Free Agency Refresh Vol. 4

Derek LienBy:Derek Lien Posted on

It’s been a bit longer than anticipated to get this volume out to everyone, and we certainly have plenty to catch up on when it comes to MLB Free Agency. Several of the key names have signed, though two major targets still remain available as we are one week away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman, both represented by Scott Boras, remain unsigned and unlikely to return to their longtime teams at this point. The Mets have definitely made a splash this offseason, acquiring the top free agent in Juan Soto, along with several prominent players including Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, Jesse Winker, and Sean Manaea. The Astros, on the other hand, have seen more talent leave Houston rather than join the space city franchise.

The Astros did sign Christian Walker to bolster their offense, though they’ve lost Justin Verlander (Giants), Yusei Kikuchi (Angels) and (potentially) Alex Bregman. They’ve also parted ways with All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and relief pitcher Ryan Pressly, both via trades with the Chicago Cubs. In return for Kyle Tucker, the Astros recieved Isaac Paredes who is expected to be the everday third baseman (barring any new developments on a potential Bregman return). To further identify the impact these departures might have on the Astros, there are 16 total All Star appearances, 3 Cy Young Awards, 1 MVP and 1 Rookie of the Year awards combined among those who have left Houston. Seems the AL West title is most certainly up for grabs in the 2025 season.

Other free agents to ink new deals this past month include Corbin Burnes (Diamondbacks), Anthony Santander (Blue Jays), Jack Flaherty (Tigers), Roki Sasaki (Dodgers), Teoscar Hernandez (Dodgers), Tanner Scott (Dodgers) and Kirby Yates (Dodgers). If you’re noticing a trend, you’re not alone. Chances are, at this point you’re well aware that the Dodgers are purchasing the contracts of nearly every free agent on the market. Most in the industry linked star Japanese prospect, Roki Sasaki, to the Dodgers immediately upon word that he would be posted this offseason. While teams like Texas, Toronto, San Diego, Chicago Cubs and Yankees had meetings with Sasaki, the Japanese star power in Los Angeles proved to be ultimate selling point for the young right-handed phenom.

This offseason has truly been a storyline of the rich getting richer, and the poor staying poor. But don’t tell that to the Athletics who have done plenty this offseason to reclaim some competive edge entering the 2025 season. The Athletics will find themselves in a new ballpark in 2025, and they’ll be adding roughly $50M to their payroll along the way.
The largest component to their spending is their record deal with Luis Severino ($20M in 2025), along with $10M additions in Jeffery Springs and Jose Leclerc. The’ve also added Giovanni Urshela and T.J. McFarland (approx. $2M each) along with a 5-year extension for star slugger, Brent Rooker. Rooker was one of the hottest trade target names during the 2024 season, but now finds himself (likely) staying with the Athletics after earning a $60M raise this offseason.

As for the rich, a.k.a. the Los Angeles Dodgers, adding star players like Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Teoscar Hernandez and Roki Sasaki to an already loaded lineup seems to be unfair. Not to mention their prior acquisitions this offseason of Blake Snell and Blake Treinen. Fans of baseball all over the country have been vocal about their feelings towards the Dodgers this offseason, many of whom would like to see a Salary Cap implemented in baseball to limit teams from acquiring such talent. Personally, I love that baseball stays away from the Salary Cap, and feel that the Luxury Tax serves a similar purpose to limit overall spending across the league. When negotiations begin for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2026, I do hope that teams are no longer allowed to defer contracts and must pay them out over the length of the deal. The Dodgers currently have over $1.1 BILLION in deferrments, something that needs to be addressed for the health and future of the game (in my opinion).

Now let’s talk about the Rangers. For starters, they recently announced their largest free agent acquisition in the form of the Rangers Sports Network. The new RSN will allow fans everywhere to have access to Texas Rangers baseball which has been a glaring issue for the team over the past few seasons. More importantly, the new RSN will be handled internally, potentially increasing their revenue sources beyond the contract agreements of past with Bally Sports ($100M/annually). Rangers fans can access games via the RSN over the air, as well as via streaming with the new partnership between the Rangers and Victory+. Being a fan who resides in the upper midwest and out of the regional viewing area, most of this doesn’t affect my viewing ability. Nonetheless, don’t be fooled in thinking this is anyting but a game changer for the Rangers. If you still have questions lingering about your viewing options for this upcoming season, check out Heath’s article outlining your options for 2025 and beyond.

As a first glimpse into what the broadcast quality might look like, the Rangers recently released a series of videos from Fan Fest on their Youtube page. I’ll like a couple fun interviews below, but do yourself a favor and give those a listen!

Additionally, the Rangers made their signing of Joc Pederson official, adding a much-needed power bat to the middle of their lineup. Pederson has already become somewhat of a fan favorite due to his comments about taking over the AL West at his press conference, and will no doubt be a major clubhouse presence that the Rangers were desperately missing last season.

The Rangers also signed a plethora of international prospects during the International Signing Period. For the full list of players joining the organization, check out our story posted last month.

As it stands today, the Rangers are five days away from Pitchers and Catchers reporting and the optimism for this team’s success couldn’t be higher. The Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm (PECOTA) projections were released earlier this week and the Rangers had the 5th-best odds to win the World Series. PECOTA currently projects the Rangers to finish 1st in the AL West with a 89-73 record, with a 45.4% chance at winning the division. The Rangers odds of winning the World Series currently sit at 7.4%, matching the odds of the Chicago Cubs, and trailing the New York Yankees (7.6%), Atlanta Braves (8.1%) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (21.9%). Time will tell, but the current state of the AL West appears to be prime conditions for the Rangers to take full control and return to the postseason. If Jacob deGrom can stay healthy, along with the likes of Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle, Evan Carter, Josh Jung, Adolis Garcia (you see where I’m going here), the Rangers are certainly one of the most dangerous teams in the MLB for 2025.

Even if they don’t add a proven closer before March 27th, I’ll take this team over anyone else in the AL West.

025 FREE AGENT STATUS (AS OF 2/5/2025):
Player – Position – Age (Projected Annual Market Value *Based on Spotrac Estimate* -or- New Contract Details)

Bold Identifies FA Who Have Signed With New Team

Derek Lien

Die-hard Rangers fan from the Upper Midwest. Growing up in an area with no professional sports teams, you have to look elsewhere for your fandom...lucky for me I found the Rangers!

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