MLB's 5 best under-the-radar pickups from the 2025 offseason
2025-02-13
Category: sports

This offseason will be remembered as the winter of Juan Soto, when the Mets emerged victorious over the Yankees for the most expensive player in the sport's history on one side of the country while the Dodgers (supposedly) broke the game with their spending on the other. Top free-agent pitchers Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes and Max Fried all found new teams, the Astros traded away Kyle Tucker and another pitching sensation out of Japan landed in Los Angeles.&nbsp; But for all the major moves that have defined Major League Baseball's hot stove over the past few months, there were also a handful of under-the-radar signings and trades that could move the needle, even if they didn't capture the biggest headlines at the time.&nbsp; Since "under-the-radar" is a subjective phrase, we'll include a few ground rules for this piece: The list below only includes players making less than the qualifying offer this year (which knocks out Walker Buehler, who received exactly that — one year, $21.05 million — from the Red Sox and could be primed to cash in next winter if he can build off another spectacular October). In addition, the 25 players who signed for the most total guaranteed money this winter are not included (which eliminates Nick Pivetta and Ha-Seong Kim, who could be a bargain for the Rays at two years and $29 million or for whichever team ends up getting him after he's inevitably traded for prospects), nor are players who were worth at least 3.0 bWAR last season (which eliminates some of the top trade acquisitions, including Tucker and Garrett Crochet). Lastly, because anyone the Dodgers, Mets or Yankees acquired this offseason tended to garner attention, this list instead focuses on MLB's 27 other teams.&nbsp; With that, here are five moves to watch. 5. IF Isaac Paredes: traded from Cubs to Astros in Kyle Tucker swap  Let me start by stating the obvious: The Astros are not a better team now than they were last year with Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman. But there are reasons to believe Paredes can thrive in Houston, where it won't take much for him to find the seats with his pull-side power. All 72 home runs of Paredes' five-year career have gone to left or left-center, which made his stroke an odd and unproductive fit in his second half last year at Wrigley Field, which is 355 feet out to left. Houston's more friendly confines for a right-handed hitter — it's only 315 feet out to the Crawford Boxes in left field — are much more closely aligned with the dimensions that helped Paredes thrive in Tampa Bay.&nbsp; Over the past three years, no qualified right-handed hitter has pulled the ball more often than Paredes. Over the past two years, the only MLB player to pull more fly balls than Paredes is Marcus Semien. Paredes is not known for his hard contact — he has ranked in the bottom 6% in MLB in hard-hit rate each of the past two years — but Daikin (formerly Minute Maid) Park surrenders more home runs on poorly-hit balls than any venue in the majors. After launching 31 home runs for the Rays in 2023, Paredes hit just 19 last season in a year split between Tampa Bay and Chicago. Had he played all of his home games in Houston, however, he would have hit 26. Paredes' terrific plate discipline combined with the right venue to take advantage of his high launch angle could lead to a productive 2025.&nbsp; 4. OF/DH Randal Grichuk: re-signed with Diamondbacks for one year, $5 million (plus 2026 mutual option) Once Jurickson Profar went off the board, it was pretty much down to platoon options for outfield-needy teams still looking for help on the market in February. That the Diamondbacks managed to get Grichuk for $5 million guaranteed — he'll technically make $2 million next season with a $5 million mutual option for 2026 that includes a $3 million buyout and can earn another $500,000 in incentives — at a time when other contenders like the Royals could have really used the outfield pop is another boon for an Arizona team that shocked the league earlier this winter by winning the Burnes sweepstakes.&nbsp; Grichuk thrived in a part-time role last season in Arizona after returning from right ankle surgery, playing both corner outfield spots and partnering with Joc Pederson as the right-handed hitting platoon in the D-backs' designated hitter spot. Seeing most of his time against left-handed pitching, Grichuk posted the highest wRC+ and the lowest strikeout rate of his career, hitting 39% better than league average. He also recorded the highest hard-hit percentage of his career while finishing the 2024 season with an .875 OPS in 279 plate appearances. By bWAR, it was the 32-year-old's best season (by bWAR) since 2018 in Toronto.&nbsp; Grichuk might not provide the same overall value as the top outfield options on the board, but for a team that lost both Christian Walker and Pederson from the highest-scoring offense in baseball, Grichuk's addition is the latest example of the D-backs nonetheless finding ways to position themselves well for a return trip to the postseason after missing out on the dance in 2024 with 89 wins. Grichuk should help them in a similar role this year, balancing out their outfield and possibly platooning at DH again with the left-handed-hitting Pavin Smith.