The big-name signings continued Wednesday at MLB’s winter meetings, as Pete Alonso joined the parade, signing a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.
It had been a fairly slow MLB offseason leading up to this week’s meetings, but the first major domino fell Tuesday morning, with Kyle Schwarber finalizing a five-year, $150 million deal to return to the Philadelphia Phillies. Just minutes later, news broke that Edwin Díaz and the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly in agreement on a three-year, $69 million deal.
Advertisement
Schwarber was No. 3 on Yahoo Sports’ list of the top 50 free agents, behind Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, while Alonso ranked fifth and Díaz ranked 11th.
MLB executives, agents and many others congregated in Orlando, Florida, this week to hash out deals in the biggest event of baseball’s offseason. Last year’s winter meetings saw Juan Soto’s record $765 million deal with the New York Mets, the Garrett Crochet blockbuster trade to the Boston Red Sox, Max Fried landing with the Yankees and several other major moves.
This year, Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker is looking for a contract that could surpass $300 million, while Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal might be on the trade block. The Washington Nationals seem likely to deal MacKenzie Gore, and several other free agents could land nine-figure deals.
Advertisement
Tuesday also saw the White Sox land the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft lottery, and Wednesday featured the Rule 5 Draft, with RHP RJ Petit going from the Tigers to the Rockies with the top pick.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for all the news, rumors and hot stove drama from the 2025 winter meetings:
Live36 updates
Wed, December 10, 2025 at 1:26 PM PST
Wed, December 10, 2025 at 12:46 PM PST
Chris Cwik
The New York Mets won’t have Pete Alonso next season. After beginning his career with New York, Alonso left the team Wednesday, agreeing to a $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles.
With Alonso off to Baltimore, the Mets are considering Paul Goldschmidt as a possible replacement at first base.
Goldschmidt, 38, spent last season with the crosstown Yankees, hitting .274/.328/.403 over 534 plate appearances.
If the Mets sign Goldschmidt, the team would consider platooning him with utilityman Jeff McNeil. Goldschmidt was incredibly effective against lefties in 2025, hitting .336.
Wed, December 10, 2025 at 10:12 AM PST
Chris Cwik
Pete Alonso bet on himself in 2025, and it paid off in a major way. Alonso reportedly agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.
The contract comes a year after Alonso, 30, struggled to secure a long-term deal on the free-agent market.
With the move, the Orioles finally have their big-name free agent. Baltimore reportedly made a competitive offer for Kyle Schwarber before he signed a five-year, $150 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies and had contacted outfielder Kyle Tucker about a deal. With the Alonso deal, Baltimore finally got its star slugger.
Alonso fits in well with the Orioles, who were looking for an upgrade over Ryan Mountcastle at first base. While Mountcastle has shown flashes as a hitter in the past, he was well below league average in that area last season. Alonso immediately gives the team a middle-of-the-order power bat capable of posting big numbers regardless of ballpark. That should work out well in Baltimore, where righties have had a tough time hitting home runs since the team altered the wall in left field.
Wed, December 10, 2025 at 5:54 AM PST
Chris Cwik
Former New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso appears to be a popular target at the winter meetings. But of all the teams interested in him, the Mets, Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox have emerged as favorites to sign the first baseman, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
Alonso, 31, is coming off a season in which he hit .272/.347/.524. It was a comeback year for Alonso, who struggled in 2024, tying his career-low with a 122 wRC+.
That led the first baseman to take a lesser deal on the free-agent market last winter. That deal included an opt-out after the first season, allowing Alonso to rebuild his value before hitting the free-agent market again this winter.
This time around, Alonso seems like a safe bet to secure the contract he sought last winter. It helps that at least three teams seem to be fighting for his services.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 8:27 PM PST
Jack Baer
It’s reportedly a two-year, $19 million contract with $1 million in incentives for Finnegan, per Fansided’s Robert Murray.
That’s a nice windfall for a reliever who was good for the Tigers in the regular season but faltered a bit in the ALDS.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 8:25 PM PST
Jack Baer
The Tigers acquired Kyle Finnegan at the trade deadline this year and appear to want some more innings from him. The team is closing in on a deal with the reliever, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 8:06 PM PST
Jack Baer
With a new president of baseball operations embarking on a new era, the Nationals appear likely to trade starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore this winter. According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, their geographic rival is a potential trade partner.
