Bleacherreport
8 Realistic MLB Trades That Could Happen In 2024-25 Offseason
S.Hernandez30 min ago
- Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Major League Baseball's postseason is in full swing, with both the ALDS and NLDS beginning over the weekend. Fans of teams still in the playoffs probably couldn't care less right now about what's going to happen this offseason. With that said, executives on those teams have certainly already begun to plot their courses. When it comes to the 22 teams for whom the offseason has already begun, they're certainly thinking about how they can improve and potentially still be alive at this time next year. While the primary focus is still on the playoffs, here are eight realistic MLB trades that could happen this offseason.
- Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/ The offense failed the Orioles in the ALWCS, scoring just one run during a two-game sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. But it was clear entering the postseason that the O's didn't have enough starting pitching depth to make a deep run. To make matters worse, ace Corbin Burnes will become a free agent this winter, and it's unclear if Baltimore's new ownership group will be willing to make the financial investment needed to retain the former NL Cy Young Award winner. Even if Burnes is back, the Orioles need more pitching to be a World Series contender. Zach Eflin is under contract for one more season, but he has a lengthy injury history. Grayson Rodriguez was on the injured list to finish the season. Kyle Bradish had Tommy John surgery in June, so he's unlikely to be a factor in 2025. According to B/R's Joel Reuter , six of the seven top prospects in Baltimore's system are position players. The Orioles may need to replace outfielder Anthony Santander if he departs in free agency, but in general, the O's are set for a few years with all their young position-playing talent. That opens up General Manager Mike Elias to use some of the surplus position talent to strike a trade with the White Sox for Garrett Crochet. 's Bob Nightengale recently reported that despite a willingness from the player to discuss a long-term deal with the White Sox, Chicago intends to trade Crochet this offseason. Crochet finished the season with a 3.58 ERA across 146 innings pitched. There shouldn't be any innings concerns in 2025, so he's ready to be at the forefront of a contending staff. Whether it's as a replacement for Burnes or in addition to him, Crochet has two remaining years before free agency and would fit nicely within Baltimore's contention window.
- Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Could it be that Devin Williams' Game 3 meltdown in the NLWCS was his final time taking the mound as a Brewer? The two-time Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year can become a free agent after the 2025 season, and if the Brewers don't expect to re-sign him, they'll have to consider trading him—just as they did with Corbin Burnes this past spring. Los Angeles will surely try to improve its starting rotation this winter, and some of that will come internally with arms like Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin returning from injuries. Still, it's unlikely the starting rotation will be the strength of the Dodgers next season, and one of the ways you can mask that is with an elite bullpen. Williams' last appearance as a Brewer may leave a bad taste in the mouths of some, but since entering the league in 2020, his 7.6 WAR trails only Emmanuel Clase. The Dodgers will unquestionably be the World Series favorites if they enter the 2025 season with Williams as their closer.
- Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via ESPN's Jeff Passan reported before the trade deadline that the Orioles were willing to consider trade offers for Ryan Mountcastle, despite nominally being buyers. They ultimately held onto Mountcastle, but moving the first baseman could be something general manager Mike Elias circles back to this offseason. Mountcastle still has two remaining year of arbitration eligibility, so if the Orioles are willing to trade the first baseman, his .766 OPS will likely be of interest to contending teams. Among those could be the Cincinnati Reds, who are trying to rebound after a disappointing 77-85 season in 2024. Between Ty France and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, the Reds got extremely underwhelming production at first base this season. If the Reds got the version of Mountcastle that hit 18 home runs and drove in 68 runs in 2023, that would be an upgrade. It's possible that they could get closer to the 2021 iteration of Mountcastle—who hit 33 home runs and drove in 89—if he gets to play 81 home games a year at Great American Ball Park.
- Rich Schultz/ This one of a bit of a shot in the dark, but it's not baseless. Jordan Montgomery's first season with the Diamondbacks was a disaster, as he posted a 6.23 ERA across 117 innings. He clearly wasn't in good enough shape after not signing until March 29. To top off his brutal campaign, owner Ken Kendrick lambasted Montgomery, taking blame for the decision to sign him. "If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you're talking to the guy that should be blamed," Kendrick said in a radio interview . "Because I brought it to [the front office's] attention. I pushed for it. They agreed to it—it wasn't in our game plan. You know when he was signed—right at the end of spring training. And looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did. It's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I'm the perpetrator of that." The awkward part about this? Montgomery has a $22.5 million player option for 2025. After such a down year, Montgomery would be making a massive financial miscalculation if he declined the option. Maybe Kendrick thought by putting that quote out that he would make things so untenable for Montgomery that he would walk away from the money. Don't count on it. Trying to trade Montgomery after he picks up the option may be the best solution for all involved. He's definitely a better pitcher than he showed in 2024, and if Arizona eats a chunk of that money, it shouldn't be hard to find a suitor. And what better fit for Montgomery would there be than a return to the Rangers? He never wanted to leave Texas, and the Rangers have Max Scherzer, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi all coming off the books. Reacquiring Montgomery for a season and paying, let's say, half of his salary for 2025 would be a good move for General Manager Chris Young.
