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Matt Marton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tMatt Marton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Hello, and a very happy holiday season, everyone! After skipping last week, it\u2019s a special Monday edition of the Matrix Reloaded, and as a bonus, you\u2019ll also get a Matrix Reloaded this Friday, the first of 2026. You can find the Offseason Matrices document here<\/a>. You know the drill by now, so let\u2019s get right into the rundown.<\/p>\n Significant Signings<\/p>\n White Sox Sign Munetaka Murakami<\/a> for Two Years, $34 Million<\/p>\n Effect on the White Sox<\/p>\n Does signing Murakami make the White Sox any likelier to make the playoffs in 2026 or 2027? Probably not. Does it make them way more entertaining to watch? Absolutely. This is the sort of move that a team like the White Sox should be making whenever it gets a chance \u2014 and those chances don\u2019t come around often. In a free agent market full of talented players, two years and $34 million for Murakami\u2019s 80-grade raw power should go down as the biggest upside play of the whole offseason, with boom or bust potential unlike any free agent I can recall. <\/p>\n And unlike about 27 other teams, the White Sox can give Murakami a nice, long runway to either soar or crash and burn like some think he\u2019s destined to. A team with playoff aspirations can\u2019t afford to lose wins by giving Murakami 1,200 plate appearances over two years if he looks cooked by the 200th, since he can\u2019t be optioned to the minors without his consent. The White Sox, though? They can give him all the reps they want, both at the plate and at first base, a new position for him. Maybe he\u2019s the bad Joey Gallo<\/a>. Maybe he\u2019s the good Joey Gallo. Maybe he\u2019s Kyle Schwarber<\/a>. 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We didn’t want to overdo it.\n <\/p>\n Effect on Other Teams<\/p>\n It\u2019s always tough to say which teams are truly in on Japanese players and which ones are just being floated as possibilities, especially when the player coming over isn\u2019t an international sensation like Shohei Ohtani<\/a> or Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a>. There were plenty of teams loosely connected to Murakami, but there were never any reports of \u201cfavorites\u201d or anything like that. Whichever teams had interest, there isn\u2019t another Murakami-type player on the free agent market anyway. Attention will likely now turn to fellow NPB star Kazuma Okamoto<\/a>, but besides them both being Japanese third basemen, they\u2019re very different from each other. <\/p>\n Effect on Similar Players<\/p>\n Murakami was a unique player in this market \u2014 uniquely talented, uniquely flawed, uniquely young \u2014 so I don\u2019t think his deal will have much of an effect on anyone else\u2019s contract. <\/p>\n Pirates Sign Ryan O\u2019Hearn<\/a> for Two Years, $29 Million<\/p>\n Effect on the Pirates<\/p>\n I don\u2019t buy that the Pirates have a good lineup just yet, but they certainly have a better one after adding O\u2019Hearn on top of the trade with the Rays and Astros that brought them Brandon Lowe<\/a> and Jake Mangum<\/a>. <\/p>\n This season, O\u2019Hearn wasn\u2019t shielded from lefties for the first time in his career, and he responded with a 135 wRC+ in 109 plate appearances against them. With the team\u2019s other big acquisitions so far all being lefties (Mangum\u2019s a switch-hitter who was better from the left side), O\u2019Hearn continuing his platoon-neutrality would be a boon to a lineup that got rough performances against southpaws from Spencer Horwitz<\/a>, and Oneil Cruz<\/a>; Lowe himself had a horrid 49 wRC+ against such pitching.<\/p>\n But given O\u2019Hearn\u2019s previous platooning, the Pirates shouldn\u2019t just assume that he will continue his strong-hitting ways against lefties. That\u2019s where Pittsburgh\u2019s one right-handed addition, Jhostynxon Garcia<\/a>, should come in, though it should also be where the pursuit of another righty bat intensifies as the Pirates look to take the next step behind their strong pitching staff. On the Matrix, you\u2019ll see them connected to Okamoto, Marcell Ozuna<\/a>, and J.T. Realmuto<\/a>, all righty swingers. <\/p>\n Effect on Other Teams<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t much reported interest in O\u2019Hearn before he signed, and there aren\u2019t really any other impact lefty hitters remaining in his price range as far as pivot players go. That leaves the trade market for teams looking for thump in the middle of the lineup. Lefty swingers potentially on the trade block include Wilyer Abreu<\/a>, Jarren Duran<\/a>, CJ Abrams<\/a>, Steven Kwan<\/a>, Nolan Gorman<\/a>, and Brendan Donovan<\/a>. <\/p>\n Effect on Similar Players<\/p>\n As mentioned above, there isn\u2019t anyone similar to O\u2019Hearn left on the free agent market. Luis Arraez<\/a> is a lefty who could sign for something similar to O\u2019Hearn\u2019s deal, but he\u2019s a completely different type of hitter. <\/p>\n Marlins Sign Pete Fairbanks<\/a> for One Year, $13 Million<\/p>\n Effect on the Marlins<\/p>\n The Marlins had reported interest<\/a> in Fairbanks well before it was known (publicly, at least) that breakout reliever Ronny Henriquez<\/a> would miss the entirety of next season after undergoing UCL repair. But the loss of the team\u2019s best reliever this year acutely raised the need for a lockdown arm and perhaps caused them to raise their offer to keep the former Ray in Florida. <\/p>\n Fairbanks wasn\u2019t as dominant in 2025 as he has been in years past, but he did set a new career high in innings pitched, no small feat for a guy who\u2019s missed time with nerve irritation, hip inflammation, and a lat tear, not to mention recurring Raynaud\u2019s syndrome, which affects his ability to grip the ball in colder weather. He\u2019ll be the Marlins\u2019 first true closer since Tanner Scott<\/a>, with Calvin Faucher<\/a> \u2014 the closest thing the club has had to a closer since Scott was moved to the Padres \u2014 setting up for Fairbanks. <\/p>\n Effect on Other Teams<\/p>\n If you wanted a closer on the free agent market, you\u2019re all out of luck, as Fairbanks was the last true closer standing. Edwin D\u00edaz<\/a>, Devin Williams<\/a>, Ryan Helsley<\/a>, Emilio Pag\u00e1n<\/a>, Raisel Iglesias<\/a>, Kyle Finnegan<\/a>, and Kenley Jansen<\/a> join Fairbanks as relievers who will serve as at least part of a closing committee in 2026, not to mention big deals for Tyler Rogers<\/a>, Brad Keller<\/a>, and Luke Weaver<\/a>. <\/p>\n Maybe a team will want to take the risk of giving Seranthony Dom\u00ednguez<\/a> (wildness) or Michael Kopech<\/a> (missed most of this year due to injury) a job, but the trade market is the likelier place to find a closer right now. Potentially available high-leverage arms include Mason Miller<\/a> and Trevor Megill<\/a>. <\/p>\n Effect on Similar Players<\/p>\n With no other obvious closers left in free agency, the only way Fairbanks\u2019 signing will affect the relievers still on the market is by giving them a bit more leverage with teams that are desperate. <\/p>\n Orioles Sign Zach Eflin<\/a> for One Year, $10 Million<\/p>\n Effect on the Orioles<\/p>\n On the surface, a major league deal for a starter would appear to complete the Orioles rotation, with Eflin returning to the club to join Trevor Rogers<\/a>, Kyle Bradish<\/a>, Dean Kremer<\/a>, and Shane Baz<\/a>. But with Eflin undergoing a microdiscectomy on his back in August, he\u2019s questionable for Opening Day; the original timetable quoted was four to eight months, and the full eight months would have Eflin returning in mid-April.<\/p>\n Plus, this is a team that\u2019s clearly all-in on winning in 2026, and while the rotation certainly looks much improved after the addition of Baz and the reunion with Eflin, there\u2019s nothing stopping the Orioles from adding yet another starter to take a spot if Eflin is out to start the year. They could then move Kremer to the bullpen when Eflin is ready, assuming Eflin returns to a fully healthy squad. Eflin\u2019s signing is also likely to push Tyler Wells<\/a> to the bullpen early in the season if not on Opening Day; that\u2019s a role he\u2019s filled very well in the past.