DALLAS – This week’s Winter Meetings began with a historic free agent contract and ended with a trade the baseball world had been waiting for months.

And there’s still plenty of action.

Max Fried received the richest contract ever for a left-handed pitcher ($218 million), while Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Conforto, Blake Treinen and Alex Cobb also agreed to free agent deals during the meetings, along with several other notable names from the Board eliminated.

As the baseball world leaves Dallas to return home before the holiday season, there are still a number of free agents and trade candidates whose futures are still uncertain, as well as a host of teams that still have a lot of work to do, before pitchers and catchers report to camps in two months.

Here’s a look at how this week’s developments could impact the market:

Corbin Burnes was the top arm on the free agent market at the start of the offseason, and while we’ve seen players like Fried, Eovaldi, Blake Snell, Yusei Kikuchi and Luis Severino sign deals with new clubs, the 2021 National League Cy Young Laureate remains available.

The Blue Jays and Giants remain the favorites to sign Burnes, who is expected to sign a deal worth more than Fried’s $218 million. Multiple industry sources predicted Burnes would sign for at least $245 million, which would match or exceed the guaranteed total received by Stephen Strasburg at the Winter Meetings five years ago – a contract that remains the third-largest deal in of history for a starting pitcher.

The Red Sox and Orioles also remain in play for Burnes, although rival managers believe those two clubs may not be as aggressive as Toronto and/or San Francisco.

This week’s meetings took place just 15 miles from Globe Life Field, where the Rangers will once again have Eovaldi at the top of their starting lineup.

But it’s the team 225 miles further south that could make big headlines in the coming days.

The Cubs are considered favorites, with players like Isaac Paredes and Seiya Suzuki among the potential chips that could return to Houston. The Astros are also interested in infield prospects Matt Shaw (Cubs No. 1) and Cam Smith (Cubs No. 7), giving Chicago multiple options to acquire Tucker, who was an All-Star in both three seasons.

The Yankees were also in the mix, with players like reigning American League Rookie of the Year Luis Gil possibly headlining. But given the Yankees’ experience moving Juan Soto and losing him to free agency after one season, rival executives believe New York will explore other options to improve its lineup rather than risk such a scenario again occurs.

One of those options could be third baseman Alex Bregman, who spent all nine seasons of his major league career with the Astros. Sources said Wednesday that Bregman could be the next big name to come off the free agent board, with the Phillies, Red Sox, Tigers and Yankees among the teams considered the biggest threats to get him out of Houston to get out.

MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reported earlier this week that the Astros had made Bregman an offer of six years and about $156 million, although the two-time All-Star was set to receive a larger contract than the seven-year, $182 million deal Willy Adames was signed by the Giants last week.

Tucker and Bregman have spent their entire careers with the Astros after being selected in the top five of the draft, but the pair could very well be wearing new uniforms in the coming days.

After Soto’s deal with the Mets, the Yankees responded to their rotation with the Fried deal, signing them seven starting pitchers. The two youngest arms – and therefore the cheapest and most controllable – are Gil and Clarke Schmidt, giving the Yankees the opportunity to include one in a trade.

The two trade candidates that make the most sense for the Yankees are Cody Bellinger of the Cubs and Nolan Arenado of the Cardinals, who would each fill an important pinstripe void.

Arenado could take over at third base, allowing Jazz Chisholm Jr. to move back to second base, where free agent Gleyber Torres has played for several years. Bellinger could play first base or left field, although sources say the Yankees believe Bellinger fits better in the left position, where he would line up in the outfield alongside Jasson Domínguez and Aaron Judge.

Arenado has a full no-trade clause in his contract, and although the Yankees are not mentioned by MLB.com’s John Denton in his report on the six teams on Arenado’s wish list (Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Phillies, Mets and Red Sox). According to a source, the eight-time All-Star would likely agree to a deal with the Yankees if such a trade were agreed upon.

The Yankees are also in the market for a first baseman, with Christian Walker among the top free agent candidates. The bullpen will also be a focus, and one source named Tanner Scott as New York’s top target.

About a half-dozen names dominated the aforementioned meetings, with much of the lobbying conversation since Sunday evening devoted to Soto, Burnes, Fried, Bregman, Tucker and Crochet.

But a number of significant free agents remain on the market, and while they didn’t make much of a splash in Dallas, they all expect their markets to move soon.

Anthony Santander, Pete Alonso and Jack Flaherty — who, along with Burnes and Bregman, were all ranked among the top 10 free agents of the offseason by MLB.com — remain without a contract. Roki Sasaki, listed as the No. 3 free agent on this list, was also posted this week, officially opening his 45-day window to sign with a major league club.

That means six of the top 10 free agents are still up for grabs, as are Tanner Scott, Teoscar Hernández, Walker, Jurickson Profar, Ha-Seong Kim, Carlos Estévez, Torres, Sean Manaea, Nick Pivetta, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

The Crochet deal marked the end of a saga that began last summer, but there are a number of other pitchers in play on the trade market.

According to sources, pitchers available for trade include Luis Castillo (Mariners), Dylan Cease (Padres), Jesús Luzardo (Marlins) and Sonny Gray (Cardinals), while the Yankees, as noted above, could also look to move a starter.

Castillo is signed for $68.25 million over the next three years, with a vesting option for 2028 if he throws 180 innings during the 2027 season. The Mariners are overloaded with starting pitchers and need a hitter. So moving Castillo and his salary could allow Seattle to pursue an impact hitter.

Cease will be eligible for arbitration this winter for the last time before becoming a free agent next offseason. Luzardo is eligible for arbitration for two more years before becoming a free agent, although injuries have been a problem for him throughout his career.

Gray is scheduled to make $25 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026, with a $30 million club option for 2027, although he has a full no-trade clause, capping any possible deal thwarts the plan.