Welcome to my evaluation of the top moves from an eventful 2024-25 MLB offseason.
There was no shortage of big moves this winter. We saw the biggest signing in the history of the sport, for goodness sakes. But that might not even be the headline, as the defending World Series champion Dodgers have stacked their roster to the point where some fans (and even MLB commissioner Rob Manfred) have raised the possibility of a salary cap or at least limits on deferred payments. A salary cap wouldn’t achieve what many would want it to achieve, namely competitive balance, but the calls will only grow louder if the Dodgers win the World Series again. Attention is the most valuable commodity that someone can wield these days, and MLB certainly has it with the Dodgers, for better or worse.
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And away we go….
Top 25 2024-2025 MLB Offseason Moves
1) Mets beat out Yankees, sign Juan Soto to record-breaking contract
Not only did Soto land a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets — the largest contract ever in North American professional sports history — but he left the crosstown Yankees in order to do it. It’s the biggest signal yet that it’s a new world under Mets owner Steve Cohen, who simply wouldn’t be denied in this process. Yes, money did most of the talking here, but Soto also prioritized the family atmosphere that the Mets have tried to instill with the franchise. The 26-year-old Soto is on a Hall of Fame track through his first seven seasons in the majors, amassing 201 home runs and a .285/.421/.532 batting line over 936 games. Who knows what sort of player he will be at the end of this contract — or what the world will be like, for that matter — but the Mets will worry about that later. Soto should form a dynamic duo with fellow superstar Francisco Lindor as the Mets attempt to build off their surprising 2024 campaign.
2) Roki Sasaki chooses the Dodgers
What do you get for the team that has everything? The best international pitcher available, of course. While the Blue Jays, Giants, and Padres were involved in negotiations, Sasaki ultimately chose the defending World Series champions in mid-January. Because he’s under 25 years old, he was considered an international free agent, so the Dodgers paid him a $6.25…