With only about six weeks remaining before pitchers and catchers report to their respective camps, there are still quite a few free agents available to the highest bidders looking to make big roster improvements before spring training.

To be clear, though, "make big roster improvements" doesn't just mean "spend for a top-of-the-line free agent." Most of the teams on this list presumably could do that, but improving via trade is also on the table here.

As such, in addition to current estimated payroll, we've made note of where each of the teams ranked in Joel Reuter's updated farm system rankings from earlier this week, as well as any trade chips already at the MLB level who stand out as players who could be on the move.

Who knows, though, right?

Arizona threw $210M at Corbin Burnes out of seemingly nowhere, and several teams who we expected to be more aggressive this winter have yet to do much of anything. There's no guarantee that the teams on this list will make big moves, nor is there anything close to a guarantee that the teams not on this list are finished for the offseason.

These are simply the eight teams who seem most likely to do something substantial, and soon.

Teams are presented in alphabetical order by location, if they still have an official location...

Boston Red Sox

Reuter's Farm System Ranking: No. 13 (OF Roman Anthony, SS Marcelo Mayer, 2B Kristian Campbell, SS Franklin Arias all Tier 1)

Trade Chips: 1B Triston Casas

Current Estimated Opening Day Payroll: $168M

After talk of Boston wanting to sign not one but two of the big three starting pitchers available in free agency, the Red Sox ended up with none of Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell or Max Fried, instead trading for Garrett Crochet and signing Walker Buehler to a one-year deal (with a mutual option for a second year).

After taking that—let's call it 'more budget conscious'—approach to addressing their starting rotation woes of the past few years, they presumably have a fair amount of money left to spend. Their estimated payroll is just a couple million below where they started last season ($171M), but that was their lowest such mark since 2014, leading the majors in spending in each of 2018 and 2019.

Perhaps they are now a distant fifth behind the Dodgers, both New York teams and the Phillies in terms of willingness to spend in 2025, but are the Boston Red Sox seriously going to spend less than the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Angels?

Suffice it to say, either Alex Bregman or Pete Alonso heading to Beantown still feels plausible, if not more likely to happen than not. And if they do land one of those expensive, slugging, corner infielders, Triston Casas lands on the trade block in a hurry—if he isn't already there.

Moreover, even after giving up quite a bit from their farm system to acquire Crochet, they still have some top-notch trade chips down in Worcester, and/or the prospects necessary to replace, say, Trevor Story or Masataka Yoshida, if they wanted to trade those expensive veterans instead.

One parting thought on the Red Sox's offseason plans: If they don't sign one of the few potentially nine-figure-contract free agents still on the board, they darn well better at least sign Crochet to a long-term deal. It would be outrageous if they gave up four prospects for him, didn't spend to surround him with enough talent to win the AL East in 2025 and then also lost him as a free agent after the 2026 campaign.

Detroit Tigers

Reuter's Farm System Ranking: No. 3 (RHP Jackson Jobe, OF Max Clark, SS Kevin McGonigle, 3B Jace Jung, SS Bryce Rainer all Tier 1)

Trade Chips: 1B Spencer Torkelson

Current Estimated Opening Day Payroll: $107M

Even after the recent one-year, $15M addition of Gleyber Torres, Detroit should have plenty of spending room remaining.

They've been stingier in recent years while languishing in rebuilding mode, but this is a franchise that had an average year-end payroll just a shade under $200M from 2014-17.

They could go get an Alex Bregman, an Anthony Santander or a Pete Alonso, or they could bring back Jack Flaherty to re-pair with Tarik Skubal. Doing all four isn't plausible, but at least one, possibly two should be within the realm of possibility for Detroit.

Moreover, after signing Torres and announcing that he will play second base while Colt Keith moves to first, suddenly 2020 No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson has become a big-time trade chip.

Tork hit 31 home runs two seasons ago, but last year was rough. He spent about two months back at Triple-A trying to find his swing, and he went 4-for-21 with 11 strikeouts and just one RBI in the postseason. Maybe Detroit and the New York Mets could swap Torkelson and Brett Baty in a "perhaps a change of scenery will help" type of trade?

Detroit also has a relatively loaded farm system, and maybe they could use some of that future talent to go get another outfielder or starting pitcher.

New York Mets

Reuter's Farm System Ranking: No. 16 (RHP Brandon Sproat, SS Jett Williams, 1B/OF Ryan Clifford all Tier 1)

Trade Chips: 3B Brett Baty, RF Starling Marte

Current Estimated Opening Day Payroll: $261M

On the one hand, the Mets already have the third-highest estimated payroll, about $22M behind the Yankees and nearly $30M behind the Phillies.

