AL East

The Boston Red Sox made quite the splash when they announced they acquired Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, but they might not be done adding headline pitchers this offseason.

Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported the American League East team is "still exploring both top-of-the-rotation options—including Corbin Burnes—and mid-tier options," while Jon Morosi of MLB Network noted Boston is attempting to trade for a starter from the Seattle Mariners.

Speier provided additional context to Boston's offseason efforts:

It is clear pitching is a priority for the Red Sox this offseason, as Chris Cotillo of Mass Live reported they also "made a serious run" at pursuing Max Fried in free agency before the New York Yankees landed him with an eight-year, $128 million contract.

Cotillo also brought up Burnes as a target for Boston and pointed out the team was "readying an offer" for him, as of Tuesday.

Crochet is quite the starting point for pitching for the Red Sox this offseason, as he was an All-Star last season in Chicago and finished with a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings.

He was a strikeout machine even as the White Sox limited his innings some as a first-time starter, and he will look to build on that in Boston.

Adding Burnes on top of Crochet would be a problem for opposing American League East lineups.

After all, the former is coming off a fourth straight All-Star season, adding to a resume that also features the 2021 National League Cy Young from his time on the Milwaukee Brewers and the ERA title (2.43) in that same season.

Last year was his first in the American League after six with the Brewers, and he showed no sign of dropping off with a 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 181 strikeouts for the Baltimore Orioles. Burnes helped lead the Orioles to the playoffs and is now familiar with the division after spending the 2024 season in it.

Boston is looking to leapfrog Baltimore and New York in the division in 2025, and adding Burnes while the Orioles lose him would drastically help those efforts.

After striking out on some of their initial free-agent targets, the Boston Red Sox decided to go the trade route to address their need for a starting pitcher.

Per Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are expected to acquire Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox in a package that includes top prospect Kyle Teel.

ESPN's Jeff Passan added "multiple prospects" will be going back to the White Sox in the deal.

Even though the Red Sox had been playing in the deep end of the free-agent pool with offers to players like Juan Soto and Max Fried, trading for Crochet actually saves them a ton of money for now unless they sign him to a long-term extension.

Crochet is projected to earn $2.9 million next season in his second year of arbitration. The Red Sox estimated payroll in 2025 is at $148 million before factoring in Crochet's salary, so they are still only around $151 million with plenty of quality free agents still available.

Projected 2025 Red Sox Pitching Rotation

• No. 1 starter: Garrett Crochet, LHP
• No. 2 starter: Tanner Houck, RHP
• No. 3 starter: Brayan Bello, RHP
• No. 4 starter: Kutter Crawford, RHP
• No. 5 starter: Lucas Giolito, RHP
• Closer: Liam Hendriks, RHP
• Setup: Aroldis Chapman, LHP
• Setup: Justin Slaten, RHP
• Reliever: Greg Weissert, RHP
• Reliever: Brennan Bernardino, LHP
• Reliever: Michael Fulmer, RHP
• Reliever: Justin Wilson, LHP
• Reliever: Garrett Whitlock, RHP

It's clear from the makeup of Boston's rotation why the team was pursuing Fried as a free agent before he agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees, then why Crochet became a priority via trade.

The Red Sox top four projected starters after Crochet are all right-handed. It's not necessarily a bad thing to have a full rotation of same-handed pitchers if they are all good enough to get out hitters from both sides of the plate.

Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck did that very well last season. Crawford held lefty hitters to a .675 OPS in 394 plate appearances. Houck was even better with a .589 OPS against left-handed hitters.

Brayan Bello has struggled in this area throughout his career. Lefties have posted an .828 OPS against him in three seasons, compared to .693 for right-handed hitters.

Crochet was equally effective against lefties (.651 OPS) and righties (.640 OPS) for the White Sox in 2024. He also gives the Red Sox a much-needed pitcher who can miss bats.

Lucas Giolito, who didn't pitch in a regular-season game last season after having internal brace surgery on his right elbow in March, figures to be in the rotation mix at some point early in 2025. How effective he will be is another story after missing a full year and posting a 4.89 ERA in 63 starts from 2022-23.

