The MLB offseason got off to a pretty fast start, both in terms of trades and free agency, but things have stagnated quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. MLB fans are not happy with the pace of the winter and are eager for any move to be made at this point.
With that in mind, the latest MLB rumors suggest that moves could be coming. Those rumors involve Brendan Donovan, Kazuma Okamoto and the most active team we've seen this winter, the Baltimore Orioles.
Mariners should be seen as Brendan Donovan favorites
Brendan Donovan might not be the superstar Ketel Marte is, but he's one of the biggest names on the trade block in his own right. Donovan's contact hitting, on-base skills and versatility make him a fit for many contenders, but at the end of the day, only one can acquire him if the St. Louis Cardinals decide to trade him with two years left before free agency. Based on the latest from Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times ($), there's reason to believe the Seattle Mariners should be seen as the favorites to acquire Donovan.
"But with a loaded farm system, they are willing to move some of their top prospects in a package for Donovan, including switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, their first-round pick in 2024," Divish wrote.
While the Mariners, a team trying to win the World Series in 2026, are understandably uninterested in trading from their big-league roster, Divish's note about their willingness to move some of their top prospects is notable. The Mariners have seven top 100 prospects per MLB Pipeline, tying them for the most in the Majors. Jurrangelo Cijntje, one of the most fascinating pitching prospects in the sport, is one of them.
It's pretty rare to see a team express a willingness to trade top-100 prospects for a very good, but not great, player like Donovan. The Mariners' reported willingness to do so should put them in the driver's seat to acquire him. Even if Donovan won't make as big an offensive impact as a guy like Marte, his contact hitting and ability to play all over the diamond should help the Mariners in a huge way.
Kazuma Okamoto receiving interest from several suitors
Action might be hard to come by right now, but one player who must sign within the next week is Japanese infielder Kazuma Okamoto. His deadline to reach a deal with an MLB team is Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. ET, and a failure to do so means he'll go back to Japan for the 2026 season. We haven't heard much about his free agency so far, but reporter Francys Romero recently linked three teams to Okamoto.
The Padres, Pirates, and Angels have been three of the teams that have shown interest in Japanese third baseman Kazuma Okamoto, per sources.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) December 28, 2025
All three of these teams make sense from a fit perspective. The San Diego Padres need more lineup depth and could easily make room for Okamoto, an affordable option, at first base. The Pittsburgh Pirates need more power in their lineup that Okamoto can provide, and they can make room for him at third base. The Los Angeles Angels are in dire need of an Anthony Rendon replacement, and Okamoto's contact-hitting acumen would be a nice fit in a lineup filled with strikeouts.
Okamoto doesn't have the ceiling that fellow Japanese infielder Munetaka Murakami does, but his floor is also substantially higher, giving reason to believe that the contract he signs will exceed the two-year, $34 million pact Murakami inked with the Chicago White Sox earlier this month. It'll be interesting to see if he'll end up with one of these reported suitors or with a team not mentioned, somewhat like Murakami did.
Orioles still eye pitching after signing Zach Eflin
Shortly after trading for Shane Baz, the Baltimore Orioles bolstered their rotation further by re-signing Zach Eflin on a one-year deal. Eflin is coming off a lost season, but injuries limited him to just 14 starts. Prior to his injury-riddled 2025 campaign, Eflin had back-to-back seasons in which he made at least 28 starts and posted a sub-3.60 ERA. When healthy, he's a rock-solid mid-rotation arm, so taking a one-year gamble on him makes a lot of sense for the Orioles.
What's particularly interesting about this move is that, according to The Athletic's Will Sammon, the O's are expected to remain in the starting pitching market, even after adding two starters.
After adding veteran Zach Eflin on a one-year deal, league sources confirmed (@BNightengale first), the expectation is for Baltimore to remain in the market for starting pitching help. https://t.co/F2fe9zrQdq
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) December 29, 2025
This stance makes sense for a couple of reasons. First, while this rotation is complete on paper, there are injury concerns up and down the projected staff. Again, Eflin was limited to just 14 starts in 2025. Trevor Rogers made just 18 starts in 2025 and hasn't exceeded 25 starts in a season to date. Kyle Bradish made just six starts last year and has made a combined 14 appearances the last two seasons. Baz was fully healthy in 2025, but had never eclipsed 82 innings in a professional season before this year.
Second, the O's could use more certainty at the front end of the rotation. Eflin could be a huge piece, but he's also coming off a down year. Baz has a lot of potential, but he's yet to put it all together in the bigs. Even Rogers never pitched as well as he did this past season. Adding another frontline arm would do wonders. It'll be interesting to see if the Orioles are willing to pay the price, either in free agency or on the trade market, to get a deal done. Their postseason hopes could depend on it.
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