Author: Rowan Kavner

WINTER MEETINGS (Orlando, Fla.) — If Major League Baseball’s latest hiring cycle demonstrated anything, it’s that teams are increasingly willing to break from tradition in search of the right voice to chart a new path forward. 

Nine of the sport’s 30 managerial jobs were open after the 2025 season ended. The Rockies decided to keep Warren Schaeffer, while the other eight vacancies were filled by new talents — half of them were unorthodox hires.

In 2022, Kurt Suzuki finished his 16-year playing career as a catcher with the Angels while Craig Stammen wrapped up his 13-year career as a reliever with the Padres. Neither has coached professionally since then, yet both will be managing the last big-league team they played for when the 2026 MLB season begins.  

Meanwhile, 33-year-old Blake Butera — the youngest MLB manager in more than 50 years — will lead a youthful Nationals club as Giants skipper Tony Vitello makes the unprecedented move from college coach to big-league manager without any prior MLB experience.

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It all begs the question, especially as data-driven front offices become increasingly involved in the on-field product: What is the most important job of a big-league manager in the modern game? 

“It always comes back to relationships,” incoming Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told me. “That’s what this job is, is building the relationships and getting the buy-in and the trust from your players and your coaching staff.”

Schumaker, who will take over for Bruce Bochy after serving as a senior adviser with the Rangers last year, has been one of baseball’s most highly-coveted managers since leaving Miami after the 2024 season. He carries with him the perspective of having led both a surprising Marlins team that made the playoffs in 2023 — a run that earned him National League Manager of the Year honors — and a club that fell back down to earth a year later at the start of a Marlins rebuild. 

“You can lose the clubhouse quickly,” Schumaker said. “And they don’t want to hear any BS. They want to know the truth. I think if you sugarcoat anything, you’re done. So in this seat, it gets hot sometimes, but the last thing they want is anything sugarcoated. They’re big leaguers for a reason, and they want to know the truth, so you have to give it to them. 

“But I also think … I’m an intense personality in general, but I think you have to be positive as much as you can throughout the season because they’re going to get hit on a lot of negative the whole year. So as intense as I can be, also as positive as I can be I think is always the goal.”

These are aspects of the job that Vitello, Stammen, Suzuki, Butera and Baltimore’s Craig Albernaz will have to navigate as big-league managers for the first time. 

The only way to learn is through experience.

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Schaeffer found that out last year in Colorado when he inherited a Rockies team that had lost 33 of its first 40 games under Bud Black. The interim manager did his best to keep spirits up the rest of the way amid a 119-loss 2025 season, but he learned  “innumerable” lessons that he’d like to take into 2026 after being given the full-time role by new head of baseball operations Paul DePodesta. 

“I learned that I would love to have more conversations on a daily basis with players,” Schaeffer said. “I think that’s a big strength of mine. I need to utilize it more often, develop leaders behind closed doors.”

Almost universally, front-office executives and big-league skippers polled at the Winter Meetings agreed that the ability to communicate well was the most vital trait of a good manager in today’s game. 

“Being a strong communicator, a great connector and the curiosity and feel to put guys in the best positions to succeed,” one high-ranking team executive explained.

In theory, while professional experience is beneficial, a coach at a major college program could possess many of the right qualities. 

“Can you impact players in a positive way? I think that’s the most important role,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who spent decades as a college coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State, told me. “Is that leadership? I don’t know. Maybe. It can be a lonely job. It can be lonely in that, to truly try to do that — impact players and all that kind of stuff — you’re not always the most popular or you’re not always taking the safe way. Sometimes, there’s a little risk involved.” 

In the Giants’ case, there’s a lot of risk involved. 

Whatever happens with Vitello in San Francisco after he transformed the University of Tennessee into a national powerhouse, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey will either be lauded or lambasted for his decision. Posey believes in the 47-year-old’s natural leadership qualities, motivational skills and ability to shape and build a culture. 

“There’s an expectation that he’ll get the best from everybody he comes in contact with,” Posey said as he introduced his new manager. 

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As Vitello embarks on a journey no other manager has taken before — at the Winter Meetings, Vitello jokingly referred to himself as either a guinea pig or a sacrificial lamb, depending on how his tenure in San Francisco goes — he enters his new role with a respectable level of humility for a coach who just led his college program to six NCAA regional appearances, three College World Series appearances and the Tennessee’s first ever national championship.

He is wise enough to recognize that he does not know everything, which is why he values Murphy’s advice and looks forward to getting to know the Brewers manager better. 

Vitello and Murphy do not have a personal relationship, but they had a mutual connection in Tennessee coach Frank Anderson, whose son, Brett, pitched for the Brewers in 2021 and 2022. Through the Anderson family, Murphy was able to relay some advice to Vitello about transitioning from the college game. 

“You don’t want to give up too many ingredients or the secret sauce, but some of it is pretty obvious,” Vitello said. “When [Murphy] was at Arizona State or Notre Dame, it was competitiveness at an incredibly high level, to an extreme really. That should carry over at any level, you’d like to think.” 

BEHIND THE PLATE: Tony Vitello Is Setting Example To ‘Marry’ MLB and College Baseball

Vitello still hadn’t actually seen Murphy at the Winter Meetings until minutes after his media session ended, when he walked out of a ballroom at the Signia by Hilton in Orlando and just happened to run into the Brewers manager. Vitello approached cautiously, like a kid that just saw his favorite player. Soon, the two struck up a lengthy conversation. Minutes into their talk, Dusty Baker stopped by and joined them, as if they were all longtime friends. 

“There’s a high level of respect for these people that are in the game, but for me, maybe because I was around my dad and all these athletic teams, I think it changes when you’re in a building together as a group,” Vitello said. “Like, we’re a part of a team. In order to be a good teammate, I don’t think you can see yourself as above somebody; I think it would be crazy to see yourself as below somebody as well because you’d be cheating yourself and them.”

Only time will tell how the experiment goes as Vitello transitions from a 56-game college sprint to a 162-game big-league marathon and from leading teenagers to managing the personalities and egos of wealthy adults.

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Whatever happens, the hirings of Vitello, Stammen and Suzuki weren’t the best sign for coaches at the lower ranks of the minors with dreams of working their way up the traditional path. They also weren’t a great sign for former skippers such as Brandon Hyde and David Ross, who have yet to receive another opportunity, or for former big-league superstars such as Albert Pujols, a popular managerial candidate who ultimately did not land a job. 

With more information than ever at their fingertips, it’s possible that some front offices would prefer to hire novice managers who won’t question their influence or decision-making. 

Through a more optimistic lens, perhaps the latest round of hires were just an example of MLB catching up.

It’s not as foreign to see a direct jump from college to the pros at the coaching ranks in the NFL (e.g. Jimmy Johnson) or NBA (e.g. Billy Donovan) as it is in MLB, nor is it strange to see a coach in his 30s thrive in other sports (e.g. Sean McVay, Joe Mazzulla), as Butera is now trying to do in Washington under a new Nationals front office led by 35-year-old president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. 

“You have to adapt,” Butera said. “The game’s moving faster than ever. The information we have access to now is more than it’s ever been. It’s just going to continue to become more. It’s not just having information; you want to bring in coaches that want to understand how to interpret the information and, two, understand when to deliver to players and what to deliver to players.” 

In the NBA, J.J. Redick had no professional coaching experience before he started coaching the Lakers, who believed in his basketball IQ and ability to connect and communicate. The Lakers won 50 games in his first season, the third-best record in the Western Conference.

Two years ago, the Cleveland Guardians took a similar chance on manager Stephen Vogt for similar reasons and have reaped the rewards of their decision. Vogt, a former All-Star catcher who had no managerial experience when the Guardians hired him, played his last big-league season in 2022 before spending the next year as the Mariners bullpen and quality control coach. In 2024, he replaced future Hall of Famer manager Terry Francona in Cleveland and went on to earn AL Manager of the Year honors in each of his first two seasons with the club.

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Vogt considers consistency to be the most important part of the job — an understandable notion for a manager who helped his team overcome a 15.5-game deficit in 2025, the largest ever to win a division. 

“You have to be the same person every single day, whether things are going well, things are going poorly,” Vogt told me. “You can’t have bad days. You can’t be in a bad mood. You show up every day, choose to be in a good mood and choose to lead with a smile on your face. That consistency is an absolute must for a manager.” 

Vogt’s success helped pave the way for the latest crop of incoming managers. He believes the period in which he came up, as baseball was undergoing its analytics revolution, makes players from his era distinctly equipped for the role in the manager’s chair. 

“We were raised in an old-school world, but then we played through the transition,” Vogt said. “So now I feel like we have a very good understanding of how to apply information while not losing sight of maybe the gut feel.” 

Clearly, the Angels and Padres shared a similar belief with their hires. Vogt’s final season as a big leaguer was the same year that Suzuki and Stammen wrapped up their playing careers.  

In Anaheim, Suzuki is following a similar trajectory to Vogt as a former longtime MLB catcher. Vogt’s advice to Suzuki: “Be yourself,” Vogt said. “It’s OK to not have any answers. It’s OK to say, ‘I don’t know,’ or use the resources around you.”

In San Diego, Stammen’s hiring was more atypical, not only because he was a pitcher but also because he went from interviewing potential candidates for the job following Mike Shildt’s retirement to suddenly becoming the answer. 

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller thought Stammen was “super genuine” and “comfortable in his skin,” traits that were attractive as he tried to find the right person to keep the Padres’ window for contention open. 

What does Stammen believe is the most important part of the job? 

