AL East

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow does not appear to be settled with just one major trade.

Peter Gammons of NESN reported that others around MLB have described Breslow as being the "most active" general manager in trade talks and described his approach as "persistence."

The Red Sox acquired starting pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox on Dec. 11, dealing away four prospects, including No. 25 prospect Kyle Teel.

The Red Sox went 81-81 in 2024 and missed the postseason for the third consecutive season and the fifth time in the last six seasons. This came despite the team finishing sixth in hitting and saw a breakout season from outfielder Jarren Duran and a strong season from third baseman Rafael Devers.

Pitching was an issue as the staff had a 4.04 ERA that ranked in the bottom half of the league. While Crochet will help that, adding another arm could aid the rotation even more.

The Red Sox also have a lineup full of left-handed hitters, so adding a right-handed bat to replace Tyler O'Neill should be at the top of the wish list as well. While the team could look into free agency to fill those needs, dealing from a deep prospect pool could be attractive.

Whether it's through free agency or the trade market, it looks like Breslow is continuing to make moves to improve the Red Sox roster.

Despite a fairly quiet offseason so far that involves being one of the teams that missed out on Juan Soto, the Toronto Blue Jays aren't looking to move on from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. right now.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Blue Jays consider trading Guerrero "a last resort" move.

Toronto keeps playing in the deep end of the free-agent pool with nothing to show for it so far. The team made a strong push for Shohei Ohtani last offseason before he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Per Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet.ca, the Blue Jays were among the finalists for Soto, but their best offer was "under" the $700 million mark. He wound up signing with the New York Mets for $765 million over 15 years.

Guerrero's future in Toronto has been a key subject dating back to the summer when he was a subject of rumors prior to the trade deadline. There was no indication any deal ever got close at that point.

The Blue Jays have made moves this offseason they hope will improve their roster. The biggest one so far was acquiring Andrés Giménez from the Cleveland Guardians to play second base.

Even though Giménez's offensive performance has fallen off since a breakout 2022 season, he is arguably the best defensive player in baseball regardless of position.

Corbin Burnes is the top remaining free agent and has been strongly connected to Toronto, as well as the San Francisco Giants. Adding him to the roster would go a long way toward getting the Blue Jays back to being a playoff contender in the AL.

Without another marquee move, though, it's hard to see how the Blue Jays can bridge the gap in the highly-competitive AL East coming off a 74-88 record in 2024. That leaves Guerrero's status going into the 2025 season very much up in the air.

The four-time All-Star can become a free agent after next season. He's coming off the second-best year of his career with a .323/.396/.544 slash line and 30 homers in 159 games. It was only behind his 2021 season when he finished second to Ohtani in AL MVP voting.

If the Blue Jays' struggles continue into next season and they don't look like a playoff contender, Guerrero could be the most sought-after player leading up to the trade deadline as a difference-making hitter in the middle of a lineup.

The New York Yankees have already had a big offseason, but they aren't done yet.

After signing Max Fried and trading for Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman indicated that New York plans to stay busy this offseason.

"We've done some heavy lifting with Max, with Devin Williams, with Bellinger," he said, per ESPN's Jorge Castillo. "But there's more lifting to do."

The Yankees, who couldn't retain Juan Soto as the star left for the New York Mets on a historic 15-year, $765 million deal, inked Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, the richest ever for a left-handed pitcher.

They landed Williams last week in return for left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes, infielder Caleb Durbin and cash considerations. The latest trade on Tuesday for former MVP Bellinger cost New York right-hander Cody Poteet.

The Yankees couldn't land a home run by signing Soto, who had 41 homers and 109 RBI while playing in pinstripes last year, but they've managed to put together a successful offseason thus far.

New York's haul could get even better in the coming weeks. According to Castillo, the Yankees are set to meet with Japanese star right-hander Roki Sasaki in California "soon."

