Which teams are vying for the top FA starting pitchers?

We're keeping track of all the latest free agent and trade rumors.

Nov. 20: 7 teams reportedly interested in the top FA starting pitchers

The demand is high, but the supply is low. That's the story for teams looking to sign a frontline starting pitcher in free agency this offseason. The best arms available are Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried. You could add Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki to that group, but he hasn't yet been posted for MLB teams, so he's not officially a free agent at the moment.

As for those other three pitchers, there are seven teams in the mix, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Here is a rundown on each club and their possible targets.

Cubs: Heyman said Fried is an option for Chicago, which is "focused on pitching." The Cubs did add to their bullpen on Wednesday, acquiring reliever Eli Morgan from the Guardians.

Dodgers: The reigning World Series champions "like Snell a lot," per Heyman. The Dodgers are considered among the favorites for Sasaki, and Heyman reported last week in the New York Post that L.A. will try to sign one of the Big Three even if they land the Japanese phenom. MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi sees the Dodgers as one of the two leading candidates for Burnes.

Red Sox and Orioles: Heyman said both of these AL East teams have "checked in" on the top starters. Last week, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that Boston has been in talks with Fried and Snell. Meanwhile, the Orioles are the other top candidate for Burnes, per Morosi.

Yankees: Heyman directly mentioned the Yankees' interest in Snell, but he added that New York's willingness to go after one of the top starters may be contingent on whether it can re-sign Juan Soto. Heyman said that if Soto doesn't come back to the Bronx, the Yankees "will be more focused" on these aces. But if Soto is back in pinstripes, Heyman thinks the Yankees won't spend the money necessary to get one of the top pitchers.

Giants: Heyman said he "wouldn't be surprised" if Snell returns to San Francisco after the left-hander enjoyed his time there during the 2024 season.

Mets: Another club that's focused on Soto, the Mets will also be looking to upgrade a rotation that could lose Sean Manaea, José Quintana and Luis Severino in free agency.

Nov. 20: The latest on the Juan Soto sweepstakes

Juan Soto's decision on where to sign this offseason is the most anticipated in baseball, and according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, "the feeling around the industry" is that the decision could be made before the annual Winter Meetings get underway in Dallas on Dec. 9.

Soto reportedly has already met with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Mets and incumbent Yankees. Yanks owner Hal Steinbrenner confirmed Wednesday that the club had a "good meeting" with Soto.

Soto has a couple more meetings reportedly on tap. He is scheduled to meet with the Dodgers next. And according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, the Phillies plan to meet with Soto at some point, though nothing has been scheduled yet.

Per Heyman, it's believed that no offers have been made to Soto yet.

You can follow the latest rumblings on Soto here.

Nov. 20: Sasaki not expected to sign with MLB team until Jan. 15

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday that Sasaki is expected to be part of the 2025 international amateur signing class, which means the Japanese right-hander likely won't sign with a club before Jan. 15.

"It looks like ... the signing will happen in the new pool period," Manfred said via The Athletic's Evan Drelich. More >

Nov. 20: Will these All-Star closers be traded?

While this year’s free-agent class has its share of attractive options with significant closing experience, including Tanner Scott, Kenley Jansen, Blake Treinen, Clay Holmes, Carlos Estévez, Kirby Yates and David Robertson, MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi expects the closer trade market to be active as well.

Morosi has heard that the Brewers’ Devin Williams, the Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley and the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan are available. Morosi even went as far as predicting that at least two of those closers will be traded before the end of the calendar year.

Williams, Helsley and Finnegan all have one year of team control remaining and could be more cost effective than signing a closer in free agency.

The latter two are perhaps more likely to be dealt, given the Cardinals and Nationals are both building for the future, but a Williams trade can’t be ruled out.

Teams with serious postseason aspirations typically aren’t looking to trade away top stars from their Major League roster, but the Brewers have shown a willingness to be proactive in the past with players nearing free agency, trading Josh Hader in 2022 and Corbin Burnes last offseason.

Williams could be next, though figuring out when to do it is a tough call for Milwaukee. A rival executive who spoke with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand at the GM Meetings suggested that the Brewers would be better off waiting until the summer to put Williams on the trade block to maximize the return. However, it's possible they will look to deal Williams this offseason to avoid a repeat of the Willy Adames situation. Milwaukee didn’t trade Adames at the Deadline this past summer because it was leading the NL Central, and now the shortstop can depart as a free agent, leaving the club with nothing but a Draft pick in return.