“I think the veteran managers probably have a lot more to say about it, but from my perspective, what I can bring to the table that’s valuable is relatability, doing things with integrity, trust, honesty,” Stammen said. “I think those leadership qualities go a long way.” 

The Rangers (Schumaker), Rockies (Schaeffer), Braves (Walt Weiss), Twins (Derek Shelton) and Orioles (Albernaz) all went a more conventional route than the Giants, Nationals, Angels and Padres with their managerial decisions. 

Albernaz, who will get his first MLB managing opportunity this year with the Orioles, worked his way up in a more conventional manner than many others in this hiring cycle. He climbed the minor league ranks before joining the Giants coaching staff and then spending the past two seasons on Vogt’s staff in Cleveland, an experience he considers the best he has had in baseball. 

Through those various stops, he feels that he gained a grasp on the most important part of his new job. 

“It’s people,” Albernaz told me. “At the end of the day, you’re a manager of people. That’s something that’s never going to change in this game, that people still play. Front-office members don’t play. Coaches don’t play. The players play. And for a big-league manager, for anyone, even a coach, you have to be a connector of people.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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DODGER STADIUM (Los Angeles, CA) — Nearly 2,800 miles away from Queens, the sound of trumpets will soon fill Dodger Stadium. 

Entering this winter, adding the best closer on the market didn’t seem like the most realistic avenue for the Dodgers to address their most glaring area of need. They knew they needed to add to the bullpen, but they sought shorter-term deals, particularly after the first year of Tanner Scott’s four-year, $72 million deal went awry. 

Edwin Diaz, one of the best closers in the sport over the past decade, figured to command at least four or five years entering his age-32 season after opting out of the final two years of a record five-year, $102 million contract with the Mets. Plus, most in the industry expected Díaz to return to the Mets, one of the few teams capable of operating in the same financial hemisphere as the reigning champions. 

And yet…

“You don’t know how things are going to play out and what ultimately is reported versus what the player is comfortable with and where he wants to be,” said Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes. “You don’t always know. It’s why you put in the work along the way.”

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So the Dodgers did, checking in on the reigning National League Reliever of the Year as the closer market was thinning. The Mets had already signed Devin Williams. Ryan Helsley went to the Orioles. Raisel Iglesias returned to the Braves. The Dodgers expressed to Díaz’s representation how much they valued him. 

“It was more like, ‘Hey, we’re here if something makes sense, and we’d love to have you join our group,’” Gomes recalled. 

As it turned out, there was mutual interest. 

“That’s why you shouldn’t play the game of assumptions and just do the due diligence on the front end, and sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t,” Gomes told me. “But having those conversations and making sure you’re doing the work that’s needed to really understand the situation is important, especially when you see situations like this play out.”

Over the last week, discussions between the Dodgers and Díaz intensified. Los Angeles offered three years and $69 million. It wasn’t the length of contract many expected Diaz to receive, but it was the highest average annual salary ever given to a reliever. 

And it was enough for Diaz to make the surprising choice to leave the Mets, where he had spent the last seven years. 

“It wasn’t easy,” Díaz said at his introductory press conference Friday. “They treat me really good. They treat me great. I chose the Dodgers because they’re a winning organization. I’m looking to win. I think they have everything to win, so picking the Dodgers was pretty easy.” 

It didn’t hurt that the Dodgers had a couple voices in their corner. 

Kiké Hernandez, a fellow native of Puerto Rico, and Díaz’s brother, Alexis, both vouched for the organization before the three-time All-Star closer made his decision. 

“I heard great things about this clubhouse,” Díaz said. “My brother played here, he told me great things about the Dodger clubhouse. They treat every single player the same. That’s something really nice. I know they have a lot of great players, future Hall of Famers here. I heard they treat the young guys like they’re the same guys.”

Díaz believes that aspect is crucial to a winning clubhouse, and it worked in favor of the Dodgers, who now have their most elite ninth-inning option since Kenley Jansen departed four years ago. 

Jansen recorded 38 saves in his final season with the Dodgers in 2021 and saved at least 30 games in each of his final seven full seasons in Los Angeles. The Dodgers, despite winning 111 games in 2022, 100 games in 2023, 98 games in 2024 and 93 games in 2025, have not had a closer with even 25 saves since Jansen’s departure. 

Last season, Scott led the club with 23 saves, but he had a 4.74 ERA and was ultimately a non-factor in October. 

There will be no closer by committee in 2026. 

“We have a high bar,” said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. “To name someone the closer, you have to be one of the best.”

Díaz, who’s coming off an All-Star 2025 season in which he led all qualified NL relievers with a 1.63 ERA and ranked second among all MLB relievers in strikeout rate, fits the bill. 

He won’t be taking his usual No. 39 to Los Angeles — that number is retired for Roy Campanella — and is instead switching to No. 3 in honor of his three kids. 

But he will be taking one of the most electric walk-out songs in the game. 

