This offseason has been one of the slowest it has in quite some time. Hasn’t been this slow since 2021 when the owners and players were in a massive conflict over the CBA. The two Japanese headliners of the free agent class; Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinubo Yamamoto are both off the board surprisingly both going to the Dodgers for a combined 1.1 billion dollars. Shocker. But time is ticking and spring training is in less than two months. It is time for the rest of the free agents to find a new home. Lets dive right in

LHH, OF Cody Bellinger

His comeback season was all the more spectacular as it was impressive. It was Bellinger’s first .300 since his MVP season back in 2019. He had a great season, close to 100 Rbis, 26 home runs even stole 20 bags. Bellinger surely looks repolished but I would hold back on offering him a $200million contract as the one him and Scott Boras are asking for. He could have had a lucky season, 1 season isn’t enough to determine if he is back to his MVP form. Nevertheless he will be signed to a team and someone will cough up a hearty contract, unless all teams don’t give him attention and his market drops.

Blue Jays- They missed out on Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto and are in need of a power bat. Cody Bellinger fits that situation and provides them with a spark in the outfield as well. It helps shift George Springer and him to the corners with the new signing of Kevin Kiermaier coming back to the Jays. However Kiermaier makes the Jays seem more and more out of the picture for Bellinger as they already have Daulton Varsho to be in the outfield and two coveted catchers. Cubs also a big possibility, after inking Craig Counsell to a 4 year $40 million dollar deal to be their manager they need a big splash to back this up. Maybe belli-bombs back to Chi-Town?

Other teams- Cubs, Reds, Mariners

LHP Blake Snell

The pitcher who won two CY Young is still left on the ballot but where will he walk? After a stellar season at the ripe age of 30 where he won the CY Young and ERA title he is looking to get 6-7 year deal in the 150-180 rang. With the little traction Snell has received it looks like his market is falling , teams are just not intrigued by an inconsistent pitcher however one team seems most prominent in the running for Snell.

Angels– With money off the books with Shohei Ohtani going across town to the Dodgers, the Angels are in immediate desperate mode to win now. They should simply do a rebuild but Arte Moreno and Perry Minasian are two stubborn businessman. The Angels need to fix their pitching staff and need a formidable ace at the front of the line, they will pay as much as they can to try and remain competitive in a hectic AL West. Snell to the Angels makes the most sense

Other teams- Giants

LHP Jordan Montgomery

Montgomery was amazing this season after being traded to the Rangers on their road to the World Series. He was lights out in the postseason and that definitely contributed to his value overall and a larger contract. The Dodgers and Yankees don’t seem practical as they have money allocated to other pitchers.

Giants– Though they spend money on Jung-Hoo Lee there is no telling what the Giants would do when they’ve always missed out on the top free agents every year. They need to strengthen their pitching and provide a good second pitcher for Logan Webb. With the moves the Dodgers made to remain at the top and the Diamondbacks making moves to comeback to the world series it is up to the Giants to do a move like this to even remain in the thought to be a contender in the wild wild NL West.

Other teams- Red Sox

Rhys Hoskins– After missing all of 2023 due to UCL tear he is easily one of the more underrated stars on the free agent market. However that should not shine away from the star Hoskins is as he is a consistent power hitting 1st baseman that always puts up 30hrs every year. A season removed from where he helped lead the Phillies to a world series appearance and close to 100 rbis it is inevitable he will go back to the same place as he was before for 2024.

Cubs– The Cubs could use Hoskins into their lineup it would make their lineup a new level of dangerous especially if Bellinger resigns. They cannot employ Trey Mancini at 1st if they want to be competitive, it seems like the best fit for Hoskins would be going to Wrigley. Employ him at first and leave Morel at DH.

Other teams- Padres, Giants, Blue Jays

Aroldis Chapman LHRP

Aroldis Chapman first signed with Royals last year and improved his game back to his old self. Raised his strikeout rate and had a 2.00 ERA in his short span with the Royals before going to the Rangers. I believe his market has risen and a team in need of a lefty relief pitcher will take their chances and employ as a set up man.

Phillies

With Seranthony Dominguez having a weak season in 2023 and Kimbrel a free agent it seems to make a lot of sense for Phillies to take on Chapman and the risk he brings. They brought in Kimbrel and he was solid, I don’t have doubt that Chapman will be just as good with the Phillies and be their next set up man or closer.

Other teams- Cubs, Mets, Mariners

LHP Shoto Imanga

Shoto Imanga was overshadowed by Yoshinubo Yamamotos largest guaranteed contract given out to a pitcher. Now that he is off the market time to look in to the other Japanese pitcher. Shoto who is a lefty had a great season in NPB where he posted 7-5 record and 2.88 ERA in 130 innings in 23 games. He is seemingly more underrated and time is ticking before his 45 day window is up.

