Some of this year’s top contenders likely wouldn’t be where they are without the moves they made — and the new faces they added to the mix — last offseason.
But which acquisitions have had the greatest impact for their new clubs?
Here’s a ranking of the top 10 offseason additions on playoff contenders (not counting players who remained with the same team), based on personal performance and how important each player has been to his team’s success in 2025.
All stats below are through Friday.
After Crochet’s breakout 2024 season with the rebuilding White Sox, the Red Sox traded for the southpaw with the hope he could be the frontline starter they’ve lacked since Chris Sale’s prime. He has more than delivered, leading the American League in innings (178 1/3) and pacing the Majors in strikeouts (218) while posting a 2.67 ERA. Even with Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito exceeding expectations, it’s hard to imagine Boston would be in playoff position without Crochet’s contributions. Boston is 49-25 in games started by those three (19-9 when Crochet starts) and 29-39 in all other games.
2. Juan Soto, OF, Mets
Signed to 15-year, $765 million deal in free agency
Soto got off to a slow start after signing a landmark deal with the Mets in free agency, but his early struggles are a distant memory now. The superstar slugger has slashed .282/.431/.603 with 28 homers over 82 games since the start of June and also has been more aggressive than expected on the bases, putting a rare 40-30 campaign in play. He’s even managed to solve his one lingering issue, improving his performance with runners in scoring position by a significant margin over the past two months. Soto has a strong case to be No. 1 on this list, but we’ll give the slight edge to Crochet, whose burden as Boston’s ace has been heavier than the load Soto has shouldered in a Mets lineup that also features Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and several other key contributors.
3. Nick Pivetta, SP, Padres
Signed to four-year, $55 million deal in free agency
When the Padres signed Pivetta in mid-February, the right-hander was expected to occupy the fourth spot in their rotation behind Michael King, Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish — a role befitting a 32-year-old who had never posted a season ERA below 4.04. Instead, Pivetta has been San Diego’s ace in 2025, stabilizing the club’s rotation amid injuries to King and Darvish and a down year from Cease. Pivetta has thrown six or more innings and allowed two runs or fewer in 17 starts — tied for the third most in the Majors behind Paul Skenes (19) and Crochet (18) — en route to a 2.85 ERA with 172 K’s over 164 1/3 frames on the year.
Like most of the Cubs’ hitters, Tucker has cooled off after a hot start. But the four-time All-Star gets credit for his total body of work here, and he helped Chicago bank a ton of wins with his impressive work early in the year, slashing .291/.395/.537 with 17 homers, 52 RBIs and 20 steals through the end of June. As a result, the Cubs are on the verge of securing their first playoff berth since the shortened 2020 season. Overall, Tucker has posted a 20-20 campaign (22 HR, 25 SB) with an .854 OPS in 133 games, a strong walk-year performance as the 28-year-old prepares for free agency this offseason.
5. Matthew Boyd, SP, Cubs
Signed to two-year, $29 million deal in free agency
Boyd has put together a career year at the age of 34, building on the success he had over eight starts for the Guardians after returning from Tommy John surgery last summer. The veteran lefty has recorded a 2.94 ERA over 159 1/3 innings, earning his first All-Star selection along the way. Boyd’s performance has been crucial for the Cubs, who have had the top three members of their season-opening rotation — Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon — for just 44 combined starts in 2025.
6. Max Fried, SP, Yankees
Signed to eight-year, $218 million deal in free agency
The headliner of the Yankees’ pivot plan after losing Soto to the Mets, Fried has been a terrific addition to the team’s rotation in the first season of an eight-year deal. The left-hander has posted a 2.98 ERA over 28 starts, capably assuming the ace mantle for a rotation that lost Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) for the season during Spring Training and was also without Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt for significant portions of the year. Fried did run into some issues over an eight-start stretch from July 1-Aug. 16 (6.80 ERA) but appears to be back on track, having allowed two runs in 20 innings across his past three games.
Another key piece of the Bronx Bombers’ retooling efforts following Soto’s departure, Bellinger arrived from the Cubs in a trade just days after Chicago added Tucker to its outfield. Although he struggled out of the gate, Bellinger has been one of the Yankees’ best players for the better part of 2025, hitting .275 with 27 homers, 87 RBIs and an .827 OPS while seeing time at all three outfield spots and first base.
8. Alex Bregman, 3B, Red Sox
Signed to three-year, $120 million deal in free agency
It’s tough to rank Bregman higher than this when he missed nearly two months with a right quad strain and has slumped in recent weeks, but he still clearly belongs on this list. The 31-year-old has hit .284 with 16 homers and an .853 OPS and has been a big defensive upgrade over former Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers. Despite all the time he missed, Bregman is tied for sixth in fWAR (3.2) among players who have played at least 75% of their games at third base this season.
9. Aroldis Chapman, RP, Red Sox
Signed to one-year, $10.75 million deal in free agency
Despite compiling an impressive résumé over 15 seasons in the Majors, Boston’s December signing of Chapman didn’t generate much buzz. Though he has continued to throw hard and rack up strikeouts in recent years, it had been a while since he was considered an elite closer — in fact, he wasn’t even guaranteed the role when Spring Training began. Chapman, though, ended up winning the job and has gone on to produce one of the best seasons of his career. The numbers are eye-popping — he hasn’t allowed a hit to the last 46 batters he’s faced and owns a 1.00 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP over 54 innings on the year.
Luzardo’s overall 4.05 ERA is a bit misleading. The lefty allowed 20 runs over 5 2/3 innings in his May 31 and June 5 starts, but he has pitched to a collective 3.00 ERA in his other 26 outings, which more closely aligns with his 3.03 FIP — fifth best in the NL — on the season. He also has 182 K’s, tied for the eighth most in MLB. Luzardo was especially dominant over his first 11 starts (2.15 ERA), helping the Phillies’ rotation withstand Ranger Suárez’s five-week absence at the outset of the campaign, not to mention Aaron Nola’s struggles before going on the IL in mid-May.