Díaz said he can’t wait for Timmy Trumpet to get a new crowd going as he enters in the ninth. 

“Now, we are in a new family,” Díaz said. “We’re with the Dodgers. I came here to win.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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The Braves already brought back closer Raisel Iglesias this winter. Now, they’ll pair him with the reigning National League saves leader. 

Robert Suarez will be leaving San Diego, where he was an All-Star twice in four big-league seasons, for Atlanta after agreeing to a three-year, $45 million deal with a Braves team attempting to rebound from a fourth-place finish in 2025. 

Suarez led the NL with 40 saves last season and had a major league-leading 76 saves over the last two years with the Padres, though it sounds like he will serve in a setup role in front of Iglesias in 2026. Iglesias returned on a one-year deal, so it’s possible Suarez transitions to the closer role for the final two years of his deal. 

In a disaster 2025 season, the bullpen was among the litany of problems for the Braves. Their relievers ranked 19th in both ERA and strikeouts in MLB. Now, they’ll have one of the most talented late-innings duos in the sport. Suarez brings the heat. His four-seamer averaged 98.6 mph, and opponents hit .155 with 52 strikeouts against the pitch in 2025. 

It’s the latest chapter in an incredible rise for Suarez, who didn’t make his MLB debut until his age 31 season in San Diego in 2022 after spending the majority of his professional career playing in Mexico and Japan. He’s in his mid-30s now — he will turn 35 in March — and he logged the highest hard-hit rate of his career in 2025, but he also produced his highest strikeout rate in three years. 

What’s Next For the Closer Market

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While it took a while for the top of the position player market to heat up, relievers have flown off the board early in free agency. 

Suarez’s market picked up steam after Edwin Diaz joined the Dodgers on a three-year, $69 million deal earlier this week. Now, with Díaz, Suarez, Iglesias, Devin Williams (Mets) and Ryan Helsley (Orioles) all off the board, the top of the relief market is mostly tapped out. 

Expect Pete Fairbanks, Luke Weaver and Brad Keller to draw plenty of interest. Kenley Jansen and Seranthony Dominguez are among the other top relievers also available. The Blue Jays, Mets, Yankees, Rangers and Diamondbacks are among the many contenders who could still use bullpen help. 

What’s Next For the Braves

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In November, the Braves declined options on Pierce Johnson, who had a 3.05 ERA and threw the third-most relief innings on their team last year, and Tyler Kinley, who was 5-0 with a 0.72 ERA.

A month later, that bullpen suddenly looks a lot more formidable. 

Atlanta has been busy since the end of the winter meetings. The addition of Mike Yastrzemski bolsters an outfield that already included Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II and Jurickson Profar. Now with Suarez signed, the Braves’ attention should turn to the rotation, which could use another reliable arm after the club’s litany of health issues on the pitching staff in 2025. But after a year in which seemingly everything went wrong in Atlanta, it’s becoming increasingly easier to envision a return to prominence if the Braves can get a couple bounceback seasons. 

What’s Next For the Padres

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Suarez is going to Atlanta, Dylan Cease is a Blue Jay, Michael King is a free agent and Yu Darvish is set to miss the 2026 season after elbow surgery. Nick Pivetta is set to lead the rotation coming off his most productive big-league season, but the Padres have a lot of work ahead to remake the pitching staff even with Joe Musgrove returning from Tommy John surgery.

They’re leaning toward keeping Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon in the bullpen, so the relief unit should remain among the best in baseball even after Suarez’s departure. But that only furthers the need for more starting pitching. 

How the Padres attempt to add there will be interesting. There should be at least some financial space to work with after all the free-agent departures, but with ownership exploring a potential sale, most of A.J. Preller’s work improving the roster might have to come via trade. Exploring that market is typically not a problem for him, though the Padres’ farm system has been depleted by acquisitions in recent years. That could necessitate a trade of a player off the big-league roster to bring in multiple pieces. 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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ORLANDO, Fla. – In the latest shake-up to the Mets’ core, the club’s all-time home run leader is bound for Baltimore. 

Just one day after losing longtime closer Edwin Díaz to the Dodgers in free agency, and weeks after trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers, Pete Alonso is the latest franchise icon to depart from Queens this winter after agreeing to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles that will give him the highest average annual value ever for a first baseman in free agency. 

A year ago, Alonso was unable to secure the long-term deal he coveted coming off a down year by his standards. He settled for a two-year, $54 million contract that included an opt-out, which he exercised this winter after raising all of his slash-line numbers in 2025, hitting 44% above league average and passing Daryl Strawberry to become the franchise’s home run leader. 

Alonso, who was drafted by the Mets in the second round in 2016 and was an All-Star five times in his seven years in Queens, finished his Mets tenure with 264 home runs. He was the best power bat on the market after Kyle Schwarber returned to the Phillies on Tuesday on a five-year, $150 million deal. Clearly, Schwarber’s contract was a catalyst for Alonso’s market, as the new Orioles first baseman signed for $5 million more. 