<\/p>\n Effect on Other Teams<\/p>\n The only other team with reported interest in Eflin was the Rays<\/a>, who traded Eflin to the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2024. That interest was reported before they signed Steven Matz<\/a> and traded Baz to Baltimore, so they could still add another starter. The Rays would also like to<\/a> bring Zack Littell<\/a> back, another arm they traded away. Coming off a full season, though, he may require multiple years or more money on a one-year pact than the Rays are willing to commit. <\/p>\n Effect on Similar Players<\/p>\n We haven\u2019t seen a lot of one-year deals given to buy-low starters this offseason, but with Eflin\u2019s $10 million following Dustin May<\/a>\u2019s $12.5 million, we\u2019ve at least got a couple of data points for the contracts of other starters coming off tough and\/or disjointed seasons. Other arms in that broad category include Germ\u00e1n M\u00e1rquez<\/a>, Walker Buehler<\/a>, Aaron Civale<\/a>, Tyler Anderson<\/a>, Tomoyuki Sugano<\/a>, and Mart\u00edn P\u00e9rez<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rapid-Fire One-Year Deals<\/p>\n Mariners Sign Rob Refsnyder<\/a> for $6.25 Million<\/p>\n Formerly a well-regarded Yankees prospect, Refsnyder resurrected his career in Boston in 2022, his age-31 season. He has proven to be extremely useful over the last four seasons as a lefty-mashing outfielder\/DH; in that quadrennium spanning 501 plate appearances against southpaws, Refsnyder hit .312\/.407\/.516 (155 wRC+) and mashed 19 homers.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that in announcing the Refsnyder signing, the Mariners referred to him as an \u201coutfielder\/first baseman,\u201d implying that he could spell Josh Naylor<\/a> some against lefties despite only having 227 career innings at first, and none since 2020. A more natural platoon partner is outfielder Dominic Canzone<\/a>, who broke out with a 141 wRC+ in 268 plate appearances this year. His wRC+ was a respectable 113 in 68 plate appearances against left-handers, but he\u2019s no Refsnyder. <\/p>\n Cubs Sign Hunter Harvey<\/a> for $6 Million and Jacob Webb<\/a> for $1.5 Million<\/p>\n Harvey has been a tantalizing arm ever since the Orioles drafted him 22nd overall in 2013, but injuries prevented him from debuting in the big leagues until 2019, and he didn\u2019t have his first extended run in the majors until 2022, his age-27 season. Harvey\u2019s always shown good stuff when healthy, especially in 2025. The flame-throwing righty threw 10.2 scoreless innings before his season was cut short by teres major and adductor injuries, putting a damper on his walk year. The Cubs will be the fourth team to roll the dice on trying to keep him healthy. <\/p>\n As for Webb, all he knows how to do is prevent runs at a rate better than his FIP suggests he ought to, get non-tendered, sign a cheap contract, and then do it all over again. The righty was non-tendered by the Orioles after posting a 3.02 ERA (but a 3.52 FIP) in 2024, and again by the Rangers after a 3.00 ERA (but a 4.30 FIP) this year. That continues a career-long trend of Webb beating his FIP; his career ERA is a sparkling 2.99 despite a middling 4.07 FIP. <\/p>\n Webb and Harvey join a new-look Cubs bullpen that has lost Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz<\/a>, but has added Phil Maton<\/a>, Hoby Milner<\/a>, Harvey, and Webb. <\/p>\n White Sign Sean Newcomb<\/a> for $4.5 Million<\/p>\n A former top prospect, Newcomb had his best season since 2018, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen while pitching for the Red Sox and the Athletics. His walk rate, which has long been his bugaboo, was at its career nadir in 2025, the first time it was better than league average. Shane Smith<\/a> and Anthony Kay<\/a> should be guaranteed two of the five rotation spots, with Newcomb joining Davis Martin<\/a>, Sean Burke<\/a>, Jonathan Cannon<\/a>, and others in jockeying for the final three. If he loses out, he should be the go-to lefty in the White Sox bullpen. <\/p>\n Yankees Sign Paul Blackburn<\/a> for $2 Million<\/p>\n The Yankees are taking a low-cost flier on Blackburn, the former All-Star starter who started to incorporate some pitch mix