Baseball

The list of teams for one of the top remaining free agents is reportedly getting smaller.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, Alex Bregman is "likely to land with" the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs or Detroit Tigers "soon." Bregman has spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the Houston Astros, and the organization is "skeptical he'll return to Houston," according to Olney.

Bregman reportedly declined a six-year deal worth around $156 million from Houston earlier this offseason as he was seeking a contract worth roughly $200 million.

Even after Bregman rejected that deal in December, the Astros believed they were still in the mix. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported in January that Houston was "keeping the door ajar for" the 30-year-old to re-sign with the Astros.

The Athletic's Chandler Rome also reported in January that Bregman had re-engaged in contract talks with his former squad.

The tone regarding Bregman changed recently, however. Rome reported last week that Astros general manager Dana Brown said at the team's annual luncheon that Houston "lost Bregman" while referring to the third baseman in the past tense several times.

According to Rome, Brown said the Astros were "continuing to have internal conversations because he's still available," though he added that he hadn't recently spoken to Bregman's agent, Scott Boras.

With Brown subtly indicating that Bregman won't return to the Astros, the focus shifts to where he will end up.

Olney noted that joining the Red Sox would likely mean shifting to the middle infield. He added that if he signs with Chicago, it will be "likely on a short-term" contract.

Signing with the Tigers would allow Bregman to play for a team ready to compete this year. Detroit is coming off an 86-76 season in which it reached the ALDS and will bring back reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Adding a player like Bregman could give the Tigers enough to make a push for the World Series.

Bregman, a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion with the Astros, had 26 home runs, 75 RBI and slashed .260/.315/.453 in 2024. He also won the first Gold Glove Award of his career.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi is reportedly returning to the Dodgers' front office after his firing by the San Francisco Giants.

Zaidi will serve as a special advisor in his second stint with the team, The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya reported Monday.

Zaidi worked as the Dodgers' general manager from 2014 to 2018. He then served as president of baseball operations for the Giants from 2018 to 2024.

Dodgers owner Mark Walter, who also owns stakes in the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks, PWHL and Chelsea FC, will receive assistance from Zaidi with "his other sports interests," according to Ardaya.

Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal first reported for The Athletic in December that the Dodgers were talking with Zaidi about a front office role.

In an interview with Foul Territory that month, Zaidi said it was "not important" to him to resume his former role as general manager.

"If it happens, great. I know there's so many different ways that anybody can help an organization," Zaidi said in December. "I have friends who are GMs, and the chance to be a special assistant, to be an advisor to one of them, I think not only would it be great personally, but it would be nice professionally, too."

The Dodgers developed players like Max Muncy and Chris Taylor under Zaidi's first tenure. The club made back-to-back World Series appearances in Zaidi's final two seasons as general manager, but lost to the Houston Astros in 2017 and the Boston Red Sox in 2018.

Zaidi then left to join the Giants. He named the 2021 MLB Executive of the Year after the club set a franchise record with 107 wins in his third season with the franchise.

But that season ended with a five-game NLDS loss to the Dodgers, and the Giants haven't finished a season with a winning record since.

Zaidi signed an extension with the Giants in 2023, reported by John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle as a two-year agreement with a club option. He ultimately served out just the first year of that deal before he and the club parted ways last September.

The Giants lost out to the Dodgers in signing star free agents like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto under Zaidi's tenure. The team almost signed star shortstop Carlos Correa to a 13-year, $350 million deal in 2022, but the agreement fell apart due to medical concerns. And even the biggest signings of Zaidi's tenure in San Francisco— the additions of Matt Chapman and Blake Snell in 2024— weren't enough to lift the Giants above .500 last season.

As noted by The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly, the Giants meanwhile struggled to develop internally-developed talent while missing out on major free agent signings, contributing to the organization's loss of faith in Zaidi.

Zaidi won't have to worry about attracting star free agents once he's back with the Dodgers, where Ohtani and Yamamoto have since been joined by Snell alongside other players like Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott.

The teams that will be featured on the plaques of the members of the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Class were unveiled on Monday.