Nov. 19: 12 decline qualifying offer; N. Martinez accepts

Thirteen players were tendered a qualifying offer (a one-year, $21.05 million deal for 2025) this offseason, but Reds right-hander Nick Martinez was the only one who accepted prior to Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.

The following 12 players rejected the qualifying offer and will remain free agents:

• Willy Adames, Brewers
• Pete Alonso, Mets
• Alex Bregman, Astros
• Corbin Burnes, Orioles
• Max Fried, Braves
• Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers
• Sean Manaea, Mets
• Nick Pivetta, Red Sox
• Anthony Santander, Orioles
• Luis Severino, Mets
• Juan Soto, Yankees
• Christian Walker, D-backs

Since the system was implemented in 2012, only 14 players to receive a QO have accepted it.

You can read more about year's QO decisions here.

Nov. 19: Sugano drawing interest from Angels (report)

Roki Sasaki isn't the only marquee Japanese pitcher who is expected to make the jump to the Majors this offseason. The 35-year-old Tomoyuki Sugano doesn't possess Sasaki's top-notch velocity, but as a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award -- the Japanese equivalent to the Cy Young Award -- Sugano should have his fair share of suitors.

MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi has identified one team to watch for Sugano: the Angels. More >

Nov. 18: Orioles focused on FA market in search for high-end starters

The Orioles could be one of the big players on the free-agent market for starting pitchers in their first offseason under their new ownership group.

General manager Mike Elias said Friday that the Orioles have "engaged" in conversations with high-end starting pitchers in free agency.

"We are looking at the whole menu, the whole spectrum and I credit the ownership change toward putting us in a position to do that," Elias said.

The highest of the high-end starters on the open market is Corbin Burnes, and the Orioles would welcome his return to Baltimore, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan (subscription required). The Orioles also have been linked to left-handed ace Max Fried.

Additionally, Baltimore is among a host of clubs interested in acquiring White Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet via trade.

However, given all of the young talent they have traded in the past year, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) hears that the O's are more focused on the free-agent market right now.

Nov. 18: Cohen to best any Soto offer by $50 million (report)

Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said on his radio program on Monday that according to a source, Mets owner Steve Cohen is willing to beat any other club's offer to Juan Soto by $50 million. More >

Nov. 18: Yanks meet with Soto (report)

MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reports in an article for the New York Post that the Yankees met with superstar slugger Juan Soto in Southern California on Monday as they look to retain him after he helped lead them to the World Series. More >

Nov. 16: Royals, Reds discussing trade involving RHP Singer, INF India (report)

According to Ken Rosenthal and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (subscription required), the Royals and Reds are discussing a trade that would involve right-handed starter Brady Singer going to Cincinnati in return for infielder Jonathan India.

However, sources told The Athletic that a trade involving Singer and India was not close on Saturday and is just one of several possibilities both teams are considering. Singer is reportedly drawing interest from other clubs while India is just one of the hitters the Royals are targeting.

Singer and India were college teammates at the University of Florida and 2018 first-round MLB Draft picks by their current clubs. Singer is coming off a year in which he recorded a 3.71 ERA and 170 strikeouts over a career-high 179 2/3 innings. India, the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, has been hampered by injuries during his career, but he had 15 homers and a .750 OPS in 151 games this past season.

Both players are under club control through the 2026 season.

Nov. 16: Red Sox reportedly talking with Snell, Fried

The Red Sox have reportedly made their pitch -- or at least an initial one -- to Juan Soto. They are also trying to convince the top starting pitchers on the market to come to Fenway, too.

ESPN's Jeff Passan said during Friday's edition of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast podcast that the Red Sox are talking to Blake Snell and Max Fried. More >

Nov. 15: Adames reportedly has robust market

Willy Adames is drawing “broad” interest across the Majors, according to MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi.

While Adames’ market includes teams that have an opening at shortstop, there are also a number of clubs eyeing him as a third baseman. More >

Nov. 15: Braves showing interest in Buehler (report)

With Max Fried and Charlie Morton both free agents, adding rotation help is a priority for the Braves this offseason. Nathan Eovaldi ranks near the top of Atlanta’s wish list (per a source), but he isn’t the only free-agent starter the team is said to be considering, as MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi hears the Braves also have interest in Walker Buehler.

Returning from his second Tommy John surgery, Buehler struggled to the tune of a 5.38 ERA over 16 starts this past season. However, he finished the year on a high note, tossing 10 straight scoreless innings in the postseason and closing out the Dodgers’ title-clinching win over the Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series.

Buehler, 30, was one of baseball’s top starters from 2018-21, recording a 2.82 ERA (146 ERA+) with 620 strikeouts and 137 walks in 564 innings.

Atlanta could be an attractive landing spot for Buehler in more ways than one. The right-hander has ties to two nearby states, as he was born in Kentucky and attended Vanderbilt in Tennessee.

Buehler also just watched the Braves have success with another reclamation project, Chris Sale. Atlanta acquired Sale from the Red Sox last offseason after several injury-plagued seasons. The lefty stayed healthy in 2024 and is the overwhelming favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award.

In addition to their interest in Eovaldi and Buehler, the Braves have been linked to White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet on the trade market, though it's unclear if they have enough prospect capital to swing a trade.

Fried is still a possibility, too, but paying top dollar for free agents is not part of president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos’ typical M.O.

MLB Trade Rumors predicts Fried will sign a six-year, $156 million contract, compared to one year, $15 million for Buehler and two years, $44 million for Eovaldi.

Nov. 14: Why Sasaki might steer clear of Dodgers

The Dodgers are viewed as one of the top contenders to sign Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki once he is posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. However, The Athletic's Jim Bowden (subscription required) doesn't see it that way.

Based on his conversations with league sources, Bowden thinks it's "unlikely" Sasaki will sign with the Dodgers. And Bowden mentioned a few reasons why. More >

Nov. 14: Yankees reportedly 'in on everyone' in free agency

Although the Yankees are going to make a strong effort to bring back Juan Soto, there’s a real chance the superstar outfielder signs elsewhere, which means New York needs to have a backup plan in place.

That backup plan appears to have no limits. MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported Thursday in the New York Post that the Yankees are "in on everyone."

One day earlier, during his live chat for Bleacher Report, Heyman was a little more specific on which non-Soto players the Yanks might target. More >

Nov. 13: Will Bregman end up with the Phillies?

The Phillies sign Alex Bregman. That is the prediction of one rival evaluator to ESPN's Buster Olney. The Phillies don't have an opening at third base right now, but they could create one by dealing Alec Bohm, who is on the trade block, per ESPN's Jeff Passan (subscription required).

Bohm and Bregman had similar offensive production this year (the former had a 117 OPS+ while the latter had a 118) and both were plus defenders according to outs above average. However, Bregman, a 2024 Gold Glover, has a much longer track record of stellar defense at the hot corner. His has 28 OAA for his career at the position while Bohm has minus-8. Bregman would also bring a large dose of World Series experience to a club that has been thwarted in the postseason in recent years and hasn't won it all since 2008.

The Astros have made it clear that re-signing Bregman is their biggest priority of the offseason, but he isn't expected to make his decision any time soon. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand said during a Reddit AMA on Tuesday that he thinks Bregman's chances of remaining with Houston are 50/50.

Nov. 13: These clubs could be involved in trade market for Crochet

Although the White Sox didn't move Garrett Crochet prior to the Trade Deadline, there appears to be little doubt about their intentions for the left-hander this offseason.

"They're going to trade him this winter," a rival evaluator told ESPN's Buster Olney at the GM Meetings last week. "It's not a matter of if; it's a question of when."

Olney shed some light on Crochet's potential market in an article for ESPN+ (subscription required) on Wednesday, noting that general manager Chris Getz is looking for "a package of prospects constructed around at least one high-ceiling youngster to anchor the deal," with a preference for that main piece to be a position player.

Based on conversations with industry sources, Olney names the Phillies, Padres, Yankees, Dodgers, Braves, Orioles, Red Sox and Mets as teams that could pursue a Crochet trade.

You can follow the latest rumblings on Crochet here.

