MLB free agency: Astros trade Kyle Tucker to Cubs, who could be gearing up to deal Cody Bellinger

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MLB free agency is upon us, with the league’s winter meetings held last week in Dallas. The name on everyone’s lips is Juan Soto, but he’s not the only free agent who has a big decision to make this winter.

Here’s a quick look at where things stand so far this offseason:

The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers were all reported to be in on Soto before he chose the New York Mets and their enormous pile of money. It didn’t take long for all four of those teams to get started with Plan B.

The Yankees made the loudest move, with the reported eight-year, $218 million contract for Max Fried, taking one of the top free-agent pitchers off the board.

A day later, the Red Sox struck by acquiring left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. Boston is sending top prospect Kyle Teel to Chicago in the deal, along with outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez.

The Blue Jays made some noise with a trade for Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez and pitcher Nick Sandlin. The Guardians received infielder Spencer Horwitz in return, though they promptly sent him to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In that swap, the Guardians received Josh Hartle, Luis Ortiz and Michael Kennedy. The Marlins also traded Jake Burger to the Rangers.

As for the Dodgers, they’ve made some smaller moves with the signings of outfielder Michael Conforto (one year, $17 million) and reliever Blake Treinen (two years, $22 million). The Conforto deal was reached hours before Soto’s, but you’d figure Los Angeles already knew where it stood.

Meanwhile, Soto’s deal went official after he passed his physical.

Crochet and Giménez aren’t the only names moving this winter.

On Friday, the Cubs reportedly traded for Kyle Tucker, sending infielder Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith to the Astros. Hours earlier, the New York Yankees replaced Clay Holmes in their bullpen by acquiring Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. and infield prospect Caleb Durbin.

The addition of Williams, plus the return of Jonathan Loáisiga, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, will bolster the Yankees’ bullpen. The question remains whether manager Aaron Boone will use Williams or Luke Weaver as the team’s closer in 2025.

Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki was posted Monday morning as the winter meetings got underway, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. Sasaki’s posting opened a 45-day window, which began Tuesday and runs through 5 p.m. ET Jan. 23. Every MLB team is now allowed to attempt to sway the 23-year-old talent to sign with them when the international amateur signing period opens Jan. 15.

Required reading:

Follow along with Yahoo Sports as we track all the rumors, signings and more during MLB free agency:

Live55 updates

  • Orioles land Sugano

    The Baltimore Orioles have struck a one-year, $13 million deal with right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. The 35-year-old held a 1.67 ERA and 111 strikeouts in Japan this past season.

  • What are the Astros trying to accomplish by trading Kyle Tucker?

  • Will Jesús Luzardo be a Cub?

    After trading for Kyle Tucker late last week, the Cubs could be putting together another deal this week, per 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine. The Cubs and Marlins have reportedly been discussing a trade involving lefty Jesús Luzardo.

  • A look at the reliever market

  • Cubs and Marlins talking Jesús Luzardo

    Jesús Luzardo had a 2024 to forget with a 5.00 ERA and a season-ending back injury, but he could still attract a high price for the Marlins.

    One of the top arms on the trade market, Luzardo is reportedly seeing interest from the Chicago Cubs. With Luzardo under team control for two more seasons, the Marlins will want a significant return for a talented arm who was great in 2023 but has struggled with injuries.

  • Astros a ‘serious suitor’ for Nolan Arenado trade

    The Houston Astros have already acquired one third baseman with Isaac Paredes via the return of the Kyle Tucker, but they might not stop there. Per The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, Houston has emerged as a serious suitor in a trade for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.

    Arenado is one of the biggest names on the market but not necessarily one of the most valuable players. He is still owed $74 million across the next three seasons, $10 million to be paid by the Colorado Rockies, and any team that takes him is going to want the Cardinals to take another bite out of that if they expect any sort of meaningful prospect return.

