernández have said they would like to return next season.

Whatever Friedman decides shouldn’t preclude the Dodgers from shopping on the free-agent market, with Kyle Tucker and Steven Kwan being potential additions to their outfield.

But the nucleus of the Dodgers would be even older than it was this year when their collective age presented a variety of problems.

Their 18-inning victory in Game 3 clearly diminished them more than it did the Toronto Blue Jays, who won the next two games. In retrospect, that should have been expected, as the Dodgers struggled to maintain consistency on offense over a grinding six-month regular season.

While Betts transformed into one of the league’s best defensive shortstops, he experienced a sharp offensive decline. Muncy was limited to 100 games because of injuries. Teoscar Hernández wasn’t close to being the same player he was last year.

There were times that even Ohtani started to show the effects of being on the wrong side of 30. Ohtani’s father acknowledged this reality in a congratulatory open letter he wrote to his son, which was published in the Monday edition of Sports Nippon.

“Shohei, you’re 31 years old,” Toru Ohtani wrote in Japanese. “I think that as a baseball player, you’re in your prime, but there will come a time when you have to decide between pitching and hitting. When you can’t pitch anymore, you can be an outfielder. I think that if you practice, you can definitely do it.”

Read more:Dodgers celebrate repeat World Series title with another downtown parade, stadium rally

That being said, the team has to be kept together.

A championship can force teams into sentimental decisions, as was the case last winter when the Dodgers re-signed Teoscar Hernández to a three-year, $66-million contract.

This winter, they will have to settle similar disputes between their hearts and minds. They should listen to their hearts.

The players deserve it. The fans demand it.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The celebration had hardly begun, when Shohei Ohtani first voiced the theme of the day.

“I’m already thinking about the third time,” he said in Japanese, standing atop a double-decker bus in downtown Los Angeles with thousands of blue-clad, flag-waving, championship-celebrating Dodgers fans lining the streets around him for the team’s 2025 World Series parade.

Turns out, he wasn’t alone.

Two days removed from a dramatic Game 7 victory that made the Dodgers baseball’s first repeat champion in 25 years, the team rolled through the streets of downtown and into a sold-out rally at Dodger Stadium on Monday already thinking about what lies ahead in 2026.

With three titles in the last six seasons, their modern-day dynasty might now be cemented.

Read more:Photos: World Series champion Dodgers parade through Downtown L.A.

But their goal of adding to this “golden era of Dodger baseball,” as top executive Andrew Friedman has repeatedly called it, is far from over.

“All I have to say to you,” owner and chairman Mark Walter told the 52,703 fans at the team’s stadium rally, “is we’ll be back next year.”

“I have a crazy idea for you,” Friedman echoed. “How about we do it again?”

When manager Dave Roberts took the mic, he tripled down on that objective: “What’s better than two? Three! Three-peat! Three-peat! Let’s go.”

When shortstop Mookie Betts, the only active player with four World Series rings, followed him, he quadrupled the expectation: “I got four. Now it’s time to fill the hand all the way up, baby. ‘Three-peat’ ain’t never sounded so sweet. Somebody make that a T-shirt.”

For these history-achieving, legacy-sealing Dodgers, Monday was a reminder of the ultimate end goal — the kind of scene that, as they embark on another short winter, will soon fuel their motivations for another confetti-filled parade this time next year.

“For me, winning a championship, the seminal moment of that is the parade,” Friedman said. “The jubilation of doing it, when you get the final out, whatever game you win it in, is special. That night is special. But to be able to take a breath and then experience a parade, in my mind, that is what has always driven me to want to win.”

“[To] do this for the city, that’s what it’s all about,” first baseman Freddie Freeman added. “There’s nothing that feels as important as winning a championship. And if so happens to be three in a row, that’s what it is. But that’s what’s gonna drive us to keep going.”

Last November, the Dodgers’ first parade in 36 years was a novelty.

Much of the group had been part of the 2020 title team that was denied such a serenade following that pandemic-altered campaign. They had waited four long years to experience a city-wide celebration. The reception they received was sentimental and unique.

Now, as third baseman Max Muncy said with a devious grin from atop a makeshift stage in the Dodger Stadium outfield, “it’s starting to get a little bit comfortable up here. Let’s keep it going.”

“Losing,” star pitcher and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto added, in English, in a callback to one of his memorable quotes from this past October, “isn’t an option.”

Doing it won’t be easy.

This year, the Dodgers’ win total went down to 93 in an inconsistent regular season. They had to play in the wild-card round for the first time since the playoffs expanded in 2022. And in the World Series, they faced elimination in Games 6 and 7, narrowly winning both to complete their quest to repeat.

“I borderline still can’t believe we won Game 7,” fan favorite Kiké Hernández said in a bus-top interview.

But, he quickly added, “We’re all winners. Winners win.”

Thus, they also get celebrations like Monday’s.

As it was 367 days earlier, the Dodgers winded down a parade route in front of tens of thousands of fans from Temple Street to Grand Avenue to 7th Street to Figueroa. Both on board the double-decker buses and in the frenzied masses below, elation swirled and beverages flowed.

Once the team arrived at Dodger Stadium, it climbed atop a blue circular riser in the middle of the field — the final symbolic steps of their ascent back to the mountaintop of the sport.

Anthony Anderson introduced them to the crowd, while Ice Cube delivered the trophy in a blue 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

Familiar scenes, they are hoping become an annual tradition.

“Job in 2024, done. Job in 2025, done,” Freeman said. “Job in 2026? Starts now.”

The Dodgers did take time to recognize their newfound place in baseball history, having become just the sixth MLB franchise to win three titles in the span of six years and the first since the New York Yankees of 1998 to 2000 to win in consecutive years.

