FanSided had the privilege of revealing the Silver Slugger finalists for both the American League and National League, and the winners of the prestigious award will be revealed on the Baseball Insiders podcast on Nov. 6. That'll be a fun moment for MLB fans to look back at how great these players were in 2025, but it's also a good time for fans to look ahead to what's to come.
This offseason should be insane. There isn't a Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani type of free agent out there, but there are some good ones, and the lack of superstar free agents could result in teams getting more creative on the trade market.
There should be a ton of movement throughout the winter, and that could even involve Silver Slugger finalists who are available in free agency or even via trade.
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Silver Slugger finalists who might change teams in free agency
1B Pete Alonso, New York Mets
It sure sounds like history is going to repeat itself with Pete Alonso and free agency. Alonso is going to be searching for a massive long-term deal to cover the rest of his playing career, which he should, particularly now when he's coming off one of his best offensive seasons and will not have the qualifying offer attached, but what are the odds he actually gets one?
Alonso is one of the best power hitters in the game and is as good a run producer as any in the game, but he's still a first baseman on the wrong side of 30 who also doesn't play the position well or run the bases efficiently. The New York Mets can ill-afford to let a bat of Alonso's caliber walk for nothing, but it's unlikely David Stearns will show much of a desire to keep him long-term, as was the case last offseason.
If Alonso is open to a deal similar to the one he signed this past offseason, a reunion with the Mets would be very possible, if not likely. If he finds a team desperate enough to meet his demands, his tenure with the Mets will presumably come to an end.
DH Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
Nobody was more valuable to the Philadelphia Phillies in the regular season than Kyle Schwarber, who will almost certainly be the NL MVP runner-up, but another early postseason should lead to changes of some sort. The million-dollar question is, should those changes include letting a player as good as Schwarber depart?
That's where this gets tricky. Schwarber is seemingly only getting better as he ages, and while giving a four or five-year deal to a DH only who doesn't run well sounds like a bad idea, but who's to say Schwarber won't hit 40+ home runs annually for the next three years at least? Combining his ridiculous power with his elite on-base ability and presence in the clubhouse, I don't see how the Phillies can let him go.
It's not fully up to them, though. Perhaps Schwarber, a free agent to be, decides he wants a change. Perhaps Schwarber gets an offer that the Phillies deem irresponsible to match. I expect Schwarber to be back, but given Philadelphia's need to make changes and other opportunities that could be out there for him, it's far from a lock.
3B Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox
From the moment Alex Bregman signed with the Boston Red Sox, it felt like a match made in heaven. Bregman was the big right-handed bat that the Red Sox needed, and his clubhouse presence on a mostly young and inexperienced team proved to be invaluable. Because of this, there were extension rumors all season, but nothing came to fruition. Now, Bregman is expected to opt out of his deal and test the open market for a second consecutive winter.
Boston re-signing Bregman is a no-brainer for certain reasons, but it's also impossible to ignore the fact that his second-half OPS (.727) was 200 points lower than his first-half mark (.927) in 2025, and he's also a 31-year-old who missed significant time due to injury this past season. How much should the Red Sox be willing to pay him?
When healthy, Bregman is still one of the best third basemen in the game, and he's a great fit on this Red Sox team, but as is the case with Alonso, if Scott Boras gets him a massive deal from another team, I'm not sold that the Red Sox will be eager to match or top said offer.
OF Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees
Coming off a down year in 2024, it was anyone's best guess as to whether Cody Bellinger would opt out of his deal following the 2025 campaign. His season with the New York Yankees was good enough for the answer to be an easy yes. Bellinger had his highest home run and RBI totals (29 and 98, respectively) since 2019, and proved to be a perfect fit in the Bronx.
Bellinger's rare mix of power, contact ability, and defensive versatility made him arguably the most valuable Yankees position player not named Aaron Judge in 2025. New York would presumably love to bring him back, but Bellinger is also going to look to cash in during what could be his final chance to get a massive nine-figure deal.
With other options to choose from on the free agent market and Spencer Jones nearing his MLB debut, I'm not sold that Bellinger will be the priority for New York this winter.
2B/DH Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners fans weren't thrilled when the team re-signed Jorge Polanco to a cheap one-year deal in the offseason, but it's hard to envision the team getting as far as it did without him. Polanco stayed healthy and slashed .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs and 78 RBI during the regular season. He hit three more huge ones in the postseason, and sent Seattle to the ALCS with a walk-off hit.
He was easy to overlook with guys like Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez stealing the show, but Polanco lengthened the lineup and took some of the pressure off Seattle's stars. Now, he's likely to reject his $8 million player option and test the open market.
I'm honestly not sure what his market is. He had an outstanding year, but he's also 32 years old, durability is a concern, and while he was a finalist for the second base Silver Slugger in the American League, 89 of his 138 regular-season appearances came at DH. I'm also not sure where he'd fall on Seattle's priority list, with both Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez also hitting free agency. Regardless, he's a player the Mariners and several other teams should be showing interest in this winter.
SS Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
Bo Bichette proved his 2024 season was a fluke by slashing .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBI in 139 regular-season games. He drilled 44 doubles, hit .381 with runners in scoring position, and despite missing most of September due to injury, he finished tied for second in the majors in hits. Bichette is a very poor defender at shortstop and doesn't draw a ton of walks, but man, can he rake.
Given the fact that he's recorded 175+ hits and 30+ doubles in four of his last five years, the Toronto Blue Jays should probably want him back, but the defensive questions and how well they did without him suggest that perhaps he isn't a player worth splurging for. I mean, Bichette undoubtedly helped them win the AL East, but they've made it to Game 3 of the World Series with him recording one hit all postseason.
