A Guideline To Remember All The MLB Free Agent Signings You Forgot

As the sports calendar transitions from the conclusion of the NFL season to the start of Spring Training, it is natural to need a refresher on each team’s roster construction.

Especially when eight of the ten largest contracts signed in the offseason happened over two months ago.

So, for these team’s new acquisitions, or the teams that allowed their talent to change jerseys, here is a breakdown of the player trends or team identities ahead of the 2025 season.

Trend 1: Loving Or Hating Your New Home

One of the splits that are worth researching following a trade or free agency signing is how that player fares in what will be their new home ballpark.

The newest member of the Boston Red Sox, for example, has felt nothing but love for the oldest active stadium in baseball.

In 21 games, Alex Bregman has a .375/.490/.750 slashline with 7 home runs and 15 RBIs at Fenway. This is the best OPS for a player with at least 20 starts in Boston.

And, considering his years of success with the Houston Astros by utilizing the Crawford Boxes, Bregman’s ability to aim for the Green Monster will make the transition to the East Coast a breeze.

While a power hitter moving to a hitter-friendly stadium is normally a sight to see, a pitcher getting more room behind him can also result in career years for starters.

The best example of this in 2025 may be new Dodgers lefty Blake Snell, who will carry a career 2.03 ERA in 7 starts in Los Angeles.

But, all changes of scenery are not always beneficial to the players. Whether it is the dimensions of the ballpark, visuals of the batter’s eye or even the feel of the mound or box do not always lead to the best version of the player.

One case of this is Christian Walker. Despite Walker being a power righty similar to Bregman, he has not seen success in his limited time in Houston, only collecting one extra-base hit in 43 plate appearances in his new home.

And on the mound, Yusei Kikuchi will have to learn how to pitch in Anaheim, as he currently has a career 8.12 ERA in eight appearances at Angels Stadium.

Trend 2: Expect a Slow Start From the Following

Is there anything more worrisome for a fanbase than a free agent signing getting off to a slow start?

In today’s media cycle, which is dominated by recency bias and what a player has done for the team lately, a slow start to the year could discredit all of the qualifications that earned them their contract.

But, some players are known for consistently starting slow, including:

• Teoscar Hernandez – .730 OPS in March, April & May in his career
• Willy Adames – .735 OPS in the first half of the season, .796 in the second half
• Juan Soto – .872 OPS in March & April, above .900 every other month of the year

Unfortunately for Braves fans however, their new utilityman Jurickson Profar is the most extreme version, as he has a career .225 batting average and .680 OPS in March and April over his 11 year career. The good news for Braves fans is that Profar’s best month is May, where his .268 batting average brings his numbers back to his career averages.

Trend 3: New Teams Bring New Division Rivals

While some players like Soto were lucky enough to not even change cities while joining their new teams, while others like Luis Severino traveled from coast-to-coast for their new threads, most free agents and trade acquisitions are going to be seeing different opponents much more often.

For some, like Gleyber Torres in Detroit, he will be able to look fondly on some of his favorite opponents from years past, including an .843 OPS against Cleveland or a .289 batting average against the Twins.

Paul Sewald will also have some comfortability joining the AL Central rivalries as a member of the Guardians, as he has yet to record a losing decision to the Tigers, White Sox or Royals.

But the leader of the free agent pool to switch uniforms is the 42-year-old Justin Verlander, who despite never playing for an NL West team, has plenty of fond memories to look back on.

Against San Diego in his career, Verlander has an opponent’s OPS+ of 119, which is the fourth-best of any team the future Hall of Famer has faced in his career. The Diamondbacks only have a 3.14 ERA in eight tries against JV, while the Rockies’ overall numbers are largely assisted by a multi-homer game allowed by Verlander at Coors’ Field.

Despite his career numbers against the Dodgers being on the lower end of his opponents’ split, Verlander did face them twice in the 2017 World Series, where he allowed five earned runs in 12 total innings.

While there are countless wormholes to be dragged into on a player’s Baseball Reference page, many of them can be pushed aside with the explanation that the reasoning for a level of success (or lack thereof) is due to the sample size making those results random.

However, baseball players are creatures of habit, and baseball is the sport that will test your mental fortitude more than any other.

The feel of a stadium, being able to recollect success against a certain team, or how hot or cold the temperature is can certainly impact a player’s full potential. So, before making a rash judgment of an unfamiliar player in 2025, ensure this is not a normal trend in the overall consistency of the player.