MLB Free Agents 2024: Latest Rumors, Predictions Around Roki Sasaki, Juan Soto, More

The 2024-25 MLB offseason is here, and the stove is heating up.

With no shortage of potential difference-makers in free agency, it's hardly surprising to find no shortage of buzz around the baseball world.

We'll dissect the latest discussions here and predict where the players involved will wind up.

Toronto a Viable Landing Spot for Juan Soto?

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NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 30: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Yankees bats during Game 5 of the 2024 World Series presented by Capital One between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Juan Soto's venture into free agency should be ridiculous. The AL MVP finalist only recently turned 26 and has already posted some of the best offensive numbers of this generation. With a power bat built to play anywhere and enough contact skills to have a batting title in his back pocket, his earnings potential is off the charts.

His list of potential landing spots runs just as high. Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, there are six teams "known to remain in the mix" for Soto: the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox. While Soto gets most often connected to the New York clubs, Heyman reported the Blue Jays are seen "as a viable obstacle" to those teams.

Heyman cited Toronto's "well-heeled ownership and strong incentive to improve" as reasons industry sources believe the club is a legitimate threat to land Soto. Per Heyman, "word is they are highly motivated and sources suggest they plan to be in big."

The idea of dropping Soto into a lineup already featuring Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette is admittedly a fun one, but it's still hard to imagine the slugger signing outside of the Big Apple. This has long felt like a battle between the Yankees and Mets, and that still seems the likeliest way for this situation to play out.

Prediction: Soto signs with the Mets.

NL West Battle Brewing for Roki Sasaki?

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MIAMI, FL - MARCH 20: Roki Sasaki #14 of Japan delivers a pitch in the first inning against Mexico at loanDepot park on March 20, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images)

This offseason already received a jolt of electricity with word of the Chiba Lotte Marines posting ace pitcher Roki Sasaki.

For those unfamiliar with the 23-year-old hurler, he looks like one of the best young pitchers in the entire baseball world. He has been, statistically speaking, comically dominant in Japan:

What makes Sasaki's situation especially interesting is that his age and experience limits what he can collect in free agency. He'll be limited to signing only a Minor League deal with a signing bonus, which theoretically makes him affordable for (and therefore available to) all 30 teams.

In reality, though, this could be more predictable than it sounds. As one National League executive told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorites to sign Sasaki.

"it's not quite a two-horse race," the executive said, "but those two are probably the most logical landing spots."

Los Angeles and San Diego both have starting pitcher needs and star Japanese players on the roster (Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers, Yu Darvish for the Padres). A source told Feinsand that teams "most likely to have a shot" at signing Sasaki are "West Coast clubs...that have signed Japanese players in the past."

Prediction: Padres add Sasaki.

Teoscar Hernández Staying Put?

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NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 30: Teoscar Hernández #37 of the Los Angeles Dodgers singles in the ninth inning during Game 5 of the 2024 World Series presented by Capital One between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Teoscar Hernández's first season with the Dodgers was a dream—a dream he'd apparently like to keep living.

He belted a career-high 33 home runs, tallied 183 combined runs and RBI and outperformed all three levels of his career slash line with a .272/.339/.501 mark. He booked the second All-Star trip of his career, and, oh yeah, he also collected a World Series ring.

So, it only feels fitting to hear Hernández's "preference" is to re-sign with the Dodgers, per The Athletic's Will Sammon and Fabian Ardaya. However, Hernández has other possible landing spots as "four other teams have expressed some level of interest."

It could take time for this to play out, as Hernández, like many other free-agent bats, might have to let the Soto situation get resolved before signing his deal. Remember, the Dodgers are in that sweepstakes, and while they aren't seen as the favorites, their ability to add an elite free agent should never be questioned.

Still, since our crystal ball already has Soto signing elsewhere, Los Angeles could predictably pivot toward Hernández as soon as that happens.

Prediction: Hernández stays with the Dodgers.