PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers spent big last offseason before winning big this postseason, taking home the franchise’s eighth World Series championship after committing more than $1 billion on players such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernández.
Now it’s time to see which teams are in the mood to open their wallets for free agents in preparation for Major League Baseball’s 2025 season.
The Ohtani sweepstakes dominated last year’s offseason conversations until the Japanese two-way superstar inked an eye-popping $700 million, 10-year deal last December. With apologies to Juan Soto, there might not be anyone who commands that kind of salary in the coming months, even if this year’s class is arguably deeper.
Soto, Willy Adames, Corbin Burnes, Alex Bregman, Jack Flaherty, Max Fried and Blake Snell are among the high-level players who are looking for new teams. After that, there’s another enticing tier of players — such as the previously mentioned Hernández, Pete Alonso, Ha-Seong Kim, Sean Manaea, Jurickson Profar, Anthony Santander and Christian Walker — who could provide a big lift for potential contenders.
MLB’s general managers will meet Tuesday through Thursday in San Antonio, with that gathering serving as the unofficial opener to the offseason. There usually aren’t a lot of moves during these conversations in early November, but the groundwork is often laid for future deals.