#free-agency

#free-agency

Spring Training is just about "officially" underway, but because there are still notable players available in free agency, we're not going to get quite fully away from the offseason talk just yet. I get it, and I do think that the Cubs front office is one that is always grinding behind the scenes trying to find value. But I am mostly focused now on the group the Cubs have available, and the potential for their success.

The Rays and veteran righty Nick Martinez are in agreement on a deal, per Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Boras Corporation client's deal is pending a physical. Martinez is the second free agent swingman whom the Rays have added this offseason. They signed lefty Steven Matz to a two-year, $15MM deal at the Winter Meetings.

In addition to his ball-hawking skills, Kevin Byard III provided the Chicago Bears with invaluable leadership, often placing him at the center of pre-game huddles as the team rattled off 11 wins en route to an NFC North title and a playoff victory against the Green Bay Packers. The veteran safety is on an expiring contract. So if 2025 was Byard's final season in Chicago, he'll be missed by Bears fans.

A starter earlier in his career, Pilkington moved to a relief role full time and saw his four-seamer clock in at a career-high 94.5 mph average. He logged an 11.6% swinging-strike rate in the majors, just north of the 11% league-average, and logged a gaudier 13.8% swinging-strike rate in Triple-A. Pilkington still has one minor league option year remaining, and while his overall track record in Triple-A isn't good, he notched a 2.59 ERA in 42 1/3 innings with Washington's top affiliate in Rochester this past season.

"I think it's very exciting," Ohtani said to NBC News. "You know, when I did decide to sign with the Dodgers, that was a conversation I had with the ownership group. "They promised me that they were going to put the best team out on the field. And just, you know, the goal was to, again, continue to win as many World Series as we could. "I never forget that I go out on the field every day, kind of feeling the pressure, but at the same time having fun and knowing that this team has a chance to win and we can bring it, bring it home to the fans."

Here's a list of unsigned free agent outfielders who hit from the right side of the plate: By the way, that list is ordered by 2025 fWAR, and the only players who posted more than 0.0 wins last year were Andujar (1.1), Marte (0.7), and Pham (0.2). And, oh yeah, Marte and Pham are 37 and 38 years old, respectively.

"I like it here with Toronto. I wouldn't necessarily want to go anywhere. I want to run with these guys. I want to make a push here," McMann said to Fox. "I can't really control what happens outside of that. I'll just have to deal with it then."

Bassitt was his usual reliable self as a starting pitcher last season, recording a 3.96 ERA and 166 strikeouts across 170 ⅓ innings pitched. He made at least 30 starts for the fourth straight year despite landing on the injured list at the end of September. The 36-year-old returned from his injury as a reliever in the ALCS before becoming one of the Blue Jays' most trusted weapons in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Eugenio Suarez is returning to Cincinnati, as ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that the slugger has signed a one-year, $15MM deal with the Reds that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the option is worth $16MM, though mutual options are rarely triggered by both sides. The deal will become official once the Reds clear a spot on their 40-man roster, and presumably when Suarez passes a physical. Suarez is represented by Octagon.

"The Yankees also checked in on reliever Michael Kopech and starter Nick Martinez, among others," Heyman writes. Kopech became a free agent at the end of the 2025 season and has gained interest from other teams throughout the offseason. The San Francisco Giants have also reportedly "been in touch" with Kopech. When Did Michael Kopech Join the Dodgers? Kopech joined the Dodgers at the 2024 trade deadline, when L.A. acquired the reliever in a three-team trade with the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

With Spring Training set to begin in just a couple of weeks, three-time batting champion Luis Arraez continues to linger on the market. Having played out his final arbitration year with the Padres, Arraez always figured to be an interesting case in free agency. His high contact and low strikeout rates earn him plenty of old-school fans. On the flip side, his lack of power, low walk rates, and defensive limitations make his value questionable from an analytics standpoint.

Year Review: After dealing away star edge rusher Micah Parsons less than a week before the start of the 2025 regular season, the Cowboys were scrambling to find some pass rush help. Dallas knew their pass rush group, minus Parsons, was not good enough to be a consistent threat, so they went outside the organization to get a much-needed upgrade.