&nbsp; 3. SP Jesús Luzardo: traded from Marlins to Phillies for prospects  Maybe it's because the Phillies' rotation was already stacked, or maybe it's because this deal came a day after Josh Naylor was traded to the Diamondbacks and Paul Goldschmidt signed with the Yankees, and a day before Walker Buehler signed with the Red Sox, but it feels like Luzardo going to the Phillies for two lower-level prospects hasn't received the attention it deserves.&nbsp; Luzardo, who started Game 1 of a wild-card series in 2023, won't be a free agent until 2027 and is set to make just a tick over $6 million in 2025. When you consider the price for elite arms this winter — the AAV for Fried, Burnes and Snell ranged between $27-33 million — this looks like a well-calculated, economical bet to add a potential impact arm.&nbsp; Like others on this list, injuries certainly played a role in stifling his value. But this is also a 27-year-old who ranked 12th in strikeout rate among all starters who threw at least 200 innings between the 2022-23 seasons. For now, all indications are that Luzardo is over the stress reaction in his back that ended his 2024 season early.&nbsp; If he can find his 2023 form, before back and elbow issues limited him to a 5.00 ERA over 12 starts last season, this could be a huge get and looks worth the risk for a Phillies team with depth around him (and more coming with top pitching prospect Andrew Painter on the way). On paper, it'll be tough for any team's rotation to compete with the arms in Los Angeles. But with a healthy Luzardo in the fold, the Phillies could make an argument.&nbsp; 2. 2B Gleyber Torres: signed with Tigers for one year, $15 million  This offseason, one year and $15 million could get you a starting pitcher over the age of 36 or a 28-year-old two-time All-Star who was just the leadoff hitter for the AL champs. I like the odds of the latter making a bigger impact. Justin Verlander, Charlie Morton and Alex Cobb all signed for the same price as Torres, which goes to show just how much Torres' stock had fallen after a disappointing contract year in the Bronx that saw him hit around league average with a medley of baserunning gaffes and defensive lapses, one of which set up Freddie Freeman's iconic walk-off in Game 1 of the World Series. But it also represents the kind of bargain that could be on the Tigers' hands if Torres can build on his strong second half and play to his capabilities on a pillow contract before he tests the market again. After a dreadful start to the 2024 season, Torres took off after the break. With the Yankees looking for an offensive spark, Torres was thrust into the leadoff spot in late August and began to look a lot more like the 3-4 WAR player he was in his previous two years in New York. While he might not ever fulfill the lofty expectations set upon him after launching 62 home runs his first two seasons in the league as a two-time All-Star by the age of 22, he can still be a highly productive offensive piece. He should immediately help a Detroit team that desperately needed another right-handed bat to balance out its young, lefty-heavy lineup. Even if Torres doesn't mash 25 home runs, his plate discipline will benefit a Tigers group that had a bottom-10 offense last year. The lower-stress environment could bring the best out of a motivated Torres as he seeks to use this year in Detroit as a launching pad.&nbsp; 1. SP Shane Bieber: re-signed with Guardians for two years, $26 million (with opt-out) When Bieber came out of the gates firing in 2024 with 20 strikeouts in 12 scoreless innings over his first two starts, two things seemed clear: This was not the same version of the pitcher whose strikeout rate had taken a continual nosedive in the years following his 2020 Cy Young season, and the Guardians ought to enjoy the little time they had left with him atop their rotation. It seemed certain that the 2024 season would be Bieber's last in Cleveland, given the ownership group's unwillingness to up the payroll. But against all odds, Bieber will be donning a Cleveland jersey again, at least for the 2025 season. Those couple of imposing outings to begin the year were the only ones Bieber made before he needed Tommy John surgery in April. The recovery will likely last into the middle of this upcoming season.&nbsp; It was brutal timing for Bieber as the two-time All-Star readied for free agency, but it presented an opportunity for the Guardians, who are paying him just $10 million for whatever he can provide in 2025. If his recovery lasts longer than anticipated, or he's not able to bounce back to form, Bieber has a $16 million player option for 2026 that includes a $4 million buyout. So, this deal will amount to either $14 million for one season or $26 million for two. Either way, it's a significant win for a Cleveland rotation that needs the help after amassing a 4.40 ERA as a group last season. Bieber doesn't turn 30 until May, and the $26 million the Guardians guaranteed him over two seasons is about the same amount that Nathan Eovaldi (entering his age-35 season) and Sean Manaea (entering his age-33 season) will be getting every year for the next three seasons on the deals they signed this winter. If Bieber can get anywhere close to what he looked like at the start of last season, either down the stretch in 2025 or in a prove-it year in 2026, he could be a massive difference-maker pitching at an equally massive discount. Rowan Kavner&nbsp;is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;@RowanKavner.&nbsp; Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.