Predicting the biggest moves this offseason

MLB Free Agents Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, and Anthony Rendon headline this offseason, but there are other players to be had so here is where the biggest names will land.

Predicting where the biggest MLB free agents will land is nearly impossible because there are always the big-name teams like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers that always seem like they will be in on someone but then they never end up landing them.

In other cases, there are teams like the San Diego Padres that don’t have a reputation of spending a lot of money on MLB free agents but then they go out and spend $444 million on Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado in back-to-back offseasons.

This offseason should be more entertaining than last year’s, as there is a stockpile of starting pitchers available like Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, and Hyun-Jin Ryu with numerous big bats as well like Anthony Rendon, Mike Moustakas, Josh Donaldson, and Yasmani Grandal.

Scott Boras is the agent of a majority of the big names so it will be interesting to see how long the process draws out for guys like Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole.

The Texas Rangers will be the team to watch this offseason just like the San Diego Padres were last winter, as they are opening up a new ballpark with the intent of filling it up on a nightly basis, so they are going to be in on the big MLB free agents most specifically Anthony Rendon and Gerrit Cole.

Another big storyline to watch is if the New York Yankees will finally add a true frontline starting pitcher like the fans have been wishing for since the Baby Bombers era began.

The Los Angeles Angels didn’t sign Mike Trout to a record extension and Joe Maddon to be their skipper just for the team to be sitting on the couch come October, so will GM Billy Eppler finally pull the trigger on starting pitching?

All of these important questions will be answered but before they are, here are my predictions for where the biggest MLB Free Agents will land, from #6 all the way to #1, when all things are said and done this offseason.

Madison Bumgarner had a tremendous run with the San Francisco Giants. He won three World Series rings in 2010, 2012, and 2014 and will be in the team’s Hall of Fame when all of the dust has settled, but the Giants are going into a mini-rebuild right now and I don’t think Bumgarner wants to be somewhere that isn’t going to contend.

He will be paid like one of the top MLB free agents this winter, and the best fit for him, in my opinion, is the Atlanta Braves. He grew up four hours away from Atlanta in North Carolina, so my guess is he would like to come back home and play for the Braves, who will be in contention.

He would fit well into the starting rotation, as he would be able to lead a very young staff that is headed by Mike Soroka, who finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting this past season.

The Braves lost in the National League Division Series this year in part because they didn’t have a lot of experience in the rotation, and manager Brian Snitker had to ride the hot hand which happened to be Mike Foltynewicz.

But with Madison Bumgarner, the front office would know that there is a switch that seems to flip on when October hits, and Bumgarner transforms into one of the best pitchers in the game.

There is sure to be interest from teams like the Phillies and perhaps even the Astros but I think Bumgarner is not going to go where the most money is offered, but where he fits best.

I mentioned on the first page how the Texas Rangers will be in on the biggest MLB free agents, and I think this will be their guy.

There have been some early rumors about the Rangers’ interest in star third baseman Anthony Rendon, but I think he is going to cost too much money for them right now and Donaldson would be a cheaper option.

There have been some question marks in terms of Donaldson’s health but he bet on himself with the Atlanta Braves in 2019, and it set him up for nice payday this offseason.

Donaldson was able to play almost every day and played very well defensively in addition to hitting 37 home runs in the middle of a very talented lineup that included Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr.

I think the Rangers are a few pieces away, but Donaldson possesses a high dose of competitiveness and leadership both in the dugout and in the clubhouse, which makes him that more attractive to a team like Texas.

Some might not like giving him a big contract based on his age (will be 34 next year), but he proved that he can play every day on a National League team without the DH but if he was to sign with Texas, they could get him off of his feet more while letting him still be in the lineup.

The Minnesota Twins don’t have a solidified rotation and if they want to get deep into the postseason, they will need to improve the rotation.

Jake Odorizzi‘s decision to take the Qualifying Offer and go into a less-talented starting pitching market next winter certainly helped the Twins, who only have Jose Berrios as the only starter locked into the rotation with Odorizzi, but they will need more than that.

The New York Yankees proved to the Twins in the American League Division Series that having a high-powered offense isn’t enough, as they got swept in three games due to the lack of starting pitching.

Randy Dobnak, who was an Uber driver in Spring Training, started Game 2 and it was a good story and all but if you asked Thad Levine he would tell you that they don’t wish for that to happen again.

Zack Wheeler would be a great fit only if he wants to play in Twin Cities. He is going to get paid and there are going to be a lot of teams that are going after Gerrit Cole, so they might not have their attention on Wheeler, and I think Wheeler will just go to the team that is the most invested in him.

The Twins’ payroll isn’t too big (around $114 million) so the addition of Wheeler shouldn’t be that big of an ask from the front office to ownership.

As I mentioned earlier this month, I believe Zack Wheeler is one of those pitchers that can transform into one of the best in the game–sort of like Gerrit Cole did–if he gets paired with the right pitching coach.

Stephen Strasburg is going to command a lot of money this offseason, as his agent is Scott Boras like many of the top players are, and he opted out of his remaining $100 million contract so he is confident that he will get a higher AAV than $25 million.

The New York Yankees are going to be in on Strasburg, but I think the 2019 World Series MVP is going to want to go to a place that he feels comfortable and that fits for him and in my opinion, it is back with the Washington Nationals.

The San Diego Padres would be the only other logical fit for Strasburg, as he grew up there going to West Hills High School and attending college at San Diego State University to pave the way to being the #1 pick in the MLB Draft.

But there were reports last week that said the Padres likely won’t be able to find enough money to lure in the San Diegan.

The Nationals have made it clear that they want to have Stephen Strasburg back and Scott Boras met with GM Mike Rizzo at the General Manager Meeting last week in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Their starting rotation is led by Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin, but I think there would be a pretty big drop off after that if Strasburg wasn’t brought back. Fans are going to expect them to contend again next season after winning their first World Series title in franchise history, but I think it would be hard to do that without Strasburg on the mound.

I know New York Yankees fans are going to get mad at me when they see the Angels logo next to Gerrit Cole’s name, but I think he is set on going back to the West Coast.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Scott Boras has had lunch with Los Angeles Angels owner, Arte Moreno, so it seems that their relationship is slowly repairing. A sign of that as when Boras’ client, Matt Harvey, signed with the Angels last winter.

Brian Cashman is going to make a run at Cole, but as I wrote the Yankees’ owner is not George Steinbrenner any longer so the Yankees fans can’t get mad when they sign more affordable MLB free agents like they did last year with D.J. Lemahieu (even if it is a position player).

An example of a more affordable option on the starting pitching market this winter would be Hyun-Jin Ryu and Dallas Keuchel.

Getting back to the Angels, they need to sign Gerrit Cole. They have a very young rotation that got even younger when Tyler Skaggs sadly passed away in the middle of the 2019 season while the club was in Texas for a series with the Rangers.

The Angels didn’t get Joe Maddon to lead the club just to be an average team. The goal for them is that they are in contention starting next season and Gerrit Cole would be a very good start to accomplishing that goal.

GM Billy Eppler is in entering the last season of his contract and if he fails to add MLB free agents like starting pitching, his job could be in serious jeopardy.