Garrett Whitlock, who also had the internal brace procedure on his pitching elbow in May, is poised to at least return as reliever next season. There's a possibility he could return to the rotation depending on how he looks and what the team needs, but they are at least going to go into 2025 with him pitching out of the bullpen.

Since Nick Pivetta is still available as a free agent, the Red Sox don't currently have a pitcher under contract who threw at least 60 innings and averaged more than one strikeout per inning.

Crochet has averaged more than one strikeout per inning in three of his four MLB seasons, though one of those seasons was in 2020 when he only appeared in five games two months after being drafted.

Among all pitchers with at least 140 innings pitched last season, Crochet's 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings were the most in MLB. In a distant second place was a name very familiar to Red Sox fans: Chris Sale (11.4).

The Red Sox will certainly be hoping that Crochet turns into the next Sale for them. No one was expecting Sale to have the year he did in 2024 with the Atlanta Braves after being acquired from Boston during the offseason. He only appeared in 31 games over his final four years with the Red Sox, then proceeded to win the NL Cy Young award in Atlanta.

If Crochet gives the Red Sox anything close to that level of production in 2025 and beyond, this trade will be a huge win for a franchise that is in desperate need of some positive vibes after missing the playoffs in each of the past three years.

The New York Yankees have "real" interest in signing free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Bregman earned his first Gold Glove with the Houston Astros in 2024 after leading AL third baseman with a .972 fielding percentage.

The Astros have already offered Bregman a six-year deal worth approximately $156 million to return to Houston, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart previously reported.

DJ LeMahieu began the season at third base but batted just .183 through 41 games before getting moved from the position in late July.

At that point, the Yankees had just acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr., a former second baseman turned outfielder, in a midseason trade from the Miami Marlins.

Chisholm played third base for the first time in his MLB career in his second game with the Yankees. He ended up remaining in the position for the rest of the season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has said he would be "more than comfortable" heading into the 2025 season with Chisholm remaining at third base.

But the ideal outcome for the Yankees would likely be acquiring an experienced third baseman, allowing Chisholm to slide back to second base and therefore filling the infield gap left behind by the potential departure of Gleyber Torres in free agency.

There is some history between the Yankees and Bregman, who was a key member of the 2017 Astros team that eliminated New York from the ALCS and was later penalized by MLB for sign-stealing. Bregman's connection to that team "would not stop the Yankees from pursuing him," sources told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Another potential option for the Yankees' third base needs could be St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado, although the team is not on the list of six finalists Arenado would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for, according to MLB.com's John Denton.

Having already added Max Fried to their rotation, the New York Yankees are preparing to make their pitch to Japanese star Rōki Sasaki.

Speaking to reporters at the winter meetings on Wednesday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed they have prepared a presentation to Sasaki when they get a face-to-face meeting with the 23-year-old.

All 30 teams should at least extend an offer to Sasaki because the cost will only be international bonus money since he falls under MLB's amateur free-agent rules due to his age.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been cited as a heavy favorite to land Sasaki. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters on Tuesday they consider the right-hander "a major priority" and they're "going to do whatever we can" to sign him.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said they are "very optimistic" about their chances to sign Sasaki and the team intends to put on a "full-court press to make it happen."

The Athletic's Jim Bowden (h/t Alex Smith of SNY.tv) reported on Monday that the Dodgers and New York Mets were viewed as the "early favorites" for Sasaki.

After losing Juan Soto to the Mets, the Yankees have already started to reallocate some of the money they offered him into other marquee free agents. Fried agreed to an eight-year, $218 million contract with the reigning AL champs on Tuesday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Sasaki was officially posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines on Monday, giving him 45 days to negotiate with all 30 MLB clubs. If no deal is reached by 5 p.m. ET deadline on Jan. 23, he will return to his NPB club for the 2024 season.

There's little doubt he is going to sign with a team by that point. He is considered part of the 2025 international amateur class. Team bonus pool allotments range from $4.1 million to $7.6 million, with eight teams at that top level.

The Mets, Yankees and Padres are among 12 teams with $6.3 million in bonus money available. The Dodgers have the second-lowest bonus allotment with $5.1 million to spend. Teams do have the ability to acquire up to 60 percent of their allotted bonus pool money in trades if they want to try increasing their offer to Sasaki.

Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings over 18 appearances for Chiba Lotte last season. He owns a 2.10 ERA in 394.2 innings across four NPB seasons.

Having seen their main rivals in the New York Yankees add Max Fried to their rotation, the Boston Red Sox are exploring several options to upgrade their pitching staff for next season.

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Red Sox "appear hesitant" to pay what it would cost to add former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes.

Feinsand did note Boston could reunite with Nick Pivetta, who has spent the past five seasons with the club.

Burnes is the last of the marquee free-agent starting pitchers still available with Fried and Blake Snell off the board.

Fried agreed to an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees on Tuesday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The deal is the richest in MLB history for a left-handed pitcher, surpassing the seven-year, $217 million contract David Price got from Boston in December 2015.

Given that Burnes was widely regarded as the top free-agent pitcher available, it's safe to assume he is anticipating a deal worth more than what Fried got from the Yankees.

Boston's concern about the cost for Burnes isn't unfounded. He had his lowest strikeout percentage (23.1), strikeouts per nine innings (8.4) and highest hit rate (7.6 per nine innings) last season since becoming a full-time starter in 2020.

Even though Burnes' swing-and-miss stats weren't as impressive as they had been in previous years, he still finished with a 2.92 ERA in 194.1 innings for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024.

If the Red Sox are looking for a frontline starter, they might be better served to look at the trade market. They have already been connected to Dylan Cease if the San Diego Padres decide to deal him, per MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Pivetta is very familiar with the Red Sox organization. He was originally acquired by the team in August 2020 in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Boston extended a qualifying offer worth $21.05 million to Pivetta earlier in the offseason that he rejected. The right-hander had a 4.14 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 146.1 innings in 27 appearances last season.

The Red Sox should try to come out of this offseason with at least two quality starting pitchers. Their rotation as presently constructed features Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford in the top three spots.

The New York Yankees have added another star pitcher to the top of their rotation.

The Yankees signed left-hander Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Fried and returning ace Gerrit Cole are now set to lead the Yankees rotation into the 2025 season.

Projected 2025 Yankees rotation

1. Gerrit Cole
2. Max Fried
3. Carlos Rodón
   
4. Luis Gil
   
5. Clarke Schmidt

The Yankees had a $193 million current total and $229 million projected total on the 2025 payroll prior to the Fried signing, according to Spotrac.

Fried is set to earn an average of $27.25 million per year through the 2032 season.

His contract has no deferred money and contains no opt-outs, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

The left-hander will undergo a physical before the deal is finalized, per Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post.

Fried recorded a 3.25 ERA through 29 games and 174.1 innings pitched during his second All-Star campaign with the Atlanta Braves in 2024. He and Cole have both dealt with injuries in the past, but if healthy will make for one of the best 1-2 pitching combos in the AL.

Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman are also candidates for the rotation.

The signing leaves the Yankees with an apparent glut of starters in the Bronx and raises the possibility that one of these pitchers could be dealt this offseason.

The most obvious candidate would be Stroman, who was not part of the Yankees' rotation during the 2024 postseason. He has one year remaining at $18.3 million, with a vesting option for 2026 hinging on an innings pitched minimum.

Cortes was previously the subject of trade rumors amid a slump during the 2024 season. He could be an attractive trade candidate thanks to the one year he has remaining under arbitration.

It seems likely the Yankees are due for more roster changes after losing out on the bidding for star outfielder Juan Soto.

The club has been tied with interest in outfield trade candidates Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker as well as free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Now that Soto has turned down the Yankees' reported 16-year, $760 million offer in order to cross the river to Queens, owner Hal Steinbrenner likely has the payroll to make some more offseason moves.

The Toronto Blue Jays are trying to secure the cornerstone of their franchise this offseason, but it is reportedly not close to happening.

Per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, the Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have been in talks about an extension, but "are not considered to be close on one." Gonzalez noted that the hesitancy from Guerrero could affect Toronto's ability to bring in free agents and reported that a trade could be coming if the two sides can't reach a deal.

