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MLB Offseason Preview on Each Team's Top Free Agents, Shopping List and Roster Moves
The first few big hurdles of Major League Baseball's 2025-26 offseason are already out of the way, but the party is just getting started.
Decisions on all player/club/mutual options have been made, and 13 qualifying offers (one year, $22.05 million) were extended. Most of those offers will be declined, but players have until November 18 to make those decisions.
Still, gears are turning across the baseball landscape, as it's almost time to find out where all of these free agents are going to land. That officially includes recently posted Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, who needs to sign somewhere by Dec. 22 in order to make the move from NPB to MLB. That could mean he'll be the first major domino to fall.
As we wait on those qualifying-offer decisions and, subsequently, the winter meetings from Dec. 7-10 when roster-building business typically picks up in earnest, let's take a look at each team's current state of affairs in trying to size up their offseason agenda.
For all 30 teams, we'll list the noteworthy free agents lost, identify three of their biggest areas of need and pose a key question that needs to be answered.
Teams are presented in alphabetical order.
All payroll and roster information courtesy of Spotrac.
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Zac Gallen (qualifying offer), C James McCann, LHP Jalen Beeks
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: What will this rotation look like?
There's a decent chance Zac Gallen will be back in 2026, whether that's him accepting the one-year qualifying offer or negotiating a long-term deal with the franchise where he had been great prior to an unusually home run-heavy run through 2025.
Even if Gallen does come back, though, what else do the Diamondbacks have in their rotation?
Ryne Nelson is a solid, nationally-underappreciated rotation staple with three years of team control remaining, but last year's $200M acquisition Corbin Burnes probably won't pitch at all in 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June.
Beyond that, Eduardo Rodriguez (5.02 ERA) and Brandon Pfaadt (5.25 ERA) will both be back, for better or worse. And goodness only knows who will man the No. 5 spot in the rotation—and again, that's even if their now free agent former ace does decide to remain in the desert.
Basically, they need at least two more arms, one of which could be Gallen.
Athletics
2 of 30
Notable Free Agents: LHP Sean Newcomb, RHP José Leclerc
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Is this the offseason where they make their move back to relevance?
The Athletics have the offense to be a contender. They demonstrated that while averaging better than five runs per game during their 34-24 finish to the regular season, ultimately producing the AL ROY (Nick Kurtz) and first runner-up for it (Jacob Wilson).
None of those hitters is going anywhere any time soon. All eight A's who hit at least nine home runs in 2025 are under team control through at least 2028—and that doesn't even include the elite range of Denzel Clarke in center field, nor previous breakout star Zack Gelof, who missed most of this past season due to injury.
So, do they make another Luis Severino type of splash in free agency and/or trade for another Jeffrey Springs-caliber arm to try to put themselves in the running for a postseason berth next season?
Or are they going to risk letting this window pass them by and wait until two years from now when they're in Las Vegas to really invest in the roster?
Atlanta Braves
3 of 30
Notable Free Agents: DH Marcell Ozuna, RHP Raisel Iglesias, IF Ha-Seong Kim, RHP Pierce Johnson, RHP Tyler Kinley
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: How much can they afford to spend?
Atlanta's decision to decline its club options on both Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley was a bit surprising, as those veterans were two of the best arms in that bullpen this season.
With a payroll already at nearly $200M, though, perhaps they simply needed to free up that $12.5M in order to invest in more consequential roster spots like shortstop and closer.
After all, Bo Bichette is out there as a free agent, and Atlanta has learned all too well in the three seasons since not re-signing Dansby Swanson how much it can hurt when your shortstop is your weakest link.
Also available this winter are quite a few established closers, like Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez.
Can Atlanta afford to make one of those eyebrow-raising moves?
Several of them?
Or is it going to be another quiet winter on the free agency front for a team that always seems to prefer trading its way to solutions?
