There’s always a lot of intrigue each offseason when it comes to the Hot Stove, but one of the more unique elements this time of year is the prospect of a star free agent signing with a division rival.
And there is no shortage of potential cases in which that could happen this offseason. Here’s a look at seven notable free agents who might very well end up suiting up for a different team within the same division in 2026.
If Pete Alonso decides to leave Queens after spending the first seven seasons of his Major League career with the Mets, he’ll also leave a gaping hole in the middle of New York’s lineup. Enter Schwarber?
The hulking slugger would be the best replacement available on the market (assuming he’s still on the market), and with Steve Cohen’s bunch missing the postseason altogether after signing superstar Juan Soto to the largest contract in the history of sports, there will certainly be motivation to bring in a guy who slammed 56 home runs last season.
Not to mention the Mets would be taking one of the game’s greatest sluggers away from their division rivals, the Phillies.
Does Bo know pinstripes? A deal that brings Bichette to the Bronx is certainly feasible. Yes, the Yankees have Anthony Volpe at shortstop and traded for Ryan McMahon to play third base last season, but Bichette could potentially be inserted at second, especially after he played at the keystone position admirably despite having a compromised left knee during the World Series.
Bichette’s bat would make any lineup better, but it would be particularly promising for the Yankees’ group, which can be feast-or-famine at times — especially when Aaron Judge is either slumping or hurt. Bichette proved last season that he remains an elite hitter despite a down year limited by injury in ’24.
Outside of Judge, no qualified hitter on the Yanks’ roster last season batted better than .274 (Paul Goldschmidt). Bichette hit .311 last season and is a career .294 hitter. He’s also a doubles machine, with a career-high 44 of them during the 2025 campaign despite missing nearly the entire final month due to injury. And given his opposite-field pop, that short porch in right at Yankee Stadium seems inviting for a hitter like him.
The Yankees reportedly want to re-sign Bellinger, but might the Jays swoop in and snatch him?
Toronto is definitely in the mix for the offseason’s top free-agent hitter, Kyle Tucker. Bellinger could be a perfect fallback option if Tucker signs elsewhere and the Blue Jays must look elsewhere to bolster their lineup.
It’s clear based on how busy the Blue Jays have already been since losing Game 7 of the World Series to the Dodgers in extra innings that Toronto is going all-in to give itself the best chance possible to get back to the Fall Classic. Could the 30-year-old Bellinger end up being part of the blueprint in 2026?
Since two trying seasons at the plate with the Dodgers in 2021 and ’22, Bellinger has resuscitated his career and could prove valuable both offensively and defensively for Toronto if the Jays miss out on Tucker.
Suárez hit one of the biggest home runs in Mariners history this past fall and is a fan favorite in Seattle, but might he leave the Pacific Northwest for Southern California?
The Halos dealt slugging outfielder Taylor Ward to the Orioles to acquire right-handed starter Grayson Rodriguez. Going after starting pitching is wise, of course, for a franchise that has struggled in that department for a long time. But along with Ward’s departure went 36 homers from last season.
Suárez is coming off a season in which he launched a career-high-tying 49 homers before belting three more in the playoffs, including a memorable go-ahead grand slam in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series against the Blue Jays, a series Seattle ultimately lost in seven.
The Angels got a breakout performance from Jo Adell last season, when he hit a team-leading 37 homers. But with the great Mike Trout having been slowed by injury much of the past several seasons and no other 30-plus-homer performances other than Ward, Los Angeles could certainly use more thump in the lineup — particularly at third base, where there is a vacancy now that Yoán Moncada is a free agent.
The Dodgers’ run to their second consecutive World Series championship this year was impressive, especially considering the club’s bullpen was its weak link. L.A.’s relief corps finished the regular season tied for 20th in ERA, at 4.27. So, naturally, an offseason priority for the two-time defending World Series champs is fortifying the ’pen.
Suarez is one of the best options available on the free-agent market, particularly now that Ryan Helsley and Devin Williams are off the board. In four Major League seasons, all with the Padres, Suarez owns a 2.91 ERA with 77 saves, a National League-leading 40 of which came last season. He’s entering his age-35 campaign next year, but the Dodgers are rumored to be looking at shorter-term contracts for relievers, so there could be a match.
With one of the game’s most effective four-seam fastballs — the pitch ranked in the 97th percentile last season, according to Statcast, in both run value (21) and average velocity (98.6 mph) — Suarez posted excellent strikeout (27.9%) and walk (5.9%) rates. The two-time All-Star could be a great fit just up the California coast in L.A., helping the Dodgers keep San Diego at bay to maintain their grip on NL West supremacy.
The Giants have a lot of question marks in their starting rotation behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray at the front, with several inexperienced/unproven candidates to fill out the final three spots.
San Francisco has been rumored to be connected to Japanese sensation Tatsuya Imai, but other reports suggest the Giants aren’t looking to pay top-of-the-market prices.
Enter Gallen, whom the Giants have had to deal with for seven seasons as he rose to prominence with the division-rival D-backs. The right-hander emerged as one of the best starters in the NL from 2022-24, posting a 3.20 ERA over that span and helping Arizona make a surprise run to the World Series in ’23.
Gallen, 30, had a rough 2025 campaign in which his ERA was a career-worst 4.83. But his expected ERA was more than half a run lower (4.28) and he’s not far removed from a third-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting (2023). He’d definitely be a lower-cost alternative to the elite arms in the upper echelon of the market, and that could entice San Francisco to sign him.
The Red Sox had a tremendous bullpen in 2025, finishing second in the majors with a 3.41 ERA thanks in large part to the duo of Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman at the back end. Whitlock emerged as a reliable setup man and Chapman had a career year in his age-37 campaign.
But with left-handers Steven Matz and Justin Wilson on the free-agent market, Boston stands to lose two of its relievers and would need to fill those holes. Weaver is coming off a down year by his standards in his second season with the Yankees, but there is plenty of reason to believe he’ll bounce back in 2025, and adding him could create a three-headed monster in the Boston ’pen.
Beyond that, it’s always nice for the Red Sox when they can take from their archrivals in the Bronx.
