Ranking the 15 clear winners halfway through MLB free agency

There’s a long way to go this offseason, but already there are clear winners. Our halfway winter winners: 

How happy are they to add Pete Alonso? Perhaps as unhappy as Mets fans were to see him go. Perhaps hyperbolically, Orioles owner David Rubenstein likened the acquisition to the Birds acquiring all-time great Frank Robinson 60 years ago. The team placed 19 billboards around town celebrating the Polar Bear with the words, “Icy Conditions Ahead.” Via multiple moves, the Orioles have transformed their team, also adding starter Shane Baz and relievers Ryan Helsley and Andrew Kittredge. They’re still looking for another starter and reliever, with a lefty pen preference. 

They made the biggest deal (Dylan Cease, $210 million, seven years), further enhanced the rotation with Korean star Cody Ponce ($30M, three years) and added reliable reliever Tyler Rogers ($37M). What’s more, their biggest move may be yet to come. They’re linked to the No. 1 free agent, Kyle Tucker, and they’re considering either Bo Bichette or Alex Bregman. They must have enjoyed their World Series foray as much as we did. 

Alonso’s free agent struggle ended in the 90-minute meeting in Orlando with the Orioles — about half as long as the Tampa meeting that led to Alonso’s return as a Met for 2025 — and the $155M deal brought him to $205M over seven years and made him feel good about turning down the Mets’ $158M, seven-year offer a few years back. Kyle Schwarber was the belle of the Winter Meetings ball with many teams vying to lure the Philly star. The Orioles’ $150M offer pushed the incumbent Phillies to match that winning bid.