The MLB offseason has always moved at a much slower pace than that of the other major sports in the United States, but it feels as if this winter has dragged on longer than others. I mean, we're in the new year, and high-end free agents like Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, Framber Valdez and Alex Bregman appear no closer to signing than they did in November. The same can be said about top trade candidates like Joe Ryan, Sandy Alcantara and Ketel Marte.
Granted, all it takes is for one move to break the ice and get things rolling, but these individuals deserve blame for keeping MLB fans waiting as long as they have.
Agent Scott Boras
You knew he'd be here in some capacity. I get that two of his clients, Dylan Cease and Pete Alonso, signed pretty quickly. But four big-name clients of his (Cody Bellinger, Alex Bregman, Zac Gallen, Ranger Suarez) remain unsigned, and there's no indication that any of them are nearing a decision any time soon.
Sure, it takes two to tango, but we've come to learn Boras' tricks at this point. If a team is willing to overpay for one of his players, they'll sign early. Who had Cease eclipsiing $200 million? Who had Alonso earning more than Kyle Schwarber did? These factors, more than anything else, led to those players taking themselves off the board. There isn't a team that's been willing to overpay the others, which is why they're still out there.
If teams are not willing to blow him away, Boras is more than fine waiting until late January or even February for his clients to sign — and if they have to settle for a short-term, high-AAV deal as a result, so be it. Bregman and Alonso didn't sign until February last season, and there's a chance others will follow suit this winter.
RHP Dylan Cease
Obviously, I'm not going to fault Cease for signing the deal he did. Joining the defending American League champions in a fun city like Toronto for over $200 million is a no-brainer. With that being said, though, it was a lot of money for the Jays to commit.
Cease's upside is undeniable — he's made 32+ starts and struck out 200+ batters in each of the last five seasons and finished in the top four in Cy Young voting in two of the last four years — but he's also been extremely inconsistent throughout his career. He'll take the ball every fifth day and strike a ton of batters out, but he's had an ERA above 4.50 in two of the last three seasons and can struggle to even complete six innings on days he doesn't have his good command.
He's not nearly as reliable as guys like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried, yet he got an extra year than Burnes and a higher AAV than Fried. This contract undoubtedly raised the asking prices of the other starters available this offseason, and unsurprisingly, most of them remain unsigned as teams balk.
LHP Framber Valdez
With Cease (and Tatsuya Imai) off the board, Framber Valdez now becomes the best starting pitcher available. He might not have Cease's strikeout stuff and is a bit older, but Valdez is the model of consistency: He's posted ERAs below 3.70 across at least 28+ starts in each of the last four seasons, and has some postseason success as well.
Since Valdez is the best option at a premium position, he'll look at what Cease got and expect to get something similar — and I don't really blame him, given his track record. Still, considering the fact that he's coming off his worst (although still really good) season, is a bit older than Cease, does not have the best stuff in the world and has some clubhouse concerns, it's likely he won't get close to Cease's contract.
Valdez waiting for the right deal to come along has other starting pitchers doing the same. It's unlikely they'll sign before Valdez does, making everyone wait even longer.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner
The New York Yankees have more money than most would know what to do with, yet owner Hal Steinbrenner continues to operate with clear (and self-imposed) budgetary restraints. Which means that, instead of just giving Cody Bellinger what he wants to ensure he plays out the remainder of his prime years in the Bronx, the Yankees are waiting for him to re-sign on their terms.
Objectively, New York not going out of their way to re-sign Bellinger — a player who has been streaky offensively and is probably asking for an absurd amount of money — makes sense. Still, we know Boras is going to wait until the last possible chance to get his client what he wants.
While they wait for Bellinger, the Yankees have done nothing of note. Conversely, it feels as if their AL East rivals are the only active teams in the market right now. If Steinbrenner allowed New York to spend like other big-market teams, perhaps the Yankees would be making moves and keeping things interesting. His refusal to do so has resulted in the stalemate we've seen.
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts
Speaking of cheap owners, can we talk about Tom Ricketts of the Chicago Cubs for a second? The Cubs don't spend to the level of the Yankees, which is a problem by itself, but you don't have to clear that high a bar to still do something of note. Chicago has added to its bullpen, but for the most part, the team has done nothing of note. The worst part about that is the Cubs have plenty of options worth pursuing.
It's no secret that Chicago needs a frontline starter. You can question whether Tatsuya Imai will be that in the MAjors, but on a three-year deal worth just over $60 million at most, why couldn't the Cubs have outbid the Houston Astros for his services? Perhaps they'll pivot to a different free agent, but does anyone believe Jed Hoyer will go to the lengths needed to sign a needle-mover like Valdez or Suarez?
Owners like Ricketts, who have shown time and time again that they care more about getting fans to show up to the ballpark than about fielding a winner, are the problem in every way. The Cubs have money to spend, but they simply choose not to. When big-market teams don't want to act like it, that leads to boring winters like this one.
OF Kyle Tucker
The Cubs should be making a sincere effort to re-sign Kyle Tucker, but their refusal to do so doesn't let Tucker off the hook here. Tucker's market should be more robust than it clearly is, but at the end of the day, the star outfielder will eventually have to come to the realization that the cards he's been dealt are the ones he has to deal with.
Tucker, the best player in this year's free agency class, is undoubtedly looking for more money than what's being offered for his services. While markets can fluctuate for free agents, is there reason to assume Tucker will suddenly get the deal he's coveting? At this point, he's been available for a month and a half. If there was an offer to his liking, we'd know that by now.
I understand Tucker wanting to wait the market out and hope that a desperate suitor emerges and meets his demands, but the odds of that happening are just unlikely. Tucker waiting as long as he is undoubtedly impacts the markets of Cody Bellinger and others.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Ketel Marte is arguably the best second baseman in the game, and is on a very team-friendly contract. The fact that the Arizona Diamondbacks made him available this offseason opened some eyes and got the rumor mill churning. But while he might've been available at one point, as of this writing he has not been traded, and nothing suggests he will before the winter concludes.
Obviously, it's within the Diamondbacks' right to keep or trade Marte as they see fit, but the indecision has resulted in a couple of different holdups. First, Arizona hasn't done much else of note, and GM Mike Hazen recently admitted it's taken their offseason hostage. Second, it feels like none of the other big-name infielders out there have moved yet as a result of this.
Both Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette are on the open market with no resolution in sight. Brendan Donovan remains available on the trade block, but it's hard to see him going before the Diamondbacks decide whether they'll keep or trade Marte (who is clearly the better player). Fortunately, Hazen says the Diamondbacks are not going to let this linger on much longer. We can only hope that ends up being the case.
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are in a similar spot as the D-backs, except they're controlling the entire pitching market. Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher on the planet right now, and it's no secret that 2026 might be his final year in the Motor City. It makes sense for the Tigers to see if there's a team willing to meet a ridiculous asking price out there, and it also makes sense for Detroit not to rush into making a final decision on his status for this coming season.
Still, the fact that we have barely seen any movement on the starting pitcher front cannot be ignored. Not only are guys like Valdez and Suarez available in free agency, but from Freddy Peralta to MacKenzie Gore to Edward Cabrera, there are a ton of impactful arms available on the trade block. If a team is interested in acquiring Skubal, why would they pivot elsewhere before knowing what's going to happen with the two-time Cy Young winner?
It'd be easier to forgive the Tigers for holding up the starting pitching market if they were making moves themselves. Them not doing so, though, adds to the frustration.
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