Juan Soto to Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 10 MLB Players Destined To Sign $100 Million Contracts During 2023-24 Free Agency

The 2024 free agency market in the MLB has been seeing a constant rush of new players and unexpected deals being predicted by analysts. From rookies like Yoshinobu Yamamoto to top professionals like Juan Soto, everybody is on the run for a bigger and better club, given that they receive compensation well worth the time and effort they’ll invest in the team.

However, a contract value determines the level of expectations set for that particular player for that season. And the 2023–24 free agency season in MLB has been seeing some interesting prospects, speaking in terms of contract values. Many prospects are predicted to fetch over a $100 million contract this season; some of them haven’t even seen the face of the MLB before! Here’s a list of the top ten members of the $100 million Club for one to speculate on.

Juan Soto

Juan Soto has become the breakout star of the MLB offseason trades. According to a USA Today report, Soto’s current team, the San Diego Padres, is on the verge of trading the three-time All-Star off to one of their rival teams; it will save around $33 million in projected payroll for their next season.

Juan Soto had a .275 batting average for this season, with an exceptional OBP of .410. No wonder big teams like the New York Yankees, Mets, or San Francisco Giants are on the verge of getting him on their team. Soto turned down a $350 million contract offered by his previous team, the Washington Nationals, in the previous season. The Athletic says that he previously turned down a $440 million contract extension for 15 years with them.

Juan Soto became the sixth player in the history of the MLB to be placed second on both the Rookie of the Year (2018) and the MVP of the Year (2021) lists. The three-time All-Star will probably receive a similar deal offered by the Nationals from one of the teams contending for him this offseason. Will his contract surpass the one predicted for another primary free agent, Shohei Ohtani?

Shohei Ohtani

Experts predict that Shohei Ohtani will fetch a $500 million or more deal in the 2024 offseason. He finished his first season in the MLB with 10+ pitching wins and over 30 homers in a single season. Having him will increase the winning chances of any team. His recent elbow surgery might keep the player off the mound. But he will definitely bat, and his batting scores are not very disappointing.

With his score of a .412 OBP and 44 homers this season, Ohtani has proved that he isn’t being casual with his time on the field. Will the fans see the LA Dodgers or the NY Mets pick the player for the price he deserves? Or will he be another example of the Cubs’ famous Bellinger gamble?

Cody Bellinger

The Chicago Cubs traded for Cody Bellinger and signed him for a $17.5 million contract for one year. Lately, he reportedly declined his end-of-year mutual option for 2024 worth $25 million with them. Bellinger debuted in the MLB, scoring 111 homers during his first three seasons. He has an impressive career-wide OPS record of .829.

Initially, Bob Nightengale raised the prospect of a daunting $300 million deal, or at the very least, proposed it for Cody. Now, MLBTR is considering Bellinger as a player worth $264 million over 12 years, despite his surprisingly brief success in the field. If his 2023 form of 153 hits with 97 RBIs is any proof, he will fetch a minimum of a $150+ million contract, considering the options he declined and his predicted form for the next season. Will the Yankees miss out on Bellinger in his prime, like the Dodgers did? Or will the Dodgers rethink their decision and get him back on their team? Only time will tell.

Pete Alonso

The Mets’ 1B has scored 192 homers and 498 RBIs for the team since his debut. However, the slugger just has a year left on his contract. That means he will become a free agent by the end of the 2024 season. If the Mets do not extend his contract, he can still join a better contender. According to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, big-league clubs like the Cubs, the Giants, and the Mariners are already getting ready to pursue Alonso. His current salary stands at $15 million a year. With that, Alonso can easily get a deal worth $130 million for six years or fewer. Will the fans see Alonso sticking with the Mets? Or will he be another addition to the Cubs’ or Mariners’ star-studded roster?

Jordan Montgomery

Montgomery over-performed his contracts with both of his former teams, the Yankees and the Cardinals. Gumby signed a $10 million contract for a year with his current team. He led the 2022 National League in shutouts; his current season record boasts a generous 166 strikeouts while playing for the Rangers.

