Cleveland, Baltimore, and Philadelphia Ink Top Available Players As Free Agency Wraps
The Cleveland Guardians continued their aggressive overhaul of the pitching staff on Tuesday, following up the Michael King megadeal by adding another former Padre, Dylan Cease, to their rotation. With King and Cease now in the fold, Cleveland has committed nearly half a billion dollars to two frontline arms in an unmistakable signal of intent.
“Cleveland came up short in last year’s ALDS and has clearly decided this is their window,” said one league executive. “They’ve been one of the most aggressive teams in free agency, and they’re not shy about spending to keep pace with the rest of the American League.”
The Guardians had been connected to Kyle Tucker as well, but once the combined cost of King and Cease took shape, Cleveland shifted focus toward roster consolidation rather than a third nine-figure splash.
Tucker didn’t wait long to find a new home. The All-Star outfielder chose the Philadelphia Phillies over a return to Houston, finalizing a seven-year, $276.5 million contract to become the latest long-term star in a loaded Phillies lineup.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles, motivated by last season’s late-September collapse that allowed Boston to steal the division, jumped into the arms race themselves. Baltimore landed two major rotation upgrades: Zac Gallen on a seven-year, $214.48 million deal and Zach Eflin for three years and $70.95 million.
“People forget Baltimore once held a five-game lead over the eventual American League champions,” an AL scout said. “They believe they’re right on the doorstep. These moves reflect that.”
Other notable deals across the league include: Luis Arraez returning to the Padres on a six-year, $105.8 million agreement, Tyler Mahle landing in Arizona on a five-year, $87.8 million contract, and Ryan O’Hearn heading to the Mets on a three-year, $42.46 million deal as New York’s first-base replacement for Pete Alonso.
While several contenders shelled out massive contracts, the Boston Red Sox took a more targeted approach after their early-offseason splash that landed Bo Bichette. Boston reportedly kicked the tires on both Cease and Framber Valdez, but once prices escalated, Chief Baseball Officer Kyle Red pivoted toward veteran depth.
Boston added Matt Strahm (1 year, $7.5M), Kyle Schwarber (1 year, $10.5M), and finally a reunion with Aroldis Chapman (1y year, $8M).
Red quickly clarified Boston’s bullpen hierarchy following the Chapman signing:
“Mason Miller is the closer, just to clear up any questions,” Red said. “Aroldis knows that. But too many times last year, when Chapman wasn’t available, we struggled to close out games. Having two guys with elite late-inning experience solves that issue.”
Despite a more restrained stance in free agency, the Red Sox remained one of the most active teams on the trade market.
After sending Brayan Bello to Houston in the blockbuster Yordan Alvarez trade, Boston still needed another frontline starter to pair with Garrett Crochet and George Kirby. They found one in Washington.
The Red Sox acquired MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals, sending a strong package featuring SS Marcelo Mayer, 1B Justin Gonzalez, and CF Miguel Bleis.
Gore, a 27-year-old left-hander with two years of team control remaining, has emerged as one of the league’s most dynamic strikeout arms.
“Gore is a premier strikeout artist,” Red said. “We didn’t want to part with Bello, but Houston simply wasn’t interested in a prospect-heavy deal for Yordan. Sometimes that’s the cost of doing business. But we weren’t content entering the season without another frontline starter who can match up in October.”
The Red Sox finished shoring up their rotation by acquiring longtime Marlin Sandy Alcantara, who was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers at last years deadline. but after seeing Alcantara's ERA balloon over 5 during his short stint with the Brewers, Milwaukee was open to dealing the one-time ace.
Boston sent SP Tanner Houck and RP Garrett Whitlock to the Marlins in exchange for Alcantara.
“With Sandy, the upside is obvious,” Red said. “If he looks anything like the pitcher he was before the injury, we’re talking about one of the best arms in the world. He had a rough 2025, but that is typically the case the first year after major elbow surgery. We believe Sandy is going to continue to recover and be a dependable arm here in Boston."
Boston’s rotation now projects as one of the deepest in the American League, built around Crochet, Kirby, and Gore, with several internal candidates battling for the remaining spots.
