The Chicago Cubs made their first major splash of the offseason this week, acquiring Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins in a blockbuster trade centered on No. 1 prospect Owen Caissie. Cabrera, with three years of cheap club control left, was a true premium trade chip. It’s a big win for the pitching-needy Cubs.
But what about the other contenders connected to Cabrera, either tangibly or theoretically? A lot of teams can still use an upgrade in the middle of their rotation — or at the top. Thankfully, the pitching market is far from barren. For the Mets and Yankees in New York, to other contenders such as Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia, here are the logical pivots with Cabrera off the market.
Baltimore Orioles: Ranger Suárez
The Baltimore Orioles acquired Shane Baz via trade and re-signed Zach Eflin, but this pitching staff still needs a bit more firepower up top. Ranger Suárez is an All-Star at the peak of his powers, or at least close to it. He’s consistent, durable, and above all else, extremely poised under pressure. His postseason track records stands out, and he’d bring valuable pedigree to a young O’s roster.
It feels like the stars are aligned in Baltimore’s favor here. The market for starting pitching is borderline absurd, but the buzz around Suárez is a bit quieter. He’s only connected to two teams in strong terms: the Orioles and the Mets. New York has more money, but Baltimore is far more motivated right now — and the Mets have a wider array of options available to them, in theory.
Baltimore already showed its tolerance for risk and long-term money with the Pete Alonso singing, which signaled a profound change in approach from Mike Elias and the front office. Suárez has his critics — many are rightfully concerned with his declining velocity and what it means for his long-term projection — but Suárez has arguably the best record track record of any free agent pitcher left on the market.
He put up a 3.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP last season, K’ing 151 in 157.1 innings. Sure, Suárez’s velocity is reaching scary lows, but he’s a sinkerballer who generates a lot of ground ball contract — and who can still get swings and misses with his deception and location control. Suárez is never rattled, and puts damn near every pitch where he wants to put it. The O’s can feel good about the immediate returns, and optimistic about the length of this contract not aging so badly.
Boston Red Sox: MacKenzie Gore
Even after trading for both Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, the Boston Red Sox could use another high-level arm to solidify the top half of the rotation. Boston has already traded away Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts and others in its offseason splurge, but GM Craig Breslow still has a surplus of pitchers to deal with. Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early — there isn’t enough room for everyone.
Packing some of their pitching depth, particularly from the Minors, for an ace like MacKenzie Gore can give Boston the best of both worlds: an immediate upgrade and a clearer path for those left over. Gore still has two years left on his deal, but Boston extended Garrett Crochet ahead of time and could seek a comparable resolution with Gore. If not, we know the Red Sox have the money to compete on the open market.
Gore’s 2025 season in Washington was a mixed bag, but he’s one of the most electric arms in baseball — still 26 years old, with 185 strikeouts in 159.2 innings and an increasingly potent array of off-speed pitches. The southpaw was the only pitcher in MLB last season with a whiff rate above 35 percent on four different pitches types (curveball, slider, changeup, cutter). He gets less mileage out of his fastball, but he’s also using it less than ever.
Command remains a huge hurdle in Gore’s development, and his 4.17 ERA and 1.35 WHIP may be a turnoff for some front offices. But the upside is clear, and Boston should have enough confidence in its coaching staff to get Gore to the next level. He’d essentially slot No. 3 in the rotation, behind Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray. That possibility ought to excite Red Sox fans quite a fit.
Philadelphia Phillies: Chris Bassitt
The Philadelphia Phillies were genuine players for Tatsuya Imai, but now that the Japanese ace is off the market, it seems more than likely that Dave Dombrowski will settle for a less expensive stopgap arm to bolster the back end of the rotation. Zack Wheeler will begin 2026 on the IL and the Phillies, with their World Series aspirations, probably don’t want to depend on both Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter so heavily for an extended period.