- Mike Ehrmann/ A Juan Soto reunion might not be in the cards, but the Nationals are a team that could be a sneaky wild-card contender in 2025 if they make a few veteran additions to the budding core President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo has built. After winning the AL batting title with a .330 batting average in 2023, Yandy Díaz had a disappointing first half, hitting .273. However, he rebounded after the All-Star break, hitting .297 with an .816 OPS. First base is a clear area of need for the Nationals, as both Joey Gallo and Joey Meneses disappointed in 2024. Díaz would represent a major upgrade and wouldn't take the type of package that requires gutting your farm system. He is 33 years old but is due just $18 million between 2024 and 2025, with a $12 million club option for 2026. Díaz would add a professional hitter to a lineup with a ton of young talent, including James Wood, Luis García Jr. and, presumably, CJ Abrams.
- Justin Casterline/ As the Cardinals try to overhaul their organization, President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has indicated that St. Louis will try to trim its payroll in 2025. One of the more attractive pieces on their roster will be RHP Sonny Gray, who went 13-9 with a 3.84 ERA and 3.12 FIP across 166.1 innings pitched this past season. Gray will turn 35 in November, but he's pitching as well as he ever has. The $60 million he's due over the next two seasons—with a $30 million club option for 2027—feels like fair value. Bob Nightengale of reported after the conclusion of the regular season that the Reds are "expected to be among the teams aggressively pursuing" Gray. It would be a reunion for the two sides, as Gray previously pitched for the Reds from 2019-2021. Over that three-season span, Gray posted a 3.49, with his best season as a Red coming in 2019, when he was an All-Star and finished seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting. Trades between division rivals can sometimes be frowned upon, but the Cardinals probably aren't going to contend over the next two seasons. Gray would rejoin a Reds team that already has Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo in the starting rotation, giving new manager Terry Francona an exciting group to work with.
- Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via With the emergence of Mark Vientos this season, there's no longer a path to Brett Baty playing third base for the Mets. However, the former first-round pick is still only 24 years old, so he makes sense as a buy-low candidate for a team that can afford to give him runway. The 63-99 Angels would seem to fit that bill. Yes, Anthony Rendon is still under contract for two more seasons, but the 57 games he played this past season were his most since playing 58 in 2021. Whether the Angels eventually just designate him for assignment and accept his deal being a sunk cost or just wait for him to get injured, it's fair to assume he won't be the primary third baseman for the Halos in 2025. Baty is under team control through the 2028 season, so if the Angels were able to unlock him, they'd have him for the foreseeable future. If not, there wouldn't be much lost. Mike Puma of The New York Post reported back in August that multiple teams were interested in Baty at the deadline, including the NL East-rival Miami Marlins. The Mets, though, would probably prefer that if Baty does figure it out, it isn't with a team that directly impacts them. The Angels would be out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
- Dilip Vishwanat/ The Phillies are a team with a bunch of veterans under contract, so if they have a disappointing postseason exit, it may be difficult to make a ton of changes to the roster entering 2025. One area to potentially target is closer. Since taking over as the President of Baseball Operations for the Phillies, Dave Dombrowski hasn't invested major resources in the closer position. But Craig Kimbrel melted down last postseason, while the trio of Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering laid an egg in the team's 2024 NLDS Game 1 loss to the Mets. Helsley led baseball with 49 saves this past season, doing so with a minuscule 2.04 ERA. If you're in search of a top-of-the-line closer, Helsley certainly would fit that billing. As noted previously, the Cardinals appear likely to cut costs this offseason. MLB Trade Rumors projected a $6.9 million salary for Helsley in his final year of arbitration. The Cardinals could shed that and bring back a notable prospect, such as outfielder Justin Crawford. It's also possible the Cardinals could consider Alec Bohm or Bryson Stott if the Phillies don't value them as much as they maybe did a year ago.
Read the full article:https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10137727-8-realistic-mlb-trades-that-could-happen-in-2024-25-offseason
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