As Major League spring training camps open, a flurry of veteran signings this past week is reshaping baseball rosters, including Justin Verlander returning to the Detroit Tigers, bringing his 250.0 career Box-Toppers points back to where his journey began.
Other major moves include Zac Gallen reuniting with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres taking flyers on Nick Castellanos and Germán Márquez. The Baltimore Orioles added consistency with Chris Bassitt, while the Pittsburgh Pirates bolstered their lineup with veteran Marcell Ozuna.
Key Signings & Box-Toppers Stats
Justin Verlander (Tigers): Signed a one-year, $13 million deal. His 250.0 career Box-Toppers points rank fourth-most since 1995 and second among this year's free agents. He earned 148.0 of his career points during his first Detroit stint (2006–17). He was Box-Toppers Player of the Year twice, leading all players in points in 2012 with the Tigers (24.8) and in 2022 with the Astros (27.5).
Zac Gallen (Diamondbacks): Re-signed for one year, $22 million. Gallen's 64.5 points from 2021–25 are the most of any free agent in that span. He finished 2025 with 12.7 points, which was 11th among National League pitchers and second among all offseason free agents. Appropriately, Gallen and the Diamondbacks reunited on Feb. 13, a day that has come to be known as “Galentine’s Day.”
Nick Castellanos (Padres): Joins San Diego with 52.7 career points, the most among active NL outfielders entering 2026. He led NL batters in 2021 with 11.5 points, when he was with the Reds. In four seasons with the Phillies, he earned 10.5 total points, including 7.0 in 2023 (eighth among NL outfielders), but just 1.5 in 2025 and 2.0 in 2025.
Chris Bassitt (Orioles): Agreed to a one-year, $18.5 million deal. His 59.5 points over the last five seasons (2021–25) rank second among this year’s free-agent class over that span. His 7.0 points in 2025 with the Blue Jays was 41st among AL pitchers.
Marcell Ozuna (Pirates): Signed for one year, $12 million. A former Box-Toppers points leader for NL batters in 2019 with the Cardinals (12.0) and 2020 with the Braves (4.5), Ozuna has 69.9 career points, eighth among active NL batters. His 5.7 points in 2025 with the Braves were seventh among offseason free agent batters and 10th among NL designated hitters.
Nathaniel Lowe (Reds): Signed a minor league deal. He ranked 15th among American League batters in 2025 with 7.0 points (finishing the season with the Red Sox) and was fifth on Box-Toppers’ list of free-agent hitters.
Germán Márquez (Padres): One-year deal. While limited by injury recently, his 53.9 career points rank 25th among active NL pitchers. He reached a peak of 17.4 points in 2021 with the Rockies, when he was fifth among NL pitchers.
Miles Mikolas (Nationals): One-year, $2.25 million deal. His 7.0 points with the Cardinals in 2025 ranked 14th among all offseason free agents.
With spring training games officially beginning this Friday, February 20, these veterans will have little time to settle in before facing live competition. The Diamondbacks likely benefit the most in the short term by retaining Gallen’s elite production, while the Tigers gain a massive veteran presence in Verlander.
About Box-Toppers
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day. (No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.)
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