The MLB GM Meetings are behind us and the Winter Meetings are coming up, which means the offseason is about to begin the earnest. The first major domino has already fallen, as Josh Naylor inked a five-year, $92.5 million contract to reunite with the Seattle Mariners. Next up: Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, Cody Bellinger, and many, many more.
This is shaping up to be an exciting offseason of change, even without a Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani-sized prize to hold our attention. Every major coastal contender is expected to spend, in addition to a few small-market teams hoping to break through.
Here are the latest MLB rumors to get you through the day.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.
Orioles connected to Pete Alonso as critical offseason begins
The Baltimore Orioles won 75 games last season and finished last in the competitive AL East. That is unacceptable for a team with so much talent. Baltimore was the No. 1 seed and a 101-win team just two years ago, so it's not like this core is incapable of contending. It's simply a matter of staying healthy and operating with more urgency.
Windows of contention slam shut quickly in MLB. Baltimore has a young core and plenty of talent still coming through the pipeline, but the sudden regression of Adley Rutschman is proof that little is guaranteed. GM Mike Elias historically avoids major investments in free agency, but the Orioles' desperation is palpable. ESPN's Jeff Passan thinks Baltimore might get feisty this winter.
Pete Alonso could, "if Ryan Mountcastle is traded or nontendered, split the first-base and DH jobs in Baltimore with rookie Samuel Basallo, who will also spend plenty of time at catcher," writes Passan.
This is certainly a development. Now, we shouldn't count eggs before they hatch. Passan also lists Boston, the incumbent Mets and Cincinnati as Alonso suitors. The O's will not land Alonso, a Scott Boras client, without bidding against bigger markets and more established contenders. That said, even the mere mention of Baltimore in connection to a needle-moving bat like Alonso is a promising sign for disillusioned Orioles fans.
Alonso finished last season with 38 home runs and a 144 OPS+. He puts Baltimore back on the map.
Phillies are juggling 'multiple paths' in free agency
Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suárez and JT Realmuto highlight a consequential Philadelphia Phillies free agent class. After back-to-back postseason letdowns, the Phillies need to manifest positive change. That should be doable with so much money coming off the books. And yet, it's not like the Phillies want to lose Schwarber, or Suárez, or Realmuto. This is not a case of addition by subtraction. It's just subtraction.
The Phillies are "fiending to re-sign" Schwarber, per ESPN. That is the top priority, as Schwarber's power is absolutely essential to Philadelphia's current lineup. But if Schwarber leaves, don't expect the Phillies to roll over. Dave Dombrowski has lost the faith of some Phillies fans in recent years, but he built his reputation on big swings, and plenty will be available to Philadelphia this winter.
Jeff Passan mentions Alex Bregman as a free agent the Phillies are lurking on as the front office "juggles multiple potential paths." More excitingly, he notes the fit of Kyle Tucker as the solution to Philadelphia's perennial outfield woes.
The Phillies can tackle this offseason in a variety of ways. Do not rule out a classic Dombrowski muscle flex, especially with all this money coming off the books. The Phillies can be cheap sometimes, but this is not a cheap organization. Dombrowski made the Bryce Harper and Trea Turner deals happen. This offseason could bring about their next star heist.
Bo Bichette linked to Phillies as 2B or 3B upgrade
Another high-profile free agent connected to the Phillies, per ESPN? Bo Bichette, whose future is murky after an incredible bounce-back campaign with the AL champion Toronto Blue Jays.
Bichette missed the majority of Toronto's October heater due to injury, but he returned in the World Series and delivered what was almost the defining hit of the 2025 campaign — a massive, go-ahead three-run nuke off of Shohei Ohtani in Game 7.
There are well-documented defensive concerns with Bichette at shortstop, but he moved to second base on the fly in October and held his own. He could end up moving to second or third to extend his window of defensive utility with a new team.
Passan notes the Phillies as a team in need of upgrades at second or third. Alec Bohm has been in trade rumors dating back to last winter. Bryson Stott put together an excellent season at second base, but the lefty's bat tends to run hot or cold. Bichette probably fits more cleanly at second, but the Phillies ought to prefer Stott's defense to Bohm's persistent contact-hitting. In many ways, Bichette mirrors Bohm's strengths and weaknesses, but in the extreme.
Bichette finished last season hitting .311 with a 129 OPS+ and 18 home runs. The dude just makes contact on everything and is able to crank up the slugging in timely spots. He'd help the Phillies, especially if Schwarber leaves and a hole opens up in the middle of the lineup.
Pirates could add two standout bats to the lineup in 2026
Passan mentions several potential suitors for Schwarber in addition to the incumbent Phillies. The Red Sox miss him. The Mets are greedy. Schwarber grew up a Reds fan. The Blue Jays could view him as their lefty complement to Guerrero. But nestled in parentheses is another potential buyer: the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This probably lands in the "I'll believe it when I see it" category of MLB rumors, but Passan dubs Pittsburgh as the "unlikeliest of winter spenders." The largest free agent contract in Pirates history was Francisco Liriano's three-year, $39 million deal a few years ago, but according to ESPN, the Pirates were "primed to spend more than twice that" on Josh Naylor before he re-signed in Seattle. Schwarber might be their next attempted conquest.
It is genuinely shocking to hear the Pirates mentioned, unironically, in the conversation for Schwarber. This is just not how Bob Nutting and GM Ben Cherington historically operate. But, with pressure mounting to build a winner around Paul Skenes before he gets restless, perhaps change is finally coming to the Steel City. One can hope.
As for that other standout bat: Pittsburgh plans to audition 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, the No. 1 prospect in baseball at MLB Pipeline, for an everyday role in spring training. It's far from a done deal, but Griffin finished this past season with a .942 OPS and 21 home runs across three levels of Minor League competition. He would be the first teenage position player to debut in MLB since Juan Soto in 2018.
Pittsburgh could balk due to an impending 2027 lockout, which would take a year of club control away from Pittsburgh if Griffin's clock starts early. But for a team in desperate need of pop in the middle of the lineup, Griffin profiles as an extremely appealing upgrade at a premium position. Pair him with Schwarber, not to mention a top-10 rotation, and the Pirates suddenly feel like a real team.