Where last year’s parade day felt more like an overdue coronation, this one served to crystallize their legacy.

“Everybody’s been asking questions about a dynasty,” Hernández said. “How about three in six years? How about a back-to-back?”

And, on Monday, all the main characters of this storybook accomplishment got their moment in the sun.

There was, as team broadcaster and rally emcee Joe Davis described him, “the Hall of Fame-bound” Roberts, who now only trails Walter Alston in team history with three World Series rings.

“We talked about last year, wanting to run it back,” he said. “And I’ll tell you right now, this group of guys was never gonna be denied to bring this city another championship.”

There was Game 7 hero Miguel Rojas calling up surprise October closer Roki Sasaki, on his birthday, to dance to his “Bailalo Rocky” entrance song; a request Sasaki sheepishly obliged by pumping his fist to the beat.

Yamamoto, coming off his heroic pitching victories in Games 6 and 7, received some of the day’s loudest ovations.

“We did it together,” he said. “I love the Dodgers. I love Los Angeles.”

Muncy, Ohtani and Blake Snell also all addressed the crowd.

“I’m trying to get used to this,” Snell said.

“I’m ready to get another ring next year,” Ohtani reiterated.

One franchise face who won’t be back for that chase: Clayton Kershaw, who rode into the sunset of retirement by getting one last day at Dodger Stadium, fighting back tears as he thanked the crowd at the end of his illustrious (and also Hall of Fame-bound) 18-year career.

“Last year, I said I was a Dodger for life. And today, that’s true,” Kershaw said. “And today, I get to say that I’m a champion for life. And that’s never going away.”

Kershaw, of course, is one of the few still around from the club’s dark days of the early 2010s, when money was scarce and playoff appearances were uncertain and parades were only things to dream about — not expect.

As he walks away, however, the team has been totally transformed.

Now, the Dodgers have been to 13 straight postseasons. They’ve set payroll records and bolstered their roster with a wave of star signings. They’ve turned the pursuit of championships into a yearly expectation, proud but unsatisfied with what they’ve achieved to this point.

“I think, definitionally, it’s a dynasty,” said Friedman, the architect of this run with the help of Walter’s deep-pocketed Guggenheim ownership group. “But that to me, in a lot of ways, that kind of caps it if you say, ‘OK, this is what it is.’ For me, it’s still evolving and growing. We want to add to it. We want to continue it, and do everything we can to put it at a level where people after us have a hard time reaching.”

Read more:Complete coverage: How the Dodgers won the 2025 World Series

On Monday, they raised that bar another notch higher.

“This parade was the most insane thing I’ve ever witnessed, been a part of,” Kershaw said. “It truly is the most incredible day ever to be able to end your career on.”

On Tuesday, the Dodgers’ long road toward holding another one begins.

“I know they’re gonna get one more next year,” Kershaw told the crowd. “And I’m gonna watch, just like all of you.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Mets OF Juan Soto has officially been named a finalist for the 2025 National League MVP. 

The other two finalists are Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. 

While Los Angeles’ two-way talent is viewed as the favorite by most around the game, Soto put up an awfully strong fight down the stretch in the first year of his historic contract in Queens. 

The 26-year-old was able to overcome a slow start and All-Star snub to finish with terrific numbers across the board.

He topped his career-high set just last season with the Yankees and was second on the team with 43 homers.   

Soto drove in 105 runs and drew a league-high 127 walks to help him finish with a .396 OBP and .921 OPS.

He also added a new dimension to his game with some help from first base coach Antoan Richardson, swiping a new career-best 38 bases, falling just two shy of the first 40-40 season in franchise history.  

This is Soto's third time being named an MVP finalist and his sixth top-10 finish across eight big-league seasons.  

The winner will be named at the MLB Awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 13 in Las Vegas.

Your 2025 @officialBBWAA NL Most Valuable Player Award finalists:

Shohei Ohtani
Kyle Schwarber
Juan Soto pic.twitter.com/G9vCuVIhlK

— MLB (@MLB) November 4, 2025

Aaron Judge had yet another historical year during the 2025 MLB season and, as expected, he's now being recognized for it.

The Yankees slugger was named one of three finalists for the American League MVP on Monday night, joining the Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh and Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez.

Judge, who's looking to take home his second straight AL MVP and the third of his career, hit 53 home runs and led the league in batting average (.331) for the first time in his career.

He helped the Yanks win 94 games and make the postseason for the second straight season, finishing second in the AL East to the eventual pennant winning Toronto Blue Jays.

Some of his other jaw-dropping stats from the 2025 season include:

• 9.7 WAR (league leader) / 10.1 fWAR (league leader)
• 137 runs scored (league leader)
• 124 walks (league leader)
• .457 OBP (league leader)
• .688 SLG (league leader)
• 1.144 OPS (league leader)
• 215 OPS+ (league leader)

Simply put, Judge was the best baseball player in the American League this season.

Raleigh is Judge's toughest competition for the award and will likely garner some first-place votes after smashing a switch-hitting and catcher record 60 home runs. He led the Mariners to an AL West title for the first time since 2001 and finished the year with a league-leading 125 RBI while hitting .247.

Ramírez, who is quietly putting together a HOF-worthy career, hit .283 with 30 homers and 34 doubles with 85 RBI, helping the Guardians win their second straight AL Central title and third in four years.

The winner will be named at the MLB Awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 13 in Las Vegas.

Your 2025 @officialBBWAA AL Most Valuable Player Award finalists:

Aaron Judge
Cal Raleigh
José Ramírez pic.twitter.com/UyWkwFktH5

— MLB (@MLB) November 3, 2025