MLB Rumors: Roki Sasaki's dangerous mystery team, Braves insurance, Yankees free-agent fix

The champagne has dried and the confetti has been swept away from the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series celebration. The early offseason clerical work — contract options, opt-ins, opt-outs, qualifying offers — have all been settled. The main event is finally here: It's Hot Stove season, baby, and it's shaping up to be a historic winter.

All eyes will be on Juan Soto, who might be about to make a run at Shohei Ohtani's historic $700 million megadeal from last offseason. But even beyond Soto, big names abound: Players like Roki Sasaki, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Teoscar Hernandez have hit free agency, while other stars like Luis Robert Jr., Garrett Crochet, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and more could be made available via trade. The landscape of the league figures to look a whole lot different by the time next spring rolls around.

Who will end up where over the next few weeks? Here's the latest from around the MLB rumor mill.

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MLB Rumors: Rays lurking in Roki Sasaki sweepstakes?

From the day his posting was announced, speculation regarding where Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki would sign has largely focused on two teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. And for good reason; L.A. is the reigning world champions, home to Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, while the Padres boast Sasaki's close friend and mentor Yu Darvish.

But this is all still very much speculation. No one really knows what Sasaki wants, where he's leaning or what he might prioritize. And because of his unique contract situation, money won't be decisive — all 30 teams will offer roughly the same deal, meaning the 23-year-old righty is going to choose based solely on where he feels most comfortable and what he thinks is best for himself and his career.

That opens up a host of possible avenues. One in particular that hasn't gotten enough mention yet, per ESPN's Jeff Passan: the Tampa Bay Rays. We know they'll be interested; a ready-made, frontline starter on a bargain contract is exactly the sort of cost-effective move that helps keep a small-market team like Tampa afloat. And the team can point to one of the best pitching development track records in the league to convince Sasaki that they're the ones who can shepherd him along to stardom. It might still be a long shot, but it's not worth dismissing entirely.

MLB Rumors: Charlie Morton set to give Braves some rotation insurance

One of the many items on Atlanta Braves exec Alex Anthopoulos' to-do list is filling out the rest of his team's starting rotation. Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach are a formidable trio, but there are question marks behind them, with Max Fried hitting the market and Spencer Strider not on track to be ready by Opening Day as he rehabs from elbow surgery. Given how frenzied the pitching market is shaping up to be this winter (just look at how few free-agent starters have opted to accept a qualifying offer from their former teams, a sign of confidence in what's waiting for them on the market), Atlanta will need to be aggressive if it doesn't want to get left behind.

Luckily, there's an insurance option waiting should Anthopoulos need it: According to Passan, veteran righty Charlie Morton is planning on pitching in 2025 despite turning 41 this week. (Happy birthday, Charlie.) Morton isn't as dominant as he was during his peak, but he was perfectly fine for the Braves last season, delivering 165.1 innings of league-average ERA and a strikeout per inning. If Atlanta could sign up for that from its fifth starter, it would do it in a heartbeat, and a one-year deal with a contender he already knows could make a ton of sense for both sides — while allowing the Braves to spend their big bucks elsewhere.

MLB Rumors: Christian Walker an ideal free-agent fit for Yankees

Most of the buzz around New York right now is centered on Soto, and rightly so; whether he stays or goes will go a long way to determining the Yankees' path forward this winter and how competitive they'll be in 2025. But regardless of Soto's decision, there's another free-agent target that New York would be crazy not to consider: former Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker.

There's no question that Brian Cashman needs to upgrade at the cold corner, a glaring weakness all season with Anthony Rizzo alternating between bad and injured. Rizzo is now a free agent, and unsurprisingly most reports have focused on New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso as a replacement. But Alonso figures to be too rich for the Yankees' blood, especially if they also have to shell out $600-700 million for Soto, and handing a long-term deal to a player who doesn't figure to age particularly well may not be Cashman's cup of tea.

Walker, however, could be a perfect compromise. At age 33, he figures to command fewer years and dollars than Alonso. But he's an excellent hitter in his own right, one who has continued to produce as he heads into his 30s. And more importantly for the Yankees, he's in a different league than Alonso as a fielder, consistently ranking as one of the best defensive first basemen in the game. Given how New York's season ended this October, that figures to be awfully appealing. The Yankees will have plenty of competition for Walker's services, but a hefty three-year deal would seem to make sense for both sides.