What's Next: How Top MLB Signings and Trades Affect New Teams, Free Agency

Major League Baseball

When a free agent signs a new deal or a big-name player gets traded, there's always a big question everyone will ask: What's next?

A player's new deal will have ramifications for his team (whether it's a new one) and the overall free agency market. The same goes when a top player gets traded to a ring-chasing contender or a rebuilding club. 

We're breaking down all angles of the notable MLB deals as the offseason rolls on. And check out who we think are the top 30 free agents of the offseason.

In the latest shake-up to the Mets’ core, the club’s all-time home run leader is bound for Baltimore. 

Just one day after losing longtime closer Edwin Díaz to the Dodgers in free agency, and weeks after trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers, Pete Alonso is the latest franchise icon to depart from Queens this winter after agreeing to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles that will give him the highest average annual value ever for a first baseman in free agency. 

A year ago, Alonso was unable to secure the long-term deal he coveted coming off a down year by his standards. He settled for a two-year, $54 million contract that included an opt-out, which he exercised this winter after raising all of his slash-line numbers in 2025, hitting 44% above league average and passing Daryl Strawberry to become the franchise’s home run leader. 

Alonso, who was drafted by the Mets in the second round in 2016 and was an All-Star five times in his seven years in Queens, finished his Mets tenure with 264 home runs. He was the best power bat on the market after Kyle Schwarber returned to the Phillies on Tuesday on a five-year, $150 million deal. Clearly, Schwarber’s contract was a catalyst for Alonso’s market, as the new Orioles first baseman signed for $5 million more.