Juan Soto signed a record-shattering 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets to kick off the MLB Winter Meetings on Sunday night.

The Boston Red Sox went out with a bang in Dallas by acquiring All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

Friday, a pair of major trades went down. The New York Yankees acquired All-Star closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Houston Astros dealt star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs.

Even with Soto, Crochet, Williams and Tucker having found new employers, there are a lot of big names that remain available both on the free-agent market and via trade. So we're going to buy or sell some narratives that seem to have emerged about the hot stove after the MLB Winter Meetings.

Alex Bregman Will Leave The Astros: Buy

Shortly before the MLB Winter Meetings, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reported that the Astros had made Alex Bregman a six-year, $156 million offer. However, McTaggart added that "Bregman is believed to be seeking a deal closer to $200 million," noting that the Astros were unlikely to meet him at that price.

Acquiring Isaac Paredes from the Cubs in the return for Tucker doesn't put a nail in the coffin of Bregman's tenure in Houston with a need at first base as well, but it gives you an idea of where things are headed.

Will Bregman take something of a hometown discount to remain with the team he's spent the first nine seasons of his career with? Never say never, but Scott Boras clients aren't famous for leaving money on the table.

You can make the case that Willy Adames was a more attractive free agent—particularly for a team like the Giants, who believe he can bounce-back defensively at shortstop—but the seven-year, $182 million deal the shortstop got from San Francisco seems like one that Bregman will try to top.

In addition to the Astros, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand said earlier this week that the Red Sox, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers are in on Bregman.

If Bregman leaves, the Astros might have a difficult time returning to the playoffs for the ninth year in a row, especially since they traded Tucker on Friday. It will be interesting to see whether general manager Dana Brown can balance retooling with contending in 2025.

The Phillies Will Keep Alec Bohm: Sell

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said during the Winter Meetings that he had recently called third baseman Alec Bohm to talk about the trade rumors that have surrounded him for much of this offseason.

"I just wanted to let him know that we're not shopping him," Thomson said, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "But because he's a good player, there's a whole lot of interest in him from other teams, so obviously you have to do your homework and talk to people and listen."

That may technically be true, but if opposing teams called on Bryce Harper or Zack Wheeler, the Phillies wouldn't engage. Certainly, they wouldn't allow the rumors to fester publicly for weeks without questioning their legitimacy.

Bohm is a player that reasonable minds can disagree on. He's driven in 97 runs in consecutive seasons and doubled 44 times in 2024, starting at third base for the NL All-Star team. But he doesn't draw a ton of walks, will ground into his fair share of double plays and posted just a .681 OPS after the All-Star Break. He has improved dramatically as a defender at third base, but he still posted zero defensive runs saved in 2024. He also continues to struggle with controlling his emotions at times, something that can be unbecoming for a veteran.

With two years remaining before free agency, the Phillies don't have to trade Bohm. That's probably why Thomson is making sure not to lose him entirely with rumors swirling. But you do wonder whether the toothpaste can be put back in the tube given how out there Bohm has been this winter. The Phillies aren't going to get Logan Gilbert or George Kirby back for Bohm, but the guess here is they still will trade him.

Bohm's market should become clearer after Bregman makes his decision. If the Phillies do trade Bohm, they'll have to turn around quickly and fill the vacancy. Unless they plan to go with some internal mix of Edmundo Sosa, Kody Clemens and Weston Wilson, Ha-Seong Kim would seem to check a lot of boxes for the Phillies.

The Padres Will Trade One of Their Stars: Buy

The Padres aren't going to trade someone as notable as the aforementioned Soto this offseason. But don't get it twisted—general manager A.J. Preller is going to be active, both adding and subtracting—because that's what he does.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune reported this week that the Padres have considered trading both ace Dylan Cease and three-time batting champion Luis Arráez before their respective contract years. Jon Heyman of the New York Post says that teams have inquired on Cease, Arráez and even Xander Bogaerts.

Given that Bogaerts has a .747 OPS in two seasons with the Padres, Preller would have to be a miracle worker to get someone to take on the remaining $229+ million the 32-year-old is owed over the next nine years.