changes (more cutters and sinkers, fewer sliders and curveballs) once he switched sides in the Subway Series rivalry in August. With Carlos Rod\u00f3n<\/a> missing the start of 2026 after bone spur removal, Blackburn will compete with Ryan Yarbrough<\/a> for the fifth starter spot, with the loser heading to the bullpen. <\/p>\n Reds Sign JJ Bleday<\/a> for $1.4 Million<\/p>\n Bleday was the fourth overall pick by the Marlins in the 2019 draft before being traded for A.J. Puk<\/a> in 2023, and looked to have broken out in 2024. His 120 wRC+ and 3.2 WAR made him look like a key part of the A\u2019s core as they moved to Sacramento, but he fell flat in 2025. His 90 wRC+ and Tyler Soderstrom<\/a>\u2019s move to the outfield knocked Bleday down on the depth chart, leading to his non-tender.<\/p>\n Cincy presents Bleday with a good park to hit in and an open outfield competition, with Gavin Lux<\/a>, Noelvi Marte<\/a>, and Will Benson<\/a> also vying for significant playing time next to center fielder TJ Friedl<\/a>. Bleday can be optioned to the minors if there aren\u2019t enough plate appearances for him, and he\u2019s under team control through 2028. <\/p>\n Trades<\/p>\n Red Sox Acquire Willson Contreras<\/a> from Cardinals for Hunter Dobbins<\/a>, Yhoiker Fajardo<\/a>, and Blake Aita<\/a><\/p>\n Effect on the Red Sox<\/p>\n Much like the city of Boston itself, the Red Sox lineup leaned heavily to the left when the offseason started, headlined by Roman Anthony<\/a>, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu. Trevor Story<\/a> and Carlos Narv\u00e1ez<\/a> swing right, but they were more useful than they were super impactful at the plate this year, leaving a conspicuous need for a thumper from the right side with Alex Bregman<\/a> having hit free agency. Enter Contreras, whose acquisition shouldn\u2019t affect the team\u2019s pursuit of re-signing Bregman but will certainly cut into the impact that Triston Casas<\/a>, who is coming off just 92 total games between 2024 and 2025 thanks to a pair of significant injuries, is likely to have next year. <\/p>\n In Contreras, the Red Sox are getting a valuable player on both sides of the ball. Moving from behind the plate to first base allowed Contreras to set a new career-high in plate appearances, and he was far better at first base than he\u2019d ever been as a catcher. In his age-33 season, he showed no signs of slowing down, setting career highs in his barrel and hard-hit rates, and providing legitimate thump that should allow Alex Cora<\/a> to split up the lefties at the top of the lineup \u2014 if they keep all the lefties, that is.<\/p>\n Trade rumors have swirled around Duran and Abreu all winter. Gold Glovers Rafaela and Abreu should start in center and right field, respectively, which leaves left field and DH for Duran and Anthony. That, in turn, creates an awkward situation for the lefty-hitting Masataka Yoshida<\/a>, who would fill the unenviable role of \u201cbench DH\u201d if the season started today. But since it doesn\u2019t, it stands to reason that Boston will look to move an outfielder before the season starts, assuming Yoshida himself is essentially untradeable. Moving Duran or Abreu would restock a farm system that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has depleted over the course of the offseason, while also intensifying the need for another hitter like Bregman. <\/p>\n Effect on the Cardinals<\/p>\n The Cardinals\u2019 selloff is now fully under way, with Contreras joining Sonny Gray<\/a> in Boston, and they likely won\u2019t be the last players shipped out of the Gateway to the West before spring training.<\/p>\n Nolan Arenado<\/a>, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar<\/a>, and JoJo Romero<\/a> have all had their names come up in trade rumors this offseason, and while only Arenado is virtually assured<\/a> of starting the season elsewhere one way or another, the fact that the chatter keeps percolating signals one thing: Chaim Bloom is open for business in his first offseason leading the Cardinals\u2019 front office.<\/p>\n That Bloom has prioritized pitching in both the Gray and Contreras trades provides an indication of where he feels the system is, even after drafting southpaw Liam Doyle<\/a> in the first round this year. JJ Wetherholt<\/a> is the blue-chipper of the organization and could be patrolling second or third base (depending on who else gets traded) early on in 2026, and Jimmy Crooks<\/a> could get some run behind the plate with Iv\u00e1n Herrera<\/a> spending more and more time at DH. In bringing in Dobbins and Richard Fitts<\/a>, two arms who should help in 2026, as well as two further-away, higher-upside arms in Fajardo and Brandon Clarke<\/a>, the pitching pipeline is in much better shape in St. Louis, in both the present and the future. <\/p>\n Athletics Acquire Jeff McNeil<\/a> and cash from Mets for Yordan Rodriguez<\/a><\/p>\n Effect on the Athletics<\/p>\n While the pitching staff is sorely in need of reinforcements beyond Mark Leiter Jr.<\/a> (no offense to Mark, they just need a lot of pitching!), the A\u2019s first big move of the offseason was to acquire McNeil to be their starting second baseman after eight seasons in Queens. <\/p>\n The 33-year-old\u2019s output has taken many forms, from hitting for high averages without much power to hitting for lower averages with a little more pop, with one magical year (2019) in which he hit for both average and pop. After two below-average seasons, McNeil rebounded in 2025 with a career-high walk rate while bouncing around the diamond, spending most of his time at second base but also seeing extended time in center and left field. While he\u2019s ostensibly the starting second baseman, that flexibility will be helpful to the A\u2019s late in games or off the bench in games he isn\u2019t starting. <\/p>\n Effect on the Mets<\/p>\n As Baumann so cleverly put it in his write-up\u2019s headline, the Metsodus continues. The Mets are absolutely looking to contend in 2026 behind stars Francisco Lindor<\/a> and Juan Soto<\/a>, just with a roster that has almost completely turned over from those in years past.<\/p>\n The offense has seen the biggest reshaping thus far, with McNeil, Pete Alonso<\/a>, and Brandon Nimmo<\/a> gone from the nucleus of this year\u2019s club, replaced (so far) by Marcus Semien<\/a> and Jorge Polanco<\/a>. As the roster currently stands, top prospect Carson Benge<\/a> appears likely to earn significant playing time at or near the outset of 2026. But as you can see on the Matrix, the Mets have been connected to Cody Bellinger<\/a>, who would cut into \u2014 but not eliminate, thanks to Bellinger\u2019s versatility \u2014 Benge\u2019s chances of making the Opening Day roster if he were to be signed. <\/p>\n You can read more of Eric Longenhagen\u2019s scouting report on Rodriguez in Baumann\u2019s write-up, but to summarize, while he\u2019s certainly not very highly-regarded, he\u2019s not a total non-prospect, either. The Mets kicking in $5.75 million (plus paying McNeil\u2019s buyout if his 2027 option is declined) allowed them to get an intriguing arm back in the deal.<\/p>\n Reds Acquire Dane Myers<\/a> from Marlins for Ethan O\u2019Donnell<\/p>\n Effect on the Reds<\/p>\n The Reds were busy acquiring outfielders on Saturday, signing Bleday and trading for Myers. Like Bleday, Myers is a year removed from performing well with the bat. A former pitcher in the minors, Myers\u2019 best trait is his throwing arm, and he covers a lot of ground in the outfield, too. Myers has one option year remaining, and if he makes the roster, he figures to spell Bleday against lefties. He isn\u2019t a free agent until the conclusion of the 2029 season at the earliest. <\/p>\n Effect on the Marlins<\/p>\n O\u2019Donnell was below average in his first taste of Double-A and doesn\u2019t appear to be more than minor league depth for the Marlins. Super-utilityman Javier Sanoja<\/a> can cover in center field when Jakob Marsee<\/a> is off. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matt Marton-Imagn Images Hello, and a very happy holiday season, everyone! After skipping last week, it\u2019s a special…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375638,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,462,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-375637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}