MLB Free Agents 2023: Rumors, Predictions for Juan Soto, Aaron Nola, More

The Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, four games to one, to win the franchise's first World Series Wednesday and unofficially kick off MLB Free Agency.

Teams will spend the winter pursuing free agents and formulating trade packages for available stars with the hopes of strengthening their rosters and achieving the same championship euphoria experienced by the Rangers.

Who are the players grabbing the headlines as the winter approaches?

Find out with this collection of rumors and reports.

Nightengale reported of the Phillies' interest in bringing ace Aaron Nola back on a new deal this offseasn, "The Philadelphia Phillies have had tremendous success in their free-agent signings with Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber, and now must decide whether to re-sign Aaron Nola. They have balked at his asking price of eight years in excess of $200 million, but president Dave Dombrowski still calls it a priority to sign him."

It should not be a surprise to anyone that Dombrowski would be interested in re-signing Nola at this point, particularly after his postseason performance.

In four starts, Nola went 3-1 with an ERA of 2.35, struck out 23, and accumulated a WHIP of .96. He was brilliant, for the most part, and made Phillies fans forget what had been a down regular season for him to that point.

During that span, he went 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA and a WHIP of 1.15.

Philadelphia is a team built for the postseason, as we have witnessed over the last two seasons through their extraordinary play down the stretch and in the playoffs, and Nola rose the occasion in 2023 with his best baseball of the year.

The sticking point appears to be his asking price.

Whether that has changed based on his playoff performance or if another team will have an opportunity to swoop in and pick up a legitimate starter and bolster their own rotation is the question.

Prediction: Philly and Nola find a way to make things work on a hometown discount

Juan Soto should be the face of the San Diego Padres for the foreseeable future as its best player and one of the star-studded team's most recognizable faces. Instead, as Nightengale reported, "MLB executives continue to believe that Padres All-Star outfielder Soto, who hit .274 with 35 homers and 109 RBI, will be traded this winter."

The 2023 All-Star not only was an offensive force for the Padres but maintained a fielding percentage of .986 in left field.

The homers were the most of his career while the RBIs were second only to the 110 he put together in 2019. He also struck out the second-most times of his career, with the most also coming in the aforementioned 2019 season.

In a season that can best be described as an abject failure for the Padres, he was the lone bright spot. It makes sense that a team such as the New York Yankees may be interested in adding him to their roster, even if preliminary talks have not begun, contrary to earlier reports.

The Yankees were an abysmal offensively, ranking 29th in team batting average (.227) and 25th in home runs (673). His 35 home runs would instantly elevate the team's output and his fielding would greatly improve an area of concern for the Bronx Bombers.

Whether the Yankees have enough worthwhile pieces to convince the Padres to make the deal is the question. Considering the team's desire to "slash payroll," of which Soto is due $33 million according to MLBTradeRumors.com, it may not be as tough to convince New York, or any other interested party, to complete the transaction.

Prediction: The Yankees have needs offensively and defensively and Soto fills both

"The top pitchers expected to be available on this trade market this season, according to GMs, are Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers, Tyler Glasnow of the Tampa Bay Rays and Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians," Nightengale reported.

Noticeably missing is National League Cy Young favorite Blake Snell, who managed to lead the majors in both ERA (2.25) and walks (99).

Burnes pitched in 32 games, over 193.2 innings, and struck out 200 batters. His 10-8 win-loss record was not particularly impressive, nor was his cumulative ERA of 3.39, but he played some of his best ball down the stretch and was instrumental in helping the Brewers win the NL Central.

Glasnow had his worst ERA in three seasons (3.53) but tallied the most strikeouts of his career. He was not as great as he had been, and his playoff outing against Texas was disastrous, but he was still a quality starter for a Rays team that was among the best in the game at different points in 2023.

Like the others, Shane Bieber may not have had the best stat line of his career, but he is a veteran starter with experience in big games who managers could trust to play into the fifth or sixth inning with consistency.

All will garner attention from teams looking for starting pitching. Do not count out the Phillies, depending on what happens with Nola, and divisional rivals the New York Mets. The San Francisco Giants are another team to keep an eye on as they look to bolster a sub-par rotation.

Prediction: Big headlines, bigger contracts as teams chase starters