PHOENIX (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers spent big last offseason before winning big this postseason, taking home a World Series title after committing more than $1 billion on players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernández.
Now it’s time to see which teams are in the mood to open their wallets for free agents in preparation for the 2025 season.
The Ohtani sweepstakes dominated last year’s offseason conversations until the Japanese superstar inked an eye-popping $700 million, 10-year deal last December. With apologies to Juan Soto, there might not be anyone that commands that kind of salary in the coming months, even if this year’s class is arguably deeper.
Soto, Willy Adames, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Blake Snell, Alex Bregman and Jack Flaherty are among the high-level players who are looking for new teams. After that, there’s another enticing tier of players like the previously mentioned Hernández, Anthony Santander, Jurickson Profar, Ha-Seong Kim, Pete Alonso, Christian Walker and Sean Manaea who could provide a big lift for championship-contending teams.
MLB’s general managers will meet this week in San Antonio, Texas, in the unofficial opener to the offseason. There usually aren’t a lot of moves during these early November conversations, but the groundwork is often laid for future deals.
Here are some things to watch as MLB free agency opens this week:
Soto shined as a Yankee, but don’t expect a NY discount
This class may be deep, but there’s no doubt the No. 1 prize is Soto. The four-time All-Star already has 201 career homers, a career .421 on-base percentage and helped lead the New York Yankees to the World Series before losing in five games to the Dodgers.
He’s also just 26 years old.
The Yankees would love to keep Soto, who teamed with Aaron Judge to become a formidable pair for the Bronx Bombers. But it’s unclear how much owner Hal Steinbrenner is willing to spend on a player who could command a contract in the range of $500 million.
Soto didn’t tip his hand after New York’s disappointing exit in the Fall Classic, but it doesn’t sound like he’s willing to sign for a discount.
“I’m going to be available for all 30 teams,” Soto said. “I don’t want to say anybody has any advantage because at the end of the day, we’re going to look at what they have and how much they want me.”
More Big Apple decisions brewing for the Mets
One of the more intriguing teams to watch over the coming months is the New York Mets, who overcame a slow start to advance all the way to the NL Championship Series before losing to the Dodgers.
Alonso has been a big part of the Mets’ lineup for the past six seasons, mashing 226 homers. Manaea, Luis Severino and José Quintana are also on the market after all were important pieces of the pitching rotation.
Now the franchise must decide whether to keep them, build anew, or do a mixture of both. There’s a lot of pressure on the team to improve, especially because it doesn’t seem like the crosstown Yankees are going to stop winning anytime soon.
Fascinating veterans look for late-career resurgence
It’ll be fascinating to see what happens with veterans like Paul Goldschmidt, Walker Buehler, Shane Bieber and Carlos Santana. These are guys who have some miles (and surgeries) on their bodies, but have been great big leaguers for a long time.
Goldschmidt was the 2022 NL MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals, but his offensive production took a dive over the past few years. Still, he’s a first baseman that’s good in the clubhouse and keeps his body in excellent shape.
Buehler came back from his second Tommy John surgery this season. There were several ups and downs, though his sterling performance in the World Series is reason to believe he has plenty left. He threw six scoreless innings against the Yankees, including a scoreless ninth to clinch the series in Game 5.
Superagent Scott Boras will make his presence felt again
Baseball superagent Scott Boras has long been considered one of the best in the business, although last year’s offseason wasn’t among his finest.
Several of his clients — including Snell, Matt Chapman, Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bellinger — didn’t sign until spring training, yet didn’t command the high-dollar, long-term deals they were seeking. Instead, most ended up signing short-term deals.
Boras will be a major factor again this offseason, representing many of the major free agents, including Soto, Burnes, Alonso, Snell and Bregman.
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.
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