Grading Latest MLB Free Agent Contract Signings and Trades Around the League

Spring training is almost here, so perhaps it's no coincidence that there has been a recent flurry of activity on MLB's free-agent and trade markets.

If you need to get caught up, you've come to the right place.

Starting with Monday, January 20, we're going to issue grades for all the signings and trades that have gone down over the last two weeks. Here's a guide to what each letter means:

• A: Brilliant 
• B: Solid
• C: Harmless
• D: Pointless
• F: Disastrous

Each grade is based on a combination of the given player's outlook, his fit on his new team and what kind of price the team paid to get him. The ideal transaction is one that fills a need with a good player in an affordable manner.

Let's start with two trades and then move on to the signings.

The Deal: Chicago Cubs get RHP Ryan Pressly, $5.5 million; Houston Astros get RHP Juan Bello

For the Cubs: B

The Cubs needed a late-inning reliever to slot alongside Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller and Nate Pearson. In Pressly, they're getting oodles of experience.

The 36-year-old is a two-time All-Star who was 51 percent better than the average pitcher in seven seasons with the Astros. He generally doesn't have platoon issues, as both righties and lefties have an OPS in the .600s against him for his career.

Mind you, Pressly is not in his prime anymore. He can still spin the ball with the best of 'em, but his fastball velocity was only in the 45th percentile in 2024. Accordingly, his 23.8 strikeout percentage was his worst since 2016.

This is nonetheless a low-risk flier for the Cubs. Bello is not a prospect of note, and the money from the Astros lowers Chicago's commitment to Pressly to just $8.5 million.

For the Astros: D

This grade has a lot to do with the why of this trade for the Astros, who apparently upset Pressly when they signed Josh Hader to be their new closer last winter.

"Any time you take a major-league player out of a role where they feel comfortable, it's going to fracture your relationship some," Houston general manager Dana Brown said, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

That is rough, and ditto for having to eat $5.5 million just to get a middling prospect in return. Bello is a 20-year-old who had a solid 3.21 ERA at the Single-A level in 2024, but with only 91 strikeouts in 89.2 innings.

Perhaps the best part of this trade is that it has gotten the Astros under the $241 million luxury tax threshold for 2025. But until they take advantage, that really only benefits owner Jim Crane's wallet.

The Deal: Cincinnati Reds get LHP Taylor Rogers, $6 million; San Francisco Giants get RHP Braxton Roxby

For the Reds: B

The Reds are another would-be NL Central contender that needed relief help, arguably even more so than the Cubs.

Incumbent closer Alexis Díaz followed two very good years in 2022 and 2023 with a decidedly not good year in 2024. His 3.99 ERA wasn't awful, but he had 31 walks against only 55 strikeouts in 56.1 innings.

Rogers, 34, is a sort of insurance closer for the Reds, and one who comes with an interesting profile. He doesn't throw hard, but his sinker-slider combination stifles exit velocity (i.e., 91st percentile) and can be effective against righties and lefties.

Roxby isn't a non-prospect, but at least the Reds didn't give him up and take on Rogers' entire salary. They'll only pay half the $12 million the lefty is owed this year.

For the Giants: C

The Giants broke up the Rogers twins? Say it ain't so.

Beyond just being a bummer in that respect, this trade isolates Erik Miller as the only southpaw left in the Giants' bullpen. It feels like a needless reduction of depth, particularly given that the club wasn't hurting for payroll space.

On the plus side, at least Roxby is an interesting prospect.

He has an awesome baseball name, for one thing. For another, any reliever with both a funky delivery and gas in the tank is worth monitoring as a potential difference-maker. The 25-year-old could be that guy as soon as this year for the Giants.

Baltimore Orioles Sign OF Dylan Carlson

The Deal: 1 year, $975,000

It's surprising that Carlson was able to get a major league deal, but this is an utterly harmless signing by the Orioles. Though he's coming off minus-1.2 rWAR in 2024, Carlson was a Rookie of the Year finalist in 2021 and he's still only 26.

