MLB Rumors: Juan Soto surprise, Max Fried dark horse, Crochet waiting game

That Hot Stove is sizzling and the MLB offseason is in full swing. We are all monitoring the Juan Soto sweepstakes, but there are several difference-makers eligible to change teams this winter. Don't be shocked if next season's World Series champs are led not by Soto, but by another marquee 2024-25 free agent signing.

There is also plenty of buzz on the trade front, so there's plenty for the average baseball fan to feast on. MLB rumors are percolating at all times of the day right now and they won't settle down for a long while.

Here is the latest buzz from around the league to get you through the week.

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MLB Rumors: White Sox expected to operate patiently in pursuit of Garrett Crochet trade

The Chicago White Sox have let teams know Garrett Crochet is available this winter, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. His contract arbitration is expected to come in around $3 million, which is an absolute bargain for a reigning All-Star. He's under team control through 2026, so teams will get at least two full seasons of the southpaw fireballer.

It's hard to overstate the value of Crochet's blend of affordability, youth, and production. He made 32 starts last season, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 146.0 innings of work. That put to bed durability concerns and reinforced Crochet's long-term viability as not just a starter, but a potential top-line workhorse in the rotation.

That said, don't expect Crochet to fly off the shelf. As ESPN's Buster Olney points out, White Sox GM Chris Getz waited until the middle of spring training to trade Dylan Cease last offseason. The White Sox will operate with patience, waiting for the best deal to materialize. That will probably occur once all the major pitching free agents are snapped up, leaving Crochet as the best arm on the marketplace.

Chicago is embracing this, um, rebuild, but the front office is at least taking Crochet's value seriously. He won't get traded for pennies on the dollar.

MLB Rumors: SF Giants emerge as west coast sleeper in Max Fried sweepstakes

The Max Fried sweepstakes appears to be heavily concentrated in the northeast, with the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Red Sox among the popular rumored destinations. Obviously, we can't discount the Atlanta Braves' involvement either. Fried has spent his entire career in the ATL and has experienced rousing successes at Truist Park.

All that said, there is a sleeper waiting on the west coast, closer to Fried's hometown of Los Angeles, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. He believes the San Francisco Giants "could be in the mix too" after watching Blake Snell leave for a cushy Dodgers contract. Few teams have been more aggressive in pursuit of top-end talent in recent free agency periods than San Francisco, so this makes a great deal of sense.

Fried has thrived on the east coast, but he's a California kid at heart and the prospect of returning to his roots could be appealing. The Giants need to replace Snell; Fried is as close to a one-for-one replacement as San Francisco will get, giving Bob Melvin another left-handed ace to headline a solid rotation.

The Giants are playing catch-up with the Dodgers — as is the rest of the MLB, frankly — so this sort of deal is entirely possible. Fried is going to run up the price after Snell's $182 million contract, but we know the Giants are willing to break the bank for star power.

MLB Rumors: Juan Soto's next contract could balloon to comical size

The Juan Soto sweepstakes could come to an end as soon as Monday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. Teams are engaged in the "third round" of bidding, with Soto continuing to leave prospective suitors in the dark about his true intentions and desires. He has conducted the perfect offseason operation, driving up the price and never showing his hand. Credit where it's due, Scott Boras is so very back.

So successful has Soto's campaign been that his contract could exceed Shohei Ohtani's historic $700 million contract... by a lot. As ESPN's Buster Olney speculates, there's a world in which Soto signs the longest and most valuable contract of all time when the dust settles:

"It's a perfect storm of bidding, and through the use of deferrals, it does not seem out of the realm of possibility that the broad strokes of his deal could be something in the range of $750 million over 15 years."

Those are both comical numbers. Soto would essentially receive $50 million annually through his age-41 season, tying him to the franchise of his choice for the rest of his career. Soto might work in deferred money or a series of opt-outs, but expect the lefty slugger to put enough money in his bank account to last several lifetimes. It's rare for a talent of Soto's caliber to become available so early in his career, and it's hard to argue with the resume — four-time All-Star and World Series champ.

We don't know who the frontrunner is at this point, but wherever he ends up, don't be shocked if Soto is baseball's richest player.