On the other hand, since when has that stopped Steve Cohen? Including massive luxury tax payments, the Mets spent more than $445M last season, this after eclipsing $475M in 2023.

At some point there's a limit, but they could increase their current payroll by nearly $90M and still end up spending less than they did last year—which certainly makes you wonder what the holdup is in re-signing Pete Alonso before losing him to someone like the Giants or Red Sox.

Well, perhaps this is the holdup: If they can manage to trade away Starling Marte's $20.75M salary—he's clearly expendable in right field after the Juan Soto signing—it's plausible the Mets could actually get below this year's $241M luxury tax threshold, which would set their clock back to zero as far as repeat offenses are concerned.

Would they really go that route after investing $765M in Soto? Or are we really just waiting for them to cross the t's and dot the i's on Alonso's nine-figure contract?

The Brett Baty factor is also intriguing, particularly if they do re-sign Alonso. Trading him wouldn't save them any money whatsoever, but he could be a valuable chip to one of the several teams (Seattle, Detroit, Washington, and more) still searching for a long-term solution at third base.

Perhaps Baty to Seattle in a deal centered on Luis Castillo, increasing NYM's Opening Day payroll to $285M, followed by re-signing Alonso and pushing that mark up to around $310M?

If getting below $241M and still contending isn't feasible, hard to imagine Cohen will have any problem flying north of $300M yet again.

San Francisco Giants

Reuter's Farm System Ranking: No. 30 (1B Bryce Eldridge the only Tier 1)

Trade Chips: 1B/OF LaMonte Wade Jr., OF Mike Yastrzemski

Current Estimated Opening Day Payroll: $157M

The Giants back-loaded their $182M contract with Willy Adames, paying him $13.1M in each of 2025 and 2026 before it balloons to $31.1M annually the rest of the way—no doubt a response to Robbie Ray exercising his player option for two more years at $25M apiece.

As a result, their 2025 payroll is actually about $13M below what we originally thought it was going to be after signing Adames, and they are still $51M below where they opened last season ($208M).

So, what the heck are they waiting for?

The prevailing assumption for a few weeks was that the G-Men would be the ones to land Corbin Burnes, but he ended up signing with Arizona instead.

Maybe San Francisco will win the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes in 2-3 weeks' time, but that's not an expensive move in the slightest. Maybe sign Jack Flaherty before that decision comes? Or pivot to Pete Alonso?

On the possible trade front, the Giants could surely afford to pay Luis Castillo's $24.15M salary, but aside from salary relief, they don't seem to have much to offer Seattle in a trade.

Either LaMonte Wade Jr. or Mike Yastrzemski figures to be expendable, but that's not nearly enough to pique the M's interest. Might be able to get a decent reliever for one of them, though.

Another "Giants can afford him" option could be Luis Robert Jr. They don't need a center fielder with Jung Hoo Lee returning from injury, but another OF/DH option could be key, especially if they're trading Wade or Yaz.

Seattle Mariners

Reuter's Farm System Ranking: No. 1 (OF Lazaro Montes, SS Colt Emerson, C Harry Ford, SS Cole Young, SS Felnin Celesten and 2B Michael Arroyo all Tier 1)

Trade Chips: Starting pitcher, most likely Luis Castillo

Current Estimated Opening Day Payroll: $142M

No, Seattle doesn't have sacks full of cash just lying around waiting to be spent on some key free agent. The Mariners ended last season with a 40-man payroll of $167.8M, and the messaging around the club throughout the offseason has been that they don't plan to increase spending by more than a few million, at most.

But that doesn't mean they can't make some moves to improve their chances of contending in 2025.

Notably, five of Seattle's top 10-12 prospects are middle infielders—the four listed above, as well as Tai Peete—with Cole Young the only one particularly close to making his MLB debut.

By no means are we suggesting they should just give one or two of those guys away because they have a surplus...but exactly how many middle infielders are the Mariners expecting to need in 2027?

They should be dangling at least one of those 19/20-year-olds to try to improve their currently bleak corner infield and designated hitter situations.

Alternatively/additionally, if they were to trade away Luis Castillo's $24.15M salary for the next three years, that would create enough room in the budget for the M's to make Alex Bregman an offer on par with those "one year plus two years' worth of player options" offers that Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman and Carlos Correa accepted in recent years, if and when he and agent Scott Boras accept that the desired $200M deal probably isn't happening.

