The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker to a record-breaking $60 million AAV contract last week. Bo Bichette quickly followed it up with a $42 million AAV contract in New York. The MLB wealth gap has never felt wider. That leads to difficult questions ahead of a potential lockout in 2027.
Small markets need to step up to the plate if the league wants to avoid a prolonged work stoppage. Unless less trendy teams can start keeping their heads above water financially, the whole system threatens to crumble. These small-market sensations can serve as the starting point for radical change.
OF Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins entered last season with approximately zero expectations, but a fun and feisty group finished third in the NL East and almost snuck into the Wild Card mix. Miami even had the pleasure of burying the Mets in their final series of the regular season. This team is still far from contention, but there's a real foundation to build on.
One of the primary drivers of Miami's success last season was the breakout of 28-year-old outfielder Kyle Stowers. After he failed to break through in Baltimore, Stowers arrived in South Beach via trade and completely reignited his career. An All-Star in his first full MLB season, Stowers hit .288 with 25 home runs and a .912 OPS. He landed in the 94th percentile for hard-hit rate. The lefty was, straight up, one of the best bats in the National League.
Miami did not spend much in free agency this winter, but expending the necessary resources to lock up Stowers through his prime window would serve as proof that the Marlins are serious about moving up in the world. You need to start somewhere.
SS Colson Montgomery, Chicago White Sox
Between Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and newcomer Munetaka Murakami, something fun's cooking on the South Side. Can we trust the Chicago White Sox to see this long-term project through and blossom into a contender? Almost certainly not, but there's at least a measure of hope around the White Sox that has not existed for long time.
It's hard to ask more from a rookie than what Montgomery did last season. In just 71 games and 255 at-bats, he cranked 21 home runs with an .840 OPS. Literally 34 percent of his hits sailed over an outfield wall. Montgomery probably won't sustain that pace over an entire season, and he still needs to work on fine-tuning his approach. But if Montgomery can cut down on strikeouts and start rounding out his profile, good golly. The upside is cosmic.
Montgomery checks a lot of superstar boxes for the White Sox. He's an elite defender at a premium position. The bat speed, barrel rates and slug potential is a potent mix. Even at 23, as he's just beginning to discover the full extent of his powers, Montgomery is an exceptional ball player. The White Sox ought to lock in and lock him up. It's silly to even talk about a team from Chicago as a "small market." But here we are. The times, they are a-changin' — hopefully.
OF James Wood, Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are stuck in neutral at the bottom of the NL East standings, which probably won't change in the immediate future. New GM Paul Tuboni has a daunting task ahead of him: building around what is, on paper, a talented young core while also succumbing to the Nats' typical shoestring budget. We've seen Washington spend on a contender in the not-so-distant past — this team won a World Series in 2019, lest we forget — but this team is clearly on a slow burn timeline.
That has left the Nats at an interesting crossroads. Both MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams are running out of arbitration. Both happen to be involved in trade rumors this offseason. So often, that is the story arc for great young players on bad, stingy teams. Washington cannot let the same pattern unfold with James Wood.
Wood was an All-Star in just his second MLB season, thwacking 31 home runs with an .825 OPS. The towering lefty has his limitations; led the league in strikeouts and he's a poor defender in left field. In terms of pure offensive potential, however, very few players can match Wood. He hits the baseball extremely hard and he wields a real intimidation factor, which Wood parlays into a high walk rate and a healthy on-base percentage. He's a bonafide foundational star. The Nats need to make him the centerpiece of this next chapter, not a casualty of more "patience."
SS Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to give 19-year-old Konnor Griffin a chance to earn the everyday shortstop job in spring training, which would essentially put him on the Juan Soto path. Griffin is widely considered the No. 1 prospect in baseball. If he lives up to that billing next season, with Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn and a dominant rotation in the mix, Pittsburgh has a chance to rocket up in the standings.
So much has been made of Pittsburgh's need to show Paul Skenes how serious it is about winning. That ultimately will not matter long term if the Pirates aren't willing to pay Skenes (and he's not getting an extension before 2027, but we can circle back), There is, however, still pressure to maximize the years left on Skenes' contract. There is also pressure, in general, to start acting like a real team with real goals.
Griffin will only get more expensive as he blossoms against MLB competition. If the Pirates want to mitigate costs without completely ducking financial commitment, now is the time to hammer out a historic long-term deal. We know how the Soto thing ended with Washington (and San Diego, and New York). The Pirates don't want to call up Griffin, win a bunch of games, and then facilitate a premature departure because they got cheap. Griffin is a genuine five-tool contributor at a premium position. This is a chance for Pittsburgh to concretize their clubhouse and on-field leader for the next decade-plus.
This would be similar to what Boston did with Roman Anthony. It can be done.
1B Nick Kurtz, A's
The A's committed an unforgivable sin with the manner of their departure from Oakland, but that is not the players' fault. It also does not mean John Fisher should neglect fans new and old. To his credit, it feels like the A's are building something real and sustainable in Sacramento, with Las Vegas on the horizon. It starts with Nick Kurtz.
This young core in Sactown is loaded with star-power, but Kurtz's historic rookie season was a real jolt to the system. He carries the standard baggage of a high-strikeout first baseman, but the dude hit 36 home runs (in only 117 games) with a 1.002 OPS and 173 OPS+. If he builds on the success of last season, Kurtz has MVP potential — and the singular talent necessary to push the A's into a higher realm of relevancy.
It feels like the A's are finally, actually willing to spend a bit of money. The Luis Severino signing and Jeff McNeil trade were genuine investments. The A's even extended both Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom, moves that felt like pipe dreams only a couple years ago. Now it's time to keep the ball rolling. Kurtz will be the most expensive, but when a 22-year-old levels up and produces like the next best thing to Aaron Judge, it merits an all-in approach.
Can Elly De La Cruz and Paul Skenes join this list?
All the names listed above feel at least somewhat realistic as extension candidates. But what about Elly De La Cruz and Paul Skenes? Is there a path forward for the Reds and Pirates, or does this just end in a couple high-profile trades down the line?
De La Cruz reportedly received the largest contract offer in Reds history, eclipsing Joey Votto's record of 10 years and $225 million. Elly turned it down. That does not mean CIncy cannot come back with a stronger offer, but De La Cruz clearly recognizes his value — not only on the field, but as an engine for ticket sales and as an international figurehead in the baseball community.
Pittsburgh has made no such offer to Skenes, but it almost feels futile. At 22, Skenes is the clear best starter in the National League. He won the Cy Young award in 2025 and profiles as a dominant force for the next decade-plus. He, too, has a significant individual platform and a real star quality about him. Even if the Pirates come through with a home run offer, Skenes probably shuts it down.
It's less clear if things would feel similarly hopeless if De La Cruz or Skenes played for the Dodgers. Or the Yankees. Even the Mets. It is simply the correct business decision for these megastars to wait on better offers from more lucrative teams. Moreover, the opportunities for external profits — marketing deals and so forth — are probably better in L.A. or New York than in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati.
Absent meaningful change to the CBA next year, meaning a potential lockout, that will not change. So while smaller markets can and should be more aggressive in locking up their stars, it's hard to imagine the disconnect between a Pittsburgh team and a Los Angeles team fully dissipating. Just some food for thought.