"Olney: We have officially reached that point in the winter in which some sort of transaction deadline would be useful to move things along -- but that'll probably never happen. So for now, the same industry dynamic remains in place for January: Agents (and the players they represent) have an expectation about what value can be extracted in the current market, and teams have largely determined what prices they are comfortable with paying."
"Maybe the best working example of this is Bellinger: He is coming off an excellent season and the New York Yankees want to retain him, but there is apparently a sizable gap between what his side wants and what the team is willing to pay. Bellinger made $27.5 million last season and it's hard to imagine his representative, Scott Boras, settling for a deal that averages less than that."
The 2026 MLB offseason remains slow, with many top free agents still unsigned and trade speculation persisting. Thirteen of a widely cited top-25 free-agent list remain available as teams and agents clash over valuation for premier hitters Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette and Cody Bellinger. Clubs have largely set price comfort levels while agents push for market value, producing a standoff that stalls transactions. Cody Bellinger exemplifies the divide: he produced an excellent season, earned $27.5 million last year, and faces a gap between his representative's asking price and interested teams' offers. Several All-Stars, including Ketel Marte and Tarik Skubal, are also drawing trade attention.
Read at ESPN.com
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