6+ hour, 21+ min ago (837+ words) For the vast majority of baseball fans, they are the four free agents nobody knows. Yet they could tip the balance of power in the 2026 title chases. All four played in Japan's major leagues last year but now, after posting by their teams, hope to follow Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Yu Darvish to teams in the United States. The names to know are pitchers Tatsuya Imai and Kona Takahashi plus position players Munetaka Murakami and Kaz Okamoto. Now on the free-agent market, they are widely considered among the best potential signees in a sea of accomplished veterans " even though nobody knows how they will handle the transition to American baseball. None has the potential of Ohtani, a pitcher/DH who won four MVP awards " all by unanimous vote " with the last three coming in consecutive seasons. Nor does any…...

13+ hour, 21+ min ago (652+ words) Pete Alonso is a very attractive free agent. Alonso, who turns 31 December 7, has opted out of his contract with the New York Mets. A powerful slugger, the right-handed hitting Alonso was paid $30M by the Mets in 2025. He opted out of the second year of the deal, which had a value of $24M. A client of the Boras Corporation, Alonso spent most of last winter waiting for the right free agent offer. Alonso ultimately signed back with the Mets, but has decided to leave after the first year of his new deal. There could be a number of suitors for Alonso's services. A four-year, $140M contract sounds fair to this old scout. First and foremost, the Mets may not be out of the picture to retain their middle of the order power hitter. If the Mets do make a long-term offer to retain…...

14+ hour, 44+ min ago (648+ words) A major sign of progress on the extensive repair work at Tropicana Field came a little earlier than expected. A new roof atop the Trop that was slated to be completed in December had the last of 24 panels installed a week before Thanksgiving. "This project was a massive undertaking, but we have an outstanding team working on it and making sure we're prepared for opening day," St. Petersburg mayor said in a statement published on the city's web site. "We look forward to completing the remaining repairs and welcoming fans back for the 2026 season." Much of the interior work, including seating areas and suites as well as the installation of a new playing surface scheduled for January, is expected to be completed prior to the home opener against the Cubs on April 6. Given the Rays did not play the 2025 season…...

15+ hour, 21+ min ago (447+ words) According to multiple reports over the weekend, the Cubs are signing relief pitcher Phil Maton to a two-year deal. The exact terms are not yet known, and the team has not yet confirmed the signing, but Maton is expected to be the first of a few new faces in the Cubs" bullpen as they look to get back to the postseason in 2026. Last season, the Cubs" bullpen was a significant part of their success. They won 92 games and came one win short of advancing to the National League Championship Series. The bullpen"s 3.78 ERA as a group helped propel the Cubs to their first postseason berth since 2020 and first playoff wins since 2017. But the relievers who got them that far are not all going to stick around; key members Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, and Drew Pomeranz all became free agents,…...

19+ hour, 26+ min ago (251+ words) Not much more than some shadow-boxing has been going on in the early stages of MLB free agency. Perhaps the most significant development thus far has been the aceeptance of the qualifying offer by a record four free agents. This time around, a unique set of circumstances made the prospective free agents think twice about shopping their wares to the rest of the league. This might be the most interesting of the four situations, with perhaps a bit of ambivalence on the part of the club. Grisham, 29, is coming off of a 34 homer season, but there are warning signs within his offensive profile. His swing is totally grooved to lift and pull, he doesn't hit for average and had all of nine doubles last season. No, the Milwaukee Brewers are not known for spending a lot of money. But it…...

19+ hour, 59+ min ago (425+ words) After a disappointing season that began with the addition of Juan Soto and ended without a chance at the playoffs, the New York Mets are ready to mix things up. The team made that very clear when it agreed to ship long-time outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien. On paper, the move makes sense as it improves the Mets" defense, fortifies the infield and adds a right-hander. But cutting ties with Nimmo signaled a dramatic change for the team. "Nimmo was the Mets" longest-tenured player, with 1,066 games with the club dating to 2016," Tim Britton wrote for The Athletic. "Nimmo leaves the Mets with the ninth-most plate appearances in team history. He ranks sixth in runs scored, eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in homers and 10th in total bases and doubles." After a disappointing…...

20+ hour, 48+ min ago (316+ words) For players with at least three years of service time, the team can either non-tender (i.e., cut the player), or offer a contract, which starts the arbitration process, which we will get into at a later date. After three years of being "arbitration eligible," a player becomes a free agent and can shop his wares to any potential suitor. Offering a contract to a player insures that he will remain on the club's 40-man roster, and thus it is an important decision that has long-term implications. Over the two years of the previous deal, Garc'a slashed .225/.278/.397, for a total of 3.0 bWAR. This, despite the fact that he hit 44 home runs and drove in 160 over that two-year period. His on-base percentage was less than .300 both years, he barely slugged .400, and had an OPS+ of 98 and 93, respectively. That is not a player the…...

21+ hour, 48+ min ago (439+ words) The New York Mets won't be sitting on their hands after a disappointing season without a playoff berth. The team is clearly looking to return next year with a revamped roster after it agreed to exchange long-time outfielder Brandon Nimmo for the Texas Rangers' three-time infielder Marcus Semien. But the biggest move for the Mets this winter could be one that keeps a familiar face in Queens. Homegrown Mets slugger Pete Alonso agreed to return to the team after a prolonged free agency last winter and proceeded to produce one of his best seasons to date. Now he has elected to return to free agency and the team will have to offer him a long-term contract if they want him to return. It's clear that many Mets fans want Alonso to return, particularly after he became the franchise's all-time home…...

22+ hour, 34+ min ago (316+ words) We've gotten accustomed to having a big superstar pitcher jump to MLB from Asia in the last two years, first with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and then with Roki Sasaki. There might not be a player who can have that kind of impact, but there are four prominent players coming over this offseason. MLB clubs looking for a third baseman will have Okamoto on their shopping list, especially the ones that miss out on Alex Bregman and Eugenio Su'rez. He won't hit as many home runs as Murakami can'or Su'rez for that matter'but he doesn't turn 30 until the end of June and makes more contact, giving him a likelier chance of hitting for average and getting on base. Tatsuya Imai could land a bigger contract than either Murakami or Okamoto. The 27-year-old right-hander was one of the best pitchers in Japan this…...

1+ day, 6+ hour ago (749+ words) About an hour after the New York Giants became the first team in the NFL to get eliminated from postseason contention, there was news pertaining to another disappointing New York team. The news came in the form of a series of tweets stating the New York Mets traded Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien. It was one of those rare one for one swaps of established veterans and one of those deals where sentiment goes out the window at least in terms of David Stearns, who used the word run prevention numerous times at a season-ending press conference. Stearns spoke in those terms on Sept. 29, which is way earlier than anyone thought but he was speaking about it and hinting at changes without naming names on the same day the Cincinnati Reds prepared for their wild-card series…...