Both players seemed likely to follow in the footsteps of other recent stars to make the jump from NPB to the majors, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Seiya Suzuki, and be among the most coveted free agents on the market. Things did not pan out that way, however, as both players found surprisingly soft markets and wound up taking short-term deals with the hope of returning to the open market after establishing themselves as quality big leaguers.
It'll be the future Hall of Famer's second season in Toronto. The three-time Cy Young winner signed a $15.5MM deal with the Jays during the 2024-25 offseason. He was coming off an abbreviated season in which he'd been limited to eight starts for the Rangers.
The Phillies have released outfielder Nick Castellanos, per a club announcement. He's now a free agent who can sign with any club for the league minimum. Castellanos was slated to report to camp in the next few days. He'll now stay at home and wait to learn where his next opportunity will come. He's entering the final season of a five-year, $100MM contract that calls for a $20MM salary in 2026.
Justin Verlander is headed back to Detroit: One year, $13 million, with $11 million deferred starting in 2030. https://t.co/qvHlrcUKVg- Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 10, 2026 It's a relatively modest sum for Verlander, even at his age, when you consider the deferrals. But, hey, with the Tigers spending $70 million on Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez, I expect Verlander was happy to wait a little longer for his cash in order to be part of a potentially very good Tigers team.
Sugano signed a one-year, $13MM deal with Baltimore last offseason. He posted a 4.64 ERA across 30 outings. The righty got off to a solid start, putting up a 3.04 ERA through a dozen appearances, before falling off as the season went on. Sugano had an xFIP and a SIERA in the mid-4.00s during that stretch, so regression was coming.
BOSTON (AP) - Left-hander Ranger Suárez and the Boston Red Sox finalized their $130 million, five-year contract on Wednesday. Suárez gets a $3 million signing bonus, payable within 30 days of the deal's approval by Major League Baseball, and salaries of $7 million this year, $15 million in 2027, $30 million in each of the following two seasons and $35 million in 2030. The deal includes a $35 million mutual option for 2031 with a $10 million buyout.
Veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto has agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to multiple reports. Realmuto can earn an additional $5 million annually in bonuses, according to the reports. The Phillies re-signing of Realmuto was the latest free agency domino to fall Friday. Philadelphia was among the top pursuers of infielder Bo Bichette, who instead agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal with the New York Mets.
