MLB Free Agency

This year's MLB offseason has the chance to be "boom-or-bust" for MLB general managers.

The free agent class is headlined by the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger and Josh Hader, but plenty of other available players have shown flashes of greatness but have lacked in some consistency.

Pitchers like Corbin Burnes and Tyler Glasnow and hitters like Juan Soto look like prime trade targets for teams, especially since the free agent class is lacking in depth among high-end players.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that GM's are curious to see which team's will make a big swing at the high-risk, high-reward players.

"I think the most fascinating part of these winter meetings,'' one GM told Nightengale. "is to see if anyone will bite on any of these one-year guys like Soto, [Tyler] Glasnow and [Corbin] Burnes . There's not a Mookie Betts here. The Dodgers didn't give up anything to sign Betts and were still able to sign him to an extension."

The team that does make that swing may not be looked at as the most savvy among the rest of the league, especially if the trade package includes significant assets.

"You've got to be pretty desperate, or even stupid, to give up a ton for one of these guys," one GM told Nightengale.

Burnes has shown flashes of being the best pitcher in MLB during his time. This was best defined by his 11-5, 2.43 ERA season in 2021 that saw him take home the NL Cy Young award. He has remained effective, sporting a 10-8 record with a 3.39 ERA in 2023, but is a somewhat risky acquisition because he could be a candidate for regression.

Glasnow is lights out when healthy. This is best defined by his stretch in 2019 when he sported a 1.78 ERA and a 6-1 record in 12 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays. However, his significant injury history complicates his value, and parting with significant prospects could really damage whatever team acquires him if he were to continue to struggle with injuries.

Soto is certainly the most renowned, most significant and safest bet of the three players mentioned. He hit .275 with 35 home runs and 97 RBIs in 2023, is a three-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger and helped guide the Washington Nationals to a World Series in 2019.

The issue with Soto would come with the significant haul a team would need to part with to acquire him and the lack of a long-term commitment. He notably would like to test free agency in 2024, so mortgaging a team's future for possibly just a single season of Soto is something that could certainly set a franchise back significantly.

Team's like the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers always appear to be options to make a splash for these types of players, but whatever team does decide to make the splash will need to hope the reward is worth the high risk.

The monetary demands of some of the top MLB free agents have been revealed and they are quite lofty.

While two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani remains the top prize, outfielder Cody Bellinger and relief pitcher Josh Hader remain marquee targets in the market. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the two could take quite a while to sign and are searching for contracts that will put them towards the top of their respective position groups.

"Bellinger still is seeking in excess of $250 million, and Hader wants to break Edwin Díaz's five-year, $102 million record from the Mets, or at least the five-year, $80 million that Kenley Jansen received from the Dodgers in 2016," Nightengale wrote.

This is Bellinger's second straight offseason in free agency but the story is quite different this time around. Ahead of the 2023 season, the 2019 NL MVP was playing nowhere near that height. His average and home run totals had cratered from his earlier marks and he was a prime candidate for a "prove-it" deal.

He certainly "proved it" in his one season with the Chicago Cubs. Bellinger hit .307 with 26 home runs and 97 RBIs and completely revitalized his value in the market. This was his best season since 2019 by far, and now the 28-year-old is looking for a deal that recognizes that progress.

Hader has been dominant in six of his seven years in MLB, and the 2023 season was one of his best. He earned a 1.28 ERA in 56.1 innings, registering 33 saves and recording 85 strikeouts. He is one of the best bullpen arms in MLB and is looking to be paid like it, as Díaz and Jansen's deals represent the top echelon of the market.

Multiple dominos will likely fall before either player signs but both Bellinger and Hader are in line to earn significant deals ahead of the 2024 season.

The field of teams pursuing two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in MLB free agency is reportedly dwindling.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels are the teams rumored to still be in on Ohtani, while the San Francisco Giants may still have interest as well, although that hasn't been confirmed.

Passan added that the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Texas Rangers were initially part of the Ohtani sweepstakes, but they have since turned their attention to other free agents.

Ohtani, 29, is one of the most significant players to hit the open market in years, as he has won the American League MVP Award in two of the past three years.

Also, the team that signs him will not only be getting a middle-of-the-order slugger, but a potential ace starting pitcher as well.

In 135 games last season, almost exclusively as a designated hitter, Ohtani slashed .304/.412/.654, led the AL with 44 home runs and also drove in 95 runs, scored 102 runs and stole 20 bases.

Additionally, Ohtani made 23 starts as a pitcher, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 167 strikeouts over 132 innings.

In August, Ohtani was shut down as a pitcher for the rest of the season, and he was shut down completely shortly thereafter.

It was eventually determined that Ohtani suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow, which means the Japanese phenom will not pitch in 2024 and will serve exclusively as a hitter.

The injury situation could hurt Ohtani's earning potential a bit, especially since it isn't guaranteed he will bounce back and be a top-flight pitcher in 2025 and beyond, but his hitting alone should put him in the mix to be the highest-paid player in Major League Baseball.

If not for New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hitting an American League record 62 home runs in 2022, Ohtani would be the three-time defending AL MVP, so it is no surprise that teams are lining up to sign him.

The Angels are reportedly still in the mic to re-sign him, and they have plenty of incentive to do so since they decided against trading him for what would have been a massive package of prospects during the 2023 season.

It is unclear if Ohtani has an interest in returning, though, as the Angels did not reach the playoffs at all during his six-year tenure with the team.

If Ohtani likes L.A., the Dodgers have to be considered an attractive option since they have reached the playoffs in 11 consecutive seasons and won the World Series in 2020.

Ohtani would join a pair of MVP candidates in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to form arguably the best lineup in baseball.

The Blue Jays were a playoff team last season and also have a strong offensive core led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, while the Cubs are a team on the rise, as they went 83-79 last season after posting a losing record the previous two campaigns.

All of the teams rumored to be in on Ohtani are in large markets and can afford to hand out a massive contract, so the three-time All-Star should have no issue cashing in this offseason.