2025 Offseason Transactions
Kansas City trades SP Steven Zobac and RP Lucas Erceg to San Francisco for CP Camilo Doval
Minnesota trades SP Pablo Lopez and CF Byron Buxton to Milwaukee for SP Freddy Peralta and Sal Frelick
Texas trades 3B Josh Jung to Houston for CF Jake Meyers and 1B Christian Walker
Boston trades SP Richard Fitts and SP Payton Tolle to Oakland for CP Mason Miller
Boston signs SP George Kirby 3yr/$62M
Boston signs SS Bo Bichette 5yr/$112.7M
Tampa Bay trades SS Ha-Seong Kim to Atlanta for RF Diego Tornes and SS Diego Benitea
Colorado trades SS Ezequiel Tovar to Chicago Cubs for SP Ben Brown and 3B Matt Shaw
St Louis trades RF Jordan Walker to San Francisco for SP Carson Whisenhunt
Boston trades 3B Alex Bregman to New York (N) for 1B Pete Alonso
Philadelphia signs RP Brad Keller 1yr/$9.37M
Cleveland signs SP Michael King 7yr/$241.5M
New York signs CP Kyle Finngean 3yr/$37.5M
New York signs SP Framber Valdez 1yr/$33.32M
Tampa Bay signs C JT Realmuto 3yr/$38.3M
Philadelphia Phillies trades SP Christopher Sanchez, SS Aidan Miller, and RP Orion Kerkering to San Francisco for CF Jung Hoo Lee.
Tampa Bay trades Junior Caminero to the Baltimore Orioles for SP Vade Pavich and 3B Jordan Westburg.
Boston trades SP Brayan Bello, 1B Triston Casas, and SP Patrick Sandoval to Houston for LF Yordan Alvarez
Arizona trades 2B Tim Tawa to the Dodgers for 1B Freddie Freeman and RP Alex Vesia.
Chicago trades RF Seiya Suzuki to Houston for 1B William Tripp and CF Jacob Melton
San Diego trades RP Alek Jacob to Detroit for 3B Matt Vierling and SP Dylan Smith.
Minnesota signed Harrison Bader 4yr/$59.5M.
Boston signs RP Matt Strahm 1yr/$7.5M
Minnesota trades RF Matt Wallner to Chicago for RP Porter Hodge and SP Drew Gray
Baltimore signs Zac Gallen for 7yr/$214.48M
Cleveland signed SP Dylan Cease 7yr/$181.87M
Philadelphia signs Kyle Tucker for 7yr/$276.5M
New York Mets sign 1B Ryan O’Hearn 3yr/$42.26M
Texas trades LF Wyatt Langford to Cincinnati for SP Rhett Lowder and 3B Noelvi Marte
Mets trade 2B Jeff McNeil to Texas for 2B Marcus Semien and SS Yolfran Castillo
Boston signs OF Kyle Schwarber 1yr/$10.5M
Boston select RP Evan Phillips in Rule 5 Draft
Boston trades SS Marcello Meyer, 1B Justin Gonzalez, LF Masataka Yoshida and CF Miguel Bleis to Washington for SP Mackenzie Gore and RP Eduardo Salazar
San Diego resigns Luis Arraez 6yr/$105.8M
Cincinnati signs CP Luke Weaver 3yr/$33.5M
Arizona signed SP Tyler Mahle 5yr/$87.8M
Baltimore signs Zach Eflin 3yr $70.95M
Houston signs RP Phil Maton 2yr/$23M
Pittsburgh signed C Jose Trevino 2yr/$27M
Red Sox sign Aroldis Chapman 1yr/$8M
Boston trades SP Tanner Houck and RP Garrett Whitlock to Milwaukee for SP Sandy Alcantara
Red Sox signs 3B Munetaka Murakami 2yr/$140K
Boston signs C Blake Mitchell 1yr/80K
Boston signs C Ramon Ramirez 1yr/$70K
Boston signs C Carter Jensen 1yr/$80K
Boston signs SP Evan McKendry 1yr/$80K
Boston signs 2B Keiner Delgado 1yr/$70K
Boston signs 2B Shugo Maki 1yr/$70k
