The MLB GM meetings are upon us! While you might assume that would mean a litany of major acquisitions, that is not always the case. In fact, the GM Meetings typically involve a lot of talking behind the scenes, as front offices lay the groundwork for what their respective offseasons should (and hopefully will) look like. It's not as interesting as it might sound, at least not to the general public, but we have you covered thanks to the FanSided MLB team and insider Robert Murray, who will have live updates and rumors from Vegas.
For baseball fans, the GM Meetings are all about messaging, and reading between the lines. Are the Tigers actually shopping Tarik Skubal? What are the odds the Chicago Cubs can keep Kyle Tucker around? Where will the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman and a loaded free-agent class wind up? And, oh, don't even get us started on international stars like Munetaka Murakami, Tatsuya Imai and more who are sure to be posted soon.
MLB's offseason is a five-month marathon leading up to spring training, and the chaos never really stops in the cold, dark winter. It all starts with a (muted) bang in Sin City.
Our FanSided panel of myself, Chris Landers and Zach Rotman divvy up the divisions – those we're most familiar with, don't worry – to detail exactly what each fan base should be rooting for this week. The teams are listed in order by how they finished the 2025 regular season.
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.
AL East
Toronto Blue Jays
That Toronto is confident in a reunion with star shortstop Bo Bichette. The World Series run went a long way toward healing the relationship, but it was just a few months ago that rumors were swirling about Bichette’s wounded feelings about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s extension and his willingness to look elsewhere in free agency. Given the dearth of other infield options available, it’s hard to imagine the Jays making it back-to-back pennants without Bichette back in the fold; he’s simply too valuable as a hitter, and all that postseason revenue should make it easy to afford him.
-Chris Landers
New York Yankees
That Kyle Tucker won’t be just another in a long line of big names the Yankees have said “thanks, but no thanks” to in recent years, one that already includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Corey Seager, Matt Olson, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and more. (And, depending on whom you ask, Juan Soto.)
It would be all too easy for Brian Cashman to remain demure, bring back Cody Bellinger after his strong 2025 campaign and pat himself on the back for his prudence. But prudence isn’t going to get the Aaron Judge/Gerrit Cole core over the hump before it’s too late. Adding true impact talent will, and it’s tough to feel great about New York’s chances in the AL next year if they more or less run it back.
-CL
Boston Red Sox
That Craig Breslow is exhausting every available option to find a running mate for Garrett Crochet. The bad news is that Boston’s rotation is a major question mark, with Brayan Bello basically the only known quantity behind Crochet as things stand. The good news is that there are plenty of options on the trade market this winter – from Hunter Greene to Joe Ryan to Pablo Lopez to Sandy Alcantara and more – and the Red Sox have plenty of ammunition to bring to bear. Breslow hit a homer with the Crochet trade last winter; what will he do for an encore?
-CL
Tampa Bay Rays
That there’s a plan to fix this outfield – and fast. That could be via a trade of Brandon Lowe or Yandy Diaz, though that would itself create some problems that would need to be solved. The Kyle Tucker thing is almost certainly a pipe dream, given that Rays ownership has already hinted that payroll won’t be changing dramatically in 2026. So Tampa is going to have to get creative to beef up an offense that got very little from the outfield last season.
-CL
Baltimore Orioles
That Mike Elias understands the urgency of the situation. Not even new ownership could change Elias’ tune last offseason, which almost immediately blew up in Baltimore’s face. If the O’s are willing to spend, there’s still time left to capitalize on the Gunnar Henderson/Adley Rutschman era. But if Elias continues to insist on hugging tightly to his value model, this team is going to continue to miss out on the talent it needs to supplement the home-grown core. David Rubenstein’s pockets are plenty deep enough, and the clock is ticking on both Rutschman (a free agent after 2027) and Henderson (2028).