Mets

Mets are in need of a formidable #2 starter behind Kodai Senga and infront of the 5 #4 starters they have gotten this winter. With another Japanese superstar on their team in Senga it makes the Mets all the more appealing to Imanga, and with missing out to Yamamoto it makes all the most sense that Imanga heads to Queens to play for the Mets. But any and all teams are interested in signing him. He would be a lot cheaper than Yamamoto and will receive the same contract similar to Senga.

Other teams- Yankees, Mariners, Blue Jays

LHP Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw though he will be out for the first half of the season in 2024 due to shoulder surgery it seems he will still be decent after the all star break. The Dodgers signed two stars to their pitching staff and have a boatload of young pitchers to finish off the rotation. It may be the end of the Kershaw Dodgers era which would be a painful goodbye but alas the Dodgers need to make a tough decision; keep a homegrown star, their best LHP for a 1 year deal or let him walk elsewhere and be closer to his family in Texas.

Rangers

The Rangers are coming off their first World Series victory in franchise history. They’ve already inked Tyler Mahle to a two year deal this past winter. He will be out for the first half but looks to make a full recovery for the second half where the Rangers will have a revamped rotation of Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom back to solidify their rotation. Why not bring in another veteran in Kershaw to anchor the back of their rotation. He would be close to his family in Dallas and would be fitting, though would break the 15 year+ love story with the Dodgers.

Other teams- Dodgers

LHRP Josh Hader

Josh Hader is looking to spice up the relief market with the largest deal given out to a closer beating out Edwin Diaz’s 5 year $102 million deal that he received just a year prior from the Mets. Hader would be worth all the money, in 7 full seasons he has accomplished 5 all star appearances, and 3 Hoffman Rel awards for the best NL closer. He is a little stubborn with when he pitches and how many pitches he throws. He is a closer and by all means that means come out in the 9th and throw 3 outs. However he is not too keen on being anything else than a dominant closer who appears every other day and has zero interest in appearing in the 8th inning. It will affect his market value but of course closers of his caliber isn’t on the market this often. So whichever team signs him better be in for ultra competitiveness year in and year out.

Rangers

With Will Smith heading to the Royals and the Rangers having the most blown saves in the MLB they are surely in the market for a lockdown closer of Josh Hader’s caliber. Their bullpen is a little weak and needs some left handed dominance. The Rangers have already spent over half a billion with Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom so it wouldn’t surprise me if they end up giving Hader a lengthy contract.

Other teams- Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies

DH JD Martinez

JD Martinez shined in the LA spotlight last season in Dodger blue, putting up 101 RBIs, 33 HRs and a .271 BA. With Ohtani inked to a 10 year deal with the Dodgers that closes the door with a possible return to LA. Though JD is looking for a short term deal after the spectacular season he had.

Mets

As a very biased Mets fan I pray JD Martinez gets signed to the Mets as they desperately need a capable DH to handle the role. They need a good power bat to match with Lindor, Alonso, Nimmo and McNeil. Though they have young talent in Mark Vientos and Brett Baty and a strong bench piece in DJ Stewart the Mets need to act fast and sign this man to a deal as his market is heating up and heating up fast.

Other teams- Angels

3B Matt Chapman

Chapman was okay with his 2 year tenure with the Blue Jays, not as people would have hoped but he was solid. Chapman looks to head elsewhere and anyone would love to sign a golden glove defensive caliber 3B with a +bat offensively. Chapman’s home run total fell to 17 in 2023, but his .330 on-base percentage was his highest since 2019 and he finished fourth in the AL with 39 doubles. The third-base free-agent market is thin this winter, putting Chapman in position to cash in with a nice deal.

Giants

Giants could use another strong infielder on the left side. JD Davis isn’t a valuable player to remain at 3rd and should be employed as a bench piece while Chapman takes over the reigns of 3rd again.

Other teams- Blue Jays

The rest of the players

Michael A Taylor- Mets

Justin Turner- Brewers

Joc Pederson- Phillies

James Paxton- Tigers

Jorge Soler- Diamondbacks

Teoscar Hernandez- Padres

Yariel Rodriguez- Pirates

Whit Merrifield- Tigers

Marcus Stroman- Red Sox

Harrison Bader- Rays

Michael Lorenzen- Royals

There are so many other great options in free agency but these are one of the best that are left to sign. Signing the big name players to massive contracts isn’t the end all for the success a team will have and doesn’t indicate anything outside of a new franchise player. Its clear teams need a mix of strong players of both defensive and offensive versatility but also need low replacement players to solidify and properly structure their teams success. Its obvious signing all the big show names doesn’t amount to anything seen with the Padres failing to make the playoffs with a large array of name brand players. Whereas the opposite aligns with the Rays that only sign the bottle of the barrel MLB scraps to provide adequate help to their team and year out year in they are always postseason bound. It isn’t about the names you sign but the logic and understanding of what you need to employ a dominant and consistent team that will last a full 162 game season.