2023 MLB Free Agents: Top Rumors Before Regular-Season Ends

With the 2023 MLB regular season ending Sunday evening, and only 12 invited to vie for a World Series title, the rest of the league will begin focusing its attention on offseason matters that include free agency.

This year, there will be several highly coveted players hitting the market, including San Diego Padres ace Blake Snell and relieve Josh Hader.

Not joining them will be Marcus Stroman, who will reportedly stick with the Cubs.

There are also veteran players, like Joey Votto, who will re-evaluate their future in the game before making any decision about their next destination.

In preparation for the end of the season, dive into the reports surrounding each of those players.

The Cincinnati Reds will not be picking up the $20 million option on Joey Votto's contract, per Bob Nightingale of USA Today.

"The Cincinnati Reds have no intention to pick up the $20 million option in Joey Votto's contract, but could still rework the contract. They still have to pay Votto a $7 million buyout on the contract," he reported.

In his 17th season with the Reds, Votto played in just 64 games and accumulated the lowest batting average (.203), on-base percentage (.315), and second-lost OPS (.750) of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.

That came as the team made a concentrated effort to get younger, with the arrival of Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz, and the continued development of Jonathan India as a leader in the clubhouse.

An emotional standing ovation from Reds fans for Votto during the September 24 home game suggests the city of Cincinnati recognizes that it may very well have seen the end of the franchise player's tenure with the team.

The tears in his eyes essentially confirmed it.

With younger players Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand seeing more time at first base amid Votto's absence, the team is likely ready to shed the enormous contract of its most beloved player.

Could they renegotiate the deal and keep Votto around? Sure, but all signs point to the celebrated star and most prolific player of the team's last two decades either retiring or taking his services elsewhere for at least one more season on the diamond.

Nightingale also reported that the San Diego Padres, fresh off what can best be described as a failure of a season following its high-profile offseason moves, will not bring back Josh Hader or Blake Snell next year.

Hader put together a 2-3 record, with a 1.30 ERA, and a WAR of 2.3. He pitched in 55.1 innings and struck out 84 hitters. He was very good out of the bullpen for the Padres and will be a hot commodity for any team looking to bolster their pitching roster.

Blake Snell was on a whole other level.

The starter had a Cy Young-worthy year, with an ERA of 2.25, a WAR of 6.1 and 234 strikeouts, the highest of his career. He also led the league in walks (99), which would make him just the third player in history to lead the league in ERA and walks in the regular season.

His current contract, originally signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, ends with the completion of Sunday's games and he will likely be seeking a big-money deal that the Padres have no interest in giving him.

Despite his desire to stay in San Diego.

Letting those two go will make securing pitching a significant priority for the Padres front office beginning on November 10 with the opening of free agency.

Marcus Stroman was on his way to one of the best statistical years of his career prior to a rib cartilage fracture that forced him to miss all of August and led to the downturn of his productivity.

It also likely affected his value on the open market as the ever-busy Nightingale reported that, while it was originally believed that the pitcher would opt out of his deal with the Cubs, he will now opt in and receive $21 million in 2024.

His performance worsened consistently throughout July, beginning with a loss to Cleveland in which he gave up five earned runs, and ending with loss to Cincinnati in which he gave up six.

He never pitched more than 3.2 innings after July 15 and was clearly adversely affected by his injury throughout the rest of the season.

Stroman sticking with the Cubs, who were a pleasant surprise as a contending team all the way up to the penultimate game of the season, may be best for him. With Dansby Swanson leading the way, and young stars such as Pete Crow-Armstrong hoping to form a young nucleus, the team will have the opportunity to compete in the National League.

Even more so if Stroman can rediscover the stuff that had some thinking he may be a Cy Young contender earlier in 2023.