Ben Staker
Sports Editor
On Wednesday, Oct. 8, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in game five to claim their eighth World Series title in franchise history. Major League Baseball got its dream World Series matchup, and despite the series only going to five games, each game ended in thrilling fashion.
The World Series and MLB season ending marks the beginning of what should be one of the most entertaining offseasons in recent memory. With stars like Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Pete Alonso set to hit the open market, teams will have a unique opportunity to bolster their rosters going into next season.
There isn’t usually this much talent in free agency, so I expect to see some surprise signings. Whether it’s the number of years a player signs for, how much money they get, or even where they sign, the number of accomplished players looking for new teams will create a competitive market.
The offseason started just over a week ago, but there are a few teams I think are going to be worth keeping an eye on. The first team I’m interested in watching is the Boston Red Sox. It’s still early in the offseason, but the Red Sox have already been linked to many of the top pitching options in the free-agent market. They’ve cut spending recently, but they seem primed to offer big deals to star pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, and Max Fried.
Another team that I’m keeping my eye on is the New York Mets. Billionaire owner Steve Cohen has proved in his short time owning the team that he’s willing to offer whatever money it takes to bring in star players. The team has their own star, Pete Alonso, to re-sign, but they’ve also been heavily linked to former Yankees outfielder, Juan Soto. Cohen will likely get into a bidding match with cross-town rival Hal Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees. It’s also expected that the Dodgers will join the sweepstakes as well.
The third team that I think will be interesting to keep an eye on this offseason is the Toronto Blue Jays. After missing out on Shohei Ohtani last offseason, the Blue Jays seemed to fall apart. They put all their eggs into one basket, and it ended up backfiring against them. I expect the Blue Jays to be aggressive in their pursuit of top free-agent talents like Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Alex Bregman. The team proved last offseason that they were willing to pay top money to bring in star players. While they had a down year in 2024, I don’t think this will prevent them from trying to be competitive in the upcoming season.
The last team that I’m going to keep an eye on this offseason is the Philadelphia Phillies. While the team already has big money tied up between their core of Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Zach Wheeler, and Aaron Nola, owner John Middleton, and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski have proved in recent years that money isn’t going to stop them. I fully expect the team to be in on outfielder Juan Soto, and potential first base options Pete Alonso and Christian Walker. Allowing Bryce Harper to move back to the outfield or be the designated hitter could be helpful to his long-term health. I also expect the team to be in on top-of-the-market relievers like Tanner Scott, Carlos Estevez, and Clay Holmes. Whether they get any of them or not isn’t certain, but the team is going to maximize their competitive window.
This offseason is going to be full of money, players changing teams, and surprises. As a baseball fan, it excites me to see what could potentially happen. There is a lot of talent on the open market, which will likely create more parity in the league, and I feel that’s the best direction for major league baseball to go in.