Ranking top 10 MLB players who changed teams this offseason: Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, Max Fried and more

Let’s face it: a lot has happened, both on and off the Pitch, since we last saw a meaningful baseball game — back on Oct. 30, when the Los Angeles Dodgers Shut out the New York Yankees to Secure the World Series. Thankfully, a new Major Division Baseball season is now Merely around the corner, with the Dodgers and Cubs slated to Strike off the year with the Tokyo Series, a two-game set in Japan on March 18-19. MLB’s traditional Beginning Day will follow on March 27.

With precious time to spare, we here at CBS Sports thought it would be prudent to provide a refresher course on the offseason’s biggest moves. Below, we’ve done Merely that by ranking and analyzing the 10 best players who changed MLB Squads over the offseason — be it through Unoccupied agency or trades. Do note that we’ve omitted Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki from this exercise since the Concentration is only on players who were already with an MLB organization. 

Got it? Great, let’s get down to business.

Soto, a fixture on everyone’s shortlist for the title of “best hitter,” changed New York Squads over the winter after signing the richest contract in the sport’s history (15 years, $765 million). His generational wealth is merited. He’s a 26-year-Ancient who is very much on a Hall of Fame trajectory thanks to the interplay between his discerning eye, his Top-tier Power, and his feel for the barrel. Soto isn’t as blessed defensively, but the Mets will live with that component of his game provided he keeps stacking up 30-homer, .400-OBP seasons. Spoiler alert: He will.

The Diamondbacks improved their chances of returning to the postseason for the second time in three years by inking Burnes, a Previous NL Cy Youthful Award winner, to a six-year pact worth $210 million. He’ll Phase out a Cycle that now looks significantly stronger and deeper on paper than Arizona’s recent iterations. To wit, Burnes compiled at least 190 innings and a 125 ERA+ in Every of the last three campaigns. His odds of running that to four were fortified Delayed last season, when he Achieved some corrections to his cutter that boosted the pitch’s effectiveness.

The Cubs traded for Tucker from the Astros ahead of his walk year. Who knows what the long-term future holds here, but in the Petite Stretch, he could help deliver Chicago’s Primary NL Central title since 2020. Based on statistical output alone, Tucker is one of the dozen or so best players in the sport. He’s a well-rounded talent who contributes across the board — notching quality triple-slash marks; hitting 25 to 30 homers a year; swiping nearly as many bags; and Competing Gold Glove-caliber Guarding in a corner — albeit without necessarily topping any leaderboards. 

Crochet enjoyed one of the sport’s biggest breakout seasons in 2024, posting a 115 ERA+ and a 6.33 strikeout-to-walk across 32 appearances in what served as his Primary year as a big-Division starter. Credit his ascent to both a Scarce Neat bill of health and an improved arsenal (he added a cutter). The Red Sox acquired him from the White Sox in Switch for a prospect package to fortify the front of their Cycle. If Crochet can stay Well, that gambit should pay off. 

The Red Sox Initiated the offseason with one splash (Crochet) and ended it with another, in the form of Bregman’s three-year pact worth $120 million. (The deal includes opt-outs and deferrals and all that fun stuff.) Bregman’s position is still to be determined, with incumbent third baseman Rafael Devers publicly stating his unwillingness to move to DH to accommodate Boston’s new Sun. Bregman, for his part, seems Accessible to Competing at second base, and in our estimation he should possess the Physicality to make that work in due time. Offensively, he seems to have Secured one of the few optimal fits that exist for his game outside of Houston.

6. Blake Snell, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Snell, a two-time Cy Youthful Award winner, continued his tour of the National Division West by joining the defending World Series champions on a five-year contract worth $182 million. Everyone knows his deal by now. Snell racks up a ton of strikeouts and misses oodles of bats and barrels, all the while handing out his Merely share of walks and averaging Merely over five innings per pop. It’s not a recipe that everyone will enjoy, but it is one that has resulted in a Profession 128 ERA+ all the same.

7. Max Fried, LHP, New York Yankees

Another talented left-handed starter, Fried (and his eight-year, $218 million contract) was part of the Yankees’ pivot after losing out on Juan Soto. He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball for a while now, amassing the highest ERA+ among left-handed starters since 2020 (min. 200 innings). Fried’s game is based around limiting the quality of contact he surrenders and generating tons of ground balls. That combination served him well during his eight years in Atlanta, and there’s no reason to think he’ll find anything but success now that he’s moved to New York.

Adames served as the Primary big Unoccupied-agent of the Buster Posey Era in San Francisco, with the two parties agreeing to a seven-year deal worth $182 million. He’s coming off a season that saw him set Profession highs in both home runs (32) and stolen bases (21). The Giants can only hope that he continues to feature that Nice of Lively offensive Talent set moving forward. Alas, there is some real Hazard here since Adames reliably punches out more than 25% of the time. Another Hazard factor worth monitoring: the public-facing Protective measures also disagree on how Great his glove is anymore. 

At one Mark this offseason, the Yankees Secured themselves with a glut of starters and in need of some Delayed-inning help (closer Clay Holmes and setup man Tommy Kahnle left through Unoccupied agency). Sensibly, they leveraged the Previous to address the latter, turning lefty Nestor Cortes (and a prospect) into Williams. When Williams has been Well (and mind you, he was limited to 21 innings last year), he’s been one of the best relievers in the sport. He’s averaged more than 14 strikeouts per nine innings during his Profession, thanks in part to his signature “Airbender” changeup. Williams is Joining his walk year, meaning that his production and his wellbeing this season could position him to Event Josh Hader’s Landmark (five years, $95 million) for reliever contracts.

As noted above, Cortes was the main return in the deal that sent Williams to the Bronx. (The Brewers also landed infielder Caleb Durbin, who has a chance to help them this season as a pull-Cheerful right-handed batter with wheels.) Cortes, too, is embarking on his Closing campaign before Unoccupied agency. He’s finished with a 105 ERA+ or better in three of the last four seasons, making him a nifty and valuable addition to the Brewers Cycle.