Where Will This Year's Top Free Agents Land?

Eno and DVR discuss the top free-agents available this winter and attempt to predict where that group will land when the dust settles in the weeks ahead. Is Juan Soto staying in New York? Will Corbin Burnes re-up with the Orioles? Can the Padres keep their core intact and continue as perennial threats by adding Roki Sasaki? They consider fits and the potential contingency plans for teams trying to shop at the top of this year's class.

Related Reading ($) '2024-25 MLB Top 40 Free Agent Big Board: Welcome to the Juan Soto sweepstakes' -- https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5891633

Rundown

3:58 Juan Soto Staying in New York -- Yankees or Mets?

9:45 Corbin Burnes: Long-Term Ace w/Durability Around Slowly Declining K%

17:15 Roki Sasaki: Maybe It Won't be the Dodgers?!

22:13 Max Fried: Moving on From Atlanta?

26:40 Blake Snell: Another Turn on the Free Agent Market

30:03 Willy Adames: Most Likely Destination?

35:22 Alex Bregman: Is He Really Done in Houston?

40:42 Pete Alonso: Part of the Mets' "A" Plan, or a Fallback to Return?

44:43 Anthony Santander v. Teoscar Hernández: A FA Would You Rather

54:15 Jack Flaherty: The Start of Tier 2 SPs?

1:01:21 Sean Manaea: Best of Tier 2 Options?

1:08:21 Yusei Kikuchi: Signs with Angels; We Would Have Got That Wrong!

1:09:59 Christian Walker: Underrated Power Bat on the Market?

1:12:53 Ha-seong Kim: Many Suitors with Injury Discount?

1:15:24 Reds-Royals Trade

Follow Eno on Bluesky: @enosarris.bsky.social

Follow DVR on Bluesky: @dvr.bsky.social

e-mail: ratesandbarrels@gmail.com

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/FyBa9f3wFe

Subscribe to The Athletic: theathletic.com/ratesandbarrels

Hosts: Derek VanRiper & Eno Sarris

Executive Producer: Derek VanRiper

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices