It’s been quite the week for headline-grabbing baseball trades.

Luis Robert Jr. and Freddy Peralta were both traded just 24 hours apart, and acquired by the same team — the New York Mets, who also formally introduced free-agent acquisition Bo Bichette earlier this week. It’s crazy how the entire outlook of a club’s off-season can be flipped on its head in just a few days.

The other New York franchise also made waves this week, albeit on the free-agent market, reuniting with outfielder Cody Bellinger on a five-year, $162.5 million contract. In the end, despite numerous reports of negotiations reaching an impasse, both sides reached the conclusion most assumed they’d eventually arrive at.

Meanwhile, outside the Tri-state area, another blockbuster trade stole headlines on Thursday, involving the Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers.

Following several months of trade speculation, the Nationals officially pulled the trigger on dealing Gore — whom they acquired as part of the massive return for superstar Juan Soto back in 2022 — to the Rangers, receiving a substantial haul of prospects in return, according to reports.

Washington traded the remaining two seasons of Gore’s club control (a free agent after 2027) in exchange for infielders Gavin Fien, Devin Fitz-Gerald and Abimelec Ortiz, right-hander Alejandro Rosario and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera. All five players were previously ranked among the top 20 prospects in Texas’ system.

Fien, who finished last season as the Rangers’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was selected 12th overall by the organization during last summer’s draft.

Gore brings a front-of-the-rotation presence with plenty of swing-and-miss — he posted the highest strikeout (27.2 per cent) and whiff rates (29.7 per cent) of his career in 2025 — to a Texas rotation that already includes Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and youngster Jack Leiter.

It was an incredibly steep price to pay, illustrating the lucrative market for front-line starting pitchers with multiple seasons of club control. Having said that, the left-hander could become part of the Rangers’ core into the next decade — if extended beyond the ’27 season — given deGrom and Eovaldi are both in the later stages of their careers.

Just days after landing in Queens, Peralta is already considering extending his stay beyond next season, according to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Ragazzo.

The 29-year-old starter, scheduled to hit free agency next winter, is reportedly open to an extension with the Mets following failed attempts to reach a new deal with the Milwaukee Brewers — a key reason behind his ultimate departure from the organization. He’s entering the final season of a five-year, $15.5 million contract that included a pair of club options.

That extension, of course, was negotiated by former Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns, who now works for the Mets in the same role. So, perhaps that familiarity can help nudge things in the right direction.

Given Peralta’s age and ceiling as an ace-level starter, a potential comp for his next deal could be Dylan Cease’s seven-year, $210 million contract (including deferrals) signed with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this off-season.

The former Blue Jays utility player has met with multiple interested suitors via video conference over the last few days, FanSided’s Robert Murray reported Thursday. It’s unclear which teams the 30-year-old has held meetings with, but the increased interest could signal a possible signing in the near future.

Kiner-Falefa returned to Toronto late last season, appearing in 19 games with the franchise, hitting .233/.258/.367 with a pair of extra-base hits (one home run) and five RBIs. He filled in around the diamond amidst Bichette’s injury absence, creating the need for a versatile infielder down the stretch.

Of the six notable free agents who finished last season with the Blue Jays, Bichette has been the only player to sign thus far, with Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, Ty France, Seranthony Domínguez and Kiner-Falefa all still available.