Nov. 12: How market is shaping up for top FAs, trade targets

ESPN's Jeff Passan breaks down the markets for the key free agents and trade targets in his 2024-25 offseason preview (subscription required).

Here's what he's reporting on potential landing spots for some of the top hitters and pitchers available:

FA hitters

• Juan Soto -- The Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox all have meetings scheduled with Soto over the coming weeks, with other teams like the Dodgers and Rays also interested. The two New York teams are considered the favorites.
• Willy Adames -- The Giants make a lot of sense for the slugging shortstop, but the Mets and Yankees are also tied to Adames thanks to his willingness to move to third base, as are the Dodgers.
• Alex Bregman -- The Astros re-signing their star third baseman is a strong possibility, but the Tigers are also a strong fit for Bregman, where he could play under former manager A.J. Hinch. The Blue Jays would be, too, if they don't get Soto.
• Teoscar Hernández -- The Dodgers are the favorites to bring back Hernández after he helped slug them to a World Series title. The Yankees would pursue Hernández if Soto doesn't return, and the Red Sox and Orioles are also in on him.
• Christian Walker -- The Yankees are an "ideal fit" for Walker, with his home run power and elite defense at first base.
• Tyler O'Neill -- The Red Sox want to bring back the slugging right-handed hitter, and the Giants and Tigers are also fits.

FA pitchers

• Roki Sasaki -- With Sasaki's NPB team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, set to post the electric 23-year-old right-hander, the Dodgers, Padres, Blue Jays, Cubs, Mets, Yankees, Rangers and Rays are all expected to make a strong pitch.
• Corbin Burnes -- The Orioles would welcome a reunion with their ace, and the Giants and Blue Jays are also strong fits for the former Cy Young Award winner.
• Max Fried -- Expect the Red Sox to target the left-hander for the top of their rotation, as well as the Blue Jays, Giants, Orioles and maybe even the Dodgers, who are looking to add at least one high-end starting pitcher.
• Jack Flaherty -- The Nationals and Yankees (who almost traded for Flaherty in 2024) could both be in the mix for the right-hander.
• Sean Manaea -- The Mets are hoping they'll be able to re-sign the workhorse lefty who emerged as their ace down the stretch in 2024.
• Yusei Kikuchi -- The Astros, who traded for Kikuchi last season, want to re-sign him. But teams like the Cubs, Dodgers and Angels could also be in the mix for the lefty, as could the Blue Jays and Orioles if they don't get a top-of-the-market starter.
• Nick Pivetta -- A team like the Cubs, Orioles or Braves could offer Pivetta a multi-year deal.

Trade market

The players Passan cites as potentially being available on the trade market this winter include:

Pitchers -- White Sox ace Garrett Crochet, Brewers closer Devin Williams, Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray, Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo, D-backs left-hander Jordan Montgomery, Rockies reliever Justin Lawrence

Position players -- Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner and outfielder Cody Bellinger, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor, Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe and first baseman Yandy Díaz, Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers

Nov. 11: Multiple teams planning to make aggressive pursuit of Walker (report)

According to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Christian Walker is a popular name on the free-agent market, with at least six teams planning to “aggressively pursue” the first baseman. Walker received a qualifying offer from the D-backs, but he will likely decline it.

Nightengale names the Yankees, Mets and Nationals as teams that are expected to join Arizona in pursuit of Walker, who should come with a lower price tag than that of fellow free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso, given the age disparity between the two players. (Walker is four years older.)

The Yankees and Mets are also two of the top contenders for Juan Soto, the No. 1 free agent on the market, but both clubs need to address first base as well. With his expected price tag, signing Walker likely wouldn't impact either team's pursuit of Soto, who is headed for one of the largest contracts in MLB history.

Walker doesn’t have quite the same power as Alonso, but he’s no slouch with the bat, having recorded 95 homers and an .813 OPS over the past three seasons. In that same time, Alonso has produced 120 homers and an .826 OPS.

Walker, meanwhile, is a far better defender, winning three straight Gold Gloves and leading his position with +38 Outs Above Average since the beginning of 2022. Alonso has produced -17 OAA in that span.

In addition to the teams Nightengale mentioned, the Astros, Twins, Mariners, Cardinals and Padres could also be involved in the first-base market to some extent.