AL West

Athletics general manager David Forst revealed the team's reasoning behind signing free-agent starting pitcher Luis Severino to a historic contract on Thursday.

"We wanted to make something of a statement coming into a new city and coming into a new ballpark," Forst said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "But more than that, to improve on what we have. Signing someone with Luis's experience to be a leader was important to us."

Severino joined the Athletics on a three-year, $67 million contract.

ESPN's Jeff Passan noted that it's the largest guarantee in the history of the A's franchise, surpassing the previous record of $66 million held by former third baseman Eric Chavez in 2004.

Luis Severino is signing a three-year, $67M deal with the Athletics, per @JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/K5Ij4JM7RF

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 5, 2024

The contract also includes an opt-out after the 2026 season.

After calling Oakland home from 1968 through 2024, the Athletics will be playing home games at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento from 2025-27 before eventually moving to Las Vegas.

With the team's upcoming change of scenery, Forst wanted to add a rotation upgrade as the A's attempt to build upon a 69-93 record in 2024.

Severino is coming off a bounce-back campaign with the New York Mets, as injuries limited his time on the mound near the end of his career as a member of the New York Yankees. In 31 starts on the Mets last year, he finished with a 3.91 ERA to go along with a record of 11-7.

Three up, three down 😮‍💨

Luis Severino strikes out the side to get things started in Philly pic.twitter.com/TLkDouVbsO

— MLB (@MLB) September 14, 2024

The 30-year-old also racked up 161 strikeouts, his highest total since his last All-Star campaign with the Yankees in 2018. Severino's consistency throughout the year helped the Mets finish with 89 wins and make a National League Championship Series appearance.

As the Athletics prepare to host games in Sacramento, they made a major addition to the top of their rotation on Thursday.

Luis Severino's contract with The Athletics has set the tone for a lucrative free-agent pitching market.

The A's shocked the baseball world by dipping into their pockets and signing the 30-year-old to a three-year, $67 million deal on Thursday. It was the largest contract offered in franchise history and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that it has only raised the value of the other free-agent pitchers still available ahead of the winter meetings.

"The market for pitching is insane right now," an NL executive told Feinsand. "It's through the roof."

Severino certainly earned a solid deal after going 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA for the New York Mets in 2024. He will be a top-of-rotation starter for the A's as the team prepares for its eventual move to Las Vegas and could signal a change in approach for a franchise that is notorious for a low payroll.

However, he was not the top arm available on the market and his hefty contract will only make Corbin Burnes and Max Fried worth even more to whatever team can snag them.

"There are two tier-one guys, and more than two teams [are] looking for a guy like that," the NL exec told Feinsand. "The prices just keep going up."

Burnes went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 194.1 innings for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. He is a four-time All-Star, a former Cy Young winner, and a consistent ace with postseason experience. Fried went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 174.1 innings for the Atlanta Braves in 2024 and is the top remaining southpaw on the market.

With Severino making an average of $22.3 million per season in his contract, Burnes and Fried could easily reach the $40 million range per season while Nick Pivetta, Jack Flaherty, Nathan Eovaldi and Sean Manea could exceed $30 million per season.

The Houston Astros have offered free agent third baseman Alex Bregman a six-year contract "worth around $156 million," Brian McTaggart reported for MLB.com.

McTaggart noted that Bregman "is believed to be seeking a deal closer to $200 million."

The largest contract in Astros history is currently the six-year, $156 million extension Jose Altuve signed with the club in 2018.

Exceeding that record may not be enough to keep Bregman, who slashed .260/.315/.453 with 26 home runs last season. Should another team in need of a third baseman like the New York Yankees or New York Mets offer him more money, he could move on after nine seasons with the Astros.

Another potential suitor for Bregman is the Detroit Tigers, who are led by former Astros manager A.J. Hinch. The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that the Tigers are "interested" in Bregman, but that he might be out of their price range.

Heyman additionally reported that the Boston Red Sox have "inquired" about Bregman. The Philadelphia Phillies could also potentially be a match should the team find a trade partner for Alec Bohm.