Grade: C

Pittsburgh Pirates Sign LHP Tim Mayza

The Deal: 1 year, $1.15 million

Even in posting an ugly 6.33 ERA in 2024, Mayza still held lefties to a .298 OBP and four extra-base hits. He gives the Bucs another solid southpaw option in the bullpen alongside fellow newcomer Caleb Ferguson.

Grade: C

Pittsburgh Pirates Sign INF/OF Adam Frazier

The Deal: 1 year, $1.53 million

It was as a Pirate that Frazier made his only All-Star appearance in 2021. His stock has gone south since then, and particularly as he hit .202 last season with little power and no defensive value. This feels a bit like the Bucs buying a $1.5 million paperweight.

Grade: D

Chicago Cubs Sign INF/OF Jon Berti

The Deal: 1 year, $2 million

For instance, Pittsburgh could have signed this guy instead. Berti is likewise a light-hitting utility type, but at least he offers good speed and some ability to make sure it gets put to use. He's a .291 hitter with a .343 OBP over the last two seasons.

Grade: C

Washington Nationals Sign LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara

The Deal: 2 years, $3.5 million

Ogasawara had a 3.12 ERA as a 26-year-old in Japan last season, but don't read too much into that. He fanned only 82 batters in 144.1 innings, mostly relying on his sharp control to get through outings. He seems positioned to be a long man/spot starter for the Nats.

Grade: C

San Diego Padres Sign C Elías Díaz

The Deal: 1 year, $3.5 million

The Padres needed to shore up their catching depth after losing Kyle Higashioka to the Texas Rangers. Díaz is a solid addition in this respect, particularly where his strong defense is concerned. Ideally, though, he'll end up being the club's No. 2 catcher after Luis Campusano.

Grade: C

New York Mets Sign RHP Ryne Stanek

The Deal: 1 year, $4.5 million

The 1.15 ERA that Stanek posted for Houston in 2022 sure looks like an outlier, and he indeed mostly struggled with the Mets late in 2024. But since he was in the 94th percentile with his whiff rate, it's hard to fault them for thinking he'll be good for swings and misses.

Grade: B

Cincinnati Reds Sign OF Austin Hays

The Deal: 1 year, $5 million

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Hays is only a Red because the club couldn't get a deal done for Luis Robert Jr. That's an "oof," but let's grant that Hays himself was an All-Star in 2023 and is still only 29. Let's also grant that the Reds needed a righty bat.

Grade: B

Cleveland Guardians Sign RHP Paul Sewald

The Deal: 1 year, $7 million

The Guardians didn't really need another reliever, but Sewald has the potential to further elevate what was a historically good bullpen in 2024. It was a lost season for him, but he had previously been a top-tier strikeout artist with an unhittable fastball.

Grade: B

Detroit Tigers Sign RHP Tommy Kahnle

The Deal: 1 year, $7.75 million

Staying healthy tends to be the challenge for Kahnle. But when he is on the mound, his changeup-heavy approach is rarely ineffective. The Tigers stand to benefit from that and whatever he can impart on the many 20-somethings with whom he'll be sharing the pen.

Grade: A

Seattle Mariners Sign 3B Jorge Polanco

The Deal: 1 year, $7.75 million

The Mariners' plan seems to be to use Polanco, Donovan Solano and Dylan Moore as a rotating trio at third and second base. It's not an inspired idea, in part because Polanco is coming off a career-low .651 OPS. Frankly, a better offensive solution was needed in Seattle.

Grade: D

The Deal: 1 year, $13 million

Just so everyone has the timeline down, the Dodgers thought they still needed Kirby Yates after re-signing Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott to deals totaling $94 million.

Overkill? Just a bit. But this also a fun, worthwhile signing.

Yates is a fascinating pitcher. He's basically unhittable when he's healthy and on his game, which has been the case in the 122 appearances he's made over the last two seasons. He's allowed only 58 hits in 122 innings.

Whether Yates will stay healthy is the big question. The Dodgers haven't had the best time with pitching injuries in recent seasons. And largely thanks to Tommy John surgery, the 37-year-old Yates barely pitched between 2020 and 2022.

All the same, this salary is a drop in the bucket by Dodgers' standards. And in their bullpen, Yates might only be the third- or fourth-best option for manager Dave Roberts.