-CL
AL Central
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians need to finally surround Jose Ramirez with the talent necessary to win a World Series. Yes, Cleveland's late-season run (thanks in part to the Detroit Tigers' collapse) helped gift them another AL Central crown, but there's little denying that the lineup around Ramirez wasn't up to par. While the Guardians are a mid-market team, at best, they're only a few pieces away from becoming a real contender in a wide-open American League. Ramirez has grown frustrated with the direction (or lack thereof) of Guardians ownership. Quotes are merely empty promises, but it can't hurt to make him feel heard for a change.
-Mark Powell
Detroit Tigers
Most of the questions Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris will receive should be about Tarik Skubal, who is set to win his second straight AL Cy Young award shortly. The Tigers and Skubal are nowhere close on an extension, per reports, but Harris also doesn't intend to trade him for anything short of a king's ransom. While extension progress would be nice, as Harris refused to give us much insight at the Tigers' end-of-season press conference, a commitment to winning with or without Skubal would be a start.
-MP
Kansas City Royals
The Royals have one of baseball's best up-and-coming stars in Bobby Witt Jr. They finished last season 82-80, and should be a popular pick to make a run at the playoffs in 2026. If there's one thing this team is lacking, though, it's offense: They ask a lot out of Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. A commitment to improving the lineup would be a good start for J.J. Picollo. Kansas Ctiy has already been named a dark horse suitor for Jarren Duran and even Alex Bregman. Are they willing to spend the dough and/or prospect capital, however? That's what Piccolo needs to answer for.
-MP
Minnesota Twins
The Twins need direction. Minnesota's ownership tried to sell the team last season, only to fall short in doing so. The Pohlads claim they're committed to winning in Minneapolis, but that's hard to believe given they cried poor and overestimated their valuation all within the last year. The Twins also hired Derek Shelton as manager, which might as well signal a rebuild to the rest of baseball. What Twins fans would like to hear is that this ownership group wants to build around Byron Buxton, an underrated homegrown star who wants nothing more than to win in Minnesota. I don't see it happening, unfortunately.
-MP
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox are among the worst-run organizations in the sport. While they were considerably better in 2025 than their record-setting 2024 disasterclass, that's not exactly saying much. Chicago still has plenty of pieces it can sell off for young talent in hopes of really jumpstarting this rebuild. That includes Luis Robert Jr., who's been shopped at the last two trade deadlines. Chris Getz is unlikely to confirm that Robert Jr. will be traded in front of reporters, but he ought to be open to offers on any veterans on the current roster. In fact, he should literally say just that, verbatim.
-MP
AL West
Seattle Mariners
That Jerry Dipoto learned the right lessons from his team’s run to the ALCS. After infuriating fans throughout the Pacific Northwest with an unwillingness to get aggressive in recent years, Dipoto finally pushed some chips in at the trade deadline, most notably in deals for Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez. Now the question becomes: Is that an aberration or a sign of things to come?
The Mariners are still set up to contend into the future, with a dynamite home-grown pitching staff and genuine stars in Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez. There should be money to spend and an appetite to spend it as they look to replace Naylor and Suarez and beef up this lineup once again, but Dipoto has burned us before.
-CL
Houston Astros
That Jim Crane is willing to go back over the luxury tax for the third straight season – a feat that would be basically unprecedented under his ownership, during which he’s consistently shown a reluctance to pay tax penalties. The problem, though, is that Houston will only have around $30 million to work with under the first CBT threshold, and the rotation is pretty much barren behind Hunter Brown with Framber Valdez set to leave in free agency. It’s going to be very hard for the Astros to patch all these holes without spending into the tax, especially considering how dire their farm system is right now.
-CL
Texas Rangers
That the looming payroll reduction is more a trim than a buzzcut. This franchise spent big in recent years, and while it got them a World Series title in 2023, the bill has now come due – and if you believe the whispers out of Arlington, it suggests that ownership is looking to rein things in a bit this winter. That’s a problem, considering how thin the pitching staff is beyond Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leiter and how punchless this offense was last season. It’s going to be very hard to build a contending roster. If Ray Davis is willing to go up to, say, $220 million or so – not over the tax but at least something close to it – there’s a path forward. If not, well, things might get hairy.