I expect the Jays to show interest, but given their defensive emphasis, who knows where he ends up? If there's a team out there willing to pay him like a premier shortstop, I'm not sold he'll be back in Toronto, no matter how badly he might want to finish his career alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
OF Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs
Why not save the easiest for last? There's no doubt that the Chicago Cubs should re-sign Kyle Tucker. He's a bonafide superstar, and the Cubs play in one of MLB's largest markets and should have a ton of money to spend. The problem, though, is that Tucker didn't finish strongly, and even if he had, the Cubs would be unlikely to pay him anyway.
Tucker was a legitimate MVP candidate in the first half. He won't come close to winning the award because of how his second half went, but it's also abundantly clear that he wasn't close to fully healthy down the stretch.
He won't get Soto or even Vladdy money, but Tucker will get the richest deal of any free agent, and while it's been reported that the Cubs are almost certainly not going to take bringing him back seriously, several teams will be willing to pay him like the superstar he is.
Silver Slugger finalists who could find their way onto the trade block
C Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies
The 2025 Colorado Rockies weren't bad, they were historically bad. They were so bad to the point where it'll likely take years before anyone can expect them to be remotely competitive. I wouldn't want them to trade arguably the best player on their roster, but knowing they won't be competitive anytime soon, it'd certainly make sense to, at the very least, see what they can get for Hunter Goodman.
Goodman was one of the few bright spots for Colorado, launching 31 home runs and driving in 91 runs in an All-Star campaign. Sure, playing half the time at Coors Field helped, but Goodman's .803 road OPS wasn't much worse than his .881 home mark. There's reason to believe that surrounding him with more talent can unlock even more offensive potential.
Obviously, the Rockies shouldn't trade him for peanuts, but there should be a lot of interest in a 26-year-old offense-first catcher who doesn't even hit arbitration until 2027. If the Rockies get overwhelmed by an offer, don't be overly shocked if they accept it.
2B Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
The 134 games Brandon Lowe appeared in during the 2025 season were his most since 2021, and he wound up having his best season since 2021 as a result. Lowe slashed .256/.306/.477 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI and made the All-Star team for the first time since 2019. Lowe has been one of the best offensive second basemen in the American League for a while now, when healthy, and he finally had the numbers to back that up. It's not even as if playing half the time at a minor league park helped him - he actually had far better numbers on the road.
Should the Tampa Bay Rays trade Lowe? Of course not, but they're the Rays, so we can't rule it out. The 31-year-old's $11.5 million club option is an easy one for Tampa Bay to pick up, but it's worth noting that the 2026 campaign is his final year under control. The Rays can keep Lowe as a rental or even try to negotiate a team-friendly extension, but it's probably just as likely that they'll attempt to get something for him before he hits the open market. They reportedly made him available at the 2025 trade deadline as well.
This is how the Rays, and other smart small-market teams, operate. It stinks that they're unwilling to spend much money, and perhaps a change in ownership will change that, but until they prove it, Lowe players like Lowe are going to be on the trade block.
1B Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay Rays
Speaking of Rays on the trade block, Yandy Diaz is in an identical situation to Lowe. He's a really good player, as evidenced by his .300/.366/.482 slash line and the 25 home runs he hit this past season, but he's a 34-year-old entering what could be his final year of club control with the Rays. Diaz's $10 million club option was picked up in March, and there was a $12 million club option for 2027 added to his contract, but I'd be surprised if he stuck around for that long.
This says more about the Rays than it does Diaz. They've always shown a willingness, if not a desire, to move on from players before they hit the market, and most of the trades they make work out in their favor. It's not always fun for the fans to watch proven players like Diaz get dealt, but it's been how things have almost always gone in Tampa Bay.
The Rays probably won't be as eager to trade Diaz as Lowe, given his 2027 option, but if the right deal comes about, again, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.
2B/OF Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
This might be the most surprising name on the list, but hear me out. The St. Louis Cardinals are entering a new era with Chaim Bloom, and given their desire to trade several of their veterans, there's reason to believe they're entering a rebuild. If that's the case, there isn't much of a reason to keep Brendan Donovan.
Donovan is an excellent player - he's up for a utility Silver Slugger award for a reason - but he's also 28 years old and under club control through the 2027 campaign. If the Cardinals are entering a rebuild, chances are, they won't be competitive by the time Donovan is slated to hit the open market. If he'd be open to an extension, perhaps that's something to consider, but barring that, when would make more sense than now to deal him?
Donovan would come with plenty of team control (which teams love), can play all over the diamond (which teams love), and is really good (which teams love). He's also coming off arguably his best season, meaning his value might never be higher. The Cardinals will only consider trading him for the right return, but there's reason to believe he might've played his last game with the organization.
2B Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
In August, rumors surrounding Ketel Marte's future with the Arizona Diamondbacks began to surface, and they weren't the kind of rumors Marte or the Diamondbacks love. It was reported that Marte's teammates were frustrated by the infielder's willingness to miss games and that the organization would be willing to field offers for him this winter.
This does not mean that the Diamondbacks will, or even should, trade him, but barring a massive shift, I'm not sure why Marte wouldn't be available for the taking. If the Diamondbacks are willing to trade him, he'd bring in by far the biggest return of anyone on this list as he's quite easily the best second baseman in the game.
Marte's 145 wRC+ ranked seventh among all qualified position players, ranking ahead of players like Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. His 140 wRC+ since the start of 2023 is good for ninth in the majors. He's been a consistent superstar for several years now, and if the Diamondbacks are willing to trade him, they're going to get an absurd return. It'll be interesting to see if these rumors pick back up in the winter or if they subside.
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