Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at bat during the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 22, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images)
MLB insider: 5 way-too-early predictions for the 2023 offseason
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. MLB rumors MLB free agency (Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)
The 2022 offseason isn’t even over yet as players continue to sign with new teams. Here are 5 way-too-early predictions for the 2023 offseason.
The 2022 Major League Baseball offseason is essentially over, with all the big names finding new homes.
What might next offseason look like?
Shohei Ohtani, arguably baseball’s best player, will become a free agent and will garner massive interest. Manny Machado can opt out of the remaining five years, $150 million remaining on his contract with the San Diego Padres. And the starting pitcher market features arms such as Aaron Nola, Julio Urias, Lucas Giolito, Yu Darvish and Miles Mikolas, among others.
Here’s five way-too-early predictions for the 2023-2024 offseason.
MLB free agency: Shohei Ohtani rumors
Shohei Ohtani’s next contract starts with a 5. Is that bold? No? Well, it shouldn’t be.
Ohtani is in prime position to sign the most lucrative contract in American sports history. He will have no shortage of suitors — New York Mets? San Francisco Giants? Los Angeles Dodgers? — who all aren’t afraid to spend significant money. After all, the Mets and Giants both agreed to $300+ million contracts with Carlos Correa before failing his physical. The Dodgers, meanwhile, were incredibly quiet this offseason as rival executives believe they’re primed to make a run at Ohtani.
The market for Ohtani figures to be bonkers. There’s no telling where he may end up, but one thing is certain: if he stays healthy, a contract that exceeds $500 million is not out of the question.
next contract</a> starts with a 5. Is that bold? No? Well, it shouldn’t be.</p>
<p>Ohtani is in prime position to sign the most lucrative contract in American sports history. He will have no shortage of suitors — New York Mets? San Francisco Giants? Los Angeles Dodgers? — who all aren’t afraid to spend significant money. After all, the Mets and Giants both agreed to $300+ million contracts with Carlos Correa before failing his physical. The Dodgers, meanwhile, were incredibly quiet this offseason as rival executives believe they’re primed to make a run at Ohtani.</p>
<p>The market for Ohtani figures to be bonkers. There’s no telling where he may end up, but one thing is certain: if he stays healthy, a contract that exceeds $500 million is not out of the question.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #58595b" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://fansided.com/2023/02/01/mlb-rumors-5-predictions-2023-offseason/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 4. A Phillies ace </a>
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<img class="wp-image-2331148 size-full" src=https://fansided.com/2023/02/01/mlb-rumors-5-predictions-2023-offseason/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Ffansided.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1437398591.jpeg" alt="Aaron Nola, Phillies, World Series" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://fansided.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1437398591.jpeg 1600w, https://fansided.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1437398591-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" /><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches in the third inning against the Houston Astros in Game One of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 28, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>MLB free agency: Aaron Nola rumors</h2>
<p>Right now, the Philadelphia Phillies’ top priority should be signing Aaron Nola to a long-term contract, though the right-hander recently said that “nothing has really come up” as far as extension talks.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I think that Nola and the Phillies eventually agree to a long-term deal, whether it’s now or before he becomes a free agent. That’s not a sourced prediction. It’s based on how much Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has valued pitching in Detroit, Boston and now Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Nola, 30, has indicated how much he’s enjoyed being in Philadelphia. Dombrowski recently said an extension is “something we’d like to do.” We’ll see if the two sides get a deal done before he becomes a free agent next winter, and if they do, a deal in the vicinity of Carlos Rodon’s six-year, $162 million contract makes a lot of sense.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #58595b" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://fansided.com/2023/02/01/mlb-rumors-5-predictions-2023-offseason/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 3. Brewers have some decisions to make </a>
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<img class="wp-image-2307094 size-full" src=https://fansided.com/2023/02/01/mlb-rumors-5-predictions-2023-offseason/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Ffansided.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1420625692.jpeg" alt="MLB Power Rankings" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://fansided.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1420625692.jpeg 3200w, https://fansided.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1420625692-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px" /><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Corbin Burnes #39 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a warm-up pitch during the first inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 03, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>MLB rumors: Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames are once again mentioned in trade talks</h2>
<p>The Brewers should do everything possible to extend Corbin Burnes and/or Willy Adames. Burnes is Milwaukee’s best homegrown pitcher in franchise history and Adames is a superstar shortstop who has flourished since being acquired in 2021.</p>
<p>But we saw what happened with Josh Hader — his salary grew each year in arbitration and became too expensive for the small-market Brewers — and it’s possible the same happens with both Burnes and Adames.</p>
<p>Teams are evidently thinking the same thing, as both Burnes and Adames were the subject of trade calls this offseason. The Brewers insisted they want to build around each player, but if neither player enters next offseason with an extension, expect trade talk around both players to continue to grow.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #58595b" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://fansided.com/2023/02/01/mlb-rumors-5-predictions-2023-offseason/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2 more bold predictions </a>
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<img class="wp-image-2370298 size-full" src=https://fansided.com/2023/02/01/mlb-rumors-5-predictions-2023-offseason/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Ffansided.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fimagn-images%2F2023%2F01%2F19041044.jpeg" alt="Chad Pinder, Reds" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://fansided.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2023/01/19041044.jpeg 3200w, https://fansided.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2023/01/19041044-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px" /><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Chad Pinder. (Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)</p>
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<h2>MLB free agency: Chad Pinder becomes the next Brandon Drury-type for Reds</h2>
<p>The Cincinnati Reds showed significant interest in free-agent utilityman <a href=https://fansided.com/2023/02/01/mlb-rumors-5-predictions-2023-offseason/"https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pinder000cha%22 ref="nofollow">Chad Pinder</a> all offseason. His defensive versatility intrigued the organization. But internally, they viewed him as a prime candidate to bounce back offensive in the hitters friendly Great American Ballpark.</p>
<p>Considering their success with Brandon Drury and Tyler Naquin in recent seasons, Pinder could be next in line of players primed to breakout in Cincinnati, and may cash in on the free agent market in 2023.</p>
<h2>Pirates put themselves in playoff position</h2>
<p>The Pittsburgh Pirates prioritized adding veteran players to a young roster and successfully did so, adding veterans Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana and Rich Hill, among others.</p>
<p>With the Pirates young players primed to take the next step in 2023, and other prospects on the verge of making their major-league debuts, general manager Ben Cherington may be in position to spend bigger next offseason. Could the Pirates sneak into the playoffs in 2024 or 2025? I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.</p>
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