The Angels on Tuesday agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with catcher Travis d'Arnaud. The Angels have also already added right-hander Kyle Hendricks via a one-year, $2.5 million deal, but the hot-stove season won't really kick into high gear until players — 13 in total — make decisions on qualifying offers extended by teams to start the offseason.
That deadline is Nov. 19, but the rumor mill is churning as teams line up meetings with Juan Soto and the rest of the arms and bats headlining this class of free agents.
Here's the latest on the top-15 available players:
The former Padre headlines the players weighing their $21.05 million qualifying offers, but he's seeking the biggest payday of the offseason after helping the Yankees get to the World Series. The Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays headline the teams expected to pursue the 26-year-old, four-time All-Star.Because international rules limit paydays for players younger than 25 years old, the 23-year-old Sasaki will only earn a few million dollars when he moves from Japan to the majors, as was the case when Shohei Ohtani signed with the Angels after the 2017 season. Most teams have already exhausted their 2024 pool, so he can choose a landing spot from all 30 teams if he waits until the new window opens on Jan. 15.Also the recipient of a qualifying offer, Adames has reportedly made it known he'd be willing to change positions in the right situation. The 29-year-old is hitting free agency on the heels of setting career highs in homers (32), RBIs (112) and steals (21).The 2021 NL Cy Young winner won a career-high 15 games (2.92 ERA) after the offseason trade to Baltimore. The Giants could pursue Burnes, according to FanSided's Robert Murray, if they miss out on Soto. Burnes received a qualifying offer from the Orioles.The 2023 NL Cy Young winner opted out after one year with the Giants, leaving $62 million over two years on the table, so he'll be looking for the long-term deal he did not land last winter. Snell had a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts in San Francisco and a 1.23 ERA in 14 starts after returning from his last injury stint.The Blue Jays, Red Sox and Orioles are among the teams with interest in the former Padres first-rounder, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. Fried has draft-pick compensation attached to his market if he declines the Braves' qualifying offer.The 30-year-old Bregman, who received a qualifying offer from Houston, is coming off a career-low .768 OPS. He's coming also coming off winning a Gold Glove at third base, but is willing to move to second, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.Likely the best impact reliever on the market, the 30-year-old Scott is coming off an All-Star selection and a 22-save campaign that began with the Marlins and ended with a dominant turn with the Padres in the postseason.The 30-year-old switch-hitter is coming off a career-high 44 homers and the first All-Star selection of his career. MLB Network's Jon Morosi has mentioned the Nationals as a potential landing spot.The 32-year-old hit 33 homers in one year with the Dodgers and averaged 26 over the last six seasons. The Dodgers are expected to pursue a reunion, although it has been widely reported that Hernandez could be a popular consolation pursuit for teams that miss out on Soto.The 31-year-old is coming off starting the All-Star Game for the NL, a bounce-back campaign after posting the worst WAR among all players in 2023 with the Rockies. Profar's market will be interesting as he had no takers until late in spring training in 2023 after opting out of his original deal with the Padres. The Rockies released him that August and Profar returned to San Diego in 2024 for $1 million.The Diamondbacks, Nationals and Yankees are among the teams planning to pursue the 33-year-old, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Walker is coming off a third Gold Glove season and has 95 homers over the last three years (.813 OPS).The 33-year-old was far better in 10 starts (5-1, 2.70 ERA) after the trade to the Astros than he was to start his final year with the Blue Jays (4-9, 4.75 ERA). Kikuchi, who headlines the mid-tier market alongside Sean Manaea, has a 4.57 ERA in six seasons split between Seattle, Toronto and Houston.An All-Star set-up man after striking out 89 over 661⁄3 innings (2.17 ERA) with the Phillies, Hoffman is generating interest this winter as a starter, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel. Hoffman has a 5.64 ERA over 50 career starts, mostly with the Rockies, but he hasn't started a game since 2022.He declined his half of a $7 million mutual option after posting a 3.00 ERA over 72 innings in 2024 games as a set-up man with the Rangers. He struck out 99 batters. The 39-year-old has 177 saves over his 16-year career. Originally Published: November 13, 2024 at 5:11 AM PST
