Courtesy of Owen Lystrup
Following the 2025 edition of the World Series, where the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers topped the Toronto Blue Jays to solidify themselves as the first back-to-back champs since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, everyone has been eyeing the market for trades and contracts that could define the 2026 season. Though the offseason has yet to come to a close, a number of moves have already been made to make an impact on the outlook of the coming season.
One high-profile move came on November 24th when the New York Mets traded their homegrown star and outfielder Brandon Nimmo, as well as cash considerations, to the Texas Rangers in exchange for the shortstop and second baseman, Marcus Semien. Nimmo, the Mets’ 2011 first-round draft pick, came up in the 2016 season and ultimately became a core member of the Mets’ starting lineup as well as a fan favorite, with his sudden departure leaving the fan base reeling. The longest tenured Met at the time of the trade, Nimmo will rejoin fellow Mets favorite and future Hall-of-Fame starting pitcher Jacob DeGrom down in Arlington after the latter signed with the Rangers following the Mets’ infamous 2022 collapse. Semien, a three-time All-Star and 2023 World Series Champion, brings a hefty resume to the team while at the same time making room in the outfield for another potential star acquisition. The trade, however, comes amidst Semien’s worst career season at the plate, and much of the discourse among Mets fans focused on President of Baseball Operations David Stearns’ more recent moves, which they considered to have failed the team in the disappointing 2025 season. The main hope, according to commentators, is that a major move will be made for a star outfielder such as the Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Tucker or the Yankees’ Cody Bellinger.
The other major move up to this point comes from the reigning American League Champion Toronto Blue Jays, who signed right-hand pitcher Dylan Cease from the San Diego Padres to a 7-year, $210 million contract. Coming off a season where they led the American League in wins in the regular season and came close to winning it all in Game 7 of the World Series, the Jays are making it clear that they have every intention to reinforce their solid lineup with even more talented pitching in the hopes that they will make another run for the Commissioner’s Trophy.
There have been some other, more minor moves around the league that include the Chicago Cubs signing reliever Phil Maton to a 2-year, $14.5 million deal. Though Maton has struggled in previous years with brief stints with the Tampa Bay Rays, Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, and Rangers, he has shown some flashes of talented pitching here and there.
Another move was the Arizona Diamondbacks signing 2019 All-Star veteran catcher James McCann to a one-year $2.75 million contract. Though there were some high hopes surrounding McCann earlier in his big league career, he has been riddled with injuries in recent years. With that being said, the D-Backs seem to understand the value that can be had in retaining a catcher who has seen a thing or two from years of sitting behind the dish.
The Atlanta Braves re-signed closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year $16 million contract. After being traded to the team in 2022 from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Jesse Chavez and Tucker Davidson, Iglesias had some very impressive performances in relief, pitching 2.47, 2.75, and 1.95 ERAs in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively.
The free-agency period has only just begun, and so a great deal of the league’s top free agents remain to be signed. Though this offseason is unlikely to have a blockbuster contract as groundbreaking as the record-breaking Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto deals, whichever further moves should come leading into the 2026 season still have a chance to make a great impact.
