2023 MLB Free Agents: Latest Rumors, Predictions Before World Series
The MLB offseason is always one of the most exciting times for baseball fans as they watch high-profile free agents land with new teams and in some cases, change the landscape of the American and National Leagues.
Such will be the case in 2024 as Shohei Ohtani leads a class that will make headlines and shift power.
Where will he land and who else should fans keep an eye on?
Find out with this look at the latest regarding top stars ahead of the Fall Classic.
Latest on Shohei Ohtani
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Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Dodgers' first priority this offseason is signing Shohei Ohtani.
That can probably be said of numerous contending teams, including both New York squads and the San Diego Padres.
Ohtani would bring more firepower to a Dodgers offense that already has Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts playing some of the best baseball of their Hall of Fame-worthy careers. Prior to arm surgery that prematurely ended his season, he blasted 44 home runs and accounted for 95 RBIs.
He was an offensive juggernaut for an Angels team that did not have much behind him and never really competed for a pennant this season. Add him to the pieces already in place in Los Angeles and you have a potentially unstoppable force.
Then, when he returns to the mound in 2025, the Dodgers will have another reliable arm to bolster their rotation. Whether they can realistically get over the proverbial hump without shilling out money for a starter this offseason while also attempting to sign Ohtani is the real question.
Regardless, Los Angeles is the one team that the two-way player continues to be linked to and it feels like the best fit for him.
Prediction: Ohtani signs an 8-year deal with the Dodgers
Update on Yoshinobu Yamamoto
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"The Giants are putting a full-court press on 25-year-old Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who's expected to be posted in a few weeks," Nightengale also wrote.
The Giants need a reliable starting pitcher and while it will likely take Yamamoto time to get acquainted to the American game, as it did Kodai Senga in New York, he would provide stability to a rotation that was perfectly fine at some points and dreadful at others.
Logan Webb was the team's "ace" but still gave up a team-leading 20 home runs, had a WHIP of 1.07 and an opposing batting average of .248.
The rest of the team's pitching roster was iffy, at best, and led to San Francisco missing the playoffs for the second, consecutive season.
It makes sense that the team would be all-in on acquiring Yamamoto and bolstering a part of the roster that desperately needs it, but the team could use some bats to go along with the young star, too.
The question becomes whether the Giants can outbid other teams, such as the New York Mets, and convince Yamamoto to play for a team that is still a few pieces away.
Given the Mets and starter Senga's history with Yamamoto, it may be a tougher sell than expected.
Prediction: Yamamoto signs with New York
Prediction for Cody Bellinger
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Cody Bellinger reinvigorated his career in Chicago in 2023 and is poised to be one of the most coveted free agents in baseball this offseason.
Bellinger hit 26 home runs, stole 20 bases, drove in 97 runs, and tallied 153 total hits and was a key component in the Cubs being in contention for a playoff spot as long as they were. In a perfect world, Chicago would be able to re-sign him and build on the momentum it generated in 2023.
Unfortunately, the team will have competition in the form of the New York Yankees, who Nightengale linked to Bellinger as far back as September.
When the Yankees want a player bad enough, they have a history of getting the deal done.
Whether it would be a successful union, unlike that of Josh Donaldson and Harrison Bader, is an entirely different question.
The Yankees found themselves in an unusual position in 2023, just barely above .500 and out of playoff contention. The fans will not stand for a repeat performance and the even-keeled Hank Steinbrenner knows it. Look for him to spend more than the team has in recent offseasons in an attempt to return to the team to contention and not waste another season of Aaron Judge's prime years.
Prediction: Yankees land Bellinger
