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MLB Free Agency Big Board: Looking Ahead to Top 25 Available Players
E.Anderson2 hr ago
- Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/ The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes was the story of the 2023-24 MLB offseason, while a slow-moving market overall left many of the top free agents scrambling to sign as winter turned to spring and they had still not secured new contracts. It will be interesting to see how last offseason will impact this winter's market, and the market will once again be headlined by a bona fide superstar in New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto. Behind him, ace Corbin Burnes could be joined by Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell if they choose to exercise opt-out clauses in their contracts, while a resurgent Jack Flaherty is also headed for a major payday. For teams looking to add an impact bat, first basemen Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, shortstop Willy Adames, third baseman Alex Bregman and outfielders Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández and Tyler O'Neill represent the best of the bunch behind Soto. Ahead is a closer look at the 25 best players poised to hit the free-agent market this winter to form our early free agency big board.
- Nuccio DiNuzