Cody Bellinger inked a five-year contract with the New York Yankees on Wednesday afternoon. He joins Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso as high-profile free agents who are now officially off the board. The pool is shrinking, but there are still plenty of high-impact players waiting for the right offer — not to mention a boatload of potential trade candidates.
As the Hot Stove reaches its boiling point, let's predict the final destinations for this offseason's buzziest names.
MLB free agent predictions
LHP Framber Valdez: San Francisco Giants
Framber Valdez is 32 and he made a fool of himself when he intentionally crossed up his own catcher late last season. A combination of negative factors has led his market to stagnate a bit — at least it appears that way from the outside. But the San Francisco Giants have let most of this winter's opportunities pass them by. Valdez makes for an excellent No. 3 starter behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, and he'd also benefit immensely from San Francisco's collection of high-level infield gloves.
RHP Zac Gallen: New York Mets
The New York Mets need some stability in their rotation, and Zac Gallen is trending toward a manageable short-term deal. He bombed last season in Arizona, but finished strong enough, and he's only a couple years removed from Cy Young contention. For a team in desperate need of veteran arms — or depth in general — Gallen feels like a nice cherry on top of a transformative offseason.
3B Eugenio Suárez: Boston Red Sox
As the Boston Red Sox look for Alex Bregman replacements, Eugenio Suárez is probably their best bet. We can criticize the front office for letting it reach that point, but Boston needs right-handed power and Suárez did bop 49 home runs last season. His career numbers at Fenway are tantalizing, and the Red Sox should be able to strike a one- or two-year deal that mitigates the risk associated with Suárez's age and defensive profile.
RHP Chris Bassitt: Philadelphia Phillies
Whiffing on Bo Bichette set the Philadelphia Phillies back a lot. There is no clear path to a major lineup upgrade at this point, meaning Dave Dombrowski probably turns his attention to fine-tuning the rotation. Philadelphia needs someone to eat innings while Zack Wheeler rehabs his elbow. Bassitt, 36, has made his reputation on durability. He still misses barrels with a healthy mix of off-speed pitches, and he can move into a bullpen role if such a need arises, too.
RHP Lucas Giolito: San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres were never going to spend top dollar this offseason. Re-signing Michael King was a huge win for AJ Preller and that front office, but Dylan Cease's absence still leaves a gaping hole in the rotation. Lucas Giolito outperformed his metrics in Boston, but all the same, he put together a respectable 2025 campaign. He amassed three straight top-15 Cy Young finishes in Chicago from 2019-21, so the résumé is appealing. San Diego can bank on him as a third or fourth starter, with the Padres' offense needing to do the heavy lifting in 2026.
OF Harrison Bader: Kansas City Royals
Harrison Bader was basically a five-tool star for Philadelphia after the trade deadline, but history tells us we can not expect a repeat of that productivity next season. Still, Bader brings helpful spunk to any team, and he offers a reasonably high floor as a Gold Glove-caliber defender in center field. No team needs more juice in the outfield than the Kansas City Royals. The Bellinger dream died a long time ago, but Bader can elevate the back half of the lineup with speed and occasional pop.
RHP Justin Verlander: Detroit Tigers
This feels right, no? Justin Verlander, to his credit, made 29 starts in his age-42 season with the Giants. He was solid on the whole, and better than that down the stretch. Expectations need to be thoroughly tempered at this point, but if any team should be anxious to see if the three-time Cy Young winner has enough gas in the tank for one final run, it's the Detroit Tigers. It would be a fitting bookend to a Hall of Fame career, and provide Detroit with needed rotation depth. And that's before we even reach a Tarik Skubal resolution.
DH Marcell Ozuna: Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians have largely ignored free agency so far, undoubtedly to the chagrin of José Ramírez. Stephen Vogt understands how to muck up a game and win on technique and strategy, but the Guardians don't stand a chance in October without material improvements to the lineup. Marcell Ozuna would be a smart one-year signing. He can still deliver 25-plus homers in his sleep, assuming health. If Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana and other top prospects pop off, suddenly Cleveland has real juice.
RHP Zack Littell: Tampa Bay Rays
Few teams hold the line better than the Tampa Bay Rays, a savvy small-market club that is typically able to navigate the perils of outgoing talent with smart, low-risk investments or internal promotions. In this instance, Tampa would bring back Littell after trading him to Cincinnati at the deadline, a deal that did not pan out for the Reds. Littell has proven himself to be durable over the years and he tends to avoid freebies on the mound. His command and stability should aid Tampa in lieu of Shane Baz.
MLB trade predictions
LHP Tarik Skubal: Detroit Tigers
While Skubal's looming arbitration battle with Detroit all but guarantees his departure as a free agent, he's too valuable for the Tigers to accept anything less than max compensation in a trade. Perhaps it's short-sighted, but Detroit plans to contend in 2026 and the American League remains winnable. History tells us Detroit will keep Skubal for now, squeeze one last Cy Young campaign out of him and then deal with the fallout of his free agency decision in 2027.
RHP Freddy Peralta: Los Angeles Dodgers
If the Los Angeles Dodgers can't coax Detroit into a Skubal trade, Freddy Peralta is the logical pivot. Every team should take an interest in Peralta's $8 million expiring contract, but L.A. has the benefit of a loaded farm system and financial security. If any team can re-sign Peralta next winter, it's the Dodgers. The rotation is not exactly a "need" for L.A., but the Dodgers do not operate based on need. This front office is relentlessly aggressive. Whether that means expanding the rotation to six or bumping Rōki Sasaki into a bullpen role, the Dodgers can accommodate the reigning fifth-place NL Cy Young finisher.
LHP MacKenzie Gore: Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles made an early splash with the Pete Alonso signing and subsequent Shane Baz trade, but it has been crickets since. Baltimore could still use Gore's swing-and-miss stuff atop the rotation, and he comes with two years of control. That allows Mike Elias to consider a trade of his own next offseason, should Gore's long-term prospects falter. The O's need to consolodate their wealth of young bats. Why not send them up the street to D.C., where better opportunities await?
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.: New York Yankees
In all likelihood, the Yankees' reported willingness to trade Jazz Chisholm was contingent on their ability to sign Bichette. The latter is with the Mets now, so New York has no clear path to upgrading second base. Chisholm joined the 30-30 club last season; he's a major, major talent. The Yankees cannot afford to lose his bat without exceptionally high compensation, so in the end, he'll stay put.
2B Brendan Donovan: Seattle Mariners
St. Louis continues to fast-track its rebuild, which means Brendan Donovan probably starts next season on a new team. The Seattle Mariners need an infield bat in lieu of Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez. Donovan fits the M's financial situation as a cheap, controllable All-Star who just checks boxes. He's a solid defender with the versatility of a utilityman. He's a contact-over-power hitter, but Seattle has plenty of oopmh elsewhere in the lineup if Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor can repeat last season's success.
2B Nico Hoerner: Chicago Cubs
While trading Nico Hoerner makes some sense — he's on an expiring contract, and former top prospect Matt Shaw needs a position — it simply would not improve the Chicago Cubs' World Series odds in 2026. And after signing Bregman, the Cubs need to keep their foot on the gas pedal. Hoerner's defense provides essential connective tissue and is part of what makes the Cubs so special on paper. He's not going to crank home runs, but he can hit .300 and wreak havoc on the base paths. Chicago can keep him around with October in mind, then revisit his future as a free agent.