Multiple members of the Astros organization have publicly expressed a desire to retain Bregman, who played a key role in the franchise's 2017 and 2022 World Series wins.

Altuve said in October that the Astros would not "be the same organization without him," and general manager Dana Brown said in November that re-signing the third baseman was "without a doubt" the club's biggest priority this winter.

But Astros owner Jim Crane also noted last month that the club was preparing for the possibility that Bregman would be playing elsewhere in 2025.

"We're looking now at a backup [options]," Crane said in November, per McTaggart. "You're exploring all the options, so that's what's happening now."

According to McTaggart, one of the Astros' "top" backup options is Jorge Polanco, who is hitting free agency after undergoing knee surgery in October.

Polanco was limited by knee pain during the 2024 season, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, so the Astros could be hoping his output will improve when healthy next spring.

That's not the only change that could take place in the Astros lineup before next season. McTaggart reported that the franchise will "be more aggressive" in adding a first baseman should Bregman walk.

McTaggart named free agent Christian Walker, who earned his third straight Gold Glove at first base with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, as a potential target for the Astros.

Bregman is by far the biggest name at third base available on the free-agent market. Teams interested in making a splash at the position will likely either need to make him an offer or turn to the trade market, where players like Bohm and the Arizona Cardinals' Nolan Arenado are reportedly available.

Alex Bregman is one of the headline free agents this offseason, but that doesn't mean the third baseman will land a contract north of $300 million.

ESPN's Buster Olney and Jeff Passan reported on the situation Thursday and noted some executives around the league "don't necessarily view him as a $300 million player." They also suggested agent Scott Boras could drag the negotiating process into February or March like he has for past clients.

Bregman might not land a mega contract this offseason, but he is still playing at a consistent level before he turns 31 years old in March.

He slashed .260/.315/.453 with 26 home runs and 75 RBI in 145 games this past season, which was his highest home run total since his dominant season in 2019 when he finished second in American League MVP voting.

The veteran likely won't reach that level again when he slashed .296/.423/.592 with 41 home runs and 112 RBI, and potential suitors surely know that.

But he showed improvement in other ways in 2024 and took home his first career Gold Glove. He was responsible for six defensive runs saved above average last season, per FanGraphs, and should continue to play defense at a high level at third base.

While important, the position isn't quite as physically demanding as shortstop or centerfield, so his defense should age well on his next contract.

Bregman's resume also speaks for itself with two World Series crowns, two All-Star selections, the Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award.

Another thing working in his favor is many of the top free agents, outside of Juan Soto, are pitchers this offseason. Much of the attention was on pitchers such as Corbin Burnes, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell and Max Fried entering the offseason, meaning players like Bregman should be enticing for teams looking for offense that aren't willing to spend the $600 million-plus it might take for Soto.

Whether that means he will sign a $300 million deal remains to be seen, but it seems there is at least some doubt about the overall ceiling for his contract among league executives.

The Seattle Mariners have reportedly been holding "exploratory talks with other clubs," according to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, primarily seeking an upgrade at third base.

That has led the team to hold talks with the Philadelphia Phillies for Alec Bohm, though "in initial trade talks between the two clubs, the Phillies asked for one of the Mariners' top pitchers—Logan Gilbert or George Kirby—in exchange for Bohm, a source with knowledge of the discussions said."

Jude added that the Mariners have "balked at the asking price."

Bohm, 28, hit .280 with 15 homers, 44 doubles, 97 RBI, 62 runs and a .779 OPS in 2024, earning his first All-Star Game bid. It was trending toward easily being his best season as a pro, though he never quite regained his mojo after missing a little over two weeks in early September with a left hand strain.

Upon his return, he hit .170 with two homers and eight RBI in 12 regular season games down the stretch, and batted an abysmal .077 with just one hit in the postseason, which even included him getting benched for Game 2 of the NLDS.

