By Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo
All options are open for the New York Mets after acquiring second baseman Marcus Semien from the Texas Rangers for left fielder Brandon Nimmo. But in trading Nimmo, a homegrown veteran, the Mets untangled themselves from a long-term contract without saving money in the short term.
Would they really want to jump right into another lengthy deal?
Team officials acknowledge the question is fair. While nothing should be ruled out with Steve Cohen as owner and the Mets always wanting to be opportunistic, the trade of Nimmo won’t necessarily lead to landing a top free-agent outfielder such as Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger.
The Mets value keeping potential paths for playing time open for prospects like outfielder Carson Benge. Also, they have plenty left to do.
If the Mets don’t splurge in free agency for outfield help, they could explore trades or target lower level free agents. By following such a path, they then could put more resources toward re-signing Pete Alonso and adding to a pitching staff that needs a top-of-the-rotation starter, closer and several other relievers.
The problem with that idea is the lack of depth in the outfield market. In trading away Nimmo for Semien, the Mets created a hole in left field. They already needed to address center field. Without signing Tucker or Bellinger or making a significant trade, the Mets would be relegated to taking a shot or two on placeholder types with potential upside.
How Brewers could create payroll flexibility
In what has become an annual rite of autumn, the Milwaukee Brewers are fretting over their payroll, according to people briefed on their plans. The possibility exists that the team might need to subtract from their roster in order to add.
Which again raises the question: Will the Brewers trade right-hander Freddy Peralta?
After right-hander Brandon Woodruff accepted the team’s one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer, both owner Mark Attanasio and general manager Matt Arnold said they were excited about the rotation, indicating they did not view Woodruff’s decision as a prelude to moving Peralta.
At a salary of $8 million, Peralta is attractive not just to interested clubs, but also to the Brewers. A trade of closer Trevor Megill would save Milwaukee a projected $4.2 million in arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors, while a trade of righty reliever Nick Mears would save $1.6 million. The Brewers likely would not trade both. And neither salary is particularly significant.
The best way to create payroll flexibility, then, might be for the Brewers to re-sign Woodruff to a multi-year contract at a lower average annual value. Such a deal also would protect the team against the expected loss of Peralta as a free agent at the end of the season.
Reds versatility keeps them engaged on numerous fronts
The Cincinnati Reds’ host of multi-position players gives them the flexibility to pursue almost any kind of addition to their lineup. Thus, they are actively considering multiple ways to improve their club.
Among the several possible configurations the Reds are mulling, according to people familiar with their thinking:
*They could add a first baseman and put Spencer Steer in left field.
*They could add a center fielder and shift TJ Friedl to left field.
*They could add a right-handed batting outfielder to a platoon with Will Benson, a left-handed batter.
Indeed, the Reds contain few spots that appear locked down. Ke’Bryan Hayes won the Gold Glove Award at third base. Elly De La Cruz plays shortstop. And Noelvi Marte, asked just last season to learn a new position, isn’t likely to move off of right field.
Among the other Reds who can play multiple spots: Matt McLain and Sal Stewart. McLain has played only second base and shortstop so far in the major leagues, but the Reds experimented with him in the Arizona Fall League last offseason at center field. Stewart, who played the corner infield spots upon his promotion last season, can also play second base.
For the Reds, who carried a $119 million payroll last season, per FanGraphs, determining the best path to take likely comes down to assessing the market for the best deals. It remains too early in the offseason to rule them out on anything, especially considering their versatile roster.
For the Cardinals, backloading worked
Say this for the St. Louis Cardinals, who, on Tuesday, traded right-hander Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox for right-hander Richard Fitts, left-handed prospect Brandon Clarke and a player to be named later or cash:
By backloading the three-year, $75 million free-agent contract they awarded Gray in Nov. 2023, the Cardinals drew the benefits of carrying him at lower salaries the first two seasons, then escaped more than half his remaining obligation while acquiring talent in return.
The Cardinals ended up sending the Red Sox $20 million to cover Gray’s restructured $41 million guarantee. But the way the deal was structured, Gray effectively loaned them money the first two years and got paid back in the third.
According to FanGraphs’ dollars metric, which is Wins Above Replacement converted to a dollar scale based on what a player would earn in free agency, Gray provided $59 million of value in his two years with the Cardinals, far above the combined $35 million he was paid. And that estimate might actually be low, given the rising value of 1 WAR.
More to come from Cardinals
The Cardinals are just getting started. After trading Gray, the club remains focused on moving third baseman Nolan Arenado, and at least one, if not two, of their left-handed hitters, multiple team sources said.
On the surface, the most likely player to be traded is Brendan Donovan. The super utility player is fresh off his first All-Star selection and entering his age-29 season with two years of club control remaining. His value is at its peak, and the Cardinals — who are entering a rebuild under first-year president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom — are looking to bolster their farm system. But St. Louis will not trade Donovan unless it’s blown away by an offer, a team source said.
The same is true of Alec Burleson, who will not be a free agent until 2029, making his player window more compatible with the Cardinals’ rebuild period. Burleson, 27, emerged as one of the Cardinals’ best players in 2025, splitting time between the outfield and first base and winning the National League Utility Silver Slugger award.
Donovan and Burleson could be key pieces for the Cardinals to build around. The likelihood Donovan is traded is still high given the significant interest in him throughout the league. Other names to watch are Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman, who are seen as pivot points for teams looking to land left-handed help at a lesser price.
Gorman, 25, struggled with a high strikeout rate (33.8 percent) for the second consecutive season, but teams could be willing to take a chance on him given his prodigious power. Nootbaar, 28, underwent double heel surgery at the end of the season. His status for Opening Day is in question, but he is not expected to miss much time in April. The Cardinals are inclined to part with at least one of the two in order to alleviate roster redundancies.
And Arenado?
Moving Arenado again will be easier said than done. Arenado is entering his age 35-season after three straight years of offensive decline. He has expanded the list of teams for which he would waive his full no-trade clause, multiple team sources said. Similar to the Gray trade, ownership is willing to include cash for the right deal. But Arenado’s market remains unclear.
Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suárez are the top third basemen available in free agency, along with Japanese corner infielder Munetaka Murakami, who was posted on Nov. 8. Arenado’s market could open up once these players sign. He was linked to the Red Sox last winter, and Boston was one of five teams he was willing to approve for a trade. But it’s difficult to imagine those talks possibly reviving until Bregman, who opted out of his deal with the Red Sox, makes a decision.
The Arizona Diamondbacks could be a fit if they do not pursue a reunion with Suárez. The Detroit Tigers need a third baseman, though Arenado was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause for them last year. The Los Angeles Angels were also a non-starter for Arenado then, but the team is located in his native Orange County, and could be one to watch if the third-base market lags into the second half of the offseason – though Anthony Rendon is under contract for one more season at $38 million.
Pham played with plantar fasciitis
Free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham wants to keep playing until he reaches 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases.
Pham, 37, is up to 149 homers and 131 steals.
“However long that takes me,” Pham said.
As far as the stolen bases go, Pham is confident he can make up ground quickly — now that he addressed a foot issue that he said had been plaguing him.
Pham played last season with plantar fasciitis, he said, and the issue worsened as the season went on. So earlier in the offseason, Pham said, he handled the problem through stem cell therapy.
Despite playing in 120 games last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pham stole just five bases (eight attempts). In 2024, he had seven (10 attempts). In 2023, however, Pham racked up 22 stolen bases (25 attempts). But he said his foot issues popped up a month or so after he landed in Arizona at the trade deadline in 2023. He said that’s why over the last two seasons he hasn’t been running nearly as much as he used to.
“I’m seeing all these guys that can’t run like me steal 30 and 40 bases now, and I’m like, ‘Yo, I need to get back,’” Pham said. “But it starts with the health.”
Only 55 players in MLB history have reached 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases.
“I want to be a part of that, man,” Pham said. “It’s just something I could be proud of myself for. I don’t have an All-Star appearance or anything like that. But getting to that number, I could look back at my career, and me, personally, I can be proud of myself. I want to be proud of myself, and say that I did something significant.”
Marlins’ extension talks with Pérez went nowhere
Almost immediately at the general managers’ meetings, the Miami Marlins signaled to player agents an increased willingness to spend. But until the Marlins put their words into actions, many in the industry will remain skeptical of their sincerity. Outside of right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who signed a five-year, $56 million extension under the previous front office, no Marlin is signed long-term.
On Monday, The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli reported that the Marlins talked about an extension with outfielder Kyle Stowers earlier this offseason, but the conversations ended when the two sides were far apart in potential compensation. And Stowers is not the only Marlin whose extension talks went nowhere.
Earlier this year, the Marlins also talked with right-hander Eury Pérez about an extension, but as with Stowers were “way” off in trying to strike an agreement on the pitcher’s value, according to a person briefed on the discussions.
Both Stowers and Pérez are at two-plus years of service. They will play for somewhere around the minimum $780,000 next season, then become eligible for salary arbitration.
It is not unusual for teams to approach such players about extensions. It also is not unusual for the players to reject them and go year to year. But until the Marlins start making such deals happen, their commitment will be in question.
Marlins general manager Peter Bendix and Pérez’s agent, Adriel Reyes of CAA, both declined comment.
Newcomb drawing interest as starter and reliever
In recent seasons, teams have explored converting relievers into starters, particularly through free agency. Right-hander Ryan Helsley is the latest example, and veteran lefty Sean Newcomb is another such candidate. Newcomb, a free agent, is attracting interest from teams as both a starter and reliever, league sources said.
Newcomb, 32, excelled from the bullpen with the Athletics following a trade from the Red Sox where he opened the season in the rotation. In 51 2/3 innings, all in relief, for the Athletics, Newcomb had a 1.75 ERA/2.69 FIP with a 1.03 WHIP and 50 strikeouts. Of his 36 appearances with the Athletics, he recorded more than three outs in 16 of them. The Athletics acquired him in late May, and he didn’t log more than 2 1/3 innings in any game after June. Despite the shortened role, Newcomb continued to use all six of his pitches.
Newcomb hasn’t made more than five starts in a major-league season since 2018. In 2025, he won a spot in the Red Sox’s rotation out of camp and made five starts, posting a 4.43 ERA in the role (though his 2.91 FIP points to some poor fortune).
Right-hander Brad Keller is another reliever who has received interest from teams as a potential starter, as first reported by the New York Post. Newcomb’s situation is somewhat similar to free agent Michael Soroka, his former rotation mate with the Atlanta Braves. Soroka signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Washington Nationals as a starter last offseason after showing some good signs as a reliever in 2024.