But Cease would be one of the most attractive players on the trade market. He's finished fourth or better in Cy Young voting twice in the last three seasons. He's made at least 32 starts in four consecutive seasons. He'll turn 29 later this month, and teams will be willing to give more for him now because that would give them the ability to extend him a qualifying offer next winter.

Arráez isn't everyone's cup of tea, and his trade candidacy will be complicated by his lack of a defensive position that he plays at a component level. But if you're a team with some big boppers, adding a .323 lifetime hitter to set the table at the top of your order would be wise.

As always, expect the Padres to be active in the coming months.

Josh Naylor Will Be Traded by the Guardians: Sell

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this month that the Cleveland Guardians were "open to trade offers" for All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor. Given that he's entering his contract year, it wasn't a particularly surprising development for a franchise that pinches pennies under owner Larry Dolan.

However, they traded second baseman Andrés Giménez to the Toronto Blue Jays this week, offloading his $10.57 million salary for 2025. If there was ever a case for Cleveland trading Naylor—who is projected to make $12 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility—it's much harder to make it now.

Is there a chance the Guardians lose Naylor in free agency next offseason? Based on the constraints ownership has forced president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti to operate under, yes. But in the meantime, there's going to be an entire season. The Guardians reached the ALCS in 2024 with Naylor hitting 31 home runs and driving in 108 runs during the regular season.

Perhaps this is one we're trying to speak into existence because the Guardians shouldn't tear down their team after they were one of the final four teams this past season. But right now, it feels more likely than not that Naylor will be the first baseman for the Guardians on Opening Day.

Pete Alonso Is Being Undervalued: Buy

Megadeals given more than a decade ago to Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder all didn't pan out well, and it seems like since then teams have been hesitant to spend big money on first basemen in free agency.

There was a lesson to be learned in the failure of those four deals, but it feels like there's been an overcorrection, almost like there was with paying veteran running backs in the NFL. Well, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon and Josh Jacobs have all had major impacts on their new teams in 2024. And you can bet Pete Alonso will make whoever signs him this winter very happy in 2025.

In six seasons with the Mets, Alonso clubbed 226 home runs and posted an .854 OPS. It feels like the four-time All-Star has been around forever, but he only recently turned 30.

Now, if a team signs Alonso into his late 30s or early 40s like Pujols, Cabrera and Fielder were, a deal probably won't age well. But B/R projected a five-year, $135 million deal for Alonso at the outset of free agency. Alonso hit 34 home runs and drove in 88 runs in 2024, and that was considered a down season by his standards. If that's the baseline, he'll be a great investment for a team looking to add middle-of-the-order thump.

Roki Sasaki Will Be a Dodger: Sell

Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines at the outset of the MLB Winter Meetings, and has until 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 23 to reach a deal with an MLB team. The expectation is that the 23-year-old righty will wait at least until a new international signing bonus period begins on Jan. 15 to pick his first MLB team.

The reigning World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers are connected to every notable free agent, and both because of their relative proximity to Japan and the success that Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have had there, have built up a massive advantage in bidding for talent coming from Asian countries.

With that said, we'll take the field here.

First of all, Sasaki is under 25 years old and hasn't played professionally for at least six years, so MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan notes that he isn't eligible to receive a megadeal like Yamamoto did last offseason. Because teams can only offer international bonus pool money, the playing field is much more level here.

Additionally, Joel Wolfe, Sasaki's agent, suggested earlier this week that the righty might benefit from spending the first six years of his MLB career in a smaller media market:

Whether it's another West Coast team like the Seattle Mariners or San Diego Padres, or Sasaki picks a club someone else in the country, he feels like a fit for someone other than the Dodgers. (That won't preclude the Dodgers from making a serious run, and they should still be seen as one of the favorites.)

And frankly, there's probably a lot of people in the league hoping he goes anywhere other than the Dodgers to avoid a discussion about whether L.A. is becoming too much of a superteam for the sport's good.