Even though it starts within a week after the World Series ends, MLB free agency is always a slow-moving process. The 2023 offseason has been no different. Sure, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto finally have new teams, but very little else has happened since MLB free agency began on Nov. 6.
That could all be changing now with the two biggest pawns off the chessboard.
Multiple baseball industry experts, including MLB’s Mark Feinsand, expect the free agency and trade market to “thaw” now that Yamamoto has chosen his team.
It appears several teams have been taking a wait-and-see approach, not only to discover the going rate for top talent but also to witness the impact of Ohtani and Yamamoto’s signings across the league. Now that the Yankees, Mets, Giants, and several others have missed out, where will they turn? Free agency? Trades? We should find out in the near future.
In recent years, the trend has been to wait until closer to the start of spring training, which is just under two months away for most ballclubs. With many other top free agents waiting to learn where they’ll be playing baseball in 2024, the market has to heat up at some point. Here are the top free agents available this winter.
Related: 3 New York Yankees pitching targets after striking out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto