The Winter Meetings officially kicked off in Orlando, Florida today. Overall, it was a quiet first day at the meetings. There were a couple of signings, but it was mostly talks between players and teams.
- Michael Soroka agreed to a one-year contract with the Diamondbacks. He split time between the Nationals and Cubs in 2025. Over 89 2/3 innings (17 starts, 5 relief appearances) he had a 4.52 ERA and 4.23 FIP.
- The Rangers signed utility player Tyler Wade to a minor-league deal. Wade played 59 games with the Padres in 2025, batting .206/.309/.252 in 127 PA.
- One of the most surprising rumors so far this offseason is an offer from the Pirates to Kyle Schwarber. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reports that the Pirates offered Schawrber a four-year, $100 million contract. The Pirates have made an offer this high before — they signed Bryan Reynolds to a seven-year, $100 million extension early in the 2023 season. MLB Trade Rumors projected a five-year, $135 million deal for Schwarber.
- Another slugger who will receive plenty of attention is Pete Alonso. He is expected to drive up from his home in Tampa to the Meetings on Tuesday. He has been in talks with the Mets already, and is expected to meet with the Orioles and Red Sox, as well.
- After the top starting pitcher on the market, Dylan Cease, signed with the Blue Jays, attention is turning to Frambler Valdez as the next best option. He met with the Giants, Mets, and Orioles on Monday, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
- The Cubs are another team looking for an upgrade to their starting pitching, but they’re focusing on other starters. One of those is Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai, who has until January 2 to sign with a MLB club. The Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees are also interested.
- The biggest trade rumors at the meetings so far revolve around Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. Several teams are interested, but Jon Heyman reports nothing is hot yet.
Not much came up for Brewers rumors in the first day, but the Brewers’ organization did add to their accolades today. The Brewers were named as Baseball America’s Organization of the Year. It is the fifth time that the Brewers have received the honor, which is the most of any team. Previously, they earned the honor for three straight years between 1985 and 1987, and then again in 2018. In addition, Pat Murphy was named Baseball America’s MLB Manager of the Year. It’s the third award Murphy has earned for the 2025 season. He also earned NL Manager of the Year by Sporting News and the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
One other piece of news from the Brewers’ minor league system. The manager of the Timber Rattlers, Victor Estevez, is reporedly joining the Washington Nationals as their major league third base coach. Estevez had posted a message about the job on Instagram, and Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports notes that Estevez is on the Nationals’ list of coaches.