Landing the 23-year-old would help ease the blow of losing out on a generational talent in Soto and perhaps give New York the tools to make another World Series run in 2025.

Despite rumors to the contrary, the New York Yankees haven't settled on center field as Cody Bellinger's position after acquiring him from the Chicago Cubs.

Speaking to reporters during Max Fried's introductory press conference on Wednesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone called reports that Bellinger will be their starter in center "fake news."

Center, left field and first base are all options for Bellinger.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported after the trade on Tuesday that Bellinger was told he would be playing in center field, moving Aaron Judge back to his normal spot in right.

It seemed like a strange move to immediately put Bellinger in center. That is an unsettled position for the Yankees going into 2025, but top prospect Jasson Domínguez is poised for a regular role now that he is healthy following an injury-plagued 2024 that limited him to 76 games between the minors and majors.

The Yankees could also use Domínguez in left field, slotting Bellinger in at center. Bellinger isn't a great defender in center field at this stage of his career, but he's not so bad that it would be embarrassing to have him out there.

General manager Brian Cashman still has to make at least one more move this offseason to fill out the roster. Bellinger's versatility gives the team options, but they will need either another outfielder or first baseman.

The Yankees have been connected to the top four remaining free-agent first basemen—Christian Walker, Pete Alonso, Carlos Santana and Paul Goldschmidt. If they sign one of them, Bellinger will likely be a permanent fixture in the outfield.

Regardless of what position Bellinger settles in at, the key is the Yankees added a much-needed boost to their lineup after losing Juan Soto. He alone won't replicate the production Soto provided last season, but pairing him with someone like Walker or Alonso would at least get them closer to where they were in 2024.

Bellinger hit .266/.325/.426 with 18 homers in 130 games for the Cubs last season. His 18 homers would have ranked fourth on the 2024 Yankees, behind only Aaron Judge (58), Soto (41) and Giancarlo Stanton (27).

It was quite the lucrative offseason for pitcher Max Fried.

The southpaw agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post provided the contract details Tuesday. Notably, it features a signing bonus of $20 million and a full no-trade clause:

While Fried is slated to make $29 million a year for the final six seasons of the contract, the number is significantly lower at $12 million for 2025 and 2026. That gives the Yankees a bit more financial flexibility, which is notable since they also added Devin Williams and, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Cody Bellinger this offseason.

New York losing Juan Soto to the crosstown Mets was surely a blow, but Fried, Bellinger and Williams represent formidable additions.

Fried gives the Yankees quite the one-two punch in their rotation alongside Gerrit Cole, especially if he reaches his ceiling during the course of this deal.

His resume includes a World Series title, three Gold Gloves and two All-Star selections during his first eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He finished in second place in Cy Young voting in 2022 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 185.1 innings, although injuries limited him to 14 starts in 2023.

That put him under the spotlight in 2024, but he bounced back as an All-Star with a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings.

Fried turns 31 years old next month and should remain quite effective over the majority of this deal. He may even be better in the immediate future than he was during his All-Star campaign in 2024 as he becomes further removed from his injury-shortened 2022 season.

New York is hoping that is the case as it attempts to take the next step after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series last season.

Even if the offense takes a step back without Soto, the pitching staff will be even better with Fried. That could make the difference between a title run and an early exit come October.

It seemed like Cody Bellinger was heading back to the Chicago Cubs for the 2025 season when he exercised his player option in November.

Not so fast.

Chicago reportedly traded the veteran to the New York Yankees on Tuesday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan:

Jack Curry of YES added more context:

According to Jim Bowden of CBS Sports, Bellinger will play center field and Aaron Judge will move to right field. That said, Bellinger can play either center or left field, in addition to first base, and the Yankees believe he "would give the team above-average defense at all three spots," per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

While it isn't surprising the Cubs decided to trade Bellinger given the rumors circulating this offseason, there were plenty of suggestions doing so would not be easy.

