𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Every offseason, it seems, at least one free agent who rejects a qualifying offer gets burned.

This offseason that free agent was right-hander Zac Gallen, who on Friday agreed to a one-year, $22.025 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to people briefed on the details. Gallen’s deal equaled the amount of the qualifying offer he rejected from the Diamondbacks, but deferrals reduced the net present value to $18.7 million.

Once righty Brandon Woodruff, lefty Shota Imanaga, outfielder Trent Grisham and second baseman Gleyber Torres accepted QOs, Gallen was perhaps the least desirable of the free agents who were tied to draft-pick compensation, complicating his market.

While Gallen received multiyear offers, none had an average annual value that he deemed acceptable, according to a person briefed on his negotiations. Ultimately, he preferred to return to Arizona, where he spent the past six-plus seasons after arriving in a trade from Miami for second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.

The good news for Gallen is that he can return to the market next offseason at 31 without a qualifying offer, potentially following a path similar to other recent Scott Boras clients who turned short-term arrangements into lucrative long-term deals.

The Boras scoreboard

With nearly all of his free agents signed, Boras has cleared $1 billion in contracts for the 2025-26 offseason.

Here is how some of his top clients fared in comparisons with projections The Athletic’s Tim Britton published on Nov. 4:

• Right-hander Dylan Cease’s seven-year $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays drops to $189 million in net present value after deferrals. Yet, his guarantee still exceeds Britton’s six-year, $174 million projection, even if his average annual value does not.

• Third baseman Alex Bregman’s five-year, $175 million agreement with the Chicago Cubs was for one less year but a higher AAV than Britton’s six-year, $171 projection, even after deferrals. Include Bregman’s one year with the Boston Red Sox, and he still beat the Detroit Tigers’ six-year, $171.5 million offer last offseason.

• Outfielder Cody Bellinger did not receive the seven-year deal Boras sought, or Britton projected, but the $32.5 million AAV in his five-year, $162.5 million contract with the New York Yankees was the fifth-highest for an outfielder. Bellinger also will receive $85 million of his guarantee in the first two years, after which he can opt out.

• Along with Cease, first baseman Pete Alonso was perhaps Boras’ biggest win. His five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles easily cleared Britton’s five-year, $140 million projection. Including the $30 million Alonso earned last season with the New York Mets, his two free-agent contracts totaled six years, $185 million.

• Left-hander Ranger Suárez’s five-year, $130 million contract with the Red Sox was for one year less than Britton’s six-year, $153 million projection, but with a slightly higher AAV.

Neither of Boras’ Japanese free agents, right-hander Tatsuya Imai and infielder Kazuma Okamoto, met the projections of Britton and others. Nor did the other top Japanese free agent, infielder Munetaka Murakami, who is represented by Excel.

If Imai performs at a high level, he can still cash in. His three-year, $54 million deal with the Houston Astros includes opt-outs after each of the first two seasons.

All told, Boras did well — and Britton did, too.

And what of the D-Backs?

At the start of the offseason, Diamondbacks team president Derrick Hall told the Arizona Republic that the team’s payroll would likely decrease. The signing of Gallen, however, will jump the payroll to $194 million, about $6 million above last year’s season-ending number, per Fangraphs.

From Zack Greinke to Corbin Burnes to Eduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery to Merrill Kelly and now Gallen, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick repeatedly has demonstrated a willingness to extend his budget for free-agent starting pitchers.

The D-Backs still need to supplement their bullpen, and the addition of Gallen might reduce their flexibility for other moves. But the pitching staff should deepen as the season progresses, provided Burnes and relievers Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk return from their respective Tommy John surgeries in reasonable form.

Another option for the Diamondbacks, at least early on, might be for another free-agent pitcher, Mike Soroka, to work out of the bullpen. Kelly, Gallen, Rodriguez, Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt could form the rotation. And the incentives in Soroka’s contract account for the possibility of the team using him in relief.

The way the incentives are structured, Soroka will get two “points” for every game started, and one for every relief appearance. He will earn $250,000 each for reaching 10 and 20 points, $425,000 each for reaching 30 and 40, and $650,000 for reaching 50.

Where the Orioles stand

As second baseman Jackson Holliday recovers from a broken hamate bone in his right hand, the Orioles possibly could carry both Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo on their Opening Day roster. Jordan Westburg, currently dealing with a tweaked right oblique, could move to second, opening third for Mayo. Mountcastle would be a backup to Alonso at first and DH.

At some point, though, a logjam of right-handed corner infielders figures to ensue, which is why the Orioles continue to explore trades for both Mountcastle and Mayo, according to a person familiar with their thinking.

Mountcastle, to whom the Orioles surprisingly offered a contract before signing Alonso, settled with the team at $6.787 million in arbitration. He would bring back less than Mayo, who was No. 18 on Keith Law’s top-100 list entering 2025 and will earn around the minimum salary.

