MLB Opening Day 2025: A guide to the offseason chaos - ESPN

The opening week of the 2025 MLB season is upon us — on the heels of a chaos-packed offseason.

Not long after the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their 2024 World Series title, they made the first big strike of the offseason, landing a two-time Cy Young winner — and that was just the start for Los Angeles. But the Dodgers weren't the only ones keeping the hot stove warm in a winter that had a little bit of everything — from a $765 million contract to lure a superstar across New York City boroughs to a pair of aces signing record nine-figure deals. And the offseason drama continued well into spring training, with two top sluggers finally signing after camps opened.

Whether you are just realizing that Alex Bregman left Houston for the Boston Red Sox or the Dodgers signed… well, it felt like just about everyone — or you know all the moves that went down and still aren't quite sure what to make of them, we've got you covered for Opening Day on Thursday.

ESPN baseball experts Jorge Castillo, Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez and David Schoenfield break down the moves that rocked the offseason, what they mean for the teams that made them — and how they'll shape the season ahead.

Date of the deal: Nov. 26 — Dodgers sign Snell to $182 million deal

What it means for the Dodgers: The Dodgers began the offseason with one clear target in mind — not Juan Soto, but Blake Snell. They had just won the World Series, but they did so despite an injury-ravaged starting rotation that required them to stage bullpen games on multiple occasions throughout October. They needed some certainty at the top of their pitching staff, and Snell, the two-time Cy Young Award winner they almost signed when his market collapsed last offseason, was seen as