Baltimore Orioles
4 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Zach Eflin, RHP Tomoyuki Sugano, C Gary Sánchez, IF Jorge Mateo
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: When will Grayson Rodriguez be back?
Heading into the winter, the Baltimore Orioles are an amorphous blob of "Yeah, that could work."
A starting rotation where Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells play a much bigger part (alongside Trevor Rogers and Dean Kremer) after missing most of 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery? Yeah, that could work.
Slotting the re-acquired Andrew Kittredge at closer for a year while Félix Bautista recovers from shoulder surgery? Yeah, that could work.
Former top prospects Samuel Basallo, Coby Mayo and Dylan Beavers all playing major roles in the offense despite a combined total of 595 plate appearances in the majors? Yeah, that could work.
But will Grayson Rodriguez's arm work?
The former top prospect who occasionally showcased ace-caliber stuff hasn't pitched in a regular season game since July 2024, finally undergoing a non-Tommy John elbow surgery in early August.
If he's back at the start of 2026 and looking anything like his old self, that's a game-changer. Conversely, if it becomes clear at any point that he's destined for another lost season, that might be the final straw that pushes Baltimore to start answering phone calls with trade packages for Adley Rutschman.
Boston Red Sox
5 of 30
Notable Free Agents: 3B Alex Bregman, RHP Lucas Giolito, OF Rob Refsnyder, LHP Steven Matz, LHP Justin Wilson, RHP Dustin May
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Will they re-sign Alex Bregman?
We'll try to take it easy on the "Will they re-sign (insert free agent here)?" questions for today, but this is a rather large one.
Because if Boston doesn't re-sign Alex Bregman, what does it plan to do at third base in 2026?
The answer could lie roughly 6,700 miles away, as the two best third basemen not named Bregman who are available this winter might be Japanese sluggers Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto.
The former has already become a big name in the States, dubbed the Babe Ruth of Higo with 265 home runs over the past eight seasons. But Okamoto isn't far behind Murakami with 247 dingers during that same time.
Whether either one has a long-term future as a third baseman is questionable, but considering the Red Sox also have a big question mark at first base, that's a risk they should be willing to take.
Chicago Cubs
6 of 30
Notable Free Agents: OF Kyle Tucker (qualifying offer), LHP Shota Imanaga (qualifying offer), IF Willi Castro, RHP Brad Keller, LHP Drew Pomeranz, LHP Caleb Thielbar, RHP Aaron Civale, RHP Michael Soroka, RHP Ryan Brasier
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: How well will they re-stock the bullpen?
First things first, let's point out that the Cubs have pretty much all of the long-term money to spend and really ought to be a big factor in free agency this offseason.
With the exception of 2027 mutual options for both Carson Kelly and Matthew Boyd—and we all know that mutual options virtually never get exercised—their only contract on the books beyond 2026 is Dansby Swanson, signed through 2029.
They do already have six players who will make a combined sum of $113M in 2026, but surely they could re-sign Kyle Tucker and/or go get someone like Framber Valdez on a huge deal if they wanted to, because five of those six are hitting free agency next winter.
However, the real key to their success in 2026 might not be a singular mega deal, but how well they reload in a bullpen where Daniel Palencia is probably struggling to find a familiar face.
At any rate, if Chicago tries to budget its way to a no-name bullpen like the Texas Rangers did last offseason, the result could be equally mediocre.
Chicago White Sox
7 of 30
Notable Free Agents: LHP Martín Pérez, OF Michael A. Taylor, LHP Tyler Alexander
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Where exactly are they in the rebuilding process?
The White Sox were considerably less awful in 2025 than they were during the 121-loss campaign of historic futility in 2024, but they still suffered at least 100 losses for a third consecutive year.
On the plus side, top prospects Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel both looked the part in their half-season in the big leagues and could be foundational pieces. Rookie pitcher Shane Smith also had quite the debut year, going at least five scoreless innings on eight separate occasions and representing the White Sox in the All-Star Game.