-CL
Athletics
That John Fisher is willing to invest in this roster while it remains mired in Sacramento. The A’s are a functional pitching staff away from real Wild Card contention, at the very least: Their lineup is that good thanks to young stars like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler. Can they supplement it with a shrewd free-agent addition or two? Last year’s bet on Luis Severino blew up in spectacular fashion, and it’ll be hard to lure established arms to such an unfriendly park. Still, landing a legitimate No. 2, 3 and/or 4 would make a huge difference.
-CL
Los Angeles Angels
That Arte Moreno understands things need to get worse before they get better. The news that L.A. was weighing a trade of either Jo Adell or Taylor Ward is a promising sign, but seriously: What will it take for this team to finally take the hint and start a genuine rebuild? Rushing prospects to the Majors as soon as possible and trying to paper over the cracks in the foundation with foolhardy free-agent deals has gotten them nowhere.
It’s long past time to take a more patient approach, offloading as much financial dead weight as possible while giving everybody a long runway. A Mike Trout trade is probably off the table at this point, but the Angels need to signal to the rest of the league that they’re open for business.
-CL
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
That the Phillies won’t just run it back. The Phillies have fallen short of their World Series goal for four straight years now, and it feels like they’re only getting further away from winning it all. Bringing Kyle Schwarber back makes sense, but can Philly make notable roster changes either in free agency or via trade? They’re already running it back coaching-wise, so the only way for there to be real change following another disappointing season would be to shake up the roster in a meaningful way.
-Zach Rotman
New York Mets
That David Stearns is willing to get uncomfortable. It might not be ideal for the Mets to overpay to keep Pete Alonso or Edwin Diaz in town, but how, exactly, can this team improve on what was a disastrous 2025 campaign without them? There are ways to do so, but whether that means overpaying others in free agency or parting with highly touted prospects via trades, Stearns is going to have to get uncomfortable one way or another, rather than just trying to find the best possible value.
-ZR
Miami Marlins
That the Marlins are willing to do the right thing with Sandy Alcantara. In an ideal world, he’d get traded this offseason in exchange for some position player talent, but is now really the right time after Alcantara had such an up-and-down 2025 campaign? If they’re able to get a star-level return, absolutely. If not, it’s best to hold on. Can the Marlins be patient enough? Their inability to do so with Jesus Luzardo cost themselves a great chance to cash in on his value.
-ZR
Atlanta Braves
That the Braves are willing to spend. They don’t have to go all out for Kyle Tucker or even Bo Bichette, but can Atlanta meaningfully address the shortstop position? Will they meaningfully add to their bullpen? Will they add enough rotation depth? This team has the resources to do more than it did last winter, so hopefully Alex Anthopoulos and Co. aren’t shy when it comes to spending.
-ZR
Washington Nationals
That there’s some sort of plan. The Nationals have the makings of a strong core led by James Wood, C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, but the reason 2025 was so disastrous for them was because the rest of the roster left a lot to be desired. Does new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni think this team is capable of winning in the short term? Does he think they’re better off tearing it down again? The latter would probably lead to some uncomfortable but important conversations about Abrams and especially Gore.
-ZR
NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers
For as consistently solid as the Brewers are, they trade from their strengths a little too often. This offseason, that could come in the form of ace Freddy Peralta, who finished the 2025 campaign with a 5.5 WAR and a 2.70 ERA. Peralta still has a couple of years left on his contract – two club options, to be exact – so this feels a bit early to shop him. That's especially true given that the trade market for Peralta is expected to include other contenders, including pitching-needy teams like the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. Ideally, Matt Arnold would commit to Peralta long term in front of the mic. There's no need to hide his opinion on this matter.
