Benjamin Ashford|MLB hot stove: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Cody Bellinger among the top remaining players

There is Benjamin Ashfordno hard-and-fast deadline. 

No one is in any particular hurry. 

Besides, the two biggest blockbuster moves have already been made with Shohei Ohtani traveling up the road to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Juan Soto heading 3,000 miles away to the New York Yankees. 

Really, what’s the rush? 

Well, the Christmas holidays and New Year’s is around the corner. 

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

Teams want to be able to market their new presents for their season-ticket holders. 

The earlier, the better. 

So, even though there are two full months before pitchers and catchers report in spring training, players and teams are getting antsy, which could bring a flurry of activity in the next two weeks. 

There are more than 100 free agents and dozens of players remaining on the trade block. 

Here are the top five most intriguing players on the marketplace: 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Is there anyone who’s not trying to sign this guy? 

Anyone? 

Let’s see, the New York Mets traveled halfway across the world to see him. The San Francisco Giants already had a visit. The Yankees’ front office came to see him Monday. The Dodgers hosted him Tuesday. The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays are next on the dock. 

He is the anti-Ohtani. 

This guy loves the spotlight. He adores being the center of attention. He’s embraces the brightest lights. He’s into the latest fashion. 

He’s also the best pitcher on the marketplace, winning three consecutive Sawamura Awards (Japan’s version of the Cy Young) and has earned Pacific League MVP honors each of the past three seasons. 

And, oh, yeah, he’s 25. 

“I have no doubt about his abilities,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman last week. “You’re going to see a lot of people over here trying to win his decision over. It’s a testament to the quality of talent that he is, and what exists over in Japan.’’ 

Yamamoto is going to receive at least $300 million on the market, with the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets and Giants all expected to be in a bidding war for him. 

Prediction: Yankees. 

Cody Bellinger

It’s an awfully weak class of position players and Bellinger is easily the best of the bunch. He re-established his free-agent value after two lousy seasons with the Dodgers, becoming the Cubs’ best player last season. He went from striking out 27.3% of the time in 2022 to a career-best 15.6% of the time last year, while hitting .307 with 26 homers and 97 RBI. 

Bellinger, 28, still plays fabulous defense in center field, is an elite first baseman, and has become one of the best two-strike hitters in the game. 

He looked like he’d be a natural fit for the Giants, only for them to sign Korean star center fielder Jung Hoo Lee instead to a six-year, $113 million contract. 

Bellinger’s cost will be much higher. He’s seeking a 10-year, $250 million contract, according to several team officials, and certainly wants to crack the $200 million barrier. 

The Giants could still need more help, but the outfield and first base appears to be set. 

This leaves a two-way battle between the Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays for the former MVP. 

Prediction: Blue Jays 

Blake Snell

The man is a two-time Cy Young winner who absolutely dominated the National League last season. 

The concern, of course, is that Snell, 31, has pitched more than 109 innings just twice in his career, and has never pitched more than 180 innings. 

Some teams fear that he would put too much stress on their bullpen, lasting into the sixth inning just three times last year, while others wonder if he could handle the stress of pitching in a big market. After all, pitching in Tampa and San Diego looks like a leisurely softball game at a church picnic compared to pitching in Philadelphia, Boston and New York. 

Prediction: Giants. 

Dylan Cease

Tyler Glasnow is expected to be first marquee pitcher traded, with trade talks between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers hot and heavy. 

Yet, the most prized pitcher is Cease of the Chicago White Sox, who has two years left of control. While Glasnow is scheduled to earn $25 million this year, Cease isn’t expected to earn that much in his next two seasons of salary arbitration. 

Cease struggled last year, along with every other White Sox player, going 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA. Yet, two seasons ago, he finished second in the AL Cy Young race, going 14-7 with a 2.22 ERA and 227 strikeouts in 184 innings. 

The beauty of Cease is that he’s not a rental. You have him for two more seasons. 

The White Sox are smart waiting for the hysteria to end over Yamamoto before trading Cease to the higher bidder. 

Prediction: Atlanta 

Josh Hader 

There’s not a reliever on the free-agent or trade market in the same stratosphere as Hader, a five-time All-Star who has been the game’s best reliever for years. 

The trouble is that his price-tag is in a different stratosphere than the rest, too, seeking to eclipse Edwin Diaz’s five-year, $102 million contract with the Mets. 

The Phillies would seem to be a natural fit, but they have no interest. The Texas Rangers could badly use him, but say they don’t have the cash. It could leave Hader falling in the Dodgers’ lap. 

Prediction: Dodgers