Rosenthal reported in November, "While rival executives say the [Cubs] want to trade first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger, they also note the difficulty the team likely will face pulling off such a move."

Rosenthal explained that Bellinger "secured a remaining guarantee of $32.5 million—$27.5 million in salary, $5 million in potential buyout—by choosing to remain with the Cubs rather than opt out."

What's more, he also has a $25 million player option for 2026 he can opt into, making the contract even more expensive.

"Come on," a general manager told USA Today's Bob Nightengale in November. "Who's going to touch that contract? The risk is just too great for the production."

Nightengale painted a picture of a Cubs team that was overly concerned with its financials as the front office looked to trade Bellinger instead of attempting to negotiate with marquee free agents such as Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried or Blake Snell.

That was surely frustrating to Chicago fans considering Forbes ranked the franchise as the fourth-most valuable in the entire league for 2024. Yet it seemed like keeping payroll in check was a priority even after missing the playoffs last season.

However, that tone changed some when they acquired Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros via trade earlier this month. Suddenly, there wasn't an obvious fit for Bellinger in the lineup with Tucker, Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki as the outfielders/designated hitter and Michael Busch at first base.

That likely increased the front office's motivation to move Bellinger even more.

While his overall production may not live up to the contract, Bellinger is still a talented player who should be a formidable addition for the Yankees.

His versatility on defense stands out, as he played first base, center field and right field for Chicago during the 2024 campaign. That allows him to remain in various lineups even when managers look to mix-and-match based on opponents.

There was also a time when Bellinger was among the best offensive players in the league, as he took home the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP during his time on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite a drastic downturn from 2020 through 2022, he also bounced back nicely in his first season with the Cubs in 2023.

Bellinger slashed .307/.356/.525 with 26 home runs, 97 RBI and 20 stolen bases as a Silver Slugger winner in 2023.

He was not as effective last year at .266/.325/.426 with 18 home runs, 78 RBI and nine stolen bases, but he still proved he can impact the game in a number of ways and serve as a solid piece in the lineup.

Yet the Cubs decided to trade that production away, so Bellinger will look to revitalize his career once again for a New York team that will be looking for a combination of players to help make up for the lost production of Juan Soto.

Prior to being sent from the Milwaukee Brewers to the New York Yankees in a trade last week, star closer Devin Williams envisioned being on the West Coast.

Williams said in an interview with SNY that he was being told that the Los Angeles Dodgers were in the lead to acquire him before the Yankees reached an agreement with the Brewers.

"To be honest, I didn't really think so. I kinda thought I'd be going to L.A., that was what I was being told," Williams said. "The Yankees snuck in there under the table and got the deal done."

Williams clarified that he was happy to land with the Yankees, who are coming off losing to the Dodgers in five games in their first trip to the World Series since their last title win in 2009.

"It was a bit of a shock, but it's a tremendous honor to be able to play for this organization," he said. "There's no bigger team in baseball, I'm very happy to be here."

Williams is entering the final year of his contract, but he said he would be open to remaining with New York beyond the 2025 season.

"I think if it's right for both sides, that's definitely always an option," he said, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Williams spent the first six seasons of his career with the Brewers and established himself as one of the most dynamic relievers in MLB. He was a two-time NL Reliever of the Year and a two-time All-Star. The 30-year-old said that he wasn't surprised at how his tenure in Milwaukee came to an end.

"As someone that's been there for the last six years, I just understand that's how they operate," he said. "It was kind of expected."

Now, Williams will be a member of a Yankees team that is motivated to make another trip to the World Series. The team also added starting pitcher Max Fried in free agency after losing star outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Mets, so it's clear that the Yankees are going to be aggressive in their pursuits this winter.

The New York Yankees are pivoting to other targets as trade negotiations with the Chicago Cubs over Cody Bellinger have reached a "stalemate," according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Nightengale reported Tuesday the Yanks are looking at Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Carlos Santana and Paul Goldschmidt in free agency.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported on Dec. 11 that the Yankees were balking at absorbing most or all of the $52.5 million outstanding on Bellinger's contract.

