MLB rumors: Yankees eye Edward Cabrera, Red Sox make ‘aggressive’ offer for Bregman

The 2025-26 Major League Baseball offseason is ongoing, and with the new year having come and gone we’re working our way deeper into the sport’s offseason calendar. With plenty of name free agents and trade candidates still on the board, there’s a daily supply of rumors and reporting regarding them. Speaking of which, you can find Sunday’s roundup just below. 

Yankees eyeing trade for starting pitcher

The Yankees have been quiet thus far in the offseason of 2025-26, but they have work to do and needs to address. Speaking of which, the club is looking to fortify the rotation, and at present they’re looking to the trade market to do so. On that front, they’ve talked to the Marlins about right-hander Edward Cabrera and to the Brewers about right-hander Freddy Peralta, according to The Athletic. 

Cabrera turns 28 in April and is under team control through the 2028 season. He owns a career ERA+ of 108 and is coming off his best and healthiest season to date. Peralta, 29, is entering his walk year and has rather quietly established himself as one of the top starters in baseball. He’s reached or topped 200 strikeouts in each of the last three seasons, and for his career he’s pitched to a 117 ERA+ and a 3.66 FIP. Last season, Peralta earned an All-Star selection and placed fifth in the NL Cy Young vote. 

On the Cabrera front, the Yankees may have company, as the Mets, Cubs, Astros, and Orioles also all have some level of interest, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. 

When healthy, the Yankees’ rotation is a strong one, but Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt are all expected to open the 2026 season in the injured list as they recover from various elbow surgeries. 

Phillies among big-name teams in on Bichette

Shortstop Bo Bichette, who might also make sense at third or second for some teams, is among the most coveted free agents on the market. Not surprisingly, a number of high-profile teams have interest in the 27-year-old Bichette, who boasts a career OPS+ of 121 and is coming off an impressive bounce-back campaign in 2025. The Phillies, Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, and incumbent Blue Jays are among the teams with varying levels of interest in Bichette, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. Earlier in the offseason, CBS Sports ranked Bichette as the No. 3 available free agent in the current class. 

Red Sox favorites to retain Bregman

Veteran infielder Alex Bregman is back on the market after an “excellent when healthy” 2025 season with the Red Sox. He also happens to be our second-ranked free agent of the winter. Here’s part of R.J. Anderson’s write-up of Bregman from earlier in the offseason: 

“Bregman, one of the last notable free agents to sign last winter, showed no ill effects of being left in the cold. He kept alive his streak of having never finished worse than 15% above the league-average hitter, and for the first time in his career, he joined the 90-90 club — that is, a 90% in-zone contact rate and a 90 mph average exit velocity. Bregman can still pick it at third base, too. It’s fair to wonder how his pull-happy slugging would play in a less favorable home offensive environment than the ones he’s haunted to date, but he’s a good player who ought to land a better contract than three years and $120 million this go around.”

His market, like that of many other premium free agents, has been a bit slow to develop, but things may be starting to crystallize. Speaking of which, the Red Sox have made an “aggressive” offer to bring Bregman back, and there’s a strong chance he returns to Boston, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports. The Red Sox, coming off a return to postseason play last year, have been one of the most aggressive teams of the winter and re-upping with Bregman could be the capstone on their offseason. 

What’s next for Blue Jays

Speaking of AL East teams that have been aggressive this offseason, the Blue Jays are fresh off adding slugger Kazuma Okamaoto out of Japan on a four-year free-agent contract. Okamoto is expected to log plenty of time at third base for Toronto in the season to come, and that means they’re probably out on the aforementioned Alex Bregman, the Athletic reports. However, that does not necessarily rule out the Jays when it comes to bringing back shortstop Bo Bichette, as noted above. Likewise, they may still have some level of interest in outfielder Kyle Tucker, the top free agent of this winter’s class.