Arenado trade? Consequences of the Yankees' Soto contract

Juan Soto agreed to the largest contract in sports history to open Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, but there should be plenty of hot games in the coming days at the annual event in Dallas.

Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets on Sunday night surpassed the $700 million deal Shohei Ohtani signed last winter and could well tip the balance of power behind the World Series champion Dodgers in the National League postponed.

The trade market continues to take shape at the Winter Meetings, with Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet among the top players expected to be traded before the start of the 2025 season.

Here’s all the news from Monday’s Winter Meetings:

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is “proud” of the effort to sign Juan Soto

“We entered the process in free agency and as a result have reached heights that I never expected,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said at the winter meetings on Monday. “Hal Steinbrenner really tried hard to find a way to keep Juan Soto, and so I’m definitely proud of his efforts.”

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The Yankees were unable to bring back the superstar outfielder who helped them reach the World Series in 2024, as their 16-year, $760 million offer fell short of the $15 and $765 million Mets remained behind.

“The Cardinals Intend to Attempt to Trade Nolan Arenado”.

Speaking to reporters at the Winter Meetings on Monday, Cardinals president John Mozeliak confirmed that the club would like to sign eight-time All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado.

“It is my intention to try,” Mozeliak told reporters on Monday.

The 33-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career, hitting just 16 home runs with 71 RBI and a .719 OPS in 152 games. Arenado, the 10-time Gold Glove winner, is due $74 million over the next three seasons – $10 million of which the Rockies will pick up as part of the 2021 deal that sent him to St. Louis.

Kyle Tucker trade? Astros will “listen to everyone”

Houston outfielder Kyle Tucker will be one of the top free agents in baseball after the 2025 season, and while the Astros aren’t actively looking to move the 27-year-old, the organization is open to offers.

“We listen to everyone. “We’re not trying to aggressively push anyone out the door,” Astros GM Dana Brown told reporters. “If it didn’t make sense, we wouldn’t do it.”

Since becoming an everyday player in 2021, Tucker has been one of baseball’s best players, averaging 35 home runs and 25 steals per 162 games with an .888 OPS over the past four seasons. In 2025, Tucker is expected to earn around $16 million. Due to injury, Tucker was only able to play in 78 games that season, but still managed 23 home runs with an OPS of .993.

Tucker was set to secure a $300 million (400?) contract next winter, and it’s hard to imagine the Astros putting up that much money, so locking him into a blockbuster deal could be a smart move . However, the Astros are contenders and it would be difficult to trade one of their best players.

Alex Bregman is a hot commodity with Soto off the field

With Juan Soto no longer available, Alex Bregman becomes the best hitter on the free agent market.

“Alex is a good player, man. He is a complete player. “He’s a player who has been on winning teams his entire career,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday at the Winter Meetings.

“Good defender. He’s really good offensively. He’s a guy that a lot of people are talking about and I really believe he can have an impact on a big league team, a championship caliber team. He’s that type of player.”

Jordan Romano to Phillies

DALLAS – The Philadelphia Phillies, whose bullpen let them down again in the postseason, hope they have solved their Achilles’ heel by agreeing to a one-year, $7.75 million contract with free agent All-American on Monday at the Winter Meetings. Star closer Jordan Romano agreed.

Romano was one of the best closers in baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2021 to 2023 before missing the final four months of the season with an elbow injury. He required arthroscopic surgery for elbow impingement. The Blue Jays non-tendered him last month, making him a free agent.

Romano, 31, saved 95 games and struck out 230 batters with a 2.37 ERA from 2021-23, with the highest WAR among all relievers during that span.

– Bob Nightengale

Tigers and veteran Alex Cobb agree to a one-year deal

DALLAS – The Detroit Tigers have added a starting pitcher.

The Tigers signed right-hander Alex Cobb, an All-Star in 2023, to a one-year deal in MLB free agency, according to a source familiar with the agreement. The two sides reached an agreement on Monday, the first day of MLB’s winter meetings, but the deal is pending a physical.

Cobb, 37, posted a 2.76 ERA with three walks and 10 strikeouts over 16⅓ innings in three starts for the Cleveland Guardians during the 2024 season. He missed most of the season due to left hip surgery and a right shoulder injury.

– Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press

Cubs announce Matthew Boyd deal

Yankees rumors after Juan Soto news

No need to sugarcoat it: This is devastating for the Yankees.

Soto and Aaron Judge formed one of the greatest middle-order duos in major league history. They combined for 99 home runs (speaking of which) and, along with Giancarlo Stanton, ensured the Bronx Bombers were once again a formidable presence and led the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009.

What now?

The answers are all suboptimal to some extent. The Yankees can look to improve their performance and make much-needed improvements by signing Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso or Christian Walker, with the first two options likely costing over $200 million.

However, all three are right-handed, which would greatly imbalance the lineup around Judge. Here’s where a trade for Cody Bellinger makes so much sense: They could probably import the left-hitting, athletically elite first baseman/outfielder from the Cubs for not much more than acquiring the potential $52.5 million that Bellinger will receive this year and next year (he has). a player option for 2026).

– Gabe Lacques

Remaining top MLB free agents

Juan Soto and Blake Snell, the top two players in USA TODAY Sports’ 2024-25 free agent rankings, are now off the table, but there is still elite talent on the market that is expected to be big deals make.

Here are the top 10 players still on the market:

SP Corbin Burnes
3B Alex Bregman
1B Pete Alonso
SP Max Fried
BY Teoscar Hernández
BY Anthony Santander
INF Gleyber Torres
SP Nathan Eovaldi
SP Jack Flaherty
RP Tanner Scott

Juan Soto contract is “the most important transaction the Mets have ever made”

Longtime New York Mets announcer Gary Cohen told SNY late Sunday that Juan Soto’s record-breaking, 15-year, $765 million contract is “the largest and most important transaction the Mets have ever made.”

“The only one that’s even in the same direction is the trade for Mike Piazza in 1998.

“The Mets have never delved deeper into the free agent market in terms of the caliber of players and youth. The closest thing would be signing Carlos Beltran (seven years, $119 million after the 2004 season). “

With the team coming off an NLCS appearance, Cohen said Soto “completely changes the conversation around the Mets” and the addition “automatically” makes New York the NL East favorite “regardless of what they do to the rest the season break.”

The Soto contract is history repeating itself 24 years after the A-Rod deal

DALLAS — That’s exactly where it happened, upending the baseball world, infuriating executives and publicly threatening to ruin the sport forever.

The date: December 11, 2000. The time: 1:30 a.m. The Location: Room 633, Anatole Hotel, Dallas, Texas.

It was the moment the Texas Rangers agreed to a 10-year, $252 million contract with shortstop Alex Rodriguez. “How can I forget this?” said former Rangers GM Doug Melvin. “How can anyone forget?”

Now, 24 years later, history repeated itself in the same hotel. This time it’s Juan Soto who signs a record 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets.

And once again, especially from the small and mid-sized markets, you could hear screams into the Texas night, cries that the sport is broken – and worries about a walkout in 2026.

Scott Boras, the man who negotiated A-Rod’s and now Soto’s contract, can only laugh and will tell you it’s a smart deal that will only increase the value of the franchise.

“I think the process has been very misunderstood,” Boras told USA TODAY Sports of the prosecution of Rodriguez. “If you look at the added value, it was economically beneficial to the franchise even if the Rangers didn’t win. It was definitely team-friendly.”

– Bob Nightengale

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