What’s next for Alonso

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It was worth the wait. 

The market isn’t always kind to players with Alonso’s profile, and that’s how it played out last winter after he slashed .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs. A bounceback season, during which Alonso lowered his strikeout rate, recorded a career-high .272 batting average and hit 38 home runs, enticed an Orioles club looking to rebound from a last-place finish. 

Alonso, who has the fourth-most home runs in MLB over the last five seasons, recorded the highest hard-hit rate and average exit velocity of his career in 2025, and he was rewarded with the long-term deal he sought. 

The limitations in Alonso’s game are obvious: He offers little defensively at first base and is a poor baserunner, but that’s not why the Orioles took this chance. He remains one of the premier power bats in the game, and he joins an Orioles club that ranked 19th in slugging percentage and 21st in OPS last year. Alonso had an .871 OPS in 2025, nearly 100 points higher than the best qualified hitter in the Orioles’ lineup (Gunnar Henderson led Baltimore with a .787 OPS). 

It doesn’t hurt that Baltimore just moved its left-field wall back in, either. According to Statcast, Alonso would have hit 45 home runs in 2025 if he played all of his games at Camden Yards (he finished the year with 38). If he continues to rake, the Orioles will live with the rest. 

What’s next for the Mets

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Much like a season ago, the Mets were not willing to give Alonso the long-term offer he sought. And so, the winter of change continues in Queens, leaving an already distressed fanbase wondering what president of baseball operations David Stearns has cooking coming off a highly disappointing 2025 season. 

There’s a ton of work for Stearns to do. The addition of Devin Williams won’t erase the pain of Díaz’s departure, and Alonso had the highest batting average and second-highest slugging percentage and OPS on the club. 

Obviously, a lot of time remains for Stearns to fill the voids, whether by trade or free agency. But the losses have far outweighed the gains thus far. They need a frontline starter and more pop in the lineup. Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez and Tatsuya Imai are all available. So are Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette, Munetaka Murakami and Eugenio Suárez. 

It’s time for the Mets to get to work. 

What’s next for the Orioles 

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After a stunning 75-87 season and fifth-place finish in the AL East, the Orioles are spending what it takes to finally turn their young core of talents into a winner. 

With Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward joining Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, Adley Rutschman and company, this could now be one of the most dangerous lineups in MLB. The addition of Alonso helps balance a left-handed-heavy lineup that ranked 11th in home runs last year and also takes a first-base slugger off the board for the rival Red Sox, who are in the market for one. 

Starting pitching is the clear need now. The Orioles could still use a frontline arm to pair with Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish, whether through trade or free agency. But the lineup should have them in a much better position to contend. 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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ORLANDO, Fla. – The Dodgers are always lurking. 

A year after their exorbitant bullpen expenditures backfired, forcing them to use a bevy of starters in relief on the road to their second straight World Series title, the reigning champions are spending at the top of the bullpen market again to address their biggest weakness. 

After downplaying their need to make a splash this winter, the Dodgers made one anyway on Tuesday in the latest example of their financial might as they lured three-time All-Star Edwin Díaz away from the Mets on a three-year, $69 million deal that gave them the top closer on the market for the second straight winter. 

“We are in a really strong position right now financially, and our ownership group has been incredibly supportive of pouring that back into our team and that partnership with our fans,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at the MLB’s Winter Meetings. “If we were on a really tight budget, we probably wouldn’t allocate in the same way. But having more resources allows us to be a little bit more aggressive on that point.”

There were scenarios, Friedman said, in which the Dodgers didn’t end up with a top-end reliever this offseason. They were seeking shorter-term deals, more in line with the way they had constructed their bullpens in previous seasons before lavishing a four-year, $72 million contract to Tanner Scott last offseason. 

The first year of that deal was a disaster. 

Scott recorded a 4.74 ERA and did not throw a pitch in the postseason. Kirby Yates, the other major relief acquisition the Dodgers made last winter on the free-agent market, had a 5.23 ERA and also did not appear in a postseason game. The Dodgers’ bullpen finished the year ranked 21st in ERA and threatened to be their downfall. By getting creative with their starters, they still triumphed in October, but the bullpen emerged as the Dodgers’ most glaring area of need entering this winter. 

They did not want to make another long-term commitment at a position prone to volatility, and they were going to be selective about the relievers they targeted. The options started dwindling quickly, as Devin Williams went to the Mets, Ryan Helsley went to the Orioles and Raisel Iglesias returned to the Braves. 

To the surprise of many, especially after Díaz opted out of the final two years of a record five-year, $102 million contract he signed with the Mets after the 2022 season, the Dodgers were able to get the deal done for one of the best closers in baseball without having to go to a fourth or fifth year. It certainly didn’t hurt that Edwin’s brother, Alexis Diáz, pitched for the Dodgers last season and passed along rave reviews about the team’s ability to communicate. 

