Major League Baseball’s free agency period will officially open for business today, meaning that this is the start of the offseason so far as most people are concerned. Players are now free to negotiate with all teams, which, in turn, means that teams are more likely to get serious about trade talks as markets take shape.
To honor the occasion, and to fill everyone in on the biggest storylines of this offseason, CBS Sports has identified and tackled the 10 most important matters of the winter. Obviously it’s no easy task to reduce an offseason to 10 subheads. We do hope that you’ll find this guide to the offseason helpful all the same.
Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
1. Will the Yankees retain Judge?
Aaron Judge is the top free agent available this offseason, so it’s fair to write that his future is the biggest question of the winter. The Yankees would seem to be the favorites for Judge until they’re officially ruled out or he signs elsewhere. We’ve already listed some other potential candidates to land Judge, including the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and even the New York Mets. You can click here to find our reasonings for each of those teams.
2. Who are the other top free agents?
CBS Sports recently released its top 50 free-agent rankings for the winter. As noted above, Judge was No. 1, predictably, but the rest of the top five is rounded out by Jacob deGrom, Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, and Xander Bogaerts. You can click here to read our analysis on those players, as well as check out the other 45 names who made the cut.
3. Are the Astros going to change general managers?
It remains unclear if James Click will return for the 2023 season. Click, who has guided the Astros to consecutive pennants and, of course, the World Series title since taking over in early 2020, is expected to continue discussing his contract with team owner Jim Crane once he returns from this week’s general manager meetings. It’s worth noting that industry speculation has Click clashing philosophically with Crane, who has taken on a larger role since the organization’s sign-stealing scandal. The Astros have already lost two assistant general managers this offseason: Pete Putila left to become the San Francisco Giants’ GM, while Oz Ocamp joined the Miami Marlins.
4. Is Ohtani going anywhere?
If you trust what general manager Perry Minasian told reporters this week about Shohei Ohtani, then the answer is no. We here at CBS Sports tried to explain why the Angels might resist trading Ohtani ahead of his walk year. One of the top reasons seems to be owner Arte Moreno’s reluctance to sign off on such a deal. You can read more about Ohtani and the Angels’ motivations by clicking here.
5. So, what players could be traded?
If Ohtani rumors won’t populate our winter, then who will? Plenty of stars, as it turns out. Corbin Burnes, Rafael Devers, Shane Bieber, Sean Murphy, and Pablo López are a few of the names that our Mike Axisa believes could be on the most this offseason. You can click here to read Axisa’s full preview of this winter’s expected trade market.
6. Have any notable moves happened already?
A few. The most notable saw the New York Mets sign closer Edwin Díaz to a five-year contract worth more than $100 million. Díaz was ranked as CBS Sports’ 14th best free agent entering the winter after a season that saw him strike out more than 50 percent of the batters he faced. Elsewhere, in the first real trade of the winter, the Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Sam Hilliard from the Colorado Rockies. Hilliard, who possesses good raw power and speed, could serve as Atlanta’s most-days left fielder.
7. Which teams are expected to be the most active?
The Mets have plenty of more work to do, be it retaining or replacing ace Jacob deGrom and center fielder Brandon Nimmo. The San Francisco Giants have been linked to Judge throughout the winter. The Chicago Cubs are expected to be active, likely pursuing a top shortstop, among other players. You can never count out the Los Angeles Dodgers from making a splash. And the Philadelphia Phillies figure to take a proactive approach as they hope to repeat as National League champions in 2023.
8. Are there any managerial vacancies to know about?
Nope. Believe it or not, all seven teams who either had an opening or an interim skipper have already resolved their situations. That includes the Blue Jays, Phillies, and Angels extending their interim skippers, while the Marlins, Rangers, Royals, and White Sox hired from outside their organizations. You can read up on each of those situations by clicking here to access our manager tracker.
9. What about the draft lottery?
MLB‘s first draft lottery, which will be used to determine the first six picks in next year’s event, will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Three teams are tied for the best odds, at 16.5 percent apiece: the Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals are the only other teams over 10 percent. Those five teams have around a 75 percent combined shot at the No. 1 pick, suggesting that the odds are in favor of one of them laying claim to the top spot.
10. When are some important upcoming dates?
Today is one, since teams have to tender qualifying offers by 5 p.m. ET. Award winners will be announced throughout next week. The deadline for adding players to the secondary roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft (Nov. 15), and for tendering contracts for the 2023 season (Nov. 18), aren’t too far off, either. Click here to see all the important dates.