Nearing the holiday mark of the MLB offseason, there have been some teams that have made surprising moves or already outperformed expectations.
Which MLB teams have already raised some eyebrows this winter? Let’s take a look at three that have shocked the system (and maybe even their own fans).
New York Mets
The winners of the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the Mets haven’t just stopped there. Owner Steve Cohen is once again making sure his team is at the forefront of MLB spenders, signing a pair of pitchers in Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas to deals that will pay more than $10M each next season. That ups the total number of Mets making more than $10M next season to nine, according to Spotrac.
While it shouldn’t be a surprise the Mets are spending, Cohen signing Soto to the largest deal in MLB history was a bit of a jaw-dropper, both in terms of the cost and beating out the New York Yankees to land him. Throw in New York’s belief that Holmes, once considered one of the best late-inning options for the Yankees, will be a valuable starter in Queens, plus that Montas will be able to shake his injury-riddled past and contribute to the rotation, push the Mets onto our list of surprising teams.
San Francisco Giants
Speaking of large contracts, the Giants handing Willy Adames a seven-year, $182M deal for the biggest contract in franchise history was a shocker as well. Not only because of the amount but also what new general manager Buster Posey decided to give up as well (the team’s second- and fifth-highest selections in the 2025 MLB Draft, as well as $1M from its international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period since the Milwaukee Brewers offered Adames a qualifying offer).
Posey has made sure to establish early on in his time as general manager that the Giants will spend to get the player they want. Will that extend to someone like Corbin Burnes or another top-of-the-rotation starter?
Athletics
Heading to Sacramento to play this season, the Athletics made sure to make a splash by signing Luis Severino to a two-year deal (with a player option for 2027) for $67 million, the largest guaranteed contract ever signed in franchise history.
Few had Severino heading to the Athletics in their winter predictions, and even fewer perhaps had the franchise as a player to land Max Fried before he landed with the New York Yankees, with MLB insider Bob Nightengale calling the Athletics “one of the most aggressive teams” chasing Fried’s services.
The spending isn’t a complete surprise. After all, the Athletics reportedly must raise their payroll around $105M to avoid a grievance from the MLB Players Association. If the franchise gets to that point, it would be a new franchise-high for overall payroll. With that in mind, prepare for the Athletics to continue to shock people this winter.
