The Boston Red Sox still are looking to add some depth after a busy offseason.
Boston has had an active offseason, and has managed to address nearly all of the team’s needs. The Red Sox bolstered their starting rotation by signing Ranger Suárez and trading for Sonny Gray, while also trading for three-time All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras. One position the Red Sox have been interested in adding more depth in is at catcher.
Earlier this offseason, Boston was interested in both J.T. Realmuto and Victor Caratini, but failed to acquire either catcher. There are multiple free agent reunion opportunities, including Christian Vázquez and Reese McGuire, but MassLive’s Chris Cotillo ruled out the possibility of the Red Sox bringing back McGuire.
“Red Sox remain engaged in a thinned-out catching market as they look to add depth before Opening Day,” Cotillo wrote in a post shared to X on Thursday. “Total guess here, but if the market falls the right way, Christian Vázquez is someone Alex Cora loves and would love to have around. Again, speculation and not a report. …
“There are a handful of veteran catchers who remain available. One that the Red Sox won’t be re-uniting with is Reese McGuire, who I’m hearing is headed elsewhere. Have heard Brewers are involved on McGuire.”
After spending three seasons with the Red Sox, McGuire played for the Chicago Cubs this season. The 30-year-old catcher appeared in 44 games for the Cubs this season, slashing .226/.245/.444 while setting career highs with nine home runs and 24 RBIs.
Despite Boston’s interest in adding depth at catcher, it seems that a reunion with McGuire likely will not happen.
For the fourth time in his career, MLB Network named Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers DH/SP, as the No. 1 player in baseball right now
The accolades never seem to end for Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers DH/SP.
MLB Network named Ohtani, a four-time MVP, as the best player in baseball for the fourth time in his career. Ohtani was the No. 1 player heading in 2022 and 2023, before losing to Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2024, but then reclaimed it in 2025 and now 2026.
Ohtani has been with the Dodgers since he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the club on Dec. 11, 2023, where he has won back-to-back World Series with Los Angeles.
Across 158 games in 2025, Ohtani slashed .278/.392/.622 with a league-leading 1.014 OPS and 179 OPS+, 55 home runs, 102 RBIs, and a 7.5 fWAR at designated hitter. On the mound, Ohtani pitched 47.0 innings across 14 starts, with a 1-1 record, 2.87 ERA, an 11.87 K/9 and 1.72 BB/9. These numbers earned Ohtani his second consecutive National League MVP award.
During the Dodgers playoff run, Shohei won NLCS MVP for his performance against the Milwaukee Brewers, capped off with a three home run game at the plate and 6.0 IP, zero runs, two hits, three walks and 10 strikeouts on the mound in game four to complete the sweep. In the World Series, Ohtani slashed .333/.500/.778 with a 1.278 OPS, three home runs and nine RBIs as the Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games
Remember when Shohei Ohtani hit 3 home runs and struck out 10 to punch the Dodgers’ ticket to the 2025 World Series? 🦄 pic.twitter.com/C7zVLhNTu6
Before the 2025 season, Ohtani had been off the pitching mound since August 2023 because Ohtani tore his UCL on Aug. 23, 2023 and got Tommy John surgery the following month, according to Yahoo Sports. This kept him off the mound for all of 2024 and for almost half of 2025.
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Despite not being able to pitch, Ohtani still produced at the plate in 2024, as he won his third MVP that year and became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season, creating the “50-50 club,” according to Sporting News.
Ohtani made his pitching debut with the Dodgers on June 16 against the division rival San Diego Padres, where he pitched one inning. Since he was returning Ohtani from a major injury, Ohtani had to be built back up through the season, which is why he pitched just 47 innings. Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said he expects to regularly use Ohtani as a starter, but it’s not going to be a regular five-man rotation.
“I don’t want to go down the six-man rotation road, but I do feel that giving him six, seven, eight days off to kind of allow him to continue to stay rested and build up, I think that’s in our process,” Roberts said during the 2025 Winter Meetings. “But again we have a long way to go, but we’ve got some viable candidates.”
Other Dodgers on the top 100 right now were: RHP Edwin Diaz at No. 83, LHP Blake Snell at No. 54, 1B Freddie Freeman at No. 22, OF Kyle Tucker at No. 21, C Will Smith at No. 20, SS Mookie Betts at No. 18 and RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto at No. 13.
Dodgers pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training on Feb. 13, and opening day is March 26, but fans can watch Ohtani sooner than that as he will play for Team Japan during the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Team Japan’s first game is on March 6 against Team Chinese Taipei.
The New York Mets added their ace for the upcoming season Wednesday night in a trade for Freddy Peralta. The veteran starter was dominant throughout much of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Peralta is currently only under team control through the 2026 season before he becomes a free agent. As of Thursday evening, it was unknown if the Mets were looking at a potential extension or if they were still riding the wave of adding him.
“For a projection, let’s go with the consensus and a contract that takes Peralta through his age-34 season in 2030 — four additional seasons of team control,” they wrote. “To keep it that short, we’ll up the average annual value over those four years to $28 million per season — better than those received on the open market by (Dylan) Cease and (Ranger) Suárez. That equals four years and $112 million of new money for Peralta — pretty much in line with what (Tyler) Glasnow received from the Dodgers. The Mets could add the $8 million Peralta is owed this season to make it a five-year, $120 million deal.”
This projection would pay Peralta an average of $24 million per year. However, the Mets could choose to structure it in a way that is front loaded if they are worried about him declining heading into the final two years.
Britton and Sammon did note that this extension would make things worse for the Mets with the luxury tax in the upcoming season. David Stearns would either have to find a way to start the extension after this season or swallow the difficult pill of possibly adding more financial penalties.
New Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker responded to reports of MLB owners wanting a salary cap after he signed with the reigning World Champions.
The Dodgers have been aggressive in free agency over the last few years, pushing their chips all in on their core of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Shohei Ohtani, and this winter was no exception.
They signed the top closer in the free agent market, inking Edwin Diaz to the highest AAV — average annual value — for a reliever in history, and Kyle Tucker just signed a historic four-year, $240 million deal that is the highest AAV for a player after deferrals.
The spending spree has led owners, behind the scenes, to call for a salary cap that limits the Dodgers’ spending and to insist on it in the next collective bargaining agreement.
During his introductory press conference, Tucker was asked about the chatter around his contract and whether he thinks it is good for the sport for the Dodgers to spend so much money.
“I mean, I think baseball is in a good spot. I mean, we have phenomenal attendance around the world. I think attendance at the games, [teams] continue to sell out games, and fans are being very supportive of their teams, their players, and organizations,” Tucker said.
“It’s a good thing having that—the interaction with everyone. It’s just going to grow the game from there. As a league and as players, if we can just continue growing the fan base and having fun with it and continue to have that interaction between the organizations and the fan bases, I think it’s good for baseball.”
What did MLB owners say about the Kyle Tucker Deal?
In a report from Evan Drellich of The Athletic, owners were cited as having real frustrations over the Tucker deal, seemingly taking it as the boiling point for executives upset about the Dodgers’ spending.
“Major League Baseball owners are ‘raging’ in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s free agency agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers and it is now ‘a 100 percent certainty’ that the owners will push for a salary cap, one person briefed on ownership conversations who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic,” Drellich wrote.
“‘These guys are going to go for a cap no matter what it takes,’ the source said.”
A lockout over the new CBA is expected by many in baseball, with the salary cap just one of many points of contention between ownership and the players.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, a salary cap is unlikely given the moving parts, but the Tucker deal could be the catalyst for the league to move in that direction.
Once the unquestioned face of baseball, Mike Trout’s steady slide in MLB Network’s rankings reflects age, injuries, and a career at a crossroads
As MLB Network is rolling out their top 100 players right now, Angels former superstar centerfielder Mike Trout has fallen to No. 81, the far and away lowest he’s ranked since his debut.