They also should have been much better, going a brutal 15-36 in one-run games and ending the year with a better run differential (minus-95) than the Baltimore Orioles (minus-111).
Is that enough to justify making any sort of real investments this offseason, though? Or is it just going to be another year of Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi and a steady diet of pre-arbitration guys trying to prove they belong in the majors?
Cincinnati Reds
8 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Nick Martinez, RHP Emilio Pagán, OF Austin Hays, RHP Zack Littell, UTIL Miguel Andujar, UTIL Santiago Espinal
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Can the Reds beef up their offense?
If healthy, Cincinnati's starting rotation could be one of the best we've ever seen. It was already doggone good this past season with Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer leading the way, but they also have Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder as aces-in-waiting who entered 2025 rated as top 30 prospects in all of baseball.
However, will they go get a bat or two to help provide that rotation with some run support, after somehow sneaking into the postseason despite tying the Angels for the second-worst bWAR among batters in 2025?
Or are they just going to hope that Matt McLain turns things around, that September callup and top prospect Sal Stewart has an NL ROY type of campaign and that Christian Encarnacion-Strand might still be able to amount to something?
And while the rotation could be elite, are they going to risk squandering it via what is presently a gigantic question mark at closer?
Cleveland Guardians
9 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Jakob Junis, OF Lane Thomas
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Will there be any more fallout from the gambling scandal?
Three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase has a career 1.88 ERA and a $6.4M salary for 2026...which Cleveland might be able to void. Both Clase and Luis Ortiz have been suspended since the summer and were recently indicted for their alleged roles in a prop bets scandal.
Considering how good Cade Smith has been over the past two seasons, though, the Guardians might be just fine without that Clase expenditure. At any rate, they made their historic comeback in August and September without Clase.
Elsewhere, how confident is Cleveland in its rookie outfielders? George Valera and Chase DeLauter both made their MLB debuts in September, and the Guardians are likely going to enter spring training planning on starting that pair in right and center, respectively.
Granted, it can't go any worse than the complete lack of production they got from those two spots in the lineup in 2025. But it'll be interesting to see if they bring in any veterans for insurance.
Colorado Rockies
10 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Germán Márquez, IF Orlando Arcia, IF Kyle Farmer
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: What is the plan here?
In the three offseasons since giving Kris Bryant $182M, Colorado has invested a combined sum of $30.5M in free agents, all of it on one-year deals for reclamation projects that amounted to a whole lot of nothing.
Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar were both breakout stars in 2024 before completely vanishing in 2025. And were it not for Hunter Goodman, their clear-cut team MVP in 2025 would have been a now-32-year-old reliever who wasn't even used for a single save (Jimmy Herget).
All while the MLB club was a hot mess, Colorado's farm system ranking (per our Joel Reuter) went from top 10 in the preseason to not enough top 20 by year end. Pretty much all of their top prospects are probably multiple years away from the big leagues, too.
The Rockies posted a historically awful minus-424 run differential, and they just might run it back again next year.
Detroit Tigers
11 of 30
Notable Free Agents: 2B Gleyber Torres (qualifying offer), RHP Kyle Finnegan, RHP Tommy Kahnle, RHP Chris Paddack
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Are they actually shopping Tarik Skubal?
It's the biggest question of MLB's entire offseason.
The Kyle Tuckers and Bo Bichettes are going to sign somewhere, but is one year of what is currently one of the three best pitchers in the universe actually on the trade block?
What can the Tigers get for Tarik Skubal if they do move him?
And with both the White Sox and Twins already looking hopeless, will the 2026 AL Central make a case for worst division ever if the Tigers do unload him?
Skubal was worth more bWAR (6.5) than the rest of Detroit's pitching staff combined (5.8). And while Detroit won 68 percent of his starts during the regular season, they were barely .500 (66-65) in all other games.
Even with Skubal, that 28-41 record through an anything but nice final 69 games may have been a sign of things to come in 2026.