Grade: A

The Deal: 1 year, $15.5 million

Max Scherzer's long-term future is clear: As a three-time Cy Young Award winner and one of the great pitchers of his era, he'll be in the Hall of Fame someday.

In the meantime, he's 40 years old and coming off a year in which his battle with Father Time finally turned into a losing one.

Scherzer had back surgery last offseason, and then went on to deal with a nerve issue, shoulder fatigue and a strained hamstring. He made just nine starts for the Texas Rangers, with an ERA (3.95) and strikeout percentage (22.6) that fell short of his standards.

And yet, some grace is warranted here. It's never easy for any player to springboard into a new year after having offseason surgery. And relative to 2023, Scherzer's swinging-strike rate actually went up in 2024.

Besides, it isn't like the Blue Jays need Scherzer to be their No. 1 starter. He'll be their No. 4 or even their No. 5, which could result in an embarrassment of pitching riches if he's healthy for a potential playoff run.

Grade: B

The Deal: 2 years, $22.2 million

When one looks at what the Royals have done this winter, it's hard not to have second thoughts about their approach.

It was clear coming into the offseason that they needed offensive support for Bobby Witt Jr. Swapping Brady Singer for Jonathan India was and still is an underwhelming solution, and the Royals have otherwise spent $80.2 million on pitchers.

This includes their pact with Carlos Estévez, who's both a guy with All-Star credentials and a guy with real question marks.

The 32-year-old fanned only 8.2 batters per nine innings in 2024, with a merely average whiff rate in the 50th percentile and downright dismal contact quality figures. The sound that came off Francisco Lindor's bat on that NLDS grand slam was no fluke.

These misgivings aside, the Royals did need another late-inning arm to pair with Lucas Erceg. It's also likely that Kauffman Stadium will shield Estévez from some undue harm related to his batted-ball issues.

Grade: C

The Deal: 2 years, $29 million

This one is surprising, and not just because it always is whenever the Rays spend money.

In this case, one of the more expensive free-agent deals in their history has gone to a guy who's recovering from surgery on his throwing shoulder. The hope is that Ha-Seong Kim will be back in May, though San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller was less optimistic.

The stakes are real. A good chunk of Kim's 15.3 rWAR in four seasons as a big leaguer has been derived from his slick defense, and that is in no small part thanks to his strong arm.

Even if Kim, 29, does get back to being his usual self in the field, there's no escaping the sense that the Rays have aimed at the wrong target. This is a run-prevention move, whereas they really needed run production after ranking 29th in scoring last season.

Still, a healthy Kim has 5-WAR potential. You take that however you can get it, especially if you're a franchise that otherwise can't compete for that kind of value on the open market.

Grade: C

The Deal: 3 years $42 million

Suddenly, the Braves look solid in left field.

This was not the case last season, wherein the group of guys they ran out there were in the red for wins above replacement. Among their shortcomings was an inability to get on base consistently, as seen in their .278 OBP.

Now along comes Jurickson Profar, whose .380 OBP would have led the National League in 2024 if it hadn't been for that dastardly Shohei Ohtani.

As Profar also tacked on 24 homers last year, there is the question of sustainability. Yet it's oddly hard to come down on the negative side there. The 31-year-old has always had a solid approach and he was last year's biggest gainer in exit velocity and hard-hit rate.

This is a solid signing just on this account, and it isn't like the Braves overpaid. This is right about where MLB Trade Rumors projected him to end up.

Grade: A

The Deal: 5 years, $92.5 million

The caveat with Anthony Santander's contract is that it isn't really for $92.5 million.

He will collect that much money in the long run, but there are deferrals in the language of the deal that lower its present-day value. Per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, it's more like a five-year, $68.6 million pact.

Which, of course, only makes it look better for the Blue Jays.

Their offense has been in a pattern of diminishing returns, going from the top three in the AL in scoring between 2020 and 2022 to eighth in 2023 and 11th in 2024. Among its malfunctions is an MLB-low 172 home runs from the left side over the last five years.

As the switch-hitting Santander hit 33 of his 44 homers as a lefty in 2024, he'll help fix that in 2025. And should Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leave as a free agent after this season, the 30-year-old will be a natural choice to replace him at first base.

Grade: A

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.