During most of the 2010’s and as recently as heading into the 2021 season, MLB Network ranked Trout as the No. 1 player in all of baseball. Even when Trout lost that spot to then-teammate DH/SP Shohei Ohtani heading into 2022, he was still No. 2.
Since then, though, Trout has continued to fall in the rankings, as he ranked No. 3 going into 2023, No. 12 going into 2024, No. 39 going into 2025 and now No. 81.
Despite Trout being the most healthy he’s been in years, as he played in 130 games in 2025, the most since 2019 and only the second time in the 2020s he’s played in at least 100 games, Trout had the worst year of his career.
In his 130 games, Trout slashed .232/.359/.439 with 26 home runs, 64 RBIs, a .797 OPS, 121 OPS+ and a 1.8 fWAR. Those are all career lows for Trout in a season where he had played at least 100 games. Another career worst for Trout was in K% as he struck out 32% of the time, which was in the second percentile.
These numbers are a far cry from what Trout used to put up, as from 2012-2019, Trout had won three MVPs, was MVP runner-up four times, and placed fourth once. During this span, he averaged 8.8 fWAR a season, 35 home runs, and 92 RBIs while slashing .308/.422/.587 with a 1.009 OPS and 178 OPS+.
Only one player in MLB history has at least 70 career WAR through their age 27 season…
There’s likely pessimism Trout will return to his all-star form due to the fact Trout is only getting older, as he be 34 on opening day, and his injury history over the past few seasons.
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Trout played in only 39 games in 2021 due to a calf strain, 119 games in 2022 due to a back injury, 83 games in 2023 due to a broken hamate, 29 games in 2024 due to a torn meniscus and 130 games in 2025 due to a bone bruise on his left knee. Trout announced he would move from center field to right field to help stay healthy, but he ended up as the team’s designated hitter for 106 games.
Only spots No. 100-41 have been announced yet, with spots No. 40-21 being announced Jan. 19. The only other Angel to make the list thus far is shortstop Zach Neto, six spots behind Trout at 87.
In the wake of Kyle Tucker signing with the Dodgers, the New York Yankees are willing to upgrade their offer to free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, as his market may see the New York Mets and TorontoBlue Jays become seriously interested.
The Yankees are focused on keeping Bellinger, who had a stellar season in the Bronx, though talks have stalled over the past week, leaving both parties at a standstill.
However, one of the biggest free-agent dominoes has now fallen, with Kyle Tucker landing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Both the Mets and Blue Jays, who each need an upgrade at outfield, were among the finalists for Tucker, but the Dodgers’ four-year, $240 million offer was too good for the free agent to pass up.
The Mets and Toronto expressed confidence in landing Tucker, only to be left high and dry, still needing an outfielder.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, a highly-connected insider who specializes in the two big East Coast teams, the Yankees have looked to make progress in negotations with Bellinger as the Jays and Mets loom.
“The Yankees are signaling a wiliness to do not just one opt-out, but two opt-outs for Cody Bellinger in continuing efforts to bridge the long-standing issue of length of contract,” Heyman wrote.
“They’ve offered about $155M over five years and would increase the money too. But Bellinger has been looking for seven years.
“Bellinger has countered the Yankees’ offer. (But that’s no guarantee. Alex Bregman countered Boston’s offer, too.) After missing out on Kyle Tucker, the Jays and Mets may now come out stronger for Bellinger.”
The Blue Jays showed a willingness to offer Tucker a long-term deal. If they do the same with Bellinger, Toronto could become a serious player for the former Dodger.
The Mets, on the other hand, went to high salary figures for Bellinger, and they could potentially go high enough to see him switch sides in the Freeway Series.
The Yankees are looking to act fast, but their patient approach could cost them in the end.
The San Francisco Giants have one of the better rosters in the league, but they need to bolster the lineup even more if they want to close the gap on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
They need to add a huge bat to their lineup and an ace to their starting rotation, but the front office also needs to prioritize filling out the roster with veteran depth options.
