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• Chicago Cubs acquire All-Star Kyle Tucker

  The Chicago Cubs have taken their biggest swing of the offseason thus far, as multiple outlets reported Friday that the team has agreed to acquire three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros.

  Chicago will send third baseman Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesnecki and well-regarded infield prospect Cam Smith to the Astros in exchange for Tucker, a major contributor to Houston's 2022 World Series champion team and the American League's leader with 112 runs batted in during the 2023 season. The deal is still pending physicals of the involved players.

  Tucker added 29 home runs and a career-high 30 stolen bases while hitting .284 for that 2023 campaign to finish fifth in balloting for the AL's MVP award. A fractured shin limited the slugger to just 78 games last season, though he still posted a career-best .993 OPS while producing 23 homers, 49 RBIs, 11 steals and a .289 average.

  Financial considerations, as well as Tucker's upcoming free agency, likely prompted the Astros to make the move. The 27-year-old is projected to receive a roughly $16 million salary in his final arbitration year before hitting the market after this season.

  The trade could also signal Houston's intentions to move on from another core player, as Paredes could be viewed as a potential replacement for star third baseman Alex Bregman, one of the top remaining available free-agent hitters this offseason.

  Paredes was also an AL All-Star last season while then with the Tampa Bay Rays, who dealt him to the Cubs in late July at the trade deadline. The 25-year-old finished the season with 19 homers, 80 RBIs and a .238 average in 153 games.

  The native Mexican set career highs with 31 homers and 98 RBIs with the Rays in 2023.

  Chicago may not be done dealing as well after adding Tucker to a corner outfield mix that also includes established players Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ. Both Bellinger, the 2019 National League MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Suzuki have been mentioned in trade rumours this winter.

  Smith, 21, was rated the Cubs' seventh-best prospect and No. 73 overall by MLB.com. Chicago selected the third baseman with the 14th overall pick of the 2024 draft out of Florida State, and he hit .313 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 32 games between Single and Double A in his pro debut.

  Wesneski, a Houston native, gives the Astros a versatile right-handed arm who can handle a variety of roles. The 27-year-old has made 22 starts and 46 relief appearances over three major league seasons while compiling a 9-13 record and a 3.93 earned run average.

• Yankees, Max Fried agree to $218M deal

  Days after losing a bidding war for Juan Soto’s services, the New York Yankees committed their money elsewhere to land a huge prize in free agency.

  Left-handed starter Max Fried and the Yankees have agreed to terms on an eight-year, $218million contract, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.

  The deal, which is pending a physical, is the largest total value ever given to a left-handed pitcher. David Price previously held the record with a $217milion contract signed in 2015.

  Fried will join an already deep pitching rotation in the Bronx that includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman.

  Fried, who will turn 31 next month, has become one of baseball’s steadiest pitchers while pitching for the Atlanta Braves.

  Over the last four seasons, Fried is 66-35 with a 2.87 ERA with 574 strikeouts in 603 innings pitched.

  A two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, Fried’s best season came in 2022, when he finished 14-7 with a 2.48 ERA and came in second in NL Cy Young Award voting.

  Fried’s deal comes on the heels of outfielder Juan Soto leaving the Yankees on Sunday for the New York Mets on a record-breaking 15-year, $765million contract.

  The Yankees, who reportedly offered Soto $760million over 16 seasons, wasted no time in moving on to Plan B in a free agent class with loads of veteran talent.

  Fried’s deal is the 12th given out by the Yankees totalling at least $100million in franchise history, according to ESPN.

• Mets land Juan Soto on record $765M contract

  Juan Soto has made his decision. He'll be staying in the same city, albeit with a new team.

  Multiple outlets reported Sunday that the New York Mets have landed baseball's most coveted free agent with a massive 15-year, $765 million contract that ranks as the largest in professional sports history.

  Soto chose the Mets over a handful of suitors that included the crosstown-rival New York Yankees, the team he spent the 2024 season with and helped reach the World Series.

  The contract surpasses the 10-year, $700 million deal the Los Angeles Dodgers gave two-way superstar and 2024 National League MVP Shohei Ohtani last December as the largest ever in terms of overall value. And while the majority of Ohtani's guaranteed money was deferred, the Associated Press reports that Soto's agreement contains no deferments.

  Soto's contract is also the longest in MLB history in terms of length, exceeding the 14-year, $340 million extension his former San Diego Padres team-mate, Fernando Tatis Jr., signed in 2021.

  The New York Post reports that Soto's deal also includes an opt-out clause following the 2029 season, which would allow the four-time All-Star outfielder to re-enter the free-agent market at age 31.

  The Yankees, who acquired Soto from the Padres a year ago in a seven-player trade that sent five players to San Diego, reportedly made a final offer of $760 million over 16 years, according to the Associated Press.

  Soto was indisputably the crown jewel of this year's free-agent class as a 26-year-old who established himself as one of the game's premier offensive players ever since entering the majors at age 19 with the Washington Nationals in 2018. An exceptionally disclipined hitter, the Dominican native has drawn 125 or more walks in four straight seasons and his .421 career on-base percentage is the highest of any active player with at least 500 plate appearances.

  The five-time Silver Slugger recipient also owns a career .285 batting average with a .953 OPS while compiling 201 home runs and 592 RBIs over seven MLB seasons.

  Soto helped the Nationals to the franchise's lone World Series title in 2019 by hitting .282 with 34 homers and 110 RBIs in his second major league season. He spent four-plus seasons with Washington before being traded to the Padres midway through the 2022 campaign after turning out a reported 15-year, $440 million extension.

  The Padres moved Soto to the Yankees prior to his final year before free agency in a deal that ended up aiding both teams, with the slugger playing a major role in the Bronx Bombers' run to their first World Series appearance since 2009.

  Soto hit a career-high 41 homers in his lone season with the Yankees to go along with a .288 average and 109 RBIs in 157 games, and finished third in voting for the 2024 American League MVP award won by team-mate Aaron Judge.

  The Mets have annually been among MLB's biggest spenders since owner Steve Cohen purchased the team in November 2020 and were already active in free agency this off-season. The team signed another former Yankee earlier this week by adding pitcher Clay Holmes on a three-year, $38 million contract and also reached a two-year, $34 million agreement with starting pitcher Frankie Montas.