“Obviously last year our pen performance was well below expectations,” Friedman said. “Still very surprising to us on a number of fronts. We feel like the group that we have coming back will be way better and the pen will be a real strength. That being said, adding to it is always helpful.” 

In a stunning move, the Dodgers took the top closer from one of the only teams capable of challenging their economic prowess. As the Mets now scramble to save their offseason, the Dodgers march forward seemingly undeterred by their enormous tax payments or the penalties that come with signing a player with a qualified offer attached. They will lose their second and fifth-highest draft picks in 2026, plus $1 million in international bonus pool money for signing Díaz, whose deal will set a reliever record for average annual value. 

And yet, they might not be done adding more elite talent either at the top of the free-agent market or via trade. 

When you’re the first team to repeat as World Series champions in 25 years, when you enjoy the financial benefits that come with employing the most popular international player in the sport, when you have one of the most robust farm systems in the sport and when you’re trying to maximize the window of a dynasty, you can afford to push the envelope further than expected. 

“We’re going to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to win a World Series,” Friedman reiterated. 

The signing of Díaz, who gives them a definitive ninth-inning answer after last season’s bullpen calamity, moves them one step closer to that goal and serves as a reminder that even when they don’t plan to spend aggressively, the Dodgers’ financial limitations are boundless. 

They are always lurking, ready to pounce. 

Other Dodgers notes from the winter meetings:  

• General manager Brandon Gomes said it “doesn’t feel likely” that the Dodgers will trade off of their MLB roster to acquire talent. In regards specifically to Teoscar Hernández, whose name has been brought up in trade speculation: “That’s not something we anticipate at all.”
• Manager Dave Roberts believes last year was “an outlier year” for Scott, and he said the reliever was dealing with some physical issues he kept under wraps: “He never felt right all year.”
• The Dodgers are also expecting a bounce back at the plate from Mookie Betts, who will be their shortstop again in 2026. After losing weight from an illness early last season and handling the rigors of a full-time move to short, the Dodgers believe his bat will return to form with more bandwidth to focus on in his swing.
• On the possibility of retaining Kiké Hernández: “We’ll never shut the door on Kiké,” Friedman said.
• Tommy Edman could be delayed at the start of spring after undergoing ankle surgery, but he is expected to be ready by the start of the season. The Dodgers could now turn their focus to bolstering the outfield.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — On Monday afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed confidence in the Dodgers’ roster as constructed and insisted “there’s really no big splash” the team needed to make. 

But he also left the door open. 

“I think that getting a high-leverage reliever is never a bad thing,” Roberts said. 

Less than twenty-four hours later, and for the second straight winter, the top closer on the market is bound for Los Angeles as longtime Mets closer Edwin Díaz agreed to a three-year, $69 million deal with the reigning champions. 

By offering Díaz the highest average annual value ever for a reliever, the Dodgers managed to fill their most obvious need and secure one of the game’s most overpowering late-inning arms without needing to offer a fourth or fifth year. Last year, the Dodgers signed Tanner Scott for four years and $72 million. 

Díaz has been one of the game’s most dominant closers for most of the last decade. He was an All-Star in his final season in Seattle in 2018, when he saved 57 games for the Mariners, before getting traded to the Mets in 2019. Díaz enjoyed his best year in Queens in an All-Star 2022 season before suffering a devastating knee injury in the World Baseball Classic that wiped out his 2023 season. 

Another year removed from that injury, Diaz was an All-Star for the third time in his career in 2025. His 1.63 ERA led all qualified National League relievers, and while his velocity and whiff rates weren’t what they were prior to his injury, he still ranked second among all MLB relievers in strikeout rate and remains among the game’s elite ninth-inning options.

What’s Next For the Dodgers

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The Dodgers seemed content to exercise more constraint and be more selective this winter after another offseason spending spree helped them to a second straight World Series title. 

“We’ve been very aggressive the last couple offseasons,” general manager Brandon Gomes said Monday at the winter meetings. “There’s not as many clear paths to make the team meaningfully better.”

With Díaz, though, they clearly found a path. 

“If there’s something that we need to do that’s aggressive, we feel like it makes sense for us, then obviously we’ll do it,” Gomes said. 

The Dodgers now have more late-inning stability after a poor start to Scott’s four-year, $72 million deal began poorly. Scott had a 4.74 ERA and did not appear during the Dodgers’ postseason run, but Roberts said Scott “never felt right all year” physically and expressed confidence in a bounceback. 

The Dodgers could continue finding more pieces to fill out the bullpen or shift their attention to the outfield. A reunion with Cody Bellinger would still make sense, but the trade market could also reap rewards and help their aging roster get younger. 

Gomes said Monday “it doesn’t feel likely” that the Dodgers will trade off of their big-league roster to acquire more help. In regards to rumors of potentially trading Teoscar Hernandez, specifically: “That’s not something we anticipate at all.” 

