At the recently completed general managers’ meetings, I had the opportunity to talk to 28 of the 30 MLB team front-office leaders and came away with lots of information about what teams are focused on for the offseason.
Although there weren’t a lot of transactions completed during the meetings, a few deals were made, as the Tigers inked former Reds closer Emilio Pagán to a one-year, $11.5 million pact, the Braves signed reliever Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million contract and the Red Sox finalized a four-year, $58 million contract with first baseman/DH Jake Bauers. Based on the Pagán and Phillips deals, it’s clear the reliever market is set between $11 and $12 million a season for the proven relievers.
I thought the Tigers did well in signing Pagán to a one-year deal, as I think he would have found a multiyear deal if he had waited. I thought the Braves took a worthwhile health risk on Phillips, although year three of the deal concerns me a tad. That said, the way he pitched at the end of this past season for the Dodgers makes it totally understandable why the Braves agreed to a third year to close the deal.
I was surprised the Red Sox gave Bauers four years since he wasn’t an everyday starter until 2026. He’s never had 500 at-bats in any season in his MLB career and is already 31. His lack of a long track record of production is concerning. However, he was the NLCS MVP, and his home run power and ability to grind out at-bats will be an instant upgrade to the Red Sox lineup. His approach will set a good example for the young Boston hitters.
The Bauers signing also allows the Red Sox to once again shop Jarren Duran, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida. Bauers is expected to DH and share first base with Willson Contreras, and Boston’s best outfield alignment is Wilyer Abreu in right, Ceddanne Rafaela in center and Roman Anthony in left.
The MLB GM Meetings were quiet. But the rest of this month won’t be.
Andy McCullough
The busiest front-office leader at the GM meetings was the Padres’ A.J. Preller, who seemed to be talking to more agents and team executives than anyone else. The Padres have a strong need to add several starting pitchers, an outfielder and bullpen depth. They are casting a wide net, exploring free agents ranging from Tarik Skubal to Freddy Peralta to Michael King to Nick Pivetta to Shota Imanaga to Dustin May on the starting pitching front, as well as outfielder Seiya Suzuki and outfielder/third baseman Teruaki Sato.
It is clear that the Padres’ new ownership group — led by Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano — is serious when they say they are “all-in” to bring a championship to San Diego. That commitment doesn’t just mean payroll; it means really caring about all of their employees on and off the field and the San Diego area community. They are enthusiastic and look like they want to back it up with the checkbook, too.
The Padres are even scheduled to meet with Skubal next week and should be considered serious players for him. Teams meeting with Skubal know going in that the price will end up between $350 and $500 million depending on years, and that the final contract will ultimately break the record for starting pitchers by both AAV and total amount.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman is making the bullpen his top priority, first by trying to bring back several relievers from this past year who are free agents, like David Bednar, Paul Blackburn and Tim Hill. He also has interest in arguably the top reliever on the market, left-hander Adrian Morejon, and will consider a reunion with Jonathan Loáisiga.
Once he’s addressed the bullpen, he’ll consider options for second base, third base and even center field. I’ve been trying to manifest the Yankees signing Sato, who I think would be the perfect fit for New York. He could either play third base or left field. If Sato were in left, it would allow the Yankees to move Cody Bellinger to center. Sato was the Nippon Professional Baseball league MVP the past two years and even won the NPB triple crown this past season.
Could Brandon Lowe be a fit for the Yankees at second base? (Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images)
The Yankees have also been connected with second basemen Brandon Lowe and Luis Arraez, and the door has not been shut on a reunion with Jazz Chisholm Jr. just yet. They will pursue a right-handed hitting catcher to pair with Austin Wells, although Ryan Jeffers is too expensive and Tyler Stephenson doesn’t want to platoon.
The Marlins are fishing for Morejon, with the hope that he could be their full-time closer, and are trying to hook some offensive upgrades as well. The Phillies, Orioles, Blue Jays, Royals and Mariners are focusing on outfield help, with some combination of Suzuki, Randy Arozarena, Duran and Sato all on their “kick the tires” lists.
The Athletics, Giants, Rockies, Nationals and Reds are looking for pitching, pitching and more pitching. The Nationals are still trying to sign James Wood to a long-term deal, and the Brewers are attempting the same thing with World Series MVP William Contreras. The Diamondbacks are once again shopping second baseman Ketel Marte and are focused on trying to acquire left-handed hitters.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has softened his stance on not pursuing long-term deals with starting pitchers, as he now says it depends on the pitcher. He’s quickly learning that running a big-market team is way different than a small-market franchise. That change in philosophy opens the door for the Mets to pursue Skubal and King.
The Mets will be players on Skubal. Like they were with Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he was a free agent coming over from Japan, the Mets might end up making the highest bid, though that is no guarantee it would get a deal done on its own. There is always the risk that, like in the case of Yamamoto, another team might match the offer or Skubal might go with a lesser offer.
It isn’t automatic that Tarik Skubal, who lives in Arizona in the offseason, will take the highest offer. (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
Skubal lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., so it would make sense for him to want to spend spring training there. If he has the option, it may also make sense for him to remain with a West Coast team, which would make the Dodgers and Padres obvious best fits. The Blue Jays are expected to be in play for Skubal, as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Angels’ new ownership group wants to take a run at Skubal, but they don’t even have a GM yet and it’s unlikely Skubal would want to sign with a non-contender.
Peralta and King will have to wait until Skubal agrees to his contract before their market is set, but both are going to do extremely well this winter, as they have completely restored their value as top starters. Peralta is expected to get five or six years in the Carlos Rodón range (six years, $162 million). King’s offers will be contingent on whatever the medicals say about his long-term health.
I came away from the meetings with a few other small tidbits of intel, including that the Phillies are considering having top prospect Aidan Miller make the team in a super-utility role, playing both the infield and outfield. The Padres are contemplating moving Fernando Tatis Jr. back to second base, and the Pirates are trying to add a left-handed starter and improve their overall team defense.
Most executives told me it’s been business as usual so far this offseason, but they’ll be prepared to pivot once they learn what changes will come in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, whenever that is agreed to. Most teams are telling me they want to get the bulk of their moves done by Dec. 1, when the current CBA expires and the lockout is expected to begin. Some teams, like the Reds, are still waiting for their budgets, which makes no sense with 16 days left until the expected lockout.
Put your seat belts on — the moves are going to be coming fast and furious this week. Enjoy the transactions, as the offseason is a fun time and especially this year when many of the moves are expected to come early in this sprint to Dec. 1.