After missing out on Shohei Ohtani last offseason, the Blue Jays made a hard push for Juan Soto this year but once again couldn't lure a superstar to Toronto. After failing to land those two stars, the Blue Jays could have trouble retaining their current star if they allow Guerrero to make it to free agency without an extension.

Guerrero had 30 home runs and 103 RBI a season ago. While his power wasn't quite that of the 2021 season when he had 48 homers and 111 RBI, he posted the best batting average of his career at .323 in 2024.

Assuming Guerrero, 25, has similar production in 2025, he should be due for a big payday when he hits free agency, whether that contract comes from the Blue Jays or elsewhere is to be determined.

Spotrac lists Guerrero's market value at a 12-year, $462 million contract. Plenty of teams would be willing to pay that or more next year if the Blue Jays don't.

But as Gonzalez noted, a trade could come before a new deal for Guerrero. That might not be the ideal situation for Toronto, but it would at least give the Blue Jays some pieces to use as they work toward a rebuild.

With Juan Soto reportedly off the board, the next big dominoes in MLB free agency could fall rather quickly.

Starting pitcher Max Fried has received at least one contract offer of seven years, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com. The dollar figure is unknown.

Morosi added the New York Yankees are willing to offer Fried a seven-year deal.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Fried is expected to settle on a team by Thursday and listed the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers as prospective candidates for the southpaw.

Soto was by far the biggest star on the market when the offseason kicked into gear. Nobody is going to come close to matching the $765 million the New York Mets offered to him.

In that respect, his contract isn't all that instructive to other players near the upper tier of free agency. Him striking a bargain with New York did, however, highlight which teams are prepared to spend this winter.

The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays were all finalists for Soto, with the New York Post's Joel Sherman reporting the Bronx Bombers were prepared to give him $760 million. It stands to reason all three will take some or most of the money earmarked for Soto and spread it across other signings.

ESPN's Alden González reported New York and Boston in particular "have been heavy on [Fried] for weeks now."

The Red Sox could certainly use an ace of the 30-year-old's caliber. Lucas Giolito was their notable addition to the rotation last year, and he has yet to make his debut for the team thanks to an elbow injury.

The Yankees, meanwhile, need another lefty to balance out their staff, with Carlos Rodón the only one in their projected rotation right now.

Once Fried signs, the focus will shift to Corbin Burnes, assuming he doesn't agree to a contract within the next 48 hours.

The 2021 National League Cy Young winner is incentivized to wait a bit since the full terms of Fried's contract will be a helpful guide for him and his agent at the negotiating table.

Despite being in need of a hitter to replace the production lost from Juan Soto's decision to join the New York Mets, the New York Yankees don't seem inclined to pursue Pete Alonso in free agency.

Per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, Alonso doesn't appear to be on the Yankees' radar as they seek additional help in their lineup for next season.

Soto left the Yankees after one season to join the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Yankees are still exploring several options on the free-agent and trade markets. Any marquee player who remains available is likely being discussed by the reigning AL champs.

Feinsand cited Alex Bregman, Max Fried and/or Christian Walker as potential free-agent targets, with Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger or Nolan Arenado touted as trade options.

New York's lack of interest in Alonso is somewhat surprising because the team does need a first baseman. Anthony Rizzo is a free agent after having his $17 million club option declined. The 35-year-old wasn't very effective last season with a .228/.301/.335 slash line in 92 games.

Alonso has the feeling of a free agent whose market may not be as robust as it once seemed. Even though he still brings tremendous power to any lineup, he had the lowest OPS of his career in 2024 (.788).

After posting a .261/.349/.535 slash line in his first four seasons, Alonso has hit .229/.324/.480 in 316 games since the start of the 2023 campaign.

When you combine Alonso's offensive regression with him being one of the worst defensive first baseman in MLB, there probably aren't going to be many teams eager to give him the $200 million deal he was reportedly seeking at one point last season.

Walker, who has won three straight Gold Glove awards at first base, has hit .255/.333/.487 over the past two seasons. His contract projections are around $60 million for three years. He is three years older than Alonso, but the fact he's had the best three-year run of his career over the past three seasons is an encouraging sign that he can hold his value going forward.

If Alonso's market gets to the point where he would be a bargain for someone, then it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Yankees get involved if they're still looking for a first baseman.