Trading Gore to the Baltimore Orioles would be notable for reasons beyond what’s on the field, as the two franchises have been in something of a standoff since the Nats came to town, with tensions exacerbated by a perpetual feud over a TV deal resolved earlier this year.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 7:32 PM PST
Jack Baer
The Dodgers struck big Tuesday with the Edwin Diaz deal but still have a notable need in the outfield. They landed the biggest reliever on the market, so why not add Kyle Tucker, the biggest outfielder on the market?
Per The Athletic, the defending champions are interested in Tucker, but not on a six- or seven-year deal. They’d instead be willing to go for a three- or four-year pact with a high average annual value. This isn’t the first time they’ve tried to make that pitch, though, and most players turn them down.
Still, it’s something to watch if Tucker’s market doesn’t develop as hoped.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 7:16 PM PST
Jack Baer
A lot of teams appear to want one of the best second basemen in baseball.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 6:47 PM PST
Jack Baer
The Marlins are engaged in trade talks with the Baltimore Orioles and other clubs about starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, according to The Athletic. Cabrera was solid in 2025 with a 3.53 ERA in 137 2/3 innings but also hit the injured list twice, once with an elbow sprain.
It’s unclear what the Marlins are asking for and how ready they are to pull the trigger, but teams value controllable starting pitchers highly enough that it makes sense they’re looking into it. Cabrera is under team control through 2028.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 6:08 PM PST
Jack Baer
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 6:01 PM PST
Jack Baer
The Pirates didn’t get Kyle Schwarber today, but they did get New York Mets reliever Gregory Soto! The two-time All-Star gets $7.75 million from the Bucs after posting a 4.18 ERA and 3.91 xERA in 60 1/3 innings last season.
He is not the best reliever to leave the Mets today.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 4:11 PM PST
Jack Baer
The Ketel Marte market still seems to be forming, but MLB Network’s Jon Morosi says the Red Sox are seen as a strong contender.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 3:04 PM PST
Jack Baer
The White Sox entered the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery with the best odds for the top pick, at 27.73%. It worked out for them, as they received their first No. 1 pick since 1977 (Harold Baines) on Tuesday.
Here’s the top 10:
1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 2:26 PM PST
Jack Baer
The two-time Gold Glover posted an .808 OPS against righties and .676 OPS against lefties in 2025. It looks like the Red Sox are still going to give him a shot as an every-day player.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 2:14 PM PST
Jack Baer
We now know the terms of a deal that broke Monday night. It’s a two-year, $15 million year for Steven Matz with the Rays, who also added center fielder Cedric Mullins.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 2:12 PM PST
Jack Baer
There wasn’t much suspense after Edwin Diaz’s deal with the Dodgers, but it’s official: Devin Williams will be closing games for the Mets in 2026.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 12:43 PM PST
Chris Cwik
The Baltimore Orioles are looking to make a splash this winter. The team has reportedly had conversations with Kyle Tucker, the premier hitter on the market, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
Tucker, 28, is coming off a season in which he hit .266/.377/.464 as a member of the Chicago Cubs.
The news comes after reports suggesting the Orioles offered Kyle Schwarber a five-year, $150 million contract. Schwarber opted to take that same deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, however.
Both items make it clear the Orioles are looking to add big-name talent this winter. After missing out on Schwarber, it’s possible the Orioles step up their pursuit of Tucker.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 12:01 PM PST
Chris Cwik
Expectations were high for Vaughn Grissom when the Boston Red Sox made him the centerpiece of the Chris Sale trade. But injuries wrecked Grissom’s time in Boston, leading to the team trading the shortstop to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Grissom, 24, will now look to reestablish himself in the majors with his third professional team. The Red Sox will receive outfielder Isaiah Jackson in exchange for Grissom.
As a member of the Atlanta Braves, Grissom flashed as a potential star in his first taste of the big leagues. Injuries pushed him to the majors as a 21-year-old, where he more than held his own with the bat. As a rookie, he slashed .291/.353/.440 over 156 plate appearances.
Grissom was expected to open the 2023 MLB season as the Braves’ shortstop after Dansby Swanson left in free agency. But he failed to win the job in spring training and then spent the majority of the season in the minors. He received just 80 plate appearances in the majors that year, hitting .280/.313/.347.
While it was a disappointing performance, the Red Sox still saw something in Grissom’s bat. That December, Boston traded Sale to the Braves in exchange for Grissom and cash. The move was essentially a salary dump by Boston, which no longer wanted to pay Sale’s lengthy contract. Although Grissom was coming off a rough season, he was still young, and the memory of his rookie season hadn’t faded just yet.
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 11:28 AM PST