Given his form and pretty consistent history, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN has predicted his projected deal to be worth around $106 million for five years. One will have to wait and watch if the deals offered by prospective teams, like the Cubs or the Rangers, exceed the prediction or not.

Aaron Nola

Given that Nola, currently 31, entered the scene at the age of 22, he’s hitting free agency for the first time with plenty of career ahead of him. This provides Nola with the opportunity to secure a substantial financial deal. Regrettably for him, the market is currently flooded with a robust selection of starting pitchers.

However, Aaron has bagged over 202 strikeouts this season alone. The Phillies pitcher overcame a weak start and regained his form by the end of this season. He finished in tenth place for innings in the National League and secured a fifteenth place in WAR records, surpassing most other free-agent prospects on the list.

Nola signed a $56.75 million contract for 5 years that lasts until 2023. Bob Nightengale of USA Today disclosed last month that during Spring Training extension discussions, the Phillies aimed to extend Nola’s contract by four or five seasons beyond the $16 million he earned in 2023. On the other hand, Nola’s representatives were reportedly pushing for an eight-year deal surpassing $200 million.

In a prior forecast, former MLB GM Jim Bowden from The Athletic anticipated that the Dodgers would secure Nola with a five-year deal amounting to $125 million. Now that Nola is rumored to sign $200M contract, he would fit excellently in clubs like the Cardinals or the Giants as the deal seems likely.

Blake Snell

The 2018 Cy Young Awardee scored an impressive 1223 strikeouts across his career. During his senior season, the pitcher had a 9-0 win-loss record with 128 SOs across 63 innings. His overall ERA boasts a 3.20 record, along with a 1.235 WHIP. Snell signed with the San Diego Padres for a $50 million, 5-year deal, which the Padres aren’t very interested in extending given their recent financial slump. According to The Athletic, Snell can fetch way over $200 million in his ’24 free agency run for teams like the Cardinals or the Dodgers.

Corbin Burnes

Burnes’ relationship with his present team, the Milwaukee Brewers, soured during their arbitration deal etched in the previous year. Burnes had to accept a $10.1 million deal, which was $740,000 lower than his requested offer.

His current season boasts a 200-strikeout record, despite the lingering bitterness. That proves that he doesn’t let what happens behind the scenes affect his form while on the field. He ranked fifth among the NL leaders with a WHIP of approx. 1.07 and won the Brewers’ most valuable pitcher award for the third consecutive time.

According to MLB Trader Rumors, Burnes’ salary will reach around $15.1 million for the next season after arbitration. If he chooses not to stay with them and still maintains his form in the coming seasons, he can easily get a deal worth $175 million for five years from clubs like the Red Sox.

Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw will be out of the season till 2025 or the end of 2024 because of his recent shoulder surgery. Despite the ongoing health stints, Kershaw has maintained a 2.48 ERA in the last few years of his career, with a hits-allowed per nine-inning rate of 6.82, the third lowest in MLB history.

Kershaw got a $20 million-a-year contract with the Dodgers in 2022. Had he been in the game this season, he would’ve garnered a deal worth around $150 million for seven years. He has always been honest with his favorite teams. He once stated, “There’s only two teams that I would ever play for going forward,” in an ESPN interview, which hints that his only options will always be the Dodgers or the Rangers after his return.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The last, and one of the most promising prospects on the list, is MLB newcomer Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The 25-year-old has a winning record of 75 games in the Japanese league. The Japanese rookie has 986 career strikeouts and a 1.72 ERA. Oddsmakers are strongly favoring the idea that Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto will end up in New York during the upcoming offseason.

Joel Sherman of The Post has reported that the 25-year-old Yamamoto is anticipated to sign a deal surpassing $200 million. Sherman highlighted Yamamoto’s impressive repertoire of six solid pitches as a contributing factor to this expectation. He already has friends in the Mets, although the Yankees or the Dodgers won’t mind getting him to play for them as well.

Read More: 6 Yankees Players Who Become Free Agents Ahead of the 2024 MLB Season

Well, that is the end of our perspective on the top 10 prospect speculations for the 2023–24 offseason drafting. Let us know in the comments if you have additional suggestions for the list!

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