By Aidan Sinclair
As the 2025 off-season has come to a conclusion and Spring Training begins, every team has a roster ready to compete throughout the summer. But it took a lot of time, money and moves to make that happen. Let’s look back at some of the most important transactions over this past winter, to determine what teams will make great strides towards playoff contention with their new additions.
Juan Soto - New York Mets
15 years, $765 million
As the most coveted free agent since Shohei Ohtani a season ago, the combination of his young age and consistent hitting ability inked Soto a 15-year deal with the Mets, luring him away from the cross-town rival Yankees. Owner Steve Cohen was willing to throw as much money as necessary to ensure the Mets got their superstar player, who will now be playing alongside a team that was just two wins away from the World Series in 2024. Soto’s impact on the lineup will be immense, as he led the Yankees to the final dance last year, hitting 41 home runs in the regular season.
Alex Bregman - Boston Red Sox
3 years, $120 million
The market for Bregman looked dry as spring training commenced, as no deal appeared to be in sight until the Red Sox made the commitment to bring in a final piece to their lineup: a proven playoff entity. Though his price tag is certainly hefty for a middle-aged regressing hitter, Bregman’s experience will provide tremendous value to the young core rising through Boston’s minor league system. While the team has said he will play second base to allow star Rafael Devers to continue playing third, Bregman has been seen taking ground balls at third in spring training and Devers was recently asked to play DH. This could create clubhouse drama, though it could also breed a coveted mix of flexibility and loaded hitting.
Pete Alonso - New York Mets
2 years, $54 million
Another victim of a bleak market, Alonso was unable to find a deal with a team other than his lifelong Mets. He returned on a two-year contract with an opt-out after the first season, hoping to re-enter the market next off-season and secure a career-altering deal. Alonso’s heart has always been with the Mets and a return to Queen’s seemed inevitable. His production will now complement that of Francisco Lindor and the newly acquired Soto. The Mets lineup looks dangerous after their two big additions to the lineup, one that could compete with the best of the National League.
Anthony Santander - Toronto Blue Jays
5 years, $92.5 million
After a failure of a season in 2024, the Blue Jays sought out a power hitter. They found one in Santander, who could improve the home-run capabilities of a lineup already featuring stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette and push them toward one last playoff run before the two become free agents next winter. Santander’s versatility in hitting with power from both sides of the plate should drastically improve run production this summer and provide an option the Blue Jays have rarely had in recent years. However, he will be asked to contribute a large majority of the offensive output, something he wasn’t relied on for in Baltimore.
Garrett Crochet/Walker Buehler - Boston Red Sox
A combination of pitching additions look to be pointing the Red Sox in a positive direction this year. Crochet was acquired via trade from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for four minor league prospects and Buehler was brought in on a one year, $21 million contract from the Dodgers, where he closed the world series last October. These moves bolster the Red Sox rotation—a formidable crew featuring Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito—that should be able to compete in the tough AL East division. Buehler’s playoff experience and Crochet’s fireball lefty delivery will give rival teams a new challenge this upcoming summer.
Devin Williams/Cody Bellinger/Paul Goldschmidt - New York Yankees
Referred to in contemporary baseball as a ‘pivot’, the Yankees were forced to make major acquisitions to fill the void left by Juan Soto. They added Cody Bellinger in a trade from the Cubs and Paul Goldschmidt on a one year deal through free agency, replacing offensive production lost with Soto. Devin Williams was brought in on a trade with the Brewers, which saw Nestor Cortes sent back to Milwaukee, as the Yankees got their closer for the 2025 season. While it is tough to replace the value of a player such as Soto, these moves certainly will bring a still very strong team back to the playoffs and could lead to a deep run.
Max Fried - New York Yankees
8 years, $218 million
The biggest move of the Yankees’ off-season, however, came in the form of signing left-handed starter Max Fried to an eight year deal, making him the highest paid lefty in the game. He has playoff and World Series experience that will bode well with the rotation of Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil. Fried is the final piece to the Yankees pivot after the departure of Soto and he will provide the greatest impact on replacing lost value from last summer. The Yankees have certainly formed one of the mightiest rotations in the American League for 2025.
Roki Sasaki/Blake Snell/Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Yet again, the Dodgers were active this past off-season, just a year removed from inking Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on deals worth over a billion dollars total. This winter, they added Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott to solidify their rotation and bullpen. They will have three Japanese phenoms for starters along with Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Snell, then a bullpen that is unmatched, thanks to the addition of all-star closer Scott. After winning the world series in 2024, the Dodgers found a way to somehow make their team even better and it looks as though they could break the all-time regular season win record with this newly formed superteam.
Kyle Tucker - traded to Chicago Cubs
Acquired from Houston Astros
In the last year of his arbitration eligibility, the Astros made it clear they would not re-sign Tucker to a long-term deal, therefore shipping him off to the Cubs for the 2025 season. Tucker has consistently been a five-tool threat over the past four seasons, becoming one of the most productive hitters in Houston’s lineup. He is a great improvement from what the Cubs lost from Bellinger’s production and in combination with Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson, Chicago could propel themselves to a division title in a weak NL Central.
Corbin Burnes - Arizona Diamondbacks
6 years, $210 million
In one of the more surprising moves of the past winter, the most coveted starting pitcher on the market signed a six year deal with the Diamondbacks, after being linked to several other teams. Quietly, the D-Backs now have one of the better rotations in the National League and could seriously compete with the star-studded Dodgers—Burnes becomes the icing on the cake to the group of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez. With the addition of Burnes’ strikeout ability and Cy Young composure, the team that went to the World Series just two seasons ago should return to the playoffs this year and could make some real noise come October.
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