Pitcher CC Sabathia will have a New York Yankees logo on his cap after spending the majority of his career in New York and Cleveland, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

Closer Billy Wagner's hat will feature the Houston Astros while outfielder Ichiro Suzuki will be wearing a Seattle Mariners cap, via ESPN. Dave Parker will be represented with a Pittsburgh Pirates cap and Dick Allen will have the Philadelphia Phillies' logo.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app, homepage and social feeds—including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Kiké Hernandez is coming back to Los Angeles.

Hernandez and the Dodgers have agreed to a new contract pending a physical, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.

Hernandez hinted at the signing in a post on his Instagram:

Hernandez, who was traded to the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox in July 2023, re-signed in Los Angeles last winter and went on to play a key role in the team's World Series win.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app, homepage and social feeds—including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred pushed back against the notion are breaking baseball and making the sport worse

"I don't agree with that. The Dodgers are a really well-run, successful organization. Everything that they do and have done is consistent with our rules," he said Thursday, per The Athletic's Evan Drellich. "They're trying to give their fans the best possible product. Those are all positives. I recognize, however, and my email certainly reflects it: there are fans in other markets who are concerned about their team's ability to compete, and we always have to be concerned when our fans are concerned about something. But pinning it on the Dodgers, not in that camp.

The Dodgers have drawn the ire of a lot of fans for refusing to rest on their laurels in the wake of their World Series triumph. Their payroll is on track to be $375 million, per FanGraphs, after they signed 2023 Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, Japanese ace Rōki Sasaki and 2024 All-Star reliever Tanner Scott among others.

The complaints aren't limited to fans, either.

New York Yankees chairman chairman Hal Steinbrenner lamented in January that "it's difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things that they're doing." Baltimore Orioles principal owner David Rubenstein asserted the need for a salary cap, a longtime goal for MLB owners across the board.

Dodgers fans and others have pushed back against the criticism to argue the lack of spending from a lot of franchises poses a bigger issue to MLB.

There isn't a compelling reason why the Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Athletics and Miami Marlins should run sub-$100 million payrolls. The Guardians are coming off an ALCS appearance, yet relief pitcher Paul Sewald is their one big offseason addition.

In general, this discourse is likely to settle down somewhat once spring training starts.

One problem is that there isn't a whole lot to talk about right now when it comes to baseball. The biggest free-agent moves have happened, and we're more than a month out from Opening Day.

Having actual games to discuss will take some of the focus off the Dodgers.

Fans will also waste no time turning this all around on L.A. if the team has a slow start to the season. The once-bemoaned Goliath on the West Coast would become a regular source of mockery.

The reactions from Steinbrenner and Rubenstein, however, were notable because they hint at some division within the ranks of MLB ownership when they'll eventually need to put on a unified front for negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement.

After blocking a trade to the Houston Astros in December, Nolan Arenado is reportedly interested in a potential trade to the Boston Red Sox.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, those close to the St. Louis Cardinals star said he "would really like the idea of going to the Red Sox." According to Olney, Arenado's mindset this offseason is "highly, highly motivated."

The report of Arenado's interest in the Red Sox comes after a Tuesday report from Jon Morosi of MLB Network stating that Boston and St. Louis "had recent communication." Morosi added in that report that "Cardinals' executive Chaim Bloom has close knowledge of Boston's prospects."

Bloom was Boston's chief baseball officer from 2019 to 2023.

The Red Sox have a solid list of prospects they could use in a trade for Arenado. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranks Boston's farm system as No. 13, with star outfielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Marcelo Mayer being some of the most notable names.

The Cardinals appear to be in rebuild mode after going 83-79 and missing the postseason for a second consecutive season in 2024. Meanwhile, the Red Sox seem to be building a roster that can compete for a World Series soon, as they've had a busy offseason thus far.

Adding a veteran like Arenado could help Boston get closer to its dreams of once again being a championship contender.

Arenado, 33, struggled a bit in his fourth season with the Cardinals. He had just 16 homers, 71 RBI, 70 runs and a .719 OPS across 152 games—numbers that are not on par with his usual production. He also posted a .719 OPS, which is his worst since the 2013 season.

While he hasn't lived up to his own standards in St. Louis, getting a change of scenery this offseason could be what Arenado needs at this point in his career. After all, Olney reported that he's "highly motivated."