2022 MLB Free Agents: Latest Rumors, Predictions for Jacob deGrom, Aaron Judge & More

As the latest edition of MLB free agency approaches the three-week mark, we haven't seen a lot of activity involving the market's top free agents.

Much of this may have to do with the free agency of New York Yankees star and reigning home-run king Aaron Judge. The 30-year-old slugger is coveted by several teams and is expected to earn a hefty payday.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Yankees have a standing offer of "eight years and $300 million and could increase it."

Several teams could be waiting to see where Judge lands before making their next move. Meanwhile, the pitching market continues to be on hold, with stars like Justin Verlander, Rodón and Jacob deGrom still available.

Things could start to move more quickly this weekend, however, as the league's winter meetings are slated to kick off on Sunday. Team owners, executives and agents figure to discuss plenty of business in San Diego, and we may finally see some aggressive movement at the top of the player pool.

Here, we'll dive into some of the latest free-agent buzz and predictions heading into the MLB's winter meetings.

We'll start with deGrom, whose market likely has little to do with Judge. The buzz surrounding the 34-year-old has begun to pick up recently, with SNY's Andy Martino reporting that several clubs are concerned with deGrom's recent injury history.

"I think other teams, rightly, view deGrom as a big risk," Martino said on Baseball Night in New York. "He’s not Corey Kluber of a couple of years ago, but other teams are sort of seeing him in that category, where you take a flier on him."

Teams' concern could work in the favor of the New York Mets, as they continue to search for a top-of-the-rotation complement to Max Scherzer. New York has employed deGrom for his entire majors career, and a reunion would make sense.

However, the Mets are also checking in on Rodón, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. This could potentially open the door for a surprise team to swoop in and claim deGrom.

The Tampa Bay Rays might just be that team.

"According to league sources, the Tampa Bay Rays—true to their policy of practicing due diligence on every big free agent, even if they don’t end up as a match—have spoken with deGrom’s camp," Martino recently wrote.

With New York (correctly) weighing its options, the Rays have a window. The prediction here is that Tampa lands deGrom while New York tries to land a better long-term option like Rodón.

Prediction: deGrom signs with Tampa Bay

Many clubs are likely waiting until the dust settles on Judge to target other options for their offensive lineups. This includes the Yankees, who reportedly fear that he will indeed sign elsewhere this winter.

"You will see the Yankees already have a built-in Plan B. ... If they get word that Judge is going to sign elsewhere, and let me tell you, there is a lot of tension within the Yankees organization," ESPN's Buster Olney said on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast (h/t Mike Rosenstein of NJ Advanced Media).

That Plan B, according to Olney, involves a dive into the shortstop market—one that includes Xander Bogaerts and Trea Turner.

Judge has already had multiple meetings with the San Francisco Giants, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, and San Francisco should be viewed as a legitimate threat to land him in the coming days.

Judge was born in Sacramento, played college ball at Fresno State and could desire a return to the West Coast. The Los Angeles Dodgers could also be a threat after allowing Turner to reach free agency without an extension.

Los Angeles did extend Turner a qualifying offer, which he rejected.

A lot will likely come down to money, though, and if the Yankees are indeed willing to up their offer for Judge, it could be too much for the four-time All-Star to refuse.

Prediction: Judge re-signs with New York

While fans are largely focused on where players like deGrom and Judge land, you can bet that many baseball managers are eying what the defending-champion Houston Astros do this offseason.

The Astros have appeared in four of the last six World Series, and a strong offseason should have them contending once again. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Houston is "in discussions" with free-agent catcher William Contreras.

This isn't the first time we've heard of Contreras being linked to Houston either. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported earlier this month that the Astros and Chicago Cubs had agreed to a deadline trade that would have sent Contreras to Houston in exchange for pitcher José Urquidy

Obviously that deal was never finalized, but now that Houston can sign the catcher outright, it feels logical.

According to Rosenthal, the Astros like Contreras because he can also play in left field while serving as a designated hitter. Contreras is a tremendous bat—he hit .278 with 20 home runs in 97 games last season—so if Houston can find a fit for him, it would be a great boost for the defending champs.

Prediction: Contreras signs with Houston