With the Phillies looking to potentially shake up the roster, at least slightly, heading into the 2025 season, Bohm was the most likely candidate to be moved, given his age and his two years of club control remaining before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Moving him would allow the Phillies to seek an upgrade at third base, like free agent Alex Bregman, one of the players they've been linked to this offseason.

As for the Mariners, the team is looking to replace free agent third baseman Josh Rojas, who hit just .225 in 2024 with eight homers and 31 RBI. Bohm would undoubtedly be an upgrade in that regard, though perhaps not worth the price point the Phillies have reportedly set.

The Mariners will also look to upgrade at first base, per Jude, and "remain engaged with free agents Carlos Santana and Justin Turner to fill first base/designated hitter" and have held "preliminary talks" with the Chicago Cubs regarding second baseman Nico Hoerner.

The Athletics' new Las Vegas stadium, which is aiming to open in 2028, now carries a cost of $1.75 billion, or $250 million more than previously estimated, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

That increase is due to increasing construction costs and 70,000 square feet of more stadium amenities, per Sandy Dean, who owns a small stake in the A's.

"The increases in the cost of the stadium are the responsibility of the team, and the team would most likely finance that with additional contributions from the Fisher family," Dean said.

The A's are playing in Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for the next three seasons while the stadium is being built.

Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported on the cost increase, citing Las Vegas Stadium Authority documents.

"New elements added during the stadium's design phase include more clubs and suites, upgraded general admission spaces and player amenities," Akers reported. "The A's Las Vegas ballpark will be the first in Major League Baseball to offer under-seat cooling."

Dean also had this to say to Akers about the Athletics' desire for a "premier" MLB park: "The design process is iterative, and has been allowing us to add elements to the ballpark intended to make this a premier facility for Major League Baseball."

As of now, Fisher and the A's are on the hook for $1.4 billion of the $1.75 billion stadium. The remainder will be foot by the public via Senate Bill 1, approved in June 2023.

"As of this summer the public contribution for the ballpark through SB 1 was estimated to be about $350 million," Dean told Akers. "The estimates remain about the same and are subject to adjustment based on interest rates and other refinements that will be made as the project unfolds."

That breaks down to Fisher and the A's being responsible for $1.4 billion of the $1.75 billion price tag.

The stadium will have a 33,000-seat capacity, and construction is set to begin in the spring, per Akers.

The Texas Rangers are expected to make a strong push to retain starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi in free agency.

According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, "Re-signing Eovaldi is the Rangers' top priority. The bullpen, with relievers Kirby Yates, David Robertson, José Leclerc and Andrew Chafin all hitting the open market, needs to be reconstructed. And ... Texas wants to add more offense."

Eovaldi, 34, posted a 12-8 record for the Rangers in 2024 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 166 strikeouts in 170.2 innings across 29 starts. It was his most innings and strikeouts since 2021 and arguably a stronger campaign than his 2023 All-Star season with Texas.

While a solid market should develop for Eovaldi, free-agent pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty and Sean Manaea are likely to be more coveted by teams around baseball. With Blake Snell and Yusei Kikuchi already off the board, however, teams in need of starting pitching will need to strike early, including the Rangers, who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 78-84 campaign after 2023's World Series title.

The Houston Astros are reportedly attempting to re-sign Alex Bregman and the team is also targeting potential replacements such as Willy Adames and Jorge Polanco, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

"The Houston Astros are continuing their efforts to re-sign Bregman, while also setting up contingencies," Rosenthal wrote on Monday. "The team is staying in contact with Adames, and has expressed interest in another free agent, Jorge Polanco, as a fallback option."

Bregman spent all nine years of his career in Houston, gradually becoming a staple of a lineup that won multiple World Series titles. He ranks No. 6 on the Astros' all-time home runs list and No. 11 on the team's all-time hits leaderboard.

In 2024, Bregman hit .260 with 26 homers and 75 RBIs in 145 games.

Leadoff laser for Alex Bregman

His 20th home run of the season 🚀 pic.twitter.com/R2HpwvOhyX

— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2024

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported on Nov. 25 that the Astros were interested in bringing him back on a six-year deal worth roughly $156 million, but Bregman is eyeing a contract that surpasses $200 million.