What’s Next For the Mets

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They need to get to work quickly. 

A year ago, the Mets poached the clear-cut top free agent from the Yankees. This winter, they’ve yet to sign any of the top free agents and have now lost their best closer to the reigning champs.

They did add Devin Williams, which helps ease the pain of losing Díaz maybe ever so slightly, but there’s a ton of work ahead for David Stearns and the Mets to build a better roster this year after a stunningly disappointing end to the 2025 season. 

They could go a lot of directions in an effort to do that, and most of the top free agents remain on the board even after Díaz departed to the Dodgers and Kyle Schwarber returned to the Phillies. Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Cody Bellinger and Pete Alonso are all still available to add pop to the lineup. Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Tatsuya Imai and Michael King are all among the top starters available, and the Mets could use another frontline arm, be it in free agency or on the trade market. 

Time is ticking. 

What’s Next For the Closer Market

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Much like it was as the deadline, this has been one of the most active position groups early in free agency. 

With Díaz now with the Dodgers, Williams going to the Mets, Ryan Helsley signing with the Orioles and Raisel Iglesias returning to the Braves, the clear top relief arm still on the board is Robert Suarez, who led the National League with 40 saves last year in San Diego. 

Luke Weaver, Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, Brad Keller and Seranthony Dominguez are among the many other options. 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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Boston’s rotation already featured an ace who had finished second this year in American League Cy Young Award voting. Now, the Red Sox have added another former AL Cy Young runner-up to pair with Garrett Crochet. 

The Red Sox bolstered their rotation a week ahead of the winter meetings by acquiring veteran right-hander Sonny Gray from the Cardinals on Tuesday. In return, a rebuilding St. Louis club under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom will receive one of Boston’s top pitching prospects in 2024 fifth-round pick Brandon Clarke and an MLB-ready rotation depth piece in Richard Fitts. 

Gray is a couple of years removed from a 2023 All-Star season in Minnesota in which he tallied a 2.79 ERA and finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting. His ERA has ascended since then in his two years in St. Louis — 3.84 in 2024, 4.28 in 2025 — but the durable 36-year-old is coming off back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons and an NL-best 5.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2025. 

Here’s what’s next after Gray’s departure for Boston: 

What’s next for the Red Sox

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Boston employs one of MLB’s most talented arms in Crochet, but the Red Sox needed another pitcher they could reliably give the ball to in a playoff game. Gray, who has a 3.26 ERA in six career playoff starts, fits the bill. He should now slot in as the team’s No. 2 starter. 

He won’t cost the Red Sox the full amount he was due — St. Louis is also sending $20 million to Boston to help offset Gray’s salary — so this opportunity makes a lot of sense for a Red Sox team that needed more stability in the rotation as it attempts to build on its first playoff appearance since 2021. 

The Red Sox have some high-upside depth options to round out the rotation even beyond 26-year-old Brayan Bello, who had a 3.35 ERA in 2025. Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are both expected back in 2026 after missing last year to injury, and 23-year-old prospects Connelly Early and Payton Tolle could compete with 24-year-old Kyle Harrison for a starting role. This should just be the start, though, as there is still work to do in bolstering the bullpen and adding another impact bat with third baseman Alex Bregman now a free agent. 

What’s next for the Cardinals

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Could veteran slugger Nolan Arenado (finally) be next to go? This is Bloom’s first trade of note as he attempts to chart a new path forward for a Cardinals team that has been stuck in neutral, missing the playoffs each of the last three years and making it no further than the wild-card round over the past six years. 

The Cardinals might still be good enough to field a competitive roster in 2026 — they’ve hovered close to .500 each of the last two years — but the immediate future seems to be centered on figuring out which young players (and especially which young arms) could be part of the next great St. Louis team. 

Clarke, 22, is a longer-term play and will be worth keeping an eye on as the Cardinals try to improve their player development under new leadership. The left-hander brings high-90s velocity and a wipeout slider that give him a high ceiling, but the development of his arsenal and control could determine whether he’ll be an MLB-caliber starter or a potential bullpen weapon down the line. He struck out 43 batters in 28.1 innings at High-A Greenville last year, but he also surrendered 25 free passes. 

Fitts, who made 10 starts for Boston in 2025, gives St. Louis some necessary rotation depth after losing Gray. The Cardinals will see if 26-year-old Matthew Liberatore and 25-year-old Michael McGreevy, both starters in last year’s rotation, can take a step forward. They have other young depth pieces who could get an opportunity, but they will likely need to add at least one more experienced arm. 

What’s next for Gray

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Gray waived his no-trade clause for the chance to play for a winner in Boston. He was going to make $35 million in 2026 in the final season of a backloaded three-year, $75 million deal in St. Louis, and his original contract had a team option for $30 million in 2027. Now, that deal is reportedly being reworked. He’ll make $31 million next year with a mutual buyout option of $10 million. (Mutual options rarely get exercised, so he’s likely to make $41 million in 2026.) A slightly better payday, and a better chance to get back to the postseason for the first time in three years, had to be enticing. 