Tampa Bay Rays

Reuter's Farm System Ranking: No. 2 (SS Carson Williams, 1B Xavier Isaac, IF Brayden Taylor, OF Chandler Simpson all Tier 1)

Trade Chips: 1B Yandy Díaz, 2B/OF Brandon Lowe

Current Estimated Opening Day Payroll: $74M*

We know darn well the Rays aren't in the mix for an Alex Bregman or a Pete Alonso. Even at an estimated $74M payroll that puts them behind everyone except for the White Sox ($66M), Marlins ($60M) and A's ($58M), they've already spent close to as much as they're willing to spend.

But they're also exceptionally well-positioned to make some moves this offseason if they view themselves as a contender in 2025.

Two of those potential moves would be, in Tampa Bay fashion, cost-cutting decisions. Brandon Lowe is owed $10.5M this season, plus an $11.5M club option (or $500k buyout) for 2026. Yandy Díaz is similarly owed $10M this season, plus a $12M club option (or no buyout) for 2026.

And they've got top prospects champing at the bit to replace those infielders, should they move them. The Rays could unload both veterans, save about $20M and roll with a potentially solid starting infield of Junior Caminero, Carson Williams, Jose Caballero and Christopher Morel.

Or they could hang onto those veterans and trade one of their top prospects for a relatively inexpensive bat in hopes of a healthier and a more offensively productive campaign.

They certainly have the pitching to contend, even after trading away Jeffrey Springs. With a potential six-man rotation of Shane McClanahan, Taj Bradley, Zack Littell, Shane Baz, Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot, Tampa Bay might lead the AL East in run prevention for a second consecutive season.

Got to do something about ranking second-to-last in the majors in runs scored in 2024, though.

*Includes Wander Franco's $8.5M salary, which the Rays potentially won't need to pay.

Toronto Blue Jays

Reuter's Farm System Ranking: No. 27 (SS Arjun Nimmala the only Tier 1)

Trade Chips: N/A if buying; Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Chris Bassitt and Chad Green if selling

Current Estimated Opening Day Payroll: $193M

The Blue Jays are firmly stuck between a rock and a hard place, but—given the few moves they've made this offseason—seemingly view themselves as a contender trying to win in 2025.

Those few moves were trading away Spencer Horwitz to acquire Andrés Giménez and signing reliever Yimi García to a two-year, $15M contract a few days later. (They also non-tendered former closer Jordan Romano, but he was probably going to cost around $12M in his final year of arbitration and it's hard to blame them for moving on after the disastrous 2024 campaign he had.)

With a payroll already approaching $200M, though, the big unknown is how high they're willing to go in what might be their final season with the four "if selling" trade chips listed above.

Doing nothing else seems like a terrible idea. They might as well just trade away Guerrero and Bichette now if they're not all-in on trying to win it all this season.

However, further depleting an already weak farm system by trading to add someone who can help this season might be an even worse idea in the long run.

So, increase the payroll to probably well north of $240M to fix up some of the problem spots (LF, DH, back of the rotation) and then hope Guerrero re-signs in the offseason?

It sure beats doing nothing. And after the Blue Jays were one of the final teams in the bidding for both Shohei Ohtani last winter and Juan Soto last month, you know there's spending money somewhere.

Athletics

Reuter's Farm System Ranking: No. 7 (SS Jacob Wilson, 1B Nick Kurtz, RHP Luis Morales, OF Colby Thomas, OF Henry Bolte all Tier 1)

Trade Chips: N/A

Current Estimated Opening Day Payroll: $58M

The A's have been one of the top 10 spenders this offseason, signing Luis Severino to a three-year, $67M deal, trading to acquire Jeffrey Springs and the pair of $10.5M seasons left on his contract and also committing about $4M combined to Gio Urshela and T.J. McFarland.

Yet, they have the lowest estimated payroll in the majors, and it was reported earlier in the offseason that they're looking to increase payroll to around $100M in 2025—if only to keep the MLBPA and the other 29 owners off their back about their spending/rebuilding.

So, who's next on the list of options for a temporary relocation to West Sacramento?

It wouldn't make much sense for them to trade away any of those top-tiered prospects, but maybe they part with a few guys from a bit lower down the list to get someone like Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox or Ryan McMahon from the Rockies?

Could they make a decent-sized splash to bring back Jurickson Profar on a multiyear deal?

Or wouldn't it be fun if the A's threw a one-year, $20M offer at each of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, to suddenly have an extremely intriguing starting rotation in 2025?

Long story short, there are ample options for the A's to get up to a nine-figure payroll, and without spending simply to spend. They have been wholly irrelevant the past three seasons, but add one more outfielder and a plausible middle-of-the-rotation starter or two to the mix here and they could be sneaky good.