    Acquiring both Parades and Arenado would likely mean a move to first base or a utility role for Paredes, given Arenado’s Gold Glove defense. And it almost certainly means Alex Bregman will be playing in a new uniform next season.

  • A’s continue being active with acquisition of LHP Jeffrey Springs from Rays

    The Rays are sending Jeffrey Springs to the A’s in exchange for RHP’s Joe Boyle and Jacob Watters, as well as OF Will Simpson. A compensatory draft pick will also be heading Tampa’s way, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

    The 32-year-old Springs appeared in only 10 games over the past two seasons as he dealt with ulnar neuritis, as well as Tommy John surgery. He is owed $10.5 million each of the next two seasons, and his contract features a club option worth $15 million for 2027.

  • Yankees remain interested in Alex Bregman

  • Cubs pick up catcher Carson Kelly in second acquisition of the day

    Hours after acquiring outfielder Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster trade, the Chicago Cubs made another acquisition. The team signed catcher Carson Kelly to a two-year, $11.5 million contract, per multiple reports.

    Kelly, who was a free agent, spent the second half of last season with the Texas Rangers after being traded from the Detroit Tigers. The 30-year-old catcher had a .235 batting average in 102 at-bats in 2024.

  • Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman reacts to Cubs winning Kyle Tucker trade sweepstakes

  • Astros trade All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker to Cubs in three-for-one exchange

    HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 21: Kyle Tucker #30 of the Houston Astros runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park on September 21, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kevin M. Cox/Getty Images)HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 21: Kyle Tucker #30 of the Houston Astros runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park on September 21, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kevin M. Cox/Getty Images)

    Kyle Tucker is reportedly on his way to Chicago. (Photo by Kevin M. Cox/Getty Images)

    The Chicago Cubs are bringing in a new offensive weapon, acquiring All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Houston Astros on Friday, per multiple reports.

    In return, the Astros will reportedly receive three players: infielder Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and third-base prospect Cam Smith.

    Tucker has played his entire career with the Astros, starting in 2018. He won a World Series with the team in 2022 and has picked up a number of awards the past few seasons, including three All-Star selections, a Gold Glove (2022) and a Silver Slugger (2023). Tucker missed time this season due to a right shin injury but still received his third consecutive All-Star selection.

    Read the full story here.

  • Juan Soto changed his cell phone number during free agency

    On Thursday during his introductory news conference with the Mets, Juan Soto revealed that he hadn’t talked to any of his Yankees teammates throughout the free agency process.

    “I haven’t talked to any of those guys,” he said. “We talked to them through the playoffs, at the end of the playoffs. But after that, through this process, I haven’t talked to any of those guys.”

    Some interpreted this as a slight against the team or evidence that his relationships with the Yankees clubhouse had broken down. But the real reason might be a little more mundane, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

    Nightengale reported Friday that Soto changed his cell phone number during free agency, as he had been receiving a lot of outside calls and wanted some privacy.

    Now that the dust has settled, Soto is reportedly reaching out to his former Yankees teammates.

  • Brewers sending RP Devin Williams to Yankees for SP Nestor Cortes, Caleb Durbin

    The New York Yankees have reportedly acquired reliever Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr., second-base prospect Caleb Durbin and some cash are heading to Milwaukee.

    The 30-year-old Williams recorded 14 saves in 22 appearances last season with the Brewers. He missed the first three months of the season due to a stress fracture in his back. When he returned, Williams allowed only three earned runs over 21 2/1 innings in the regular season.

    The addition of Williams, plus the return of Jonathan Loáisiga, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, will bolster the Yankees’ bullpen. The question remains whether manager Aaron Boone will use Williams or Luke Weaver as the team’s closer in 2025.

    Cortes has turned himself into a reliable starter since seeing an increased workload beginning in 2021. He made 84 starts over the past four seasons and ate innings for the Yankees (173 1/3 in 2024), but with the addition of Max Fried, it was clear someone in the New York rotation needed to be moved.

    Read more here.

    Devin Williams is headed to the Bronx. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)Devin Williams is headed to the Bronx. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

    Devin Williams is headed to the Bronx. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

  • The latest on Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki

    The baseball world is captivated by Roki Sasaki and where he’ll play in 2024. But Sasaki, it seems, is just as unsure as everyone else.

    Until Sasaki’s official posting on Tuesday, very little information had emerged about the talented youngster, his preferences, his thought process and his path forward. But at the winter meetings, atop a makeshift podium in a comically enormous ballroom at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, offered the public a cornucopia of clarity.

    The impromptu Q&A session was a sight to behold, as chaotic an information gathering as you’ll see. Reporters sardined themselves together in a crescent eight rows deep, their recording devices extended toward the soft-spoken agent. Wolfe swayed uncomfortably in the center of the madness, towering over the media in a navy jacket, charcoal slacks and a pair of Nike Dunks. He spoke slowly, with an almost solemn seriousness. Over the course of 20 minutes, Wolfe fielded a barrage of inquiries about his client.

    The biggest takeaway? Even Wolfe isn’t sure yet what Sasaki wants.

    Asked what’s important to Sasaki in selecting a team, Wolfe was either purposefully vague or refreshingly honest. “I’m not entirely sure yet,” he said. “I’ve known Roki for a little over two years now, and as I’ve gotten to know him, it’s been a little bit difficult to really ascertain what his decision-making process would be for choosing a team because his focus has predominantly been on whether or not he’s going to be able to post.”

    Here’s what else we learned from Wolfe about this winter’s most sought-after pitcher.

  • Juan Soto says he ‘didn’t talk’ to Yankees players during free agency process

    Juan Soto was officially introduced as a member of the New York Mets with a news conference Thursday at Citi Field after he signed a record-shattering, 15-year, $765 million free-agent contract.

    Many New York Yankees fans are still stunned that Soto didn’t re-sign with the team after winning 94 games alongside talent including Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole. However, relationships and communications became all business after the conclusion of the season, according to Soto.

    Asked if he talked to his now-former Yankees teammates during the free-agent process and what might have been said during the competition for his services, Soto said there was no correspondence.

    “I haven’t talked to any of those guys,” he said. “We talked to them through the playoffs, at the end of the playoffs. But after that, through this process, I haven’t talked to any of those guys.”

    Read the full story here.

  • Where will SP Corbin Burnes end up?

  • These might be a little popular …

  • With Garrett Crochet trade, Red Sox add a frontline starter and White Sox infuse their rebuild with prospects

    DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 27: Garrett Crochet #45 of the Chicago White Sox pitches the ball against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 27, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 27: Garrett Crochet #45 of the Chicago White Sox pitches the ball against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 27, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

    Garrett Crochet is headed to Boston after Wednesday’s trade. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

    After their failed pursuit of Juan Soto, the baseball world was waiting for the Red Sox to finally make their first big move of the offseason. And on the final day of the winter meetings, Boston took care of a significant need, acquiring left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox for a huge prospect haul, including catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez.

    Crochet, 25, has been one of the biggest trade pieces on the market since July’s trade deadline, and it’s easy to understand why. The new Red Sox ace thrived in his first full season as a starter in 2024, quickly becoming one of the game’s elite power arms as he struck out 209 to the tune of a 3.58 ERA.

    One look at Crochet’s underlying metrics shows just how much of an impact addition the southpaw is. He led MLB last season with a 35% strikeout rate in just 146 innings, and after the Sox missed out on the likes of Max Fried, who agreed Tuesday on an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees, they can now cross frontline starter off their list of offseason needs.

    Read the full story here.

  • Jonathan Loáisiga returns to Yankees on 1-year deal

    The Yankees have made another move, bringing back free-agent reliever Jonathan Loáisiga after a year lost to elbow surgery, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.

  • Juan Soto contract goes official

    The largest contract in the history of sports is official. Juan Soto has passed his physical and is officially a member of the New York Mets.

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