In the wake of left-hander Ranger Suárez agreeing to a deal with the Red Sox, we asked a trio of our reporters to weigh in on what this means for the affected clubs and the offseason market.
1. It seemed like perhaps Suárez was waiting for Framber Valdez (the top lefty on the free-agent market) to sign, but he instead signed first. What does this mean for Valdez, and where is he likely to land?
Both Valdez and Suárez are represented by Scott Boras, so it was certainly interesting to see Suárez sign first. Suárez is two years younger than Valdez but lacks the track record of being a workhorse, however he fits in nicely behind Garrett Crochet in Boston’s rotation.
For teams still seeking a sturdy, 200-inning type to lead their rotation -- I’m thinking about the Orioles and Mets, two teams that have been connected to Valdez all winter -- the addition of Valdez would still seem to make sense. Whether Valdez can secure a five-year deal entering his age-32 season remains to be seen -- and it could be the sticking point that delays his eventual signing. -- Mark Feinsand, national reporter
2. The Red Sox are suddenly flush with starting pitchers and have a hole at third base after Alex Bregman signed with the Cubs. Should we expect them to move a starter for a Bregman replacement?
They have a couple of options here. First of all, the hole is not necessarily at third base. Marcelo Mayer is expected to start at third base or second base, depending on subsequent roster additions. But yes, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow suddenly has a glut of starting pitching to deal from to get the right-handed-hitting infielder he is looking for.
Even beyond the projected starting five (Crochet, Suárez, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello and Johan Oviedo), they also have Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval and Kyle Harrison in the mix, as well as two top lefty prospects who made strong debuts late last season in Connelly Early and Payton Tolle.
A less likely option would be to trade an outfielder for an infielder. Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu represent four starting-caliber players for three slots. -- Ian Browne, Red Sox reporter
3. The Orioles, Blue Jays and now Red Sox have all made big moves this winter. How do the Yankees -- who haven’t made any significant moves -- respond to this?
According to sources, the Yankees have been talking with the Brewers about a trade for Freddy Peralta, though no deal was imminent as of Wednesday afternoon. New York’s primary goal this winter has been to re-sign Cody Bellinger, and while the two sides have had a gap between them -- mostly in terms of the length of a deal -- they are still talking and could find common ground.
The Yankees’ under-the-radar trade for Miami’s Ryan Weathers on Tuesday helped bolster the rotation until Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are ready to return from injury. The most intriguing scenario is what the Yankees will do if they can’t bring Bellinger back, but that’s anyone’s guess at this point. -- Feinsand
4. It never really seemed like the Phillies were going to bring Suárez back, and now we know for sure. Is there any chance they make a move to bolster their rotation, or is their focus on bringing back J.T. Realmuto or adding another bat to the lineup?
As tough as it may be to watch Suárez depart given all of his contributions and his status as a fan favorite, there was never much of an expectation that he’d be back in 2026. The reality is that -- of Philadelphia’s free-agent trio -- the priorities were re-signing Kyle Schwarber (which they did with a five-year, $150 million deal last month) and Realmuto (which they’re still hoping to do).
At the end of the day, the Phillies -- with Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and top prospect Andrew Painter -- could still boast one of the top rotations in the Majors if everything breaks their way from a health standpoint. With that in mind, their focus remains entirely on bolstering the lineup, whether that means resolving their current impasse with Realmuto or making a bigger splash with Bo Bichette -- a move that would produce ripple effects across Philadelphia’s infield. -- Paul Casella, Phillies reporter