Just Baseball’s Michael Monreal predicted the Giants would sign Willi Castro of the Chicago Cubs to a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason.
“Clearly, if the Giants want to buy low on a potential above-average bat, Castro is a prime candidate. However, second base isn’t an essential need for San Francisco,” Monreal wrote. “If they wanted to, they can contently run Casey Schmitt out as the everyday guy. Known as an elite defender as a prospect and providing flashes of what the bat could be in the past, he has the chance to develop into one of the better second basemen in the National League, if given the opportunity.”
Castro is coming off a down year last season, but he’s a prime bounce back candidate. As a result, he’s expected to sign a very team-friendly deal this winter, which plays right into the Giants’ hands.
Adding Castro to the Giants’ lineup would give the team a lot more flexibility and it wouldn’t break the bank. They’d still have the money to make big moves for a few star players. It would be the perfect complementary move for the Giants this offseason.
Britt Ghiroli of The Athleticreported Sunday that the 36-year-old left-hander is doing more than postingworkoutvideos to his Instagram account this offseason. Collins is planning to throw for scouts Wednesday at the Cressey Sports Performance pro day in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Collins spent the last two seasons as a pitching coach in the Phillies’ minor league system. He joined the advanced Class-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws this past season after spending 2024 with Class-A Clearwater Threshers in the same capacity.
From 2011-19, Collins made 275 appearances, all in relief, for the Kansas City Royals (2011-14), Washington Nationals (2018), and Chicago Cubs (2019). He went 12-17 with a 3.60 ERA and struck out 245 batters in 242.1 innings.
Collins was part of a Royals bullpen that was instrumental in their run to the 2014 World Series. He made three appearances and pitched five innings in the seven-game Fall Classic, allowing only two runs.
Collins needed Tommy John surgery in March 2015, and a revision of that procedure effectively knocked him out of baseball until late in the 2017 season. He would return to the big leagues with the Nats in May 2018, and made 68 appearances that season between the majors and the minors.
Collins opted out of the 2020 season after making seven appearances for the Rockies in spring training. Since then he has been active as a coach, offering private lessons and youth baseball camps before joining the Phillies’ organization as a coach.
A seven-year gap between major league appearances is rare, but not unheard of; recently retired pitcher Daniel Bard did so while serving as an Arizona Diamondbacks coach between stints with the Boston Red Sox in 2013 and the Colorado Rockies in 2020.
The Rockies swung an in-division trade on Saturday to add to their outfield depth.
Colorado acquired Jake McCarthy from the Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Josh Grosz. McCarthy is coming off a down year with Arizona, but his past suggests the potential for his bat to help the Rockies lineup.
With the move, Colorado’s 40-man roster is full, and the Rockies have another option in an outfield that is returning its top three contributors last year in Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck and Mickey Moniak.
Beyond those three and McCarthy, other outfielders currently on the 40-man include up-and-comers Yanquiel Fernández and Zac Veen, utilitymen Tyler Freeman and Troy Johnston, and the yet-to-debut Sterlin Thompson.
McCarthy, 28, was a first-round pick by Arizona out of the University of Virginia in 2018. After debuting in 2021, he came on strong in 2022, slashing .283/.342/.427 with a .769 OPS and 2.4 bWAR to finish fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. He can play all three outfield spots, and his stock continued to rise in 2023 and ’24, especially the latter year, where he hit .285 with 1.7 bWAR in 142 games.
But McCarthy fell off in 2025. He started the season mired in a deep slump, going hitless in his first 24 at-bats and batting .073 when Arizona finally sent him down to Triple-A Reno on April 19. He hit better in the second half of the season after being recalled, but it wasn’t enough to not make him expendable for Arizona.
Over his five-year big-league career, McCarthy is slashing .260/.324/.381 with 46 doubles, 20 triples, 24 homers and 139 RBIs. Speed is also an important element of his game, as he has 83 stolen bases and 20 triples in his career, and his 29.9 feet/second sprint speed in 2025 was tied for fifth-fastest in the majors among players with at least 200 plate appearances.
