The 2025-26 MLB offseason is six weeks old and so far 21 of our top 50 free agents have signed and our No. 1 trade candidate has been dealt. Spring training is two months away and there is still a lot of player movement to come between now and then. Here now are Sunday’s hot stove happenings.
Rangers not shopping Seager
Rangers POBO Chris Young said flatly During an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Sunday that the team is “not shopping Corey Seager.” With the Rangers expected to cut payroll (or at least not raise it), contenders have reportedly called Texas about Seager in recent weeks. The 31-year-old two-time World Series MVP is owed $31 million a year for another six years.
You can parse Young’s words and focus on the fact “not shopping” is not the same thing as “not trading,” though my guess is that is just a function of a live radio interview. Every team listens to offers for every player every offseason. They wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t. The Rangers will listen on Seager. That does not mean they’re eager to trade him though.
AL East teams pursuing King
Free-agent right-hander Michael King has three AL East teams chasing him (Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees), reports the Boston Globe. He declined the $22.025 million qualifying offer from the Padres earlier this offseason and therefore is attached to draft pick compensation, potentially affecting his market. We ranked King as the 17th-best free agent available this winter.
King, 30, knows the AL East well from his time with the Yankees, who sent him to San Diego in the Juan Soto trade. He had a terrific 2024 that saw him finish seventh in the NL Cy Young voting. Shoulder and knee injuries derailed his 2025, though he’s seen as something of a buy-low candidate, especially since he’s proven he can start or be an effective multi-inning setup man.
D-backs bring back Kelly
Arizona’s search for pitching has led them to a familiar face. The Diamondbacks and Merrill Kelly are reuniting on a two-year contract worth $40 million, reports The Athletic. Kelly, 37, had been with the D-backs since 2019 before being traded to the Rangers for three prospects at this summer’s deadline. We ranked him as the 27th-best free agent available this offseason.
Zac Gallen is a free agent and unlikely to return to the D-backs, who will also be without Corbin Burnes to begin 2026 (he had Tommy John surgery in June and won’t return until after the All-Star break at the earliest). Kelly will step into a rotation that includes the recently signed Michael Soroka and holdovers Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, and Eduardo Rodriguez.
Frontrunners emerge for Donovan
The Giants and Mariners have emerged as the frontrunners for Cardinals super utility guy Brendan Donovan, reports The Athletic. St. Louis hopes to land multiple prospects in return, most likely pitchers given the team’s needs. The Cardinals are not prioritizing short-term wins and Donovan, 28 and two years away from free agency, doesn’t align with the club’s contention cycle.
Second base is Donovan’s best position and the Giants and Mariners both have openings at the keystone, the latter after Jorge Polanco bolted for the Mets. Donovan has played every position except catcher and center field in the big leagues though. He’s a good hitter and one of those players you can always find a way to get into a lineup. He’s been a popular trade target this winter.
Several teams interested in Robert
The Mets, Padres, and Pirates are among the teams with interest in White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., according to Francys Romero. The ChiSox declined to trade Robert at the deadline and instead picked up his $20 million club option for 2026, hoping to get a better return in the offseason. Chances are Chicago will have to eat some of that money to facilitate a trade.
Robert, 28, has not hit much the last two years, though he remains a top flight defensive center fielder and baserunner. He’s two years removed from a 38-homer season. Given the dearth of quality center fielders in the sport right now, there are worse dice rolls than the 28-year-old Robert. If the White Sox don’t like the offers this winter, they could keep him and try again at the deadline.
Yankees interested in Romero
The Yankees are among the teams with interest in Cardinals lefty reliever JoJo Romero, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Romero, 29, is a year away from free agency, making it likely St. Louis will move him this offseason. The sinker specialist has posted an above-average ground ball rate throughout his career and even closed at times this past season.
New York already has a ground ball lefty in sidewinder Tim Hill, though they place an emphasis on ground balls and limiting home runs in the late innings, hence their interest in Romero. Quality lefty relievers are imperative in the AL East, which houses lefty hitters Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Jonathan Aranda, Gunnar Henderson, Brandon Lowe, and Daulton Varsho, among others.