Tracking the offseason MLB trades and signings with fantasy baseball implications for the upcoming season, Eric Karabell and Tristan H. Cockcroft will analyze and provide an outlook for all of the key players involved.
While players were allowed to sign with new teams as early as Thursday Nov. 6, things typically start to heat up at the league’s annual Winter Meetings, taking place in Orlando from Dec. 7-10.
Some of the top names who could end up with new teams for 2026 include J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez and Kenley Jansen.
As the contracts get signed, this is the place to find all of the fantasy fallout of those deals, so be sure to check back throughout the “hot stove” season for updates.
Note: Not every transaction warrants the attention of fantasy managers, but for those signings and trades that do merit analysis, you’ll find them listed below. Players will be separated by position and then listed in chronological order of the move within each positional grouping, with the latest news coming first. Also included are links to any standalone analysis stories and/or videos regarding major free agent signings and trades. Players who end up re-signing with their previous team will not always be included.
Jump to:
Catcher | First base | Second base | Shortstop | Third base
Outfield | DH | Starting pitcher | Relief pitcher
Catcher
Players we’re watching: J.T. Realmuto, Mitch Garver, Christian Vazquez
First base
Josh Naylor re-signed with the Mariners on a five-year deal: Among the more unexpected statistical outcomes of 2025 was Naylor’s 30 stolen bases, a total propped up by the 19 he swiped in 54 games following his July trade from the Diamondbacks. With the speedy finish, Naylor finished 16th overall on the Player Rater, his production in the stolen base category making him especially valuable in leagues that use rotisserie scoring. He’d also finish 36th in fantasy points, still an outstanding outcome.
Back in Seattle for the next five seasons, Naylor’s rotisserie value is less likely to regress than it might have almost anywhere else. Under manager Dan Wilson, the Mariners were one of the most aggressive teams on the basepaths in baseball, attempting steals on a third most-frequent 8.7% of their opportunities for the season, and a second-most 10.0% from the date of Naylor’s Mariners debut (July 25) forward. Though he lacks top-shelf raw speed, Naylor has been successful on 85.9% of his career stolen base attempts, a facet of his game that Wilson should surely continue to exploit.
Maybe Safeco Field’s pitcher-friendly nature will keep Naylor’s home run output closer to the 20-HR number he had in 2025 than the 30 he hit in 2024, but he’s much more likely to steal 20 bases in Seattle than the 7.3 he averaged from 2022-24. He’ll once again be a top-10 fantasy first baseman and a near top-50 player overall, similarly valued to fellow first baseman Freddie Freeman. — Cockcroft (11/17)
Players we’re watching: Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt, Rhys Hoskins
Second base
Players we’re watching: Gleyber Torres, Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco, Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Shortstop
Players we’re watching: Ha-Seong Kim, Bo Bichette, Luis Rengifo, Willi Castro
Third base
Players we’re watching: Alex Bregman, Eugenio Suarez, Justin Turner, Yoan Moncada
Outfield
Players we’re watching: Cody Bellinger, Kyle Schwarber, Starling Marte, Kyle Tucker
Designated hitter
Players we’re watching: Marcell Ozuna, Josh Bell, Andrew McCutchen
Starting pitcher
Players we’re watching: Framber Valdez, Lucas Giolito, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Zac Gallen, Dylan Cease, Zach Eflin, Shota Imanaga, Ranger Suarez, Brandon Woodruff, Chris Bassitt
Relief pitcher
Players we’re watching: Edwin Diaz, Raisel Iglesias, Kirby Yates, Kenley Jansen, Devin Williams