In trading away Grosz, the Rockies gave up on one of the pieces from the Ryan McMahon trade with the Yankees last July. Grosz had a 5.87 ERA in seven starts for High-A Spokane following the trade. The other pitcher acquired in that deal, southpaw Griffin Herring, showed promise down the stretch of 2025 with a 2.40 ERA in seven starts for Spokane. Herring figures to be tested in Double-A this season.
Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez is one of the top players left in free agency, as of Wednesday, and he seems to have plenty of suitors.
The New York Mets make a lot of sense as a landing spot for the lefty. He would immediately slot in as the team’s best pitcher going forward. The Mets have the money to build up the pitching staff after the unit struggled last season. It would be the perfect addition in Queens.
“Valdez is one of the majors’ most durable, consistent pitchers; he and Giants ace Logan Webb are the only two hurlers to complete at least 175 innings while recording an ERA under 3.70 in each of the last four seasons,” Laws and Selbe wrote. “The worm-burning lefty also has three top-10 Cy Young finishes, a no-hitter and a World Series-clinching win under his belt from his time with the Astros.
“Valdez would step in as a top-tier No. 2 pitcher on just about any pitching staff, and the fact he doesn’t rely on elite velocity likely means he’d age well over the course of a five-year contract. The Angels, who recently agreed to a buyout with Anthony Rendon and reached a settlement in the Tyler Skaggs wrongful death lawsuit, have the payroll space for a big move to get them closer to contention.”
Adding Valdez makes perfect sense for the Angels. They’re seemingly desperate to add to their roster in the coming weeks, as they’re trying to contend again next season.
Adding Valdez to a struggling pitching staff would work wonders in pushing the Angels in the right direction. This move would give them a pitcher who can go toe to toe with any opposing ace in the league.
It’s hard to imagine the Angels outbidding the Mets in a sweepstakes like this, but don’t count them out yet.
Sep 14, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The New York Mets have yet to make any legitimate additions to a starting rotation that disintegrated over the final three and a half months of the 2025 season, but one big reinforcement could be on the way.
ESPN’s Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers reported on Tuesday that it is “inevitable” that New York lands one of Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez, the free-agent market’s top left-handed pitchers available.
Suarez hit the free agent market at the best possible time, as he was coming off a career season with the Philadelphia Phillies behind a 12-8 record and 3.20 ERA. He isn’t as proven over an extended stretch as Valdez, though; the soon-to-be former Astro has a 3.20 ERA and averaged 180.2 innings pitched with 175 strikeouts over the last five seasons.
Valdez is also a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion who has toed the rubber on the game’s largest stages.
The pedigree would likely be seen on the price tags of each starting pitcher, though Suarez is two years younger than the 32-year-old Valdez. There is something to be said, at least at this point, about Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spending this offseason as more of a bargain hunter rather than making a big splash in free agency. His largest move in free agency was signing Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal.
However, the Mets’ starting rotation requires significant investment due to its uncertainty. Nolan McLean is projected to develop into an ace, and Clay Holmes performed well as a middle-of-the-rotation option in his first year moving from closer to starter. But Sean Manaea was derailed by a spring-training oblique injury while Kodai Senga’s June hamstring pull was the flashpoint at the start of the Mets’ collapse. Upon his return, his mechanics were never the same, and he was unable to find them during his demotion to Triple-A.
David Peterson went from an All-Star in the first half of the season to looking like the young southpaw who could not put it all together in years past.
For more on the Mets and Framber Valdez, visit AMNY.com
The Toronto Blue Jays came very close to winning the World Series this year, but they fell one game and one run short to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The pitching staff held them back quite a bit last season. They didn’t have the talent or depth that would have helped them take home the World Series trophy. As a result, they’ve secured a new deal with Shane Bieber and a huge contract with Dylan Cease this winter. Next, they could add another veteran arm to the roster.
