As we approach the holiday season, the MLB offseason has had some big moments through free-agent signings and trades thus far. There remains a variety of great options for teams in need. Teams that can add a significant game-changer to their staff or lineup can ultimately change the entire outlook for the season ahead. That said, let us take a gander at where some of these key pieces would fit best.
Pete Alonso - Seattle Mariners
It has been no secret that the Mariners have had their offensive struggles in the past couple of seasons. Despite having a dominant quintet of starting pitchers, it has been their lack of offensive production that has kept them from the postseason. It looks as if Jerry Dipoto has identified this himself, as there have been countless rumors this offseason that the Mariners have been shopping their starting pitching, specifically Luis Castillo, in exchange for a productive bat. Moving Castillo makes enough sense, as the goal would be to acquire a bat through the trade itself, while also clearing cap space to potentially add another through free agency.
This is where the Polar Bear enters the fray. Pete Alonso, while not a five-tool player, is someone you can always count on to mash with his bat. Even in a “down” season, Alonso still managed to hit 34 HRs with a .788 OPS. That HR total would have tied him with Cal Raleigh on the Mariners last season and would have led the team in OPS, once again speaking to the anemic offense Seattle provided last season. If Alonso could bounce back to even half of his 2022 or 2023 form, it would be an absolute godsend to this Mariners team. As of now, Seattle has Luke Raley slated to play first base after Ty France was ultimately waived last season. While there definitely could be worse options, having someone like Alonso who has had consistent reps there since he came into the league, would be a much better fit that would let Raley stick to a consistent position in the outfield, and perhaps help focus more on improving offensively.
As past history would tell us, Dipoto would likely stick to more cost-efficient options like Carlos Santana, Justin Turner, or Paul Goldschmidt. However, this feels like the big move that the Mariners need to make in order to jumpstart their offense into a competitive state this season. As it feels like the Houston Astros may finally be taking a step back from their dominance, now would be the time to try and seize the AL West for the Mariners.
Corbin Burnes - San Francisco Giants
The Giants finally made their big move in acquiring their star in the form of shortstop Willy Adames. While this will help boost the thump in their lineup, Buster Posey should not be content just yet. Their starting rotation, while still promising with Logan Webb and Robbie Ray involved, still has a Blake Snell-sized hole in it. Sure, Snell was not exactly his typical Cy Young caliber self the whole season. The Giants, however, were a much more dangerous team with him down the stretch. If the tea leaves speak the truth, it looks like San Francisco understands that as well, looking to bring in a former Cy Young winner in Corbin Burnes.
Burnes has received a plethora of interest from multiple teams this offseason, including the Giants, Red Sox, Orioles, and Blue Jays. Many believe that Burnes joining the Giants is a guarantee considering he reigns from the West Coast. However, there is much more than just the hometown factor that makes Burnes a great fit in San Fran. Finishing fifth in the AL Cy Young race last season marks his 5th consecutive season finishing in the Top 10 in the Cy Young race, accompanied by four consecutive All-Star seasons as well. While all these accolades have the marking of a typical ace, Burnes has the opportunity to operate under the radar in front of the Giants’ already present ace in Logan Webb. This would allow them to regain the two-headed monster atop their rotation, and give them more flexibility in their rotation if they reach the postseason. Burnes himself has also performed well in Oracle Park, a predominantly pitcher-friendly ballpark. Although a smaller sample size than most, Burnes has posted a 1.61 ERA and 1.030 WHIP in 22 innings in his starts in San Francisco. If these numbers could continue to translate, Burnes could give his single-season ERA low (excluding 2020) of 2.43 a run for its money.
Of course, this is all dependent if the Giants are able to afford such a luxury. With the record-breaking signing of Juan Soto taking place, yesterday's prices for all the players are not today’s prices. If Buster Posey can pony up the funds to revive this Giants rotation, it certainly takes them up a notch from their previous expectations. While it does not appear the division will be in any danger with the Dodgers around for the next decade, the goal for the Giants should be the postseason, and Corbin Burnes would greatly increase their chances to get there.
Alex Bregman - New York Yankees
What a turn of events this one would be, huh? After being mortal enemies of the Yankees fanbase (and nearly every other one in the process), Brian Cashman may have to bite the bullet to help his ballpark try and get back to the World Series. After letting Juan Soto slip from their grasp from their crosstown rival Mets, the Yankees have done well with Plan B, as acquiring Max Fried, Devin Williams, and Cody Bellinger will never make your team worse. However, those 3 are not nearly enough to fill the offense void Soto has left in that lineup.
Surprisingly, the acquisition of Alex Bregman could improve something on the team that Soto never could, on and off the Yankees, and that is the hole at third base. During their World Series run, the hot corner was mostly covered by Jazz Chisholm Jr., who deserves credit for handling a position he had never played before as well as he did. However, it notably came back to bite them in that nightmarish, error-filled fifth inning in Game 5. Perhaps if they had a more experienced option at that time, that series, or at the very least that game, it could have turned out differently for them. Bregman would prevent them from this issue in the future. In his 9 seasons in the major leagues, he has 995 games at third base under his belt. This would display him as a significantly more trustworthy option than Chisholm, or even Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza for that matter. Bregman’s offense would pack a punch in that Yankee lineup as well. While he is far from his glory days in 2018 and 2019, you can pencil Bregman in for at least 20 HRs, 75 RBIs, and a .760 OPS, along with a Gold Glove-caliber effort every time he hits the field. While it would not match the bat of Juan Soto entirely, adding Bregman would help soften the blow at the very least.
As we stand here today, Bregman is supposedly looking for a $200M+ contract from a team to sign, and with the Astros themselves not willing to fork it over, this would be the perfect time for the Yankees to cash in and try and retake a stranglehold on the AL East. However, they had better do it quickly. Recent reports say the Mets are interested in Bregman’s services as well, and one can only imagine the carnage from the Bronx faithful if they were outbid by Steve Cohen twice in one offseason.
Tanner Scott - Toronto Blue Jays
Coming from a Blue Jays fan’s perspective, this team is currently at a crossroads. They are seemingly not good enough to make the postseason, but they do not have the future prospects to have the fanbase excited. They have swung and missed on two top-tier free agents in Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, and have now left themselves in a position where their two most marketable and successful players in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette could walk for nothing as well. To prove to not only the free agents but their own players as well that this is a competitive product going forward, the checkbooks need to be opened and used subsequently to address a variety of issues.
The first issue should be fixing up a bullpen that was absolutely putrid last season. In 2024, the Blue Jays bullpen produced a -3.0 WAR, 30th in the league, and 3.0 WAR away from the Rockies in 29th. To make matters worse, management decided to non-tender acclaimed closer Jordan Romano as well due to their lack of faith in his elbow in 2025. While perhaps this decision can be understood from a cash-saving perspective, the fact of the matter is that there is no set closer in Toronto. Therefore, those savings had better lead to not only a new closer but an improved bullpen in general. Tanner Scott would solve both of those problems. Scott was a lockdown closer in Miami, racking up 18 saves to the tune of a 1.18 ERA and 1.007 WHIP in 45.2 IP. Once he was dealt to the Padres, he was used more in the set-up role but still managed a 2.73 ERA and 2.33 FIP in 26.1 IP. An extra accolade is that Scott looked to be Shohei Ohtani’s kryptonite, as he made the NL MVP look silly in the NLCS. Adding that kind of firepower in the Blue Jays bullpen would be a great start in that reclamation project. Suddenly, a dependable bridge from the 6th to the 9th could be formed in Chad Green, Erik Swanson, Yimi Garcia, and Tanner Scott.
The question mark ultimately becomes, can the Blue Jays ultimately put up the proper funds to secure such a lockdown closer? In years past, a cheaper alternative would be the answer from this front office, and likely still is in the form of a Kirby Yates, David Robertson, or even a Carlos Estevez. However, if the Jays were willing to go to $700M+ in hot pursuit of Juan Soto, perhaps Tanner Scott in Toronto would not be the most far-fetched idea.
Teoscar Hernandez - Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a fascinating team at this point in the offseason. Their big move has come in the form of a blockbuster deal for young ace Garrett Crochet. While this is nothing but a positive for the organization, it is looking as if they are trending to a more frugal direction in free agency. Juan Soto aside, it has looked as if John Henry has tried to stray away from spending big on high-profile free agents for the past couple of offseasons now. However, if they wish to seize hold of an AL East ripe for the taking, some expensive payments may need to be made to push this team back to the postseason. While pitching should be their main priority, it never hurts to improve on a strength in their offense.
Teoscar Hernandez has felt like a great fit for the Red Sox for quite a while and now feels like as good a time as ever to bring him into Boston. Hernandez had a monster season in 2024, slugging 33 HRs and 99 RBIs to a .272 AVG, .840 OPS, and a career-high (for a full season) 137 OPS+, 16 points higher than his career average. Frankly, he would fit well on any team. What makes Boston such a great one is how left-handed their lineup is. Their first three batters, Jarren Duran, Rafael Devers, and Triston Casas, all bat from the left side. From there, there are still Masataka Yoshida, Wilyer Abreu, and David Hamilton, who all project to be in the starting lineup consistently in the 2025 season. Throwing Hernandez into the fold would provide a much-needed gap in the Red Sox’s top hitters, making it more difficult to pitch to for left-handed pitchers. In addition, it could allow the opportunity for Boston to deal with one of those lefty hitters for starting pitching support. There have already been rumors of Casas being shopped around for a Seattle starter, so clearly the idea is intriguing to the front office as well. The addition of Teoscar Hernandez could make that decision much easier to make if it comes to fruition. On top of those factors, Hernandez loves to play at Fenway. In 45 career games played there, he possesses a .282/.344/.606(!) slashline, for a .950 OPS. Hernandez has 14 HRs and 44 RBIs in Fenway as well, proving to be an elite offensive threat whenever he comes to Boston.
Last season, Hernandez opted for a 1-year deal with the Dodgers, and that led him to a World Series ring. However, the Red Sox were hot on their heels, just unwilling to pull the trigger on some extra years on the contract. One year later, the same issue has seemingly popped up. With the Yankees trying their best to recover from the loss of Soto, and the Orioles seemingly cutting back spending as well, Teoscar could very well be the piece that helps make the rest of the AL East grouchy at the success of the Red Sox.
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