2024 MLB Free Agents: Latest Rumors, Predictions on Juan Soto, Blake Snell and More
The MLB's hot stove is getting too fiery to touch.
Rumors are flying fast and frequently around the top free agents on the market, and we're here to dissect all of the latest buzz.
We'll even go a step farther and break out the old crystal ball to predict where the players involved in this chatter will wind up taking their talents.
Mets Making Progress with Juan Soto?
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Any New York Yankees fans worried about their club losing star slugger Juan Soto to their crosstown rival New York Mets might want to look away.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets' recent sitdown with Soto "went extremely well." Heyman added New York made a "big production" and was "very detailed" in its presentation.
Granted, there's no telling when Soto will decide his free-agency fate, and as much as these events are covered like races, being perceived to be ahead now may mean nothing in the end. Still, word is the Mets "are 'hopeful'—and maybe even optimistic" about their chances of collecting this offseason's biggest prize.
Soto, who turned 26 last month, looms as a potential game-changer for the Mets (or anyone else that would sign him, frankly). This past season, his fourth consecutive as both an All-Star and a Silver Slugger, he posted a sizzling .288/.419/.569 slash line while belting a career-high 41 homers and tallying 237 combined runs and RBI.
Prediction: Soto signs with the Mets.
Red Sox Courting Aces?
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The Boston Red Sox seem determined to find someone capable of leading their rotation this offseason. The question, it seems, isn't whether they'll add an ace, but rather which one they'll get.
ESPN's Jeff Passan relayed during a recent appearance on the Baseball Bar-B-Cast podcast that the Red Sox are "talking to" Blake Snell and Max Fried.
Snell is a two-time Cy Young award-winner. Fried is a two-time top-five finisher in Cy Young voting. Either one would be a massive get for a club that had some bright spots with its starting pitching this past season but didn't see anyone emerge as a shutdown ace.
Snell is probably the flashier pitcher of the two, while Fried excels in run prevention and limiting damage. Neither would qualify as durable, but both would be major upgrades as long as they're healthy.
Prediction: Red Sox sign Fried; Snell re-signs with the Giants.
Luis Severino Eyeing Multiyear Deal?
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This time last year, Luis Severino hit the market on the heels of a disastrous, injury-riddled season. That's probably why he wound up signing a one-year, $13 million prove-it pact with the Mets last offseason.
He's apparently looking for more security this time around after mostly righting the ship in 2024.
Per The Athletic's Will Sammon, Severino is "likely" to decline his $21 million qualifying offer "in favor of trying to land a multiyear deal." Players have until Tuesday to finalize their decision.
Severino reportedly "loves" playing in New York, so declining this deal and sticking with the Mets remains a possibility. His gaudy strikeout totals might be a thing of the past (he averaged 8.0 punchouts per nine innings this season), but he had a solid (if unspectacular) 2024 season, pitching to a 3.91 ERA across 182 innings (his most since 2018).
Prediction: Severino signs with the Detroit Tigers.
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