” Veteran innings eater with a 3.96 ERA over 170.1 IP in 2025; velocity decline is a concern at his age, but limits hard contact and remains effective with a varied pitch mix,” Connor wrote.
Bassitt had a good year with the Blue Jays. He’s a solid innings eater with the ability to slot in as the No. 4 or No. 5 pitcher in the rotation. The Blue Jays don’t need him to be a superstar, so signing him to a one or two year deal would make a lot of sense.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic projects Bassitt to sign for $45 million this winter, which should fit the Blue Jays very well. They can afford to give him around $15 million to $20 million a season to secure a spot in the rotation.
The Toronto Blue Jays have already made some aggressive moves this winter, landing Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rigers. However, they also reportedly have their hand in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes.
Tucker has reportedly already visited the Blue Jays’ facility in Florida. He is the best free agent available right now, and many experts see the Blue Jays as favorites to land him. However, what will be the Blue Jays’ plan if they cannot land him?
Any answer seemingly starts with Bo Bichette. He is a homegrown star and has noted he wants to stay in Toronto. If the Blue Jays don’t spend on Tucker, they could put that money toward Bichette. However, they clearly have a desire to upgrade in the outfield and could pivot to a different star on the market.
Cody Bellinger could be a great fit for the Blue Jays, and according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, he is seen as a “fallback plan” for the Blue Jays if they fail to sign Tucker. Bellinger could be a great fit, especially if the Yankees are the team that signs Tucker.
Prediction: Blue Jays sign Bo Bichette to a six-year, $170 million deal and Cody Bellinger to a six-year, $180 million deal
Missing out on Tucker would obviously sting, but he could have cost the Blue Jays north of $400 million in total value. Instead, they could sign both Bellinger and Bichette, solidifying their infield while also adding a superstar in the outfield. Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 last season and hit 29 home runs, the most he’s hit in a season since his 2019 MVP campaign.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays know exactly what they are getting in Bichette. A contact-oriented hitter who puts the ball in play and racks up hits. He was leading all of baseball in hits prior to his knee sprain last season. His defense is not great, but the Blue Jays could move him to second base and shift Andrés Giménez to shortstop.
The New York Yankees have not made a big splash in free agency yet, but there are still plenty of big names on the board, including Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai.
On Wednesday, MLB insider Francys Romero tabbed the Yankees as one of the finalists to land Imai. However, when speaking to reporters on Friday, Aaron Boone revealed that the Yankees have not met with or scheduled a meeting with Imai, per Yankees insider Gary Phillips.
“I don’t know,” Boone told Phillips when asked if he expected a meeting to happen.
Phillips reported at the winter meetings that Brian Cashman would not reveal if he expected the Yankees to meet with Imai. However, just because there is no meeting does not mean the Yankees will not engage in talks to sign him. Imai being in Japan for the majority of the offseason could play a role in the lack of a meeting.
The Yankees have kept most of their plans close to the vest this winter. However, adding Imai could be a great move for the team. Imai has been pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League since 2018. He has a 3.15 ERA in 159 games. He was just posted by the Saitama Seibu Lions following his stellar season. He had a 1.92 ERA in 163 2/3 innings of work last season. He threw five complete games, three shutouts and notched 178 strikeouts.
Imai is 27 years old, and teams have until Jan. 2 to sign him, when his posting window closes. He has the potential to be an ace in the United States, and there may be plenty of teams interested in signing him. Unlike other Japanese superstars, the Dodgers may not be his preferred destination.
Imai told Daisuke Matsuzaka on the show, “Hodo Station,” earlier this offseason that he does not want to join the Dodgers. He noted he would rather join a team and take them down. This sentiment gives other teams a better chance to sign him.
The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off one of the biggest moves of the offseason, bringing back slugger Kyle Schwarber, which may end up costing the team one of their other stars.
