Thirteen free agents received the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer prior to Thursday’s deadline. Now that that’s out of the way and teams know which free agents they will have to forfeit a draft pick(s) to sign, the offseason can begin in earnest. Expect a bunch of moves, hopefully even a few significant ones, between now and Thanksgiving. Here are the latest hot stove rumors now that Munetaka Murakami has been posted for MLB teams.
Yankees plan to pursue Bellinger reunion
Even if Trent Grisham accepts the qualifying offer, the Yankees intend to pursue a reunion with Cody Bellinger, reports NJ.com. Bellinger had a terrific season in New York, posting his best home run total (29) and WAR (5.1) since his 2019 NL MVP season. He also seamlessly bounced between all three outfield spots. We ranked Bellinger as the sixth-best free agent available.
Aaron Judge is locked into right field and erstwhile top prospect Jasson Domínguez received most of the playing time in left field this year until the Yankees went with the Bellinger/Grisham/Judge outfield late in the season and postseason. Grisham accepting the qualifying offer and Bellinger returning could put Domínguez, who is still only 22, on the trade block.
Cubs unlikely to pursue top relievers
The Cubs are not expected to jump right into the market for the top free-agent relievers, according to The Athletic. They will reconsider things if someone falls through the cracks and is still available in January or February, but their early offseason efforts will be focused on cheaper relievers. Key 2025 setup men Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, and Caleb Thielbar are all free agents.
Eleven relievers rank among our top 50 free agents: Edwin Díaz (No. 15), Devin Williams (No. 19), Luke Weaver (No. 20), Robert Suarez (No. 21), Ryan Helsley (No. 24), Keller (No. 35), Emilio Pagán (No. 37), Phil Maton (No. 38), Tyler Rogers (No. 39), Pete Fairbanks (No. 40), and Steven Matz (No. 50). Williams and Cubs manager Craig Counsell have a history dating back to their Brewers days. Perhaps there’s a match there if he remains unsigned into 2026.
Blue Jays discussing an extension with Schneider
Not surprisingly, the Blue Jays are discussing a contract extension with manager John Schneider, GM Ross Atkins said Thursday (via Sportsnet). The team has already picked up their 2026 option for Schneider. Now they’ll discuss something longer term. Schneider guided Toronto to the franchise’s first American League pennant since 1993 this season. The Blue Jays are 303-257 (.541) with three postseason appearances since Schneider replaced Charlie Montoyo midway through the 2022 season.