The World Series is over. The Dodgers had their parade. It’s now time to focus on what’s next.
MLB Free Agency officially got underway on November 4. There are some big names and some smaller names available to the highest bidder this winter and we’ll have them all covered here. Make sure to check-in and see the latest news from baseball’s hot stove.
Free Agency Positional Breakdown | Top 10 Free Agent Rankings | Juan Soto Next-Team Odds
SP Luis Severino to the Athletics
November 5: Well, this is a legitimate shock. Yes, the Dodgers technically started the free agent pitching market by inking Blake Snell to a massive deal, but having the Athletics make the second huge move was not something on anyone’s Bingo card. However, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the A’s have agreed to a three-year, $67 million deal with Luis Severino. Reportedly, there is an opt-out after the second season. It is the largest free agent contract in the franchise’s history.
Severino returned to relevancy in 2024 after long struggling with injury. In fact, his 182.0 innings of work were by far the most he’d thrown in a single campaign since all the way back in 2018. While Severino’s fastball velocity remains above-average — he sat in the 79th percentile last season — the RHP’s 21.2% strikeout rate is not what it used to be. Still, Severino maintained a 3.91 ERA and a 3.88 xERA thanks primarily to a new pitch mix, leaning on his sinker more than ever before. Severino threw the pitch in 24.8% of counts, in comparison to a 2.8% usage in 2023. He’s a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm on a contending team, yet he’ll be asked to lead a rotation in, ummmm, Sacramento?
RP Aroldis Chapman to the Boston Red Sox
December 3: As reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Red Sox have a new addition in their bullpen, with the team inking Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $10.5 million deal. The veteran is obviously a name that comes with a lot of baggage — both good and bad — but, in terms of on-field results, the 36-year-old still seems to have some juice. Chapman tossed 61.2 innings for the Pirates in 2024, picking up 14 saves and maintaining a 3.79 ERA with a sterling 2.96 xERA. Walks are always going to be an issue, but Chapman negates some of that problem with an elite 37.0% strikeout rate. Chapman also sat in the 98th percentile in average fastball velocity (98.7), so it’s not like his stuff has diminished all that much over the years. With Kenley Jansen unlikely to re-sign with Boston, Chapman might have a path to be the team’s closer in 2025, though it’s worth remembering that Liam Hendriks is on this roster, too.
2B/SS Tommy Edman to the Los Angeles Dodgers
November 29: According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Tommy Edman has agreed to a five-year, $74 million deal to stay with the Dodgers. The veteran infielder had been acquired by Los Angeles in a mid-season trade with St. Louis. A career .263 hitter with a 99 wRC+, Edman was anything but league-average in the playoffs. In 67 plate appearances, the 29-year-old slashed .328/.354/.508 with a pair of massive home runs and a 139 wRC+. Heck, on a team of All-Stars, Edman justifiably won MVP in the NLCS against the Mets.
Projecting forward, it’s difficult to get too excited about Edman’s fantasy value. While he will bring positional versatility and have the benefit of inhabiting one of the league’s best lineups, Edman is at his best as a platoon bat. To wit, for his career, Edman owns a .689 OPS versus RHPs compared to a .831 OPS when facing southpaws. If there’s a path to every day at-bats — and that depends on what happens with Gavin Lux and where Mookie Betts calls home defensively — Edman is a decent asset. He’ll be especially valuable in DFS.
C Travis d’Arnaud to the Los Angeles Angels
November 12: Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Angels have agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with Travis d’Arnaud. The 35-year-old has been an effective backstop — both behind the plate and in the batter’s box — for the better part of a decade. In 2024, d’Arnaud slashed .238/.302/.436 with 15 home runs and a 103 wRC+ in 341 plate appearances. He was worth 1.8 fWAR in just 99 games.
That’s pretty much the book on d’Arnaud. He’s quite solid, yet he can’t be expected to hold up to the rigors of being an every day catcher at this point in his career. Heck, he’s only twice surpassed 400 plate appearances in his 12 season at the MLB level. In Los Angeles, d’Arnuad will split time with Logan O’Hoppe. Early on in 2024, O’Hoppe appeared to be establishing himself as one of the best young catchers in fantasy baseball; however, he hit a paltry .196 with a 64 wRC+ following the All-Star break. O’Hoppe will surely lose volume to d’Arnaud in 2025, but it’s possible more time off will allow him to stay effective with the bat deeper into the campaign.
SP Kyle Hendricks to the Los Angeles Angels
November 6: According to MLB Network’s Joel Sherman, Hendricks has agreed to join the Angels on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. The 34-year-old struggled to a 5.92 ERA last season with the Cubs, but was decent down the stretch, posting a 2.89 ERA and a 3.52 FIP in the month of September. Still, I don’t think there’s too much left in the tank for the veteran RHP. Not only did Hendricks claim the lowest fastball velocity among qualified starters in 2024 (87.6), but he also sat in the fourth percentile in strikeout rate (15.3%) and the eighth percentile in opponent expected batting average (.279).
Hendricks will be tasked with eating innings for a Los Angeles rotation that was not only putrid in 2024, but injury-plagued. Just two Angels pitchers had more than 20 starts last season and one of them was Griffin Canning — a man who was traded to Atlanta last week. Los Angeles simply needs arms.
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