If both sides can't reach an agreement, Houston could intensify negotiations with Adames. The shortstop is coming off an impressive 2024 campaign with the Milwaukee Brewers, as his 32 home runs and 112 RBIs both represented career-high marks.

With his second homer of the night, Willy Adames sets a new career high in homers with 32 💪 pic.twitter.com/wXaEQkXKzX

— MLB (@MLB) September 15, 2024

Adames would likely move to the hot corner if he signs with Houston.

Polanco doesn't posses as much power at the plate compared to Bregman and Adames, but he could be a serviceable alternative. As a member of the Seattle Mariners in 2024, the 31-year-old recorded 16 homers and 11 doubles to go along with a .213/.296/.355 slash line.

Jorge Polanco goes back-to-back with Cal Raleigh for his 2nd home run of the game! pic.twitter.com/f3GpslPIhw

— MLB (@MLB) July 28, 2024

With a change of scenery, Polanco could look like his former self after posting a .796 OPS from 2019-23 on the Minnesota Twins.

As the Astros look to secure their third baseman of the future in free agency, they're targeting multiple options behind Bregman.

The Houston Astros and Alex Bregman are still reportedly far apart in negotiations.

The Astros are interested in re-signing Bregman on a six-year contract valued at approximately $156 million, but Bregman is aiming for a deal exceeding $200 million, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

The third baseman out of LSU has spent his entire nine-year Major League career with the Astros but could be on the move if they can't compete with a rumored offer from the New York Yankees, who may target him if they fail to re-sign Juan Soto.

"If the New York Yankees don't re-sign Juan Soto, one back-up plan floating around is signing free-agent first baseman Christian Walker, sign either Willy Adames or Alex Bregman to play third, shift Jazz Chisholm to second base, trade for Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger, and then use the extra money to sign Burnes, Fried or Snell," said Nightengale.

In addition to the Astros and Yankees, Alex Bregman could also draw interest from several other teams including the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, according to Nightengale.

The former All-Star Game MVP tallied 151 hits, 26 home runs and 75 RBI last season during the Astros' 88-73 campaign.

The two-time All-Star, 2024 Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger would be an ideal solution to the Yankees' infield issues, as he is the top third baseman available on the market.

Free-agent starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi signed a three-year contract worth $63 million with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Yusei Kikuchi to the Angels. $63M, 3 years.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 25, 2024

Kikuchi opened the 2024 season with the Toronto Blue Jays before he was traded to the Houston Astros in July.

He thrived in Houston following the change of scenery, becoming a key piece of a rotation that helped the Astros finish with the No. 1 spot in the American League West.

In 22 starts with the Blue Jays to begin the year, Kikuchi owned a 4.75 ERA to go along with a 4-9 record.

As a member of the Astros, the 33-year-old finished with a 5-1 record as well as a 2.70 ERA and 0.933 WHIP. He also struck out 76 batters and allowed 14 walks during 60 innings of worth with Houston.

Yusei Kikuchi struck out 8 straight batters on his way to his second double-digit K start of the year. pic.twitter.com/ROMjK3tAOu

— MLB (@MLB) August 3, 2024

There appeared to be lots of interest in Kikuchi prior to his decision to join the Angels. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and Blue Jays were all eyeing the veteran.

Kikuchi was an All-Star during the 2021 season and wrapped up an impressive 2023 campaign, posting a 3.86 ERA in 32 starts on the Blue Jays and helping Toronto make a postseason appearance.

After finishing the regular season with a 63-99 record to go along with the third-worst ERA among starting pitchers in the majors, the Angels have continued to be aggressive throughout the beginning of the offseason.

Los Angeles signed veteran starter Kyle Hendricks to a one-year contract on Nov. 8. The Angels also added catcher Travis d'Arnaud on a two-year, $12 million deal while trading for outfielder Jorge Soler as well as infielder Scott Kingery.

As Los Angeles looks to improve in 2025, the team made a major addition to its rotation on Monday.