MLB Winter Meetings: Live updates, rumors, news as busiest week from baseball's hot stove kicks off

Keep track of Monday's news and rumors from the Winter Meetings in Orlando right here

The 2025 Winter Meetings have arrived. Baseball's annual hot stove extravaganza is being held this week in Orlando, and the Winter Meetings are typically the busiest period of the offseason. It will be four days of free agent signings, trades, and rumors -- though Monday got off to a quiet start with no major moves through the morning or early afternoon. Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Framber Valdez and Kyle Schwarber all remain unsigned as the week began. Garrett Crochet, Max Fried, and Juan Soto were among the players to change teams at last year's Winter Meetings.

Here are 10 burning questions going into this year's Winter Meetings and here are our bold predictions.

Dylan Cease (seven-year, $210 million deal with the Blue Jays) is the only top free agent to sign thus far. Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins, Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks and MacKenzie Gore of the Nationals headline trade candidates who could potentially move this week. Eyes will also be on two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal if the Tigers are open to a deal. Here are our top 50 free agents and our top 25 trade candidates.

Follow along below as the CBS Sports MLB experts provide updates and analysis on all the hot stove happenings at this year's Winter Meetings.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 4:17 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Padres announced on Monday that they've signed right-hander Daison Acosta to a big-league contract.

Acosta, 27, has never pitched in the majors but that should change in 2026. He throws a mid-90s fastball as well as a splitter and a slider that each generated nearly 40% whiffs last season. 

Acosta has reliably struggled with his command throughout his professional career, and that remains the main reason he hasn't established himself as a fixture in someone's bullpen.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 4:01 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Diamondbacks, who previously said that a trade involving second baseman Ketel Marte is unlikely, are willing to listen to inquiries at this stage in the winter. Yet their asking price is, predictably, quite high and is focused on near-ready starting pitchers, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. 

Marte, 32, is under contract through the 2030 season at minimum. He's been one of Arizona's most productive players over most of the past decade, but he ruffled feathers last summer with an absence after the All-Star Game and his general requests for time off following a home burglary.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 3:42 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Padres will not attempt to convert three of their top relievers -- Mason Miller, Adrian Morejón, and David Morgan -- to the rotation next season, manager Craig Stammen told reporters on Monday. 

As such, count San Diego as being on the hunt for starters. The Padres have already lost Dylan Cease to free agency and are also rumored to be shopping starter Nick Pivetta as a means of freeing up funds to use elsewhere. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 3:36 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Mets remain interested in free-agent slugger Kyle Schwarber, according to the New York Post. It's not the cleanest fit on paper, as Schwarber is limited defensively and would have to co-exist for a few years with Juan Soto, but that pairing would give the Mets one of the fiercest one-two offensive punches in the majors. Of course, the Mets being in the bidding could be a tactic to drive up Schwarber's asking price and force the Phillies to spend more to retain him, too.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 2:16 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Blue Jays continue to seek relief help. One name on their radar: free-agent closer Robert Suarez, according to Sportsnet. Suarez, formerly of the Padres, is one of the top free-agent relievers left on the market.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 2:08 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Kyle Schwarber, one of the most popular free agents on the market, is drawing interest from a varied bunch that includes the Phillies, Mets, and Pirates. He's expected to reach an agreement with some team or another within the next two weeks, according to The Athletic. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 1:45 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso will attend the Winter Meetings on Tuesday to meet with interested teams, according to the New York Post. That group includes two American League squads, in the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox. It's unclear if Alonso will also meet with the New York Mets, his only employer to date.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 1:45 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Bear in mind that already this offseason, we've seen a couple of major trades (the Marcus Semien-Brandon Nimmo swap between the Rangers and Red Sox and the Sonny Gray deal mentioned below) and a major signing (Dylan Cease to the Blue Jays). Despite what you hear about certain free agents or trade candidates "clogging up" the markets, there's never really any telling when things will go down.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 12:33 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Cardinals, in their first winter under Chaim Bloom's guidance, have already sent Sonny Gray packing. They have a lot of other potential business to conduct over the coming days as they enter a transition phase. 

That may include shipping out utility player Brendan Donovan (a fit for virtually every contender) and lefty reliever JoJo Romero, among others. The Cardinals could also try to find a new home for corner infielders Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 12:18 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

Right-hander Tatsuya Imai, who's looking to make the leap to MLB from Japan, is of interest to the Cubs, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. Imai is ranked 12th on our countdown of the top 50 free agents. Here's part of RJ Anderson's write-up: 

Relative to how front offices view hitters transferring from NPB, pitchers are a near-certain quantity. There are too many success stories to fixate on the differences in the ball and the schedule or to suggest it'll have a devastating effect on the talent in question. That's good news for Imai's stock. He's fresh off a dominant season that saw him post a 1.92 ERA and a 3.96 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 163 innings. He possesses mid-90s velocity and a forkball-like slider he delivers from a low release point. Imai isn't far removed from struggling with his command (it took until his seventh professional season for him to walk fewer than four batters per nine innings), but teams confident in his strikethrowing ability could envision him being at least a No. 3 starter as soon as next spring.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 12:05 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Nationals, under new management, are listening to teams on both lefty MacKenzie Gore and shortstop CJ Abrams, per The Athletic. Gore's name has been on the trade market for a minute, but Abrams (under team control through the 2028 season) is a new entrant on the rumor mill.

Abrams, 25, just posted a career-high 111 OPS+. The lack of compelling free-agent shortstop options (beyond Bo Bichette) should make him an intriguing candidate for contenders seeking an upgrade at the position. 

