2023 MLB Free Agents: Updated Rumors, Predictions on Top Stars Available
The free agency of Shohei Ohtani will be the biggest story of the MLB offseason as he reaches the open market for the first time since he chose the Los Angeles Angels after making the jump stateside.
The two-way superstar headlines a free-agent class that also includes San Diego Padres pitchers Blake Snell and Josh Hader, who are both also likely headed for significant pay days, and seem poised to both be playing for a new team as well.
Ahead we've taken a quick look at some of the notable early rumors surrounding this year's free agency class.
Five Teams Vying for Shohei Ohtani?
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MLB insider Ken Rosenthal made headlines earlier this week when he speculated on his podcast "Foul Territory" that the race to sign Shohei Ohtani could come down to a head-to-head battle between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.
He also added the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers as teams that should be considered serious suitors, while noting that he does not expect the New York Yankees to make a serious push to sign him.
All five of those teams would seem to check the box of being a club focused on contending, which Ohtani has stated that he will be prioritizing this offseason, and understandably so as he is still hunting for his first trip to the playoffs.
It will be interesting to see how his arm injury and the fact that he will almost certainly not take the mound again until 2025 will impact his asking price, though even as a designated hitter he has proven to be an MVP-caliber talent, not to mention his elite marketability as one of the faces of the sport.
Blake Snell, Josh Hader Unlikely to Re-Sign with San Diego Padres
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The San Diego Padres were one of baseball's most disappointing teams in 2023, and with NL Cy Young front-runner Blake Snell and All-Star closer Josh Hader both headed for free agency, change is coming.
"According to multiple sources, the plan is to go into 2024 with player commitments of around $200 million," wrote Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Xander Bogaerts, Joe Musgrove, Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Fernando Tatis Jr., Robert Suarez, Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim are the eight players with guaranteed salaries for the 2024 season, and they are owed roughly $115 million combined.
Then there are the arbitration-eligible players—Juan Soto, Scott Barlow, Tim Hill, Trent Grisham, Austin Nola and Adrian Morejón—who made a combined $36.5 million in 2023 and will all receive raises, which will likely push that number above $50 million if they are all retained.
That doesn't leave enough wiggle room to fill out the roster and offer up what will almost certainly be nine-figure deals to Snell or Hader, so it's safe to assume that both top-tier free agents will be playing elsewhere in 2024.
Boston Red Sox Have "Heavily Scouted" Shota Imanaga
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Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be one of the most sought-after players on the free-agent market this offseason if he is posted by the Orix Buffaloes as expected.
However, he is not the only Japanese League pitcher garnering early attention from MLB clubs, and the Boston Red Sox are one team with a clear need to bolster their starting rotation this offseason.
"The team has also heavily scouted Shota Imanaga, a lefty starter who appeared in the World Baseball Classic last March and who's also highly regarded," wrote Sean McAdam of MassLive.com.
Imanaga, 30, profiles more as a middle-of-the-rotation starter than a frontline arm like Yamamoto. He has a 2.96 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 1,123.2 innings in Japan, and he was the starter for Team Japan in its win over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic title game.
Moving quickly to sign Imanaga would be a nice first step toward addressing the starting rotation for the Red Sox.
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