Contrary to Popular Opinion: The Five Best MLB Offseason Signings That Actually Matter

Illustration by Thomas Dyson

The Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker was not only completely anti-climactic, boring, and predictable, it will guarantee a salary cap during the next collective bargaining session in 2027. It was not a stretch to think that the top spending organization would get the top free agent.

But other organizations had to work to get much needed pieces for their clubs. Through trades and free agency, some organizations severely upgraded their chances at a World Series. They didn’t just sign big names; they put their team in a position for a playoff run.

Here are the top 5.

Blue Jays Signing Dylan Cease

The Blue Jays came painfully close to winning a World Series against the Dodges last season. They clearly have what it takes to get to the finish line, but just as clearly needed to plug a few holes.

In walks Dylan Cease on a $200 million plus contract. Cease provides incredible durability to the Jays rotation. He has pitched at least 165 innings the past five seasons, much like other Jays starters Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios.

However, Cease adds 200+ strikeouts a year in each of those five seasons. Gausman has only reached that level in 2023. With a 97.1 average fastball velocity and a wipeout slider, Cease is a dominant rotation addition.

Yes, his 2025 season wasn’t great (4.55 ERA), but his upside is clear and the Blue Jays coaching staff has some aptitude in helping veterans level up mid-career. Joining the rotation of Gausman, Shane Bieber, Berrios, and Trey Yesavage, the Blue Jays have a World Series rotation.

Orioles Sign Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso is the all-time homerun hitter for the New York Mets. And they let him leave.

The Orioles, who had an extremely disappointing year last year, vowed to improve in 2026. And they walked the walk in reeling in SP Chris Bassitt, RP Ryan Helsey, SP Shane Baz, SP Zach Elfin, and OF Taylor Ward. And now Alonso, who has hit the third most homeruns in the MLB since 2019.

Joining a lineup that already includes Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Taylor Ward, Jordan Westburg, and Jackson Holiday, Alonso makes the Orioles look like a preseason favorite for the playoffs.

White Sox Sign Munetaka Murakami

The White Sox are a bad baseball team, and one player is not going to make a difference at this point. But when the goal is simply not lose 100 games in 2026, some signings can be symbolic, can add some momentum, can show some signs of life and hope.

Signing the top Japanese hitter on the market, Murakami checks all those boxes. Murakami is a two-time NPB MVP, holds the single season Japanese record for homeruns at 56, is a triple-crown winner, and a rookie of the year. And he is 25 years old.

Murakami joins a very young White Sox roster that seems to have promise. With names like SS Colson Montgomery, 2B Chase Meidroth, C Kyle Teel, and SP Shane Smith, the White Sox could be building something special.

We’ll see how Murakami transitions to the MLB, but a big signing at least gives the fanbase something to track during Spring Training.

Mets Sign Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien

On one hand, I want to acknowledge that the Mets took it on the chin this offseason. They lost Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz and about 15 other players. I would almost call those players unreplaceable.

However, I also want to acknowledge that they responded really well by signing SP Freddy Peralta, RP Luke Weaver, Bichette and Semien. I think just signing Bichette would have been impressive enough. But landing both turns this infield into one of the best in the league by joining SS Fracisco Lindor and 1B Jorge Polanco.

Bichette will slot in at third base, which he has never played, but moving from short to third has not been a problem for most shortstops. Brett Baty was the Mets third baseman last year and he hit 18 homeruns and 50 RBI’s with a .254/.313/.435 slash which leads to a .748 OPS. However, Bichette, who led the MLB in hits from 2021 to 2023, is one of the trickiest outs in baseball (top 15% strikeout rate and top 18% whiff rate). He equaled Baty’s 18 home runs but almost doubled his RBI’s with 94. His .311/.357/.483 slash leads to a .840 OPS.

Bichette is a huge upgrade at third base.

Meanwhile, Semien is the 2025 Gold Glove second baseman and is only two years removed from coming in third in AL MVP voting. Though he hasn’t hit as well the last couple of season, you still have to respect his career .756 OPS and could reasonably add some pop to a position that was lackluster for the Mets last year.

Getting two name players into the infield with a resurgent Polanco is a win for the Mets.

Cubs Sign Edward Cabrera

Sure, Alex Bregman was maybe the biggest splash for the Cubs this year, but as far as value goes, Cabrera was really what the doctor was ordering for Chicago this offseason. The Cubs had a decent playoff run last year, but seemed to have run out of arms, especially starting rotation, down the stretch.

After the breakout season from Cade Horton whose fastball sits at 96 mph, Cabrera brings some more fire to a rotation that is mostly built around weak contact and fastballs in the low 90’s. Cabrera is coming off a 3.53 ERA campaign in 2025 with a dominating arsenal that includes a 94.2 changeup, a curveball, and a sinker that sits at 96.8.

With SP Justin Steele not scheduled to return until June, Cabrera fortifies a starting rotation that includes NL Rookie of the Year runner up Horton, 2025 All-Star Matthew Boyd and playoff standout Jameson Taillon. Shota Imanaga will be back for the Cubs and it will be interesting to see which version of Imanaga shows up. The first three quarters of the 2025 season, Imanaga looked unhittable, only to hit a streak in which he couldn’t keep the ball in the park in late August, September and October.

Since losing Kyle Tucker to free agency, the Cubs additions of Bregman and Cabrera look like the type of impact additions the Cubs need to deepen their playoff run in 2026.