Big names continue to come off the board as the MLB offseason rolls on. Here, we look at some recent moves and hand out grades for each.
Corbin Burnes ➡️ D-Backs
Grade: A+
Arizona pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the offseason, swooping in to land Burnes with a six-year, $210-million contract. The 30-year-old wanted to pitch in Arizona after building a home in the Phoenix area, and the Diamondbacks appear to have reaped the rewards. Burnes’ addition gives manager Torrey Lovullo one of baseball’s deepest and most talented starting rotations, which includes Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Pfaadt.
Burnes isn’t quite as dominant as he once was, but he’s as dependable as any pitcher in the league, making at least 32 starts and throwing at 193 innings in each of the past three seasons. Burnes handled life in the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles well, posting a 15-9 record with a 2.92 ERA and 8.4 K/9 in 2024. The right-hander has received Cy Young votes in five straight seasons and is a strong candidate to be in contention to win his second career Cy Young in 2025.
Teoscar Hernández ➡️ Dodgers
Grade: A-
Hernández made no secret of his desire to stay with the Dodgers. He even took a bit of a discount to return, inking a three-year, $66-million contract which reportedly contains more than $23 million in deferred money as well as a $23 million signing bonus. Keeping the term to three years for a player entering his age-32 campaign is a solid result for Los Angeles.
Hernández should continue to benefit from the luxury of hitting behind Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. The 32-year-old went deep 33 times with 99 RBIs and earned the third Silver Slugger of his career. Strikeouts and a tendency to expand the zone are always a source of concern with Hernández, but that’s a small price to pay for a proven middle-of-the-order performer as the Dodgers look to remain championship contenders.
Charlie Morton ➡️ Orioles
Grade: C
The Orioles continued a puzzling offseason by inking the 41-year-old Morton to a one-year, $15-million contract. Baltimore general manager Mike Elias has signed two aging pitchers – Morton and Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano – in an effort to replace the gaping hole in the rotation left in Burnes’ wake.
Morton remains a fairly dependable option after posting a 4.19 ERA with 167 strikeouts across 30 starts with the Atlanta Braves last season. The veteran right-hander made at least 30 starts in every full campaign since 2018, and reliable pitchers are always a desirable commodity on the free-agent market. However, Elias and the Orioles should’ve been thinking bigger than one-year deals. Baltimore is firmly in its window to win and only has so many years with the likes of Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman on affordable contracts. Signing Morton feels a bit too safe – the Orioles would’ve benefitted from a little more aggression.
Justin Verlander ➡️ Giants
Grade: C-
It was somewhat of a surprise to see Verlander land a $15-million guarantee on a one-year contract after the worst campaign of his career. The soon-to-be 42-year-old struggled through shoulder and neck injuries and registered the worst ERA of his career since a two-game cameo in 2005 with the Detroit Tigers. Verlander’s K/9 dropped to 7.4 in 2024, and he was left off the Astros’ postseason roster after registering a 9.26 ERA in five September outings. But he’s just one season removed from putting up a 3.31 ERA with seven wins in 11 starts.
Still, it’s certainly fair to look at this version of Verlander and decide the nine-time All-Star doesn’t have anything left in the tank as he gets set for the 20th season of his illustrious career. The Giants are making a surprisingly high financial investment with the hope that the future Hall of Famer can defy Father Time for at least one more year.
Athletics extend Brent Rooker
Grade: A
The Athletics’ surprising spending spree continued with a five-year, $60-million extension for a breakout slugger. Rooker’s a late bloomer, arbitration-eligible for the first time at age 30. The extension gives him some financial security and likely represents his best opportunity to cash in.
Rooker amassed 5.1 fWAR with a 164 wRC+, 39 home runs, and 112 RBIs last season. Anything approaching those numbers will make his $12-million annual salary a tremendous deal for the Athletics. Even if he settles into more of a two- or three-WAR player, the A’s will still likely be thrilled if Rooker can crush 30 or more home runs. It’s refreshing to see the Athletics spending aggressively after years of the opposite, but it’s unfortunate that it took the team moving out of Oakland for it to happen.
Hyeseong Kim ➡️ Dodgers
Grade: B
Kim looks ticketed to be the defending champions’ starting second baseman in 2025 after signing a three-year contract. The deal will guarantee him $12.5 million with the Dodgers holding options for the 2028 and 2029 seasons. It’s a fairly low-risk investment in a player who did nothing but hit during an impressive eight-year career in the KBO. Kim doesn’t have much power, but the Dodgers have enough players who can hit the ball over the fence to compensate for that.
Los Angeles is likely hoping to slot Kim – who hit .326 and .335 in his past two campaigns with the Kiwoom Heroes – in at the bottom of the order to try and turn the lineup over the big bats of Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman. If the 26-year-old can hit .280 or better, run the bases well, and provide strong defense around the diamond, the Dodgers – and their fans – will be very pleased.
Gavin Lux ➡️ Reds
Grade: C+
Signing Kim made Lux expendable in Los Angeles, so the Dodgers traded him to Cincinnati for a competitive balance pick and a prospect. Lux never quite lived up to his considerable hype during five seasons in L.A. – the 27-year-old missed the entire 2023 season with a knee injury and finished his Dodgers tenure with a 96 OPS+ in 412 games.
Lux is currently projected to be the Reds’ designated hitter with Matt McLain at second base and Jeimer Candelario at third base. He’ll likely see playing time at multiple positions, including opportunities in the outfield. It’ll be interesting to see if the move from the more pitcher-friendly confines of Dodger Stadium to the notoriously hitter’s haven known as Great American Ballpark will help boost Lux’s production at the plate.
Jeff Hoffman ➡️ Blue Jays
Grade: B+
Hoffman will finally get a chance to pitch for the Blue Jays after inking a three-year, $33-million deal. The right-hander was the organization’s first-round pick in 2014 before he was traded to the Colorado Rockies in the Troy Tulowitzki blockbuster a year later. Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Hoffman will be given an opportunity to close, which makes a great deal of sense for a team that needs a replacement for Jordan Romano.
Hoffman developed into one of the game’s premier relievers over the past two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He owns an 8-5 record with a 2.28 ERA, 11 saves, and 12 K/9 since the start of the 2023 campaign. The Blue Jays needed more impact arms to help boost a bullpen that finished 2024 29th in ERA and strikeouts. Hoffman is a huge upgrade.
The only reason the grade isn’t higher is because of some concern about Hoffman’s shoulder. The Baltimore Orioles reportedly had a three-year, $40-million contract in place before seeing something in the physical that led to the deal falling apart. There’s always risk associated with signing pitchers, but it’s still one a team like the Blue Jays should be taking.
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