Carlos Rodon

Record-breaking New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge reportedly headlines a group of nine MLB players expected to receive contracts of at least $100 million this offseason.

One player, New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz, already joined the nine-figure club by signing a $102 million extension. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported other members of the group expected to join Diaz and Judge via free agency, which opens Thursday at 5 p.m. ET:

• SS Trea Turner (Los Angeles Dodgers)
• SS Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins)
• SS Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox)
• SS Dansby Swanson (Atlanta Braves)
• OF Brandon Nimmo (New York Mets)
• SP Carlos Rodón (San Francisco Giants)
• SP Jacob deGrom (New York Mets)

Nimmo is the only name on the list that may catch some people by surprise given his modest counting stats across seven seasons with the Mets. He's recorded just 63 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 608 career appearances.

That said, the 29-year-old center fielder gets on base at a high rate (.385 career on-base percentage) and plays solid defense (six outs above average in 2022, per FanGraphs).

Agent Scott Boras said Wednesday a "majority" of teams have already called him about Nimmo.

"You are looking at a guy that there are no center fielders in our game that are available," Boras told reporters. "And then you add leadoff to that and then you add ... on-base percentage to that, and he's an excellent defender and then also he can play in New York. When you have those elements that are there, he becomes a very integral part of what we found for a team to win 100 games. He's a very proven commodity and there are very few that can replace him."

Otherwise, two intriguing storylines early in free agency will be whether the Yankees can keep pace in the Judge sweepstakes and which star shortstop signs first to set the market at the position.

New York can't afford to lose Judge and expect to remain a top-tier contender in the American League. He carried the club's offense for extended stretches in 2022 en route to setting the new AL home run record with 62.

As Boras alluded, there aren't many great options available in center field, and even the dropoff from Judge to Nimmo is rather significant. So the ability to re-sign the 6'7'' slugger is a make-or-break situation for the Yanks.

Meanwhile, all four of the top-tier shortstops available should surpass the $100 million mark if they're willing to sign long-term deals.

Swanson, who's often ranked fourth on the list and could sign first to help set the baseline for the others, finds himself in a similar situation to Freddie Freeman last offseason. He's spent his entire career with the Braves but hits the market without a new deal.

"Business is business, man. It's not always the fun part about the game," Swanson said last week on 92.9 The Game. "I wish it was just one plus one, but it never seems to be that way."

Freeman left to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Swanson may follow him out the Truist Park door, leaving Atlanta with a void at shortstop.

All told, a lot of money is going to get spent over the next few months and, given the high-end talent available, the clubs willing to open their checkbooks could put themselves at the forefront of the 2023 championship chase.

Carlos Rodón's time in the Bay Area has potentially come to an end after one season.

According to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, Rodón declined the $22.5 million option on his contract Sunday to remain with the San Francisco Giants. He had signed a two-year, $44 million contract with the Giants this past offseason after spending the first seven years of his career with the Chicago White Sox and emerged as one of the better free-agent signings of 2022.

Rodón earned his second successive All-Star selection as a replacement for reliever Josh Hader, but he didn't pitch in the game. In 31 starts last season, he finished with a 14-8 record with a 2.88 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 237 strikeouts.

The third overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft, Rodón made his major-league debut the following year for the White Sox. After a strong rookie season in which he notched a 3.75 ERA with 139 strikeouts, Rodón's career took a turn as he finished with an ERA above 4.00 in each of the next five years from 2016 to 2020.

Rodón underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2019. He was limited to four appearances in 2020 and went 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA.

The 2021 season was a bounce-back year for Rodón, as he went 13-5 in 24 starts and notched a 2.37 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 185 strikeouts. He proved that season wasn't a fluke with his strong performance this past year.

Rodón declining to stay in San Francisco for another year is a significant loss for the Giants, as they are losing a No. 1 starter atop their rotation. The team will be in search of a new face of its pitching staff in 2023 if it decides against negotiating with Rodón for a long-term contract.

New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler is reportedly "less likely" to target free agents who receive qualifying contract offers from their current teams.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday the Mets are wary of losing draft picks as compensation for those possible signings, which could impact their pursuit of New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge or San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodón.

The Mets have been frequently mentioned as a possible landing spot for Judge, who launched 62 home runs in 2022, but that's more related to the big-spending ways of team owner Steve Cohen than a glaring need in the outfield.

New York's projected outfield starters for 2023 are Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte and Mark Canha. That's not to say the longtime Yankees slugger wouldn't upgrade that group, but there are certainly bigger issues for the front office to address heading into the offseason.

The club must solidify its starting rotation, especially if Jacob deGrom leaves in free agency, vastly improve the bullpen and potentially find new starters at second base and catcher.

That's a lot of money to spend, either via free-agent signings or trade acquisitions, before even considering whether to offer upward of $300 million to Judge.

The Mets could still pursue the four-time All-Star, but it'll more likely happen if his free-agent process drags out a bit to give them time to fill other holes first and get some financial clarity.

Meanwhile, Rodón seems like an ideal fit on paper as a high-end lefty starter who could complement Max Scherzer and deGrom, if re-signed.

The 29-year-old Miami native recorded a 2.88 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 237 strikeouts in 178 innings for the Giants this season. That followed up a 2021 season with the Chicago White Sox where he compiled a 2.37 ERA.

Ultimately, if the Mets aren't interested in relinquishing draft picks as part of their free-agent efforts, it's going to limit the number of impact players they'll be able to pursue.

It wouldn't be a surprise if that stance changes at some point over the winter if the club's roster-building process isn't yielding the desired results.

MLB executives reportedly predict "one of the best free-agent classes in recent memory" with several high-profile players planning to use opt-out clauses in their contracts to hit the open market.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday it's a group that includes New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander, Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodon.

Those players with options in their contracts for 2023 are expected to join a star-studded free-agent group also slated to include New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner.

Having so many notable names available in free agency will represent the first major test for MLB's collective bargaining agreement.

The league and the Players Association came to terms on a new CBA in March following a 99-day lockout. One of the biggest concerns raised by the union throughout the process was the "artificial restraints on free agency."

That came after the free-agent market became sluggish in recent years, which was basically a two-pronged problem.

On one hand, teams with the talent to contend were trying to avoid reaching the league's Competitive Balance Tax, MLB's version of a luxury tax, and opted for cheaper depth options.

On the other, a fair number of clubs fully embraced tanking, so they had no interest in signing free agents who would add significant payroll when the World Series wasn't a realistic target.

It left a small number of teams to compete for most of the market's biggest names, which led to long free-agent stays and contracts below expected value.

Initial returns from the new CBA were promising. Over $1 billion was spent on player contracts in the first 10 days after the deal was announced.

So now the focus shifts to this winter, where the money should once again be flying around if the CBA is working as intended for the players.

DeGrom and Verlander are two of the generation's best pitchers and could command salaries in the same ballpark as the $43.3 million starting pitcher Max Scherzer received from the Mets last offseason, which is the current highest salary in MLB, per Spotrac.

Hitters like Judge and Turner should also break the bank in the new CBA environment. The Yankees slugger has recorded 51 home runs so far in 2022, which is 15 more than any other player, and the Dodgers infielder is one of the sport's most well-rounded players.

The likes of Bogaerts, Correa and Rodon may not quite match the salaries of those top four, but they're also in line for lucrative contracts of their own.

All that said, if this year's free-agent market fails to live up to expectations in terms of team spending, grumblings about the CBA will likely begin anew.