The Tigers hired Scott Harris as president of baseball operations in September of 2022. The team was in a rut at that point, having not made the playoffs since 2014. They finally pulled out of rebuilding mode by making the playoffs in 2024 and 2025.
Neto, 25, is a plus defender with more pop - a combined 49 homers the last two years - and would have been a significant addition. A natural shortstop, Neto could have moved to either second or third for the time being until Trevor Story's deal was up. But predictably, the Angels set a very high bar when it came to the return and the two teams were unable to match up.
Marcell Ozuna, 35, is a pure DH at this point in his career, which could complicate the Pirates' plans to use all of him, O'Hearn, and Spencer Horwitz slightly, but I think they were just in such desperate need of another bat that they'll figure it out later. Of course, it's possible Ozuna isn't a huge add at the plate anymore. He was a monster in 2023 and 2024 (.289/.364/.552/148 wRC+), but fell way back in 2025 (.232/.355/.400/114 wRC+).
SAN FRANCISCO - The Giants provided a jolt to their offense Saturday night by adding three-time batting champion Luis Arraez on a reported one-year, $12 million contract. Acquiring a second baseman does not come as a surprise as the Giants had been linked to the St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan and the Chicago Cubs' Nico Hoerner. With Arraez, they've found their man. Arraez, 28, will likely slot in as the starting second baseman, which would turn infielder Casey Schmitt into a super utility player.
This is not an argument against continuing to line things up just so, of course. It just means that the very orderly person will over time become a very familiar face to the people at The Container Store, to the point where they might remark to each other during their breaks about having seen him, again, purchasing more of those stackable, breakable containers that he's always getting.
Tracking the offseason MLB trades and signings with fantasy baseball implications for the upcoming season, Eric Karabell and Tristan H. Cockcroft will analyze and provide an outlook for all of the key players involved. While players were allowed to sign with new teams as early as Nov. 6, things really started to heat up at the league's annual winter meetings in Orlando, Florida, which took place Dec. 7-10.
Arbitration filing deadline: Today is a big day on MLB's offseason calendar, as Thursday marks the deadline for teams and players to exchange figures ahead of salary arbitration. Most of those cases will end in the two parties settling on a salary to avoid arbitration, but any team that still has unsigned players after today will be scheduled for a hearing in front of a three-person arbitration panel.
The MLB offseason slowed down in recent weeks after a few big name free agents were taken off the board, including the best closer in baseball: Edwin Diaz. Since the Dodgers signed Diaz to a three-year, $69 million deal, the defending champions have been quiet as have most other teams around the league. Things are expected to pick up as 2026 begins, and the Dodgers have continued their offseason moves by trading Ruiz.
With Christmas in the rear view mirror and start of a new week here, it could make sense for some more free agents to find new homes in the coming days. While still in the midst of the holiday season, recent years have shown activity can still be fast and furious. Perhaps the Braves can end 2025 and enter 2026 with their off-season basically complete if they can find a move for a starting pitcher they like this week.
Thankfully the emergence of Daulton Varsho as an elite defensive centre fielder and a power bat has temporarily put to rest the yearly referendum on whether trading for him made sense. On December 23, 2022, the Blue Jays pulled off a surprise move by dealing outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catching prospect Gabriel Moreno for Varsho. This transaction was the first of many in an organizational shift towards acquiring or signing defensive-minded players in the vein of promoting run prevention over run creation.
A thrilling World Series came to an end in Game 7 last night. The Dodgers won in an extra-inning affair after Miguel Rojas hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning, while World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto came out of the bullpen to finish off the Blue Jays despite starting Game 6. The offseason is officially underway. Last year, the Braves and Angels lined up on the Jorge Soler deal within the first few hours of the reopened trade window.