-MP
Chicago Cubs
Speaking of pitching-needy teams, let's talk Cubs baseball. Chicago had one of the best lineups in the league last season and rode that to an NL Wild Card series victory over the San Diego Padres. What the Cubs are lacking, however, is starting pitching. They've been linked to the likes of Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease in free agency already. Jed Hoyer may not be able to outbid most teams for their services, but a commitment to adding starting pitching talent would be music to Cubs fans' ears, especially since they'll more than likely lose Tucker in free agency.
-MP
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds have one of the best managers in baseball in Terry Francona, and a front office committed to player development. Cincinnati ended its playoff drought with a late-season run to the NL Wild Card round before they were disposed of by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their focus this winter needs to be improving internally. They have a sound farm system and plenty of young stars, including Elly De La Cruz, who's on the verge of a breakout, NL MVP-caliber season himself. Reds fans may not love it, but a focus on improving what's already on the roster could be this organization's best chance at taking the next step in a crowded NL Central.
-MP
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are a rebuild waiting to happen, and they finally have the right man in charge to make that a reality. All of this nonsense about retooling on the fly, spewed by John Mozeliak in recent years, should be a thing of the past with Chaim Bloom in charge. The Cards have some intriguing young talent to build around, and veterans they can deal to add even more. (I'm looking squarely at you, Nolan Arenado, and your absurd no-trade clause.) It's Bloom's job to make this team younger and, over the long haul, better. That's the reality Cardinals fans need to accept, and it starts this week.
-MP
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates already made one good decision this winter by keeping Don Kelly in charge. Pittsburgh did turn a corner with Kelly as manager, but it's not enough. For the Pirates to actually contend while Paul Skenes is on this roster (which may not be much longer if trade rumors are to be believed), Bob Nutting needs to open his check book. Nutting has said all the right things about contending and building a winning organization from the ground up. That's all fine and dandy, but the Pirates will not return to their winning ways without a couple of decent bats, which they currently don't have. This was one of the worst lineups in baseball last season; some confirmation from Ben Cherington that Nutting intends to increase payroll would go a long way.
-MP
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers
Just how much money do the Dodgers have to spend? L.A. has won back-to-back World Series titles, so it’d be tough for Dodgers fans to be mad at them laying low for a change, but they’re also getting a substantial amount of money off their books — and whether it’s Kyle Tucker, Edwin Diaz or a trade target, there are players they can conceivably acquire to give them the best chance at a three-peat. There’s no reason to believe they won’t be willing to go all-in once again, but it’d be nice to hear nonetheless.
-ZR
San Diego Padres
That the Padres have a rotation plan for 2026. Yu Darvish is out for the year and both Cease and Michael King are free agency-bound, meaning the team has just Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove locked into their plans for next year. Do the Padres have enough money to spend on their rotation in free agency? Do they have enough ammo to make a trade or two? Their starting pitching as constructed is not close to good enough to compete with the Dodgers and other National League powerhouses.
-ZR
San Francisco Giants
That the Giants are willing to take more big swings in free agency. Things haven’t gone well when it comes to signing true superstars in free agency in recent years, and in response to that, Buster Posey traded for Rafael Devers and agreed to take on the remainder of his massive contract as part of the deal. Devers is a great player, but as we saw, he alone could not get this team back to the postseason. Does San Francisco have enough cash to splurge on Tucker or a different big-name star? It’s hard to envision this team being anything more than a fringe Wild Card contender at best without that.
-ZR
Arizona Diamondbacks
That the Ketel Marte rumors can be squashed. This past August, rumors circulated that Marte’s teammates were frustrated by his tendency to miss games and that the team would be interested in trading him. Marte is, by all accounts, the best second baseman in the game, and he’s on a very team-friendly contract. Trading him would be heartbreaking, especially when it feels like Arizona isn’t that far away from getting back to the postseason.
-ZR
Colorado Rockies
That things will be different under Paul DePodesta. The hire was a bit of a strange one, but hey, it is new blood in an organization that desperately needed it. The Rockies are an absolute mess. Hearing an actual, sensible plan that DePodesta has for the future would go a long way.
-ZR