Red Sox Bolster Rotation with Sonny Gray: MLB Signing Analysis

MLB Fire Season: Analysis of Key Movements

The MLB 2025-26 “hot stove” season is already here! We bring you detailed analysis of every major move, from stellar signings to impactful trades, with ratings and evaluations to keep you informed of everything. Our experts will keep you informed about the impact of each decision, both for the upcoming season and for the future of your favorite team. This article will be constantly updated, so come back for the latest analysis as spring training progresses.

List of the top 50 free agents

Fantasy Analysis

Red Sox Bolster Rotation with Sonny Gray Trade

Red Sox receive:

• Right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray
• $20 million in cash

Cardinals receive:

• Left-handed pitcher Brandon Clarke
• Right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts

Grade for the Red Sox: B+The Red Sox, after a standout season in 2025, focused on strengthening their rotation. With Giolito’s departure, they sought a veteran starter and found a solution in Gray, 36 years old. Gray comes from two seasons with more than 200 strikeouts and led the National League in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Gray’s deal with the Red Sox was structured to pay him $31 million in 2026, with a mutual option for 2027 with a $10 million buyout, essentially making it a one-year contract for $41 million (with the Cardinals covering half). It’s a good deal for Gray, who waived his no-trade clause to leave St. Louis. Gray possesses an interesting combination. He is one of the best with two strikes, and his slider is his strikeout pitch. However, his problems lie in his fastballs, where hitters connect with force, resulting in 25 home runs and an ERA of 4.28. With a fastball that averages 92 mph, the question is whether this can be fixed. The Red Sox could suggest a change in the pitch combination. In general, Gray covers an important need without the Red Sox having to commit to a long-term contract, and they didn’t give up any player projected to be an impact player for them in 2026.Cardinals Grade: C

Although it’s not a move to get rid of salaries, it has that appearance, although the Cardinals contributed 20 million to get an improved return. Fitts could be a rotation player, and he will almost certainly get that opportunity. Clarke, a lefty with good speed, was drafted in 2024. For the Cardinals, it’s clear that 2026 will be a rebuild.

Rangers and Mets Trade Veterans

Mets receive:

• Second base Marcus Semien

Rangers receive:

• Gardener Brandon Nimmo

Mets Grade: C+This trade, which brings Semien to New York, is interesting, but involves two players over 30 years old with expensive contracts. The description “unspectacular” would be more appropriate than “impactful”. For the Mets, Semien, 35, although he performed well in 2023, his offensive numbers have declined. Semien is a better defender than McNeil, who could get a lot of playing time in other positions. Although Semien’s contract has a higher average annual value than Nimmo’s, it is shorter and will reduce New York’s long-term obligations. A perplexing aspect: The Mets have a large number of high-quality infield prospects.Rangers Grade: C+Nimmo is a better hitter than Semien and should be an upgrade for Texas in the outfield compared to what the Rangers were getting from Adolis García. Nimmo is a better hitter on average than both, and has the best plate discipline of the trio. These are traits that the Rangers’ offense needed a lot. Nimmo’s contract is a problem, but it’s more of a long-term problem than in 2026, when he will earn 5.5 million less than Semien. Texas is looking to reorganize while controlling spending, and this is the type of deal that helps that agenda. The Rangers may worry about the real inconvenience of Nimmo’s deal later on. For now, they can hope that moving to a new stage for the first time boosts Nimmo’s numbers.

The Orioles Acquire Taylor Ward in Exchange for Grayson Rodriguez

Orioles receive:

• Left fielder Taylor Ward

Angels receive:

• Right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez

Grade for the Orioles: DThe first big trade of last offseason was on November 22nd. Given the relatively tepid nature of this year’s free agent class, the hope is that this deal will be the vanguard of an upcoming baseball trade. Trades are fun.

However, I’m not sure I understand this from the Orioles’ perspective. Ward will be a free agent after the 2026 season, while Rodriguez has four seasons of team control remaining. Ward will turn 32 next month and has been a decent player, but his skill set is limited. He’s someone you acquire for his bat.

Ward hit 36 home runs in 2025, but his expected numbers suggest he overperformed in that area. He is a patient player who doesn’t generate enough fear from pitchers. And all this would be fine for a year of a productive hitter who would probably earn between 12 and 14 million dollars through the arbitration process. But at the cost of four years of a pitcher with Rodríguez’s potential?Grade for the Angels: A-This is about the potential for an Angels pitching staff desperate for a true number 1 starter. The possibility of Rodríguez fulfilling that potential in an Angels uniform is an exciting notion for Anaheim fans. The agreement opens a gap in the garden for the Angels without an obvious solution from the organization. But finding a free agent replacement that approximates or surpasses Ward’s production shouldn’t break the bank. Here’s a vote to go after Cody Bellinger.

All for the low price of a Taylor Ward season? Count me in!

The Mariners Secure Josh Naylor with a Multi-Year Contract

The agreement: 5 years, 92.5 million dollarsGrade: A-

If there were an award for the free agent prediction most likely to come true, Josh Naylor’s return to the Seattle Mariners would have been the favorite, so it’s no surprise that this is the first major signing of the offseason. As soon as the Mariners’ season ended with that heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, the front office made it clear that re-signing Naylor was their top priority. Such public vocalizations at that level are rare, and the Mariners backed them up with a five-year contract.

It’s easy to understand why they wanted Naylor back. The Mariners have been looking for a long-term solution at first base for, oh, about 20 years, really, since they traded John Olerud in 2004. Naylor arrived at the trade deadline from Arizona and provided a great spark down the stretch. Considering the pitcher-friendly nature of T-Mobile Park, it’s not easy to attract free-agent hitters to Seattle, but Naylor talked about how much he loves hitting there. The numbers back it up: In 43 career games at T-Mobile, he has hit .304 and slugged .534. It’s important to note that, for a Seattle lineup that relies heavily on strikeouts, Naylor is a high-contact hitter in the middle of the order; he finished with the seventeenth-best strikeout rate among qualified hitters in 2025. He’s not a star, but he’s a safe and predictable player to rely on for years to come. This deal extends to his age-33 season, so there may be some risk at the end of the contract, but for a team with World Series aspirations in 2026, the Mariners needed Naylor back.