MLB Free Agents 2024: Predictions, Rumors on Astros’ Alex Bregman and More Top Stars

MLB Free Agents 2024: Predictions, Rumors on Astros’ Alex Bregman and More Top Stars0 of 3

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Amid the buzz surrounding the likes of Juan Soto and Pete Alonso this offseason, there are several other superstar players who very well could be seeking a new team with whom they will continue their careers.

From a two-time World Series champion to a league MVP and Cy Young winner, there are a plethora of high-profile free agents who could be suiting up for new squads in 2025.

Who are they and where might they continue their careers in pursuit of their next major accomplishment?

Find out in this preview of the upcoming MLB free agency frenzy.

Paul Goldschmidt1 of 3

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Paul Goldschmidt is not expected back with the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason, begging the question: Where will the seven-time All-Star and 2022 NL MVP continue his career?

The veteran first baseman recently celebrated a 37th birthday and is coming off one of his worst statistical seasons, potentially limiting the number of teams looking to acquire him.

Goldschmidt had his fewest hits, outside of the COVID-impacted 2020, since 2014 with 147. His 22 home runs and 65 RBIs were the fewest since that same 2014 season.

His .245 batting average was the lowest of his career.

Still, he has enough left in the tank to garner the attention of teams this offseason. One such team is the rival Chicago Cubs, who will look to improve at first base, where Michael Busch had similar stats but lacks the veteran leadership and experience that Goldschmidt would bring to the organization.

The Seattle Mariners could also use an upgrade at first base and, probably, that same veteran leadership in a young clubhouse. It could be a mutually beneficial setting for Goldschmidt, with a change of scenery far from the NL Central and an energetic roster that could help reinvigorate him at the tail end of his career.

Those two teams feel like the most likely destinations for the right-handed hitter, with the Mariners having the edge if for no other reason than the idea of Goldschmidt in a Cubs uniform just seems wrong.

Prediction: Goldschmidt heads to the Pacific Northwest and signs with Seattle.

Corbin Burnes2 of 3

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Corbin Burnes was the ace pitcher that Baltimore Orioles fans have longed for. He was brilliant in 2024, an American League Cy Young Award contender and in his first (and only) playoff appearance, went seven innings and gave up just one run.

Could it be one-and-done for Burnes with the Orioles, though?

Under general manager Mike Elias, the team has never offered a free agent a multiyear deal. While Burnes would be a player worthy of being the first, it is difficult to imagine the team paying out the kind of money it will take to keep him long-term.

Especially when the organization is not necessarily known for paying pitchers.

That opens the door for the righty to continue his career elsewhere.

If not with the Orioles, the Chicago Cubs are an intriguing possibility.

Burnes had his greatest season, his 2021 Cy Young campaign, in Milwaukee under manager Craig Counsell. Now the manager for the Chicago Cubs, Counsell and the team’s front office will look to upgrade a starting rotation that includes Shota Imanaga and the underrated Jameson Taillon, both of whom are smart pitchers who throw strikes and limit their number of walks.

Adding a legitimate ace like Burnes instantly strengthens that area of the roster and allows the front office to look for quality bats in an attempt to beef up the team’s power-hitting.

It fits, there is the previous history between the pitcher and his manager, and it returns Burnes to the NL Central, a division he knows all too well.

Prediction: Burnes joins the Cubs…if Baltimore cannot get a deal done

Alex Bregman3 of 3

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While much discussion this offseason will center around higher-profile names, such as Juan Soto and Pete Alonso, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman may be one of the most desirable free agents available.

While appearing on TSN’s First Up, ESPN’s Buster Olney named the Blue Jays and Tigers as teams potentially targeting Bregman while also stating that the Astros want him back, too.

Both teams could use an upgrade at third base and Bregman is one of the elite players at the position.

Bregman hit 26 home runs, drove in 75 RBIs, stole three bases, and accumulated a slash line of .260/.315/.453 in 2024. Defensively, he had a fielding average of .972 and committed 10 errors.

The 30-year-old is a career-long Astro and has finished in MVP contention four times since 2018.

A veteran player with championship experience, 19 career postseason home runs, and two World Series titles, he knows what it takes to transform a team from a contender to the best in the game.

That is likely why the Astros, with a World Series window that is closing ever so slightly with each passing year, likely want to hold onto him. It is also why title-starved organizations like the Tigers and Blue Jays, want to sign him and improve their rosters.

If Houston can muster the money, it feels rather unlikely that Bregman will leave the only organization he has ever known.

Prediction: Houston and Bregman hammer out a deal that keeps him with the Astros for the rest of his career.