The Phillies signed Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million contract, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Retaining Schwarber was the Phillies’ top offseason priority, especially after mashing a career-high 56 home runs, but after signing him to such a large contract, retaining All-Star pitcher Ranger Suárez appears far less realistic.
Suárez is projected to sign a long-term contract that will have an average annual value likely over $25 million a year, likely pricing out a return to Philadelphia. Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly predicts that the eight-year veteran will leave in free agency, signing a contract with the Chicago Cubs.
“Teams may be hesitant to give Ranger Suárez as many years as he and agent Scott Boras would like given that he’s had a back injury in three of the last four seasons and saw his average fastball velocity dip to 91.3 mph in 2025,” Kelly wrote Friday. “However, the former All-Star is still going to make out quite well. Suárez has shown an ability to thrive both as a top-of-the-rotation starter and a reliever.
“The Cubs need another starter to go with Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton and Shota Imanaga, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand previously reported that in addition to the Orioles, Chicago and the Houston Astros are ‘the most serious threats to sign him away from the Phillies.’ Based on how this offseason has played out, we’re going to guess that this comes down to the Orioles and Cubs.”
Despite not being named an All-Star for the second-straight season this year, Suárez excelled in his eighth year with the Phillies. The 30-year-old posted a 3.20 ERA with a career-high 151 strikeouts in 26 starts this season. Chicago needs a bona fide star pitcher to lead its starting rotation, and Suárez may be a perfect fit.
The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the more active teams in MLB this offseason following a loss in the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Blue Jays added Dylan Cease on a shocking deal earlier this winter, but they remain in pursuit of top position player free agents like Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker.
“Toronto has come in second for so many big names in recent years, but last season’s success dramatically alters the Blue Jays’ reputation,” Kline wrote. “All that is to say, Bo Bichette definitely wants to continue his partnership with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and reach the mountaintop with the only franchise he knows. If the offer is remotely competitive, the Blue Jays feel like overwhelming favorites here.”
The Blue Jays are reportedly still in pursuit of Tucker, but they should be prioritizing Bichette.
It’s very difficult to find a shortstop with Bichette’s consistency, bat-to-ball skills, and leadership. He’s one of the best young infielders in the league, and he proved his loyalty to the Blue Jays by playing through a grueling injury in the World Series. After such a gutsy performance, the Blue Jays should reward him with a huge contract.
The Atlanta Braves fortified the back end of their bullpen Thursday, agreeing to terms with free agent pitcher Robert Suarez on a three-year, $45 million contract, per multiple reports.
Jeff Passan of ESPN was first to report the agreement.
Suarez was an All-Star closer for the San Diego Padres in 2025 — and the best reliever still available on the market after Edwin Diaz, Raisel Iglesias, Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley all found new homes in free agency.
Suarez will join Iglesias to form perhaps the most formidable 1-2 punch in the National League East — if not all of baseball — in 2026.
This highlights just how deeply entrenched the city’s love of sports actually goes.
Whether it’s merchandise, traveling to games, sports betting, or just buying tickets to watch the games, the figures indicate that when it comes to being passionate about sports, Philly fans aren’t afraid to let their wallets do the talking.
Spending Levels That Outpace Holiday Budgets
The study took a look at how much people tend to spend on Christmas gifts across the nation. It found that, on average, consumers spent around $870 per person. While not a meager sum by any stretch, Philadelphia sports fans generally exceed that figure through team-related spending, regardless of which sport they enjoy most. On average, Philly fans were willing to fork over approximately $944 each year to follow and support their favorite teams. That figure was generally split between gear, tailgates, trips to catch live games, and other related entertainment like online sports betting.
Sports betting alone has become a major driver of sports-related entertainment for local fans. With Pennsylvania boasting one of only seven fully regulated iGaming markets (online casinos included), local fans have plenty of digital platforms to turn to. The market has also branched out considerably over the years, and many fans now regularly use niche options like the best Bitcoin betting sites.