Then again, with two of the best prospects in all of baseball (Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark) already at their disposal, imagine how good they could be in 2028 if they manage to turn Skubal into two or three "sure things" with at least half a decade of team control.
Houston Astros
12 of 30
Notable Free Agents: LHP Framber Valdez (qualifying offer), C Victor Caratini
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: What's their free agency budget?
In Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa, Christian Walker, Josh Hader, Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr., the Astros have seven players whom they owe a combined sum of just under $160M in 2026.
In Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Peña, Mauricio Dubón, Jesús Sánchez, Ramón Urías, Jake Meyers, Yainer Diaz, Bryan Abreu and Hunter Brown, they have another nine players who are expected to fetch a combined $50M-$60M in arbitration.
They could trade away or non-tender some of them, but let's assume for now they keep all 16 at around $220M. If they fill out the rest of the 26-man roster with pre-arbitration players at $820k a pop, that brings them close to $228M—which is what their average Opening Day payroll has been over the past two seasons.
Can Houston realistically be expected to bring in a marquee free agent this winter?
And can Houston realistically be expected to contend with Seattle in the AL West if their starting rotation is Brown, the perpetually injured Javier and McCullers and a steady refrain of "maybe some combination of Spencer Arrighetti, Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski will be healthy by September"?
Kansas City Royals
13 of 30
Notable Free Agents: OF Mike Yastrzemski, RHP Michael Lorenzen, OF Randal Grichuk
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Will Cole Ragans be Cole Ragans again?
In what was otherwise an unremarkable September for the Royals, Cole Ragans returned from more than three months on the IL and looked like his old self, fanning 22 of 48 batters faced and allowing just 10 baserunners in 13 innings of work.
Imagine how much different Kansas City's season might have been if he had been able to log anything close to the 186.1 innings pitched that he gave them in 2024.
They did have both Noah Cameron and Kris Bubic break out in a big way, and they'll have both Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha back in 2026, too. Could be a special rotation if Ragans gives them a full season of dominance.
Kansas City does somewhat desperately need to improve its offense, though. The Royals weren't as bad as the Rockies or Pirates, but that sure is a low bar to clear. And the outfield is blatantly where they could make the biggest gains.
Los Angeles Angels
14 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Kenley Jansen, LHP Tyler Anderson, IF Luis Rengifo, RHP Kyle Hendricks (retiring), RHP Luis García, LHP Andrew Chafin, 3B Yoán Moncada, UTIL Chris Taylor
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Will they trade Taylor Ward, Jorge Soler and/or Robert Stephenson?
Mercifully for the Angels, 2026 will be the last season of Anthony Rendon's albatross of a contract.
Unfortunately, it's also their final year of team control on Taylor Ward, Jorge Soler and Robert Stephenson, each of whom figures to make at least $11M this season. (Though, we'll see where Ward's salary lands in arbitration.)
Is that a nucleus they can build around right now and actually contend for a change next season?
Or would they be better suited getting what they can for Ward right now, in an offseason where the crop of outfielders available in free agency gets bleak in a hurry beyond Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham?
The fly in the ointment is that this could be the final season in which Mike Trout provides some actual value in the lineup. Maybe they go for broke, like they did at the trade deadline in Shohei Ohtani's final season in Anaheim.
Los Angeles Dodgers
15 of 30
Notable Free Agents: UTIL Kiké Hernández, IF Miguel Rojas, LHP Clayton Kershaw (retiring), LF Michael Conforto, RHP Kirby Yates, RHP Michael Kopech
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Will they win the Munetaka Murakami sweepstakes?
After signing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers won the 2024 World Series.
After landing Roki Sasaki in January, they won another one in November.
And the key to a three-peat may well be yet another Japanese star.
The Dodgers did (as expected) exercise their $10M club option to bring back Max Muncy for one more year, but there's no good reason that 35-year-old slugger will prevent them from pursuing the 25-year-old Babe Ruth of Higo, Munetaka Murakami.
