Bellinger is the lone middle-order bat left who can tilt a pennant race, while Valdez and Gallen are the last starters with true No. 1 upside—here’s who has the money and the guts to finish this market.
The Red Sox pivoted to Ranger Suárez. The Blue Jays whiffed on Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette. The Mets overpaid Bo Bichette to save face. Now, three weeks before pitchers and catchers, the sport’s last difference-makers sit in limbo—Cody Bellinger, Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen.
Cody Bellinger: last big bat standing
With Tucker, Bichette and Alex Bregman off the board, the 30-year-old former MVP is the only remaining position player who projects for 4+ WAR and a middle-of-the-order left-handed stick. Eugenio Suárez is next in line; that’s how thin the shelf is.
- Yankees: Payroll already crests $250 M, but ownership has never ruled out pushing past $300 M if the player moves the needle. Bellinger’s 126 wRC+ and plus center-field defense move the needle.
- Mets: Left-field vacancy screams for his profile, yet Steve Cohen just swallowed a $42 M AAV for Bichette. Luxury-tax math says another $200 M+ commitment requires shedding salary first.
- Blue Jays: Missed on Tucker, lost Bichette, still hunting an outfield upgrade. Rogers Communications authorized a top-five payroll in 2025; the money is there if the front office can stomach a nine-year deal.
Industry estimates peg Bellinger’s floor at seven years, $190 million. Scott Boras won’t blink first.
Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen: the last aces*
Both pitchers have fronted rotations in October, but 2025 raised red flags.
Valdez, 32, logged a 3.66 ERA—still 14 % better than league average—and generates grounders at a 54 % clip. His velocity dipped 0.7 mph and chase rate slid for a third straight year. The Astros offered four years around $88 M pre-lockout; he politely declined.
Gallen, 30, saw his ERA balloon to 4.83 while surrendering a career-worst 31 homers. The stuff is intact—94 mph fastball, plus change—but his four-seam spin and location leaked. Teams believe a mechanical tweak can restore 2023’s Cy Young runner-up form.
- Orioles: Need a co-ace behind Corbin Burnes and have the prospect capital to absorb a shorter, high-AAV gamble.
- Mets: Kodai Senga’s shoulder clouds the front five; Cohen’s checkbook is open, but length is the sticking point.
- Giants: Missed on Yamamoto and Snell; Farhan Zaidi prefers pillow contracts that push the CBT reset.
Expect five-year, $140 M to be the first serious bid that moves either pitcher off the market.
Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander: old guys, short leashes
Come Opening Day the trio will be 37, 41 and 43. All three can be had on two-year pacts south of $40 M total.
Bassitt has averaged 180 innings since 2021; reliability is his brand. Scherzer started a Game 7 last fall and still misses bats at a 29 % clip when healthy. Verlander needs eight wins for 300 and wants a contender; the Dodgers and Braves keep circling.
Reliever scraps: Seranthony Domínguez and a pack of lefties
Domínguez is the lone back-end arm left. Danny Coulombe, Brent Suter and Justin Wilson headline the lefty specialists. Clubs with thin pens—Red Sox, Twins, Angels—will shop here on one-year, incentive-heavy deals.
What happens next
Agents are manufacturing mini-deadlines to pressure owners before spring photo day. Watch for:
- Yankees ownership to convene this week on Bellinger’s ask; if they pass, Toronto becomes favorite.
- Orioles to pivot to Gallen on a five-year structure once Burnes extension talks reach an impasse.
- Dodgers to swoop on a one-year, $18 M pillow for Verlander once Yamamoto insurance is sorted.
One phone call flips the leverage. Until then, the winter’s final stars—and the franchises bold enough to sign them—hold the power to redraw October brackets.
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