The appeal of these sites comes from their use of cryptocurrencies as a payment method. While Bitcoin is the most popular and widely used option, other tokens like Ethereum and Solana also feature regularly on these specialized sites. By exploiting the benefits of blockchain technology, crypto betting sites offer more private experiences, instant payouts, and a wide range of sports and markets to bet on.
For those who can’t regularly make it to games, online sites like these and other modern options like streaming services and social media help fans engage with their favorite teams in a variety of ways. This has translated into a democratization of sorts that now helps sports fans feel closer to their favorite teams and players. The fact that they can interact with and even directly reply to posts on social media pages has resulted in a surge of new avenues for fans to spend on sports, and Philly fans have embraced all of them.
Credit: Connor Gan-Unsplash
How Team Culture Drives Spending Habits
The gap in Philly fans’ spending habits for sports teams vs. holiday shopping shows how much weight sports carry for locals. Many fans attend several games a year across the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers. Special events like playoff runs, rivalry games, or stadium visits boost yearly totals. These costs climb once food, jerseys, travel, and parking enter the mix.
Some fans start spending early in the year. Others build their budgets around key dates like opening day or major matchups. High-demand games often draw higher prices. Families who attend games together may spend hundreds in a single outing. The survey placed Philadelphia among the highest spending markets in the United States, trailing only a few cities with strong football and baseball cultures.
A City Known for High Emotion and High Loyalty
Philadelphia fans often describe themselves as part of an extended sports community. This mindset surrounds each team with a shared sense of identity. When teams succeed, the city lights up. When teams struggle, people stay committed. Despite holiday shopping already surging this year, this emotional link helps explain why local fans spend more than the national holiday shopping average.
Season ticket holders make up a portion of this spending. Some fans keep their seats for decades. They treat renewals as part of yearly planning, much like household bills. Season ticket packages run far above casual single-game purchases, which pushes the average higher.
Travel adds more weight. Fans often take trips to see away games in nearby states. Washington, New Jersey, and New York each host teams that face Philadelphia clubs regularly. These trips often include hotel stays, meal,s and transportation. Some groups turn these events into long weekends, which adds to the total yearly outlay.
The Broader Picture Behind the Numbers
The study that produced these figures compared spending habits across major US cities. Philadelphia ranked near the top not only for total dollars spent but also for consistency across all four major sports. Many cities show strong spending in one sport. Philadelphia maintains strong spending across the board.
Even during the off-season, the spending does not fade. Many fans keep buying shirts, hats, and jerseys during roster moves or draft announcements. Preseason excitement sparks new purchases. Sports radio stations and local news outlets keep stories active, which keeps fans thinking about their teams year-round.
The Philadelphia Phillies made a great trade at the deadline this season, bringing in veteran outfielder Harrison Bader.
After being traded to the Phillies, Bader slashed .305/.361/.463 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. Bader, also an elite defensive outfielder who is a former Gold Glove award winner, enjoyed the best offensive season of his career at the perfect time and is set to cash in this offseason.
Just Baseball’s Ryan Finkelstein projects that the Phillies will re-sign Bader to a two-year contract worth roughly $30 million this offseason.
“This will be Harrison Bader’s third chance to take a bite out of the free agent apple, and his value has never been higher,” Finkelstein wrote Thursday. “Offensively, Bader enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025. Considering Trent Grisham’s defensive regression in 2025, you can make a case that Bader is the best center fielder on the market.
“Still, Bader should be able to get a multi-year deal in free agency for the first time, and if he took a lesser AAV, he might even be able to find a landing spot that would sign him on a three or four-year deal. For our purposes, I went with a two-year pact that pays Bader $15 million per season. A big raise on the $6.25 million he made in 2025. When it comes to the landing spot, the Phillies were a match made in heaven for Bader after a mid-season trade, and the two sides could easily get together on a new deal.”
The Phillies have other top free agents to prioritize this offseason, like Kyle Schwarber, but after trading for Bader at the trade deadline, it would not be surprising to see Philadelphia pursue a reunion in free agency.
