JAN 23, 2025 | SPORTS | By Miles Katzen
The MLB offseason began when the Los Angeles Dodgers threw the final pitch of the World Series on Oct. 30 last year. With it came all the narratives and intrigue a fan could ask for: who will push their chips all in and try to contend for the 2025 World Series and who will trade away players to other teams in hopes of contending for championships down the line?
We now stand on the precipice of the preseason, with just a few weeks before players begin to ramp back up into in-season form, and many of these looming questions have been answered. Let’s look at the three biggest stories so far this offseason.
- The New York Mets sign Juan Soto
Perhaps the biggest point of intrigue going into the offseason was Juan Soto’s free agency.
The Dominican superstar, considered by many to be the best hitter in baseball, was coming off a season with the New York Yankees during which he won the Silver Slugger award in right field, finished third in MVP voting, and set career highs in home runs (41) and wins above replacement (WAR) (7.9).
Soto was also entering free agency at an unprecedented age. Most players become free agents for the first time between 28 and 30. Soto turned 26 in October.
Many consider the Yankees to be the most prestigious organization in the MLB, so the general consensus was that Soto would stay and sign a massive extension. Instead, Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets.
This signing represents a statement by the Mets and their new owner, Steve Cohen: they are not the little brother in New York anymore. Soto’s contract not only shattered all expectations and also made him the highest-paid athlete in the world, surpassing Shohei Ohtani and Lionel Messi. It sets the stage for a crosstown rivalry in New York that could yield some of the best games of the upcoming season.
- The (Formerly) Oakland Athletics prepare to move to Las Vegas, Nev.
Since 2020, when they lost in the quarterfinals of an expanded COVID playoff, the Oakland Athletics have been perennial bottom dwellers. Their owner, John Fisher, slashed the team’s payroll to $48 million, $25 million less than the second-lowest team and less than 20% of the league’s highest payrolls. Their record has lived among the worst in baseball, and their attendance has cratered.
With this, the Athletics announced in 2023 that they would be leaving Oakland, Calif., where they have played since 1968, and moving to Las Vegas, Nev. They represent the final domino in a mass exodus of sports teams from Oakland, following in the footsteps of the NBA Golden State Warriors and the NFL Las Vegas Raiders. While they await the construction of a new stadium in Las Vegas, the Athletics will play their home games at a minor league stadium in Sacramento, Calif.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers sign Roki Sasaki
The 2024 season was capped off with a dominant World Series victory by the Dodgers over the Yankees, their second championship in five years. L.A. has solidified its reputation as having one of the MLB’s best front offices, as well as being one of its highest spenders, a combination which has led to five consecutive seasons with a win percentage of 60% or higher, a feat accomplished by no other team.
The Dodgers have not rested on their laurels this offseason, though, signing all-star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, all-star reliever Tanner Scott, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Korean superstar Hyeseong Kim to contracts totaling over $330 million.
They capped off this dominant offseason by signing potentially the most valuable pitcher available on the open market this winter: Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old pitcher has been one of Japan’s best since his professional debut in 2021 and represents a massive addition to a Dodgers roster already considered by most to be the best in baseball. Coming off a dominant season capped off with a World Series win, the expectations for the Dodgers could not be higher entering 2025.