October is in full swing, but for the overwhelming majority of MLB teams, it's already time to start looking ahead to the offseason. And even weeks before free agency begins, the Hot Stove rumor mill has begun working overtime. Who's hitting the market? And where might they wind up? Let's dive into the latest news and notes, featuring Cody Bellinger, Juan Soto and a dark-horse slugger from Japan.
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MLB Rumors: Cody Bellinger plans to opt out, hit free agency
In the immediate aftermath of the New York Yankees' season-ending loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 4 of the ALDS on Wednesday, Cody Bellinger wasn't ready to address whether or not he'd be picking up his player option for 2026. But that changed on Friday, when ESPN's Jorge Castillo reported that Bellinger planned to decline that option and hit the market as a free agent later this winter.
After the season he had in New York, it's not hard to see why. Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 homers and 13 steals, all while playing tremendous defense all over the outfield. He was the glue that held the Yankees together at times during a trying regular season, and while he struggled mightily in October, his body of work speaks for itself.
Bellinger was never going to turn down the chance to cash in on a long-term contract. Now the only question is where will that contract take him, and how much will it be worth? He could well return to New York, where the Yankees will likely be moving on from incumbent center fielder Trent Grisham. Then again, they also have two internal outfield options in Jasson Dominguez and prospect Spencer Jones, and you can't rule out a run at Kyle Tucker. If Bellinger does wind up looking elsewhere, the Phillies, Mets, Giants and others could all use an outfielder with his dynamic skill set.
MLB Rumors: Yankees, Phillies among potential frontrunners for Munetaka Murakami
While most of the early free-agent speculation, at least as far as hitters are concerned, has fixated on established names like Tucker, Bellinger, Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso, one of the most intriguing options this winter has yet to play an inning in the States. Since breaking in with the NPB's Yakult Swallows back in 2018, Munetaka Murakami has established himself as arguably the most feared slugger in Japan, with 246 homers in 892 games — including a whopping 56 in 2022 alone.
Now, Murakami is looking to make the jump to the Majors, with MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reporting that the infielder is set to be posted this winter. (As a reminder, posting is the process by which NPB players are made available as free agents to Major League teams, with the Swallows getting a fee from whichever team eventually signs him.) According to NIkkan Sports, the Yankees, Mets, Phillies and Mariners are teams that "could make a push" to sign Murakami, who won't turn 26 until February.
His raw power isn't in question. But his ability to access it in games against big-league pitching still is; while the homers are impressive, Murakami has also struck out 977 times in Japan, raising swing-and-miss concerns against even tougher competition. There's also the matter of his defensive home: Murakami is nominally a third baseman, but he struggles there even now, and will certainly require a shift to first base or DH as he ages. How teams weigh those factors, and how much he ultimately makes, will be fascinating to watch.
MLB Rumors: Former Mets hitting coaches wanted more aggression from Juan Soto
Given the tremendous season he just had at the plate, New York Mets fans likely don't want anyone advising Juan Soto to do anything differently in 2026. And they definitely don't want to hear that advice from former hitting coach Eric Chavez, who was let go in the wake of New York's September collapse — a collapse that had a lot to do with an underachieving offense.
But while I'm certainly not going to argue that Chavez was unjustly canned ... I do think he might have made one very salient point on Thursday's episode of Foul Territory. When asked whether the Mets needed to get Soto to be more aggressive, Chavez cautioned against asking him to go outside of his comfort zone, before pivoting to a different idea: having Soto bat leadoff.
Eric Chavez said he got with Carlos Mendoza a few times this season about trying to get Juan Soto to be more aggressive early in counts and on the first pitch of his at-bats.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 9, 2025
Chavez also suggests batting Juan Soto leadoff if the Mets really want to get creative. pic.twitter.com/DxIiYvWkk9
It makes more than a little sense. Soto hit either second or third in the lineup all year long for New York, and clearly it suited him based on his numbers. But given his elite on-base ability, not to mention his newfound aggression on the bases, why not try bumping him up to the top? Not only would you get him as many at-bats as possible in a given game, but you'd also be setting the table as regularly as possible for guys like Francisco Lindor and (maybe, pending his upcoming free agency) Pete Alonso.
Of course, simply changing the batting order around won't fix what went wrong for this Mets team down the stretch this season. Starting off with a hitter as great as Soto and immediately putting pressure on opponents can't hurt, though.