Enter Chris Bassitt. The 36-year-old, a former All-Star, certainly isn’t the most exciting option out there. But, he can do the job well enough. Bassitt finished 2025 with a 3.96 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 32 games (31 starts). He has pitched at least 170 innings in four straight years. Even as he ages, durability is a calling card for Bassitt, and almost reason enough for Philly to hurry to the negotiating table.
The Phillies dealt with injuries to Ranger Suárez (almost certainly gone as a free agent), Aaron Nola and, of course, Wheeler last season. This team could use some dependability on the back end, especially after the mileage Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo both incurred as healthy workhorses.
Bassitt was a 2.4 fWAR player for Toronto. He still has some gas in the tank — reliant not on velocity, but on loopy curveballs and a fading sinker, not to mention six other pitches he can sprinkle in. Bassitt keeps hitters guessing and pitches well to contact. The Phillies can sign him for a year to serve as the bridge to a full season of Andrew Painter in 2027, if all goes well. If Bassitt loses his spot sooner, he pitched well out of the bullpen for Toronto in the playoffs and can make a similar transition in Philly.
New York Mets: Framber Valdez
The New York Mets appear to be frontrunners in the Framber Valdez sweepstakes. Opinions are mixed on Valdez as an ace-level investment — Dylan Cease received $210 million in the early days of free agency and could end up as the highest-paid pitcher this winter — but the 32-year-old has an impressive track record of consistency. It helps that his success has come on such a competitive team in Houston.
Valdez, the southpaw with a sinker, generates a ton of groundball contact. He has a sub-4.00 ERA in six straight years and in seven of eight MLB seasons. Valdez has 31 starts in three of the last four seasons. He’s durable and he doesn’t slip up very often, with a pitching style conducive to mitigating mistakes and churning out solid performance after solid performance. He posted a 3.66 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 2025, with 187 strikeouts in 192 innings.
There are underlying concerns with Valdez, whose secondary pitches don’t always pop, and whose attitude became a point of discussion after he intentially crossed up his own catcher late last season. But by and large, Valdez is a machine who gives little reason for short-term skepticism. Will the life of his contract prove a bit too expansive, especially if he receives six or seven years? Perhaps, but the Mets need to focus on scaling the mountaintop as soon as possible.
Nolan McLean looks the part of a future Cy Young candidate, but the Mets’ rotation otherwise lacks stability. Kodai Senga is always hurt. Sean Manaea hit a wall in 2025. David Peterson struggled down the stretch. Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat are exciting prospects, but neither is bankable as a 2026 regular. Valdez can come in, pitch first or second in the rotation, eat innings, and give the Mets an experienced postseason weapon once October rolls around.
New York Yankees: Freddy Peralta
The New York Yankees were once favored to land Edward Cabrera, but those talks fell apart. It has been a frustratingly quiet offseason for Yankees fans, with Trent Grisham picking up his qualifying offer and then… crickets. The Yankees are trying to re-sign Cody Bellinger. Bo Bichette rumors are swirling. But precious little progress has been made.
If New York is hesitant to spend max money in free agency — a genuine possibility, despite the financial stature of this Yankees organization — then trades provide the quickest path toward needle-moving upgrades. Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodón will all begin the 2026 season on the IL. That should mean there’s real urgency to add an arm, even if he’s just a stopgap.
Freddy Peralta is on an expiring contract, and thus the Yankees cannot guarantee he sticks around past 2026. But, even if he’s a rental, Peralta is worth his weight in gold for New York. Just imagine a top four of Max Fried, Cole, Peralta and Rodón in October. The Yankees would immediately have the best rotation in the American League, in addition to its most explosive offense. That is a World Series recipe.
It’s not like the Yankees are incapable of re-signing Peralta when the time comes either. Last season was a career year for the 29-year-old, who crystallized as one of the best pitchers in the National League. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting, with a 2.75 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 33 starts. The fastball has some bite, the curve is a handful for opponents, but the changeup is special — a true grade-A pitch. Peralta has radically evolved and improved his secondary pitches over the years, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t keep fine-tuning his approach. If the Yankees add Peralta, it absolves Brian Cashman and the front office of a dozen prior sins this winter.