Some of the other front offices I've talked with have been surprised at the Nationals' willingness to trade long-term pieces, citing how James Wood and Dylan Crews are already in place. That the new front office is open to moving Gore and Abrams suggests they may this as a necessary overhaul.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 11:45 am ET · Dayn Perry]

Presumably, the Padres are still in contending mode, but at the same time the post-Peter Seidler ownership group continues to push for payroll reductions. In related matters, the Padres are at least willing to listen on trade offers for right-hander Nick Pivetta, Dennis Lin of the Athletic reports. 

Pivetta, who turns 33 in February and is signed through 2028, is coming off a career year in 2025 in terms of both WAR (5.3) and FIP (3.49): 

The Padres are already dealing with the free agent loss of Dylan Cease (signed with the Blue Jays) and the likely free agent loss of Michael King. Trading away Pivetta in light of those realities would do serious harm to the team's hopes in 2026. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 11:45 am ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Rule 5 draft will take place later this week. Here are 10 names worth knowing:

MLB Rule 5 Draft: 10 names to watch, including former Florida star and a Clayton Kershaw impersonator

R.J. Anderson

[Dec 8, 2025 at 11:42 am ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Tigers, along with the Red Sox and the Cubs, are considered to be some of the favorites to land free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman. Yet Detroit's interest in Bregman to date has been "lukewarm," according to the Detroit Free Press, who add that the Tigers' likelihood of signing Bregman went down when Gleyber Torres accepted his qualifying offer. The Tigers, in turn, may prioritize a downmarket free-agent infielder -- someone like shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.

[Dec 8, 2025 at 11:35 am ET · R.J. Anderson]

Top baseball operation executive Andrew Friedman told reporters (including the Orange County Register) that the Dodgers don't have "as much heavy lifting" to do this offseason, and that the club is being careful about fielding a roster that's too old -- or, more importantly, too close to a collective decline. That second consideration may keep the Dodgers from signing any free agent who requires an extra long term. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 11:03 am ET · Dayn Perry]

Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte -- a three-time All-Star and owner of a 35.6 career WAR across parts of 11 MLB seasons -- has been the subject of trade speculation for some time now. He's one of the most compelling names available this offseason, and that goes for the trade and free agent markets. Not surprisingly, multiple teams have interest in at least cursory discussions for Marte's services, and according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post that list of teams includes the Blue Jays and Red Sox. Presumably such interest would reflect the possibility that, respectively, Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman sign elsewhere this offseason. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 10:04 am ET · Dayn Perry]

The Mets opted for attempts at thrift and efficiency in the rotation last season despite the vast resources of owner Steve Cohen, and it didn't go particularly well for them. Will they take that approach again this winter? Here's this note from Will Sammon of the Athletic: 

"Despite failing to get length from their rotation last season, the New York Mets are reluctant to hand out long-term offers to this offseason's top free-agent starting pitchers, people familiar with the club's thinking said."

Presumably -- and assuming this is indeed the Mets' rock-solid stance -- this would put them out of the running for top-end rotation arms like Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, and Tatsuya Imai. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 10:04 am ET · Stephen Pianovich]

In non-rumors news, the Winter Meetings technically began on Sunday as the Baseball Hall of Fame Contemporary Era committee elected Jeff Kent to the Hall's Class of 2026. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly and more fell short.

Baseball Hall of Fame: Jeff Kent elected into Cooperstown for Class of 2026; Barry Bonds shut out again

Matt Snyder

[Dec 8, 2025 at 9:40 am ET · Dayn Perry]

Right-hander Michael Soroka has landed with the Diamondbacks, ESPN reports. Soroka, 28, made 17 starts and five relief appearances for the Nationals and Cubs last season. Over those 89 ⅔ combined innings, he put up an ERA+ of 91. He has an ERA+ of 113 across parts of six MLB seasons. The one-year deal is worth $7.5 million, per MLB.com. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 9:36 am ET · Dayn Perry]

By most accounts, veteran lefty Framber Valdez is the top starting pitcher on this year's free agent market. He boasts a career ERA+ of 124, and he's worked at least 176 innings in each of the past four seasons. He's also coming off an age-31 campaign for the Astros in which he registered an FIP of 3.37. As for the interested parties, it's still developing, but Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the Orioles, Giants, and Mets all met with Valdez in November. He'd be made to order for Baltimore, who's very much in need of rotation stability to complement their core of young-ish position players. 

[Dec 8, 2025 at 9:35 am ET · Stephen Pianovich]

Five major signings, a Nolan Arenado trade, a Draft Lottery longshot? These are all among Mike Axisa's bold predictions for these Winter Meetings.

MLB Winter Meetings bold predictions: Mets bring home their guy(s), Yankees add a surprise starter, more moves

Mike Axisa

[Dec 8, 2025 at 9:19 am ET · Stephen Pianovich]

The busiest week of baseball's hot stove season has arrived. The 2025 Winter Meetings kick off in earnest today in Orlando. Nearly every major free agent is still un-signed, and there could be plenty of notable moves this week. Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Cody Bellinger and Pete Alonso are among the difference-making bats on the free agent market. Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez are looking for deals to slot into the front of a team's rotation. And the trade market could heat up as rumors swirl about Ketel Marte, MacKenzie Gore and others.

So what should we expect in Orlando? CBS Sports' Mike Axisa lays out the biggest Winter Meetings storylines below:

10 burning questions ahead of MLB's Winter Meetings: Which free agents will sign? Who makes the Hall of Fame?

Mike Axisa