While Gray is not the same standout he was in Minnesota, he’s still plenty productive. He had a career-high whiff rate in 2024 and set career-best marks in K/BB, walk rate and chase rate in 2025. His sweeper remains a weapon — opponents hit .150 with 111 strikeouts against the pitch — which is all the more important as the velocity on his low-90s fastball wanes. His plus control and secondary offerings should allow him to remain an effective starter as he enters his late-30s, and his ability to eat up innings will take pressure off Crochet to shoulder the load. 

What’s next in the starting pitching market?

With Gray going to the Red Sox and Grayson Rodriguez going to the Angels, we’ve already seen some early action in the starting pitching market. And yet, all the top free-agent starters remain available. Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Zac Gallen and Japanese standout Tatsuya Imai are among the top options for the many playoff-caliber teams searching for impact arms. 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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Coming off hernia surgery, Gleyber Torres is expected to be ready for spring training. It must mean the Tigers feel good enough about the second baseman’s recovery to make him the second-highest paid player for the upcoming season behind All-Star slugger Javier Baez.

Coming off a disappointing year with the Yankees in 2024, Torres made a bet on himself when he took a one-year, $15 million deal with the Tigers in 2025 and became an All-Star for the first time in six years. It wasn’t quite the pillow contract the veteran second baseman might have envisioned, but it did lead to a considerable raise in 2026 after Torres accepted Detroit’s one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer this month.

Had he hit down the stretch the way after tallying an .812 OPS at the break, he might have had more long-term offers awaiting him. But a hernia injury impacted his production the rest of the way. He slashed .223/.320/.339 in the second half, and by year’s end, Torres was again just a slightly above league-average hitter. 

But he registered the highest on-base percentage (.358) of his career, and he demonstrated elite plate discipline. Torres had the second-lowest chase rate and 11th-highest walk rate among all qualified MLB players, and his underlying numbers suggested some unluckiness. 

Here’s what’s next after Torres’ new deal:

What’s next for the Tigers?

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Detroit was considerably better offensively overall in 2025 than the year prior, but the Tigers’ lineup struggled down the stretch and still ranked outside the top 10 in every major category other than home runs. Which is to say, bringing back Torres is an important move — they needed at least one right-handed bat — but it shouldn’t preclude them from seeking upgrades at other infield spots. The Tigers were reportedly interested in Alex Bregman when he was available last offseason, and now they have a second chance to reel him in. That’s the kind of impact bat they should be seeking if they have dreams of getting beyond the Division Series. 

The team’s third basemen ranked in the bottom 10 in MLB in both fWAR and OPS last year. Their shortstops also hit well below league average as a group. With Torres back, Colt Keith would seemingly be the answer at third base. Top prospect Kevin McGonigle, who has the ability to play multiple infield spots, could also factor into the mix at some point next season. The Tigers could choose to see what their young infielders can do and instead focus on adding pitching. 

The big question this winter: Could they actually trade Tarik Skubal? This is the last year under team control for the back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner. It would be shocking to see them move him — they could already use more starting pitching, as is — but if they don’t think they can keep him long term, it will be a point of discussion throughout the winter. They could at least listen to offers. 

What’s next for Torres?

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If Torres can hit the way he did in the first half last year over the course of a full season, perhaps the long-term deal he’s been waiting for will come. He can’t be given the qualifying offer again, so there might be a more robust free-agent market for him in the future if his 2026 season goes well. 

As previously noted, his quality of contact and underlying numbers were notably better this year in Detroit. He increased his hard-hit and barrel rates while lowering his strikeout rate, and his expected slugging percentage was 66 points higher than what he actually slugged. 

He’s still in his 20s, too, so if he can return healthy from his hernia injury, there are reasons to believe his second season in Detroit could be better than his first. Torres doesn’t offer much with his glove or his speed, so it’s vital that he produces with his bat. 

What’s next at the top of the second base market?  

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Torres and Jorge Polanco were largely considered the top second basemen on the market (unless Bo Bichette is willing to shift off shortstop with the Blue Jays or his next team), so teams looking for a bat-first player at the position might now shift their attention to Polanco. The Mariners have interest in bringing him back again after he bounced back from an injury-plagued 2024 season in Seattle to register the highest slugging percentage (.495) and wRC+ (132) among all qualified second basemen in the American League in 2025 (though it’s worth noting he spent most of his time at DH). 

For teams looking to increase their contact skills at second base, perhaps Luis Arraez will be an option after he spent most of his time at first in San Diego. Given his singular hitting profile, he’s a fascinating free agent to watch this winter. Teams seeking a more affordable utility option could look to Willi Castro. 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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