Of the free agents they could sign in lieu of a Bellinger trade, Alonso would be the most fascinating addition from the group given he has spent his first six seasons with the New York Mets. Poaching him from their crosstown rivals would somewhat soften the blow of getting outbid for Juan Soto.

The four-time All-Star and Walker are presumably at the top of the Yankees' wish list based on their 2024 production.

Alonso hit 34 home runs and slugged .459 and that was a somewhat down year by his usual standards. Since debuting in 2019, he has yet to finish with an OPS+ lower than 122, per Baseball Reference.

Walker has been similarly consistent on offense, boasting a .250/.332/.481 slash line over the last three years, and offers additional value on defense. He's the three-time reigning Gold Glove winner at first base in the National League.

The arrival of either player would probably be celebrated in the Bronx.

Goldschmidt or Santana would be a tougher sell due to their age and general decline. Goldschmidt, 37, set career lows in on-base percentage (.302) and slugging (.302) this past season. Santana, 38, has batted just .222 and slugged .388 since his lone All-Star season in 2019.

In addition, opting for a cheaper alternative in free agency wouldn't make for great optics when the Yankees should theoretically have lots of cash to burn after their failed Soto pursuit. They were reportedly prepared to go up to $760 in order to retain the star slugger and they've since pledged $218 million to starting pitcher Max Fried.

Making a competitive bid to Alonso or Walker or simply taking on the entirety of Bellinger's contract shouldn't be too financially cumbersome for New York.

The Baltimore Orioles see signing right-hander Jack Flaherty as "one fallback option" if Corbin Burnes walks in free agency, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

According to Rosenthal, the Boston Red Sox are another team that "can not be ruled out for Flaherty."

The Red Sox "liked" Flaherty last offseason before he signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers, Rosenthal wrote.

A midseason trade by the Tigers sent Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he started five postseason games on the team's way to the 2024 World Series title.

After recording a loss to the San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the NLDS, Flaherty bounced back with a strong seven innings in a Game 1 NLCS victory over the New York Mets.

Flaherty struggled over his last three starts of the postseason, then capped off the stretch by allowing the New York Yankees to hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning of the Dodgers' victorious Game 5 of the World Series.

Flaherty, who is from southern California, said after winning the title with the Dodgers that he wanted to stay with the team.

"I love this city. I never want to leave," Flaherty said during the Dodgers victory parade.

But the Dodgers' rotation got more crowded following the signing Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal alongside the anticipated return of Shohei Ohtani.

Flaherty played the 2024 season on a one-year, $14 million agreement with the Tigers. He is projected by Spotrac to receive a three-year, $63 million contract on his next deal, but that price could rise given the strong market for pitching this weekend.

The Red Sox recently acquired Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, adding him to a rotation currently staffed by Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolioto.

Boston isn't done making adjustments to this rotation, if the club's reported interest in Max Fried was any indication. The Red Sox made Fried a seven-year, $190 million offer before he signed with the New York Yankees, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Flaherty would be a more affordable addition that could allow the team to still add veteran experience to the rotation.

The Orioles are meanwhile in danger of missing out on Burnes, whose price could continue rising after the Fried deal. USA Today's Bob Nightengale recently reported that Burnes is expected to sign for more than $250 million, and that he has been "in serious talks" with the San Francisco Giants.

Baltimore could consider Flaherty an attractive alternative in part because he didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers. The Orioles are focused on collecting draft stock and would prefer to find a pitcher who doesn't cost them a compensatory pick, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.

Flaherty recorded a 3.17 ERA through 28 starts and 162.0 innings with the Tigers and Dodgers last season. Should he sign with the Red Sox or Orioles, the contract would mark his fourth team since the St. Louis Cardinals traded him in August 2023.