While the Orioles’ $213.5 million investment in free agents this offseason is the fifth highest in the majors, their projected Opening Day payroll is only about $20 million above where it was last offseason. They were involved with the top free-agent starters — Cease, Suárez, Framber Valdez — but ultimately landed Zach Eflin and Chris Bassitt in free agency and Shane Baz in a trade. The three additions will earn a combined $32 million in 2026 — less than Valdez’s AAV, even when accounting for the deferrals in his deal.

The Orioles also signed free-agent reliever Ryan Helsley and center fielder Leody Taveras and traded for outfielder Taylor Wade, infielder Blaze Alexander and reliever Andrew Kittredge. One rival executive was impressed by their haul, even if it did not include a top-of-the-rotation type to complement Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish.

“They have a really good lineup, good thump, some high upside bets in the rotation, a good history of building bullpens, and they didn’t mortgage the future to compete in ‘26,” the executive said. “I think they will be in the wild-card hunt.”

How Sal Perez honored his mom

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is a World Series champion, nine-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner. But for his mother, Yilda, something was missing. Perez had not played for her beloved Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan winter league.

All that changed during the offseason, when Perez joined Caracas for the first time (previously he appeared for Zulia in 2022-23 and La Guaira in 2012-13 and 2013-14). To complete his mother’s dream, he hit a three-run homer on Dec. 5, in the seventh inning of a 9-7 victory over Caracas’ longtime rival, Magallanes. Afterward, Yilda told him she was fulfilled, that he need not play winter ball again.

Perez, entering his age-36 season, agreed in November to a two-year, $25 million extension, taking him through the 2027 season. He went 6-for-29 with two homers as a DH for Caracas before suffering a minor injury to his left thumb that ended his winter-ball season in mid-December.

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said he had no problem with Perez playing in Venezuela.

“There was a little hesitance but we trust Sal,” Picollo said. “It was early (in the winter) and he wasn’t catching. He loves playing. It’s just who he is and we know how passionate he is about the game. It’s hard to steal that from him.”

Perez will be Venezuela’s captain in the World Baseball Classic.

Rockies starting to roll?

What is this we hear, signs of life for the Colorado Rockies? Yes, to hear players and agents talk about the pitching instructors hired by new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes.

Pitching coach Alon Leichman previously was assistant pitching coach for Miami and Cincinnati. Assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas was Detroit’s director of pitching. Bullpen coach Matt Buschmann was a special advisor in player development with the Cubs and the bullpen coach in Toronto. Director of pitching Matt Daniels previously was with Minnesota, San Francisco and Driveline.

“It’s a great group!” right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who signed a one-year, $8 million free-agent contract with the Rockies, said in a text. “I’ve known a lot of them for a long time and their openness to experiment and problem solve is why I’ve kept in touch with them over the years.

“The fact that they are all in one spot working together is going to be huge for the future of the organization. And obviously I’m also a believer that it’ll be huge for me on an individual basis.”

The Athletic’s Sam Blum has more on Lorenzen and fellow veterans Tomoyuki Sugano and José Quintana, all of whom took the risk of joining the Rockies’ brave new world.

Around the horn

• The Milwaukee Brewers were talking with both Luis Rengifo and Ramón Urías before agreeing with Rengifo on a one-year, $3.5 million contract, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Without knowing Urías’ desired terms, the Brewers’ choice was somewhat curious. Rengifo isn’t as good a defender as Urías at the position where the team has an opening, third base.

Urías ranked 18th at third last season with plus-1 Outs Above Average.

Rengifo was 35th out of 39 at minus-7. Rengifo also had a poor offensive season, registering 27 percent below league average in OPS+. In the previous three years combined, he was 9 percent above.

• Remember right-hander Aaron Sanchez, a first-round pick by the Jays in 2010 who rose to prominence in Toronto with fellow righty Marcus Stroman? Now 33, he’s back on a minor-league deal with the Royals.

The oft-injured Sanchez said the Houston Astros and New York Mets showed interest in him last season, but he wound up sitting out the year. As The Athletic reported in January, he began drawing interest after winning the Dominican Winter League’s Pitcher of the Year award by producing a 1.55 ERA in 46 1/3 innings.

• The Tampa Bay Rays are drawing trade interest in left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger, according to people familiar with the discussions. Cleavinger, entering his age-32 campaign, is earning $2.4 million this season and is under club control for one more year.

The interest in Cleavinger might stem in part from the lack of quality options among the remaining free-agent left-handed relievers, with Danny Coulombe perhaps the best of the group. Cleavinger’s 33.7 percent strikeout rate in 61 1/3 innings last season ranked in the top 4 percent of the league.