If they land Murakami, maybe they'll decide to trade away Muncy. (If so, pretty please, send him to the A's to mentor the other Max Muncy for a year.) But if they get younger at third base and also upgrade their bullpen, MLB's new evil empire may as well enter 2026 with even odds to win the World Series.
Miami Marlins
16 of 30
Notable Free Agents: N/A
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: To trade Alcantara or not to trade Alcantara?
Did you know that from June 22 onward, the Miami Marlins went 49-38, good for the fourth-best record in the National League, 1.5 games ahead of the Dodgers?
And that all 38 players who appeared in at least one game for them in September ended the season under at least two more years of team control?
They have since released several of the players who were never likely to be a key piece of the puzzle moving forward, but if this were just about any other franchise winning 56.3 percent of its final 87 games before having the opportunity to bring everyone back for at least two more years, we'd be talking about a budding powerhouse that could stand up to and even topple the mighty Dodgers.
But it's the Marlins, so we're forced to question whether they'll trade away their most recognizable player in the name of keeping payroll low while re-stocking the farm system.
If they trade away Sandy Alcantara, the expectation here will be, per usual, no better than a fourth-place finish in the NL East. But if they keep their ace and add a legitimate bat at first base and/or DH, Miami could be a real factor for the next two years.
Milwaukee Brewers
17 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Brandon Woodruff (qualifying offer), 1B Rhys Hoskins, LHP Jose Quintana, C Danny Jansen
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Will Freddy Peralta still be a Brewer by Opening Day?
The answer to the Freddy Peralta question surely hinges on the answer to the question of whether Brandon Woodruff accepts the qualifying offer to return in 2026 for $22.05M.
Though, to be frank, I'm not sure which Woodruff decision makes it more likely that the Brewers keep Peralta and his ridiculously team-friendly $8M salary.
If Woodruff does return and they keep Peralta, say hello to your NL Central favorite, with that dynamic duo serving as the veteran leadership for Jacob Misiorowski, Quinn Priester and Robert Gasser in what could be a sensational rotation.
However, if Woodruff accepts the qualifying offer, they might decide that he's enough of a veteran presence to then entertain offers for Peralta, trusting the likes of Chad Patrick and Logan Henderson to play a big role in the rotation after they swap their current ace for a haul of top prospects.
After all, the low-budget Brewers have already paid out $16.5M in buyouts of declined mutual options, owe Christian Yelich well north of $20M in 2026 and might just about need to move Peralta's $8M in order to justify bringing back Woodruff for another $22.05M.
Minnesota Twins
18 of 30
Notable Free Agents: C Christian Vázquez
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Are they tanking or reloading?
As you may recall, the Twins put together quite the trade deadline fire sale, unloading (among many others) Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran, Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Ty France and seemingly 100 bullpen arms.
However, they kept Joe Ryan, Pablo López, Bailey Ober, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis, each with multiple years of team control remaining. That's already a better five-pronged nucleus than quite a few struggling teams can boast, and that's without accounting for Luke Keaschall's arrival, Kody Clemens' breakout and the potential for Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Mick Abel to make a real impact in 2026.
It's possible they'll continue down the selling road by trading away Ryan and Co.
It's also possible they'll take the money they saved by shipping Correa back to Houston, reinvest it in beefing up the depleted bullpen and make a run back to the postseason.
Should be interesting to see whether their first big move of the offseason (if they make one at all) is a buying or a selling one.
New York Mets
19 of 30
Notable Free Agents: 1B Pete Alonso, RHP Edwin Díaz (qualifying offer), RHP Ryan Helsley, RHP Tyler Rogers, LHP Gregory Soto, OF/DH Starling Marte, CF Cedric Mullins, OF/DH Jesse Winker, RHP Ryne Stanek
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: How will they allocate their seemingly limitless funds?
Even with Alonso and Díaz at least temporarily out of the picture, the Mets already have nine players slated to make at least $11M in 2026, their cumulative salaries eclipsing $206M.
For 27 of MLB's 30 franchises, $206M for nine players is either the upper limit of what they can afford to spend or a nightmare scenario that would threaten to bankrupt the club.
For the Mets, it's a good start, but let's see what else they want to do.
Will they spend big on an ace?
Will they re-sign either Alonso or Díaz?
Could this be where Munetaka Murakami lands on what might be the second-biggest contract awarded this winter, behind only Kyle Tucker?
You just know the Mets are going to make at least one big splash, and probably several of them. It's mostly a question of where they decide to spend.
New York Yankees
20 of 30
Notable Free Agents: OF Cody Bellinger, CF Trent Grisham (qualifying offer), RHP Devin Williams, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, RHP Luke Weaver, IF Amed Rosario
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: What's Plan B if Cody Bellinger doesn't re-sign?
Lost in the shuffle of many other Yankees narratives throughout the course of the regular season, did you know Cody Bellinger was (per FanGraphs) the fifth-most valuable position player in all of baseball from April 29 through the end of July?
Aaron Judge was intentionally walked 36 times in 2025, but it might have been more like 136 if Bellinger's presence in the lineup hadn't also become a fearsome one for opposing pitchers.
But if Bellinger signs elsewhere this offseason, what will the non-Judge portion of New York's outfield look like in 2026? Jasson Domínguez and maybe Trent Grisham if he accepts that qualifying offer? Is that scaring anyone?
And whose is the bat behind Judge's that keeps opposing teams from really leaning into the Barry Bonds treatment? (Judge has walked in 18.0 percent of plate appearances over the past four seasons, compared to Bonds' mark of 30.9 percent during his four-year streak of MVPs.)
At least Gerrit Cole will be back at some point to bolster the rotation, but re-signing Bellinger and adding at least one more bat is just about a prerequisite for a productive offseason in the Bronx.
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
Notable Free Agents: DH Kyle Schwarber (qualifying offer), LHP Ranger Suárez (qualifying offer), C J.T. Realmuto, OF Harrison Bader, OF Max Kepler
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: How much faith do they have in top prospects?
There are 22 free agents who were worth at least 2.1 fWAR in 2025, and four of those players ended the year with the Phillies. The only other teams represented multiple times are the Yankees, Mariners, Padres and Blue Jays, each with two players in that group.
If it feels like the Phillies have a ton of work to do this winter, you're not wrong. And with a payroll that is already pushing $250M even without those key free agents, they're going to need to find some budgetary solutions.
Re-signing Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto while rolling with top prospects Justin Crawford (OF) and Andrew Painter (RHP) might be the way to go, provided they can even afford to re-up with those two bats and provided they believe in those top prospects to contribute right now.
It's likely they'll also be attempting to trade away both Nick Castellanos and Taijuan Walker, who are making a combined $38M in their final season before free agency. But they really need to believe in those prospects if they're salary dumping those veterans.
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
Notable Free Agents: OF Tommy Pham, DH Andrew McCutchen
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Will they at least try to build a contender around Paul Skenes?
If all Pittsburgh had was Paul Skenes, we wouldn't even bother asking if they'll try to build a contender. We would just wait for the inevitable day that they trade him away for another few top prospects that they'll eventually trade away, too.
But at least on the mound, Pittsburgh is much more than just Skenes.
Per Baseball-Reference, the Pirates ranked fourth in pitching WAR in 2025. FanGraphs also had them at No. 4.
They were just getting warmed up, too, with rookies Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Tom Harrington logging a combined total of 109.2 IP while Jared Jones recovered from a UCL internal brace procedure. It could be those four, Skenes and Mitch Keller leading the team in innings pitched in 2026, while Dennis Santana continues to thrive at closer.
It won't matter at all, though, unless the offense improves drastically upon what was their lowest-scoring season (of at least 120 games) since 1985.
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Dylan Cease (qualifying offer), RHP Michael King (qualifying offer), RHP Robert Suarez, 1B/2B Luis Arraez, 1B/OF/DH Ryan O'Hearn, IF Jose Iglesias, C Elias Diaz
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Is Mason Miller going to close or start?
Not only are the Padres losing two coveted starting pitchers and one of the better closers in the business, but they've also already lost Yu Darvish for next season, with news coming last week that he is having a UCL brace surgery and hopes to return in 2027 at the age of 40.
Which of those holes will Mason Miller fill?
While we now know Miller as the flame-throwing reliever who paints impossible-to-hit 104.5 MPH four-seamers on the corners, let's not forget that he went seven hitless innings in the third appearance of his MLB career and was predominantly a starting pitcher throughout college and his limited appearances in the minors.
If the Padres decide to stretch him back out to a starting role, he could be San Diego's version of Jacob Misiorowski and quite the co-ace to Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove. But that decision figures to hinge on whether they can acquire a closer or a couple of No. 3-caliber starters this winter.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Justin Verlander, IF Wilmer Flores, 1B Dominic Smith
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, ???
At least back in 2008-10 when the Giants were at the peak of their "Lincecum and Cain and Pray for Rain" rotation, they had a bearded monster at closer in Brian Wilson.
As things currently stand, it's more of a "Webb, Ray and Oy Vey" pitching staff with big-time question marks both for the rest of the rotation and for the closer gig, after they traded away Camilo Doval and subsequently lost Randy Rodríguez to Tommy John surgery.
Could Justin Verlander be back in San Francisco for what would be his 21st season in the majors? He certainly pitched well for the Giants over the final two-plus months of the year.
Maybe this is where Shota Imanaga lands after the Cubs declined his three-year option? He has been a solid pitcher over the past two seasons aside from, you know, allowing 58 home runs. But relocating from Wrigley Field to Oracle Park ought to help with that.
Or they might focus more so on the bullpen with so much closer experience available in free agency this winter.
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
Notable Free Agents: 1B Josh Naylor, 3B Eugenio Suárez, IF/DH Jorge Polanco, LHP Caleb Ferguson
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: How many of the bats can they afford to re-sign?
Trading for Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez is what pushed the Mariners over the top as a serious threat to win the 2025 World Series.
Figuring out how to address those impending departures from the corner infield spots will determine how strongly we believe in them for 2026 and beyond.
As things presently stand, it's looking like Luke Raley at first, Ben Williamson at third, Victor Robles and Dominic Canzone sharing RF and DH duties and a nice big question mark at second base where Leo Rivas, Cole Young and Ryan Bliss figure to battle it out in the spring.
That's not promising, but there's plenty of time to fix it—if there's money to fix it.
If they can't afford to bring back Naylor or bring in someone comparably impactful, at least there are worse plans than hoping for the best with what consistently has been one of the top-ranked farm systems in recent years.
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Miles Mikolas
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Will they actually move the aging veterans this winter?
Most of us were expecting Nolan Arenado to get traded somewhere this past offseason, while seeing Sonny Gray and/or Willson Contreras on the move was at least on the table.
Instead, the Cardinals did nothing other than get a year older while sputtering through another mediocre season, now staring headlong into what would be their longest postseason drought since 1988-95.
Are they simply stuck with that mid-30s trio that is making a combined sum of $69M in 2026 or could they pawn at least some of that money off on someone else?
If they can't move them, do they at least try to build out the roster around them and make a push this season? Or would they embrace more of a Colorado Rockies model of just hoping fans come out and drink at the beer-sponsored stadium while watching a nine-figure payroll pursue a three-figure loss total?
If so, best at least come up with better promotions for getting butts into seats after enduring a 2024-to-2025 attendance decrease of 22 percent.
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
Notable Free Agents: RHP Adrian Houser, RHP Pete Fairbanks
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Are the Rays still going to be the Rays as we've known them for years?
Our first big clue as to how Tampa Bay will operate under its new ownership dropped right before the deadline for decisions on options, as the Rays declined an $11M club option to bring back closer Pete Fairbanks.
They did opt-in on Brandon Lowe for $11.5M, but to straight up pass on Fairbanks instead of exercising the option and then putting him on the trade block was surprising. Got to assume they waited as long as they did because they were already calling around to gauge interest and determined the juice wasn't worth the squeeze.
But was it more penny-pinching from a club that almost always ranks bottom five in payroll? Or is that $11M just more ammunition for them to use in a free agency spending spree unlike anything they would have ever considered with Stu Sternberg's checkbook?
Until we have a better idea how things are going to run under Patrick Zalupski's group, the Rays have to be regarded as one of the biggest wild cards this winter.
Texas Rangers
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Notable Free Agents: RHP Merrill Kelly, RHP Tyler Mahle, RHP Phil Maton, RHP Shawn Armstrong, LHP Patrick Corbin, LHP Danny Coulombe, LHP Hoby Milner, RHP Chris Martin, RHP Jon Gray
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: Just how much payroll are the 2023 champs trying to trim?
There were 14 Rangers pitchers who faced at least 16 batters in September. Eight of those 14 pitchers are listed above as notable free agents, as is Jon Gray, who last pitched in mid-August, but who logged more than 400 innings for the Rangers over the past four seasons.
Needless to say, they've got some holes to plug on that pitching staff.
But how do they plug holes while trimming payroll?
Joc Pederson accepting his $18.5M player option was never in doubt, but now that it's official, the Rangers owe $138M to just five players and have a projected Opening Day payroll of close to $200M—after opening 2025 at $216M.
If they're serious about reducing payroll and still having enough pitching to contend, they're going to need to do some serious roster gymnastics to make it work.
Toronto Blue Jays
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Notable Free Agents: SS Bo Bichette (qualifying offer), RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Seranthony Domínguez, IF Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: How many of the breakout stars will continue to shine in 2026?
No one would have guessed eight months ago that Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes and Trey Yesavage would be playing key roles for Toronto in 2025, let alone in October 2025. Nor is it likely that a single soul had "Ernie Clement sets MLB record for most hits in a single postseason" on their Bingo card of 2025 predictions.
Will those four overnight celebrities continue to excel in 2026 while the Blue Jays run it back again as the American League champions?
Or are their 15 minutes of fame up in advance of going from the World Series one year to missing the postseason the next year—as was the case for more than one-third (17 out of 50) of the teams who played in the World Series from 2000-24?
Having Shane Bieber opt in on his $16M player option made Toronto the surprise winner of "option season." Now we wait to see if they can also retain Bo Bichette's services.
Washington Nationals
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Notable Free Agents: 1B Josh Bell, RHP Derek Law, IF Paul DeJong
Offseason Shopping List
Biggest Question: How many more "transitional years" will there be in D.C.?
If you squint hard enough and really want to see it, the Nationals could be interesting in 2026. Josiah Gray should be back in the Opening Day rotation. Former first-round pick Cade Cavalli wasn't too shabby over the final two months. DJ Herz will return to the rotation at some point. Daylen Lile was a surprise breakout. Maybe Dylan Crews and Brady House will start to live up to the top prospect hype, too.
Conversely, 2025 All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore were drastically worse after the All-Star Break, as even the two building blocks for this franchise now seem to have been planted in quicksand.
They also hired a 35-year-old president of baseball operations (Paul Toboni) and a 33-year-old manager (Blake Butera) who had never managed at higher than the single-A level, so that's quite the two-pronged wild card.
Is that (plus an aggressive offseason of player acquisition) the catalyst that makes the Nationals even remotely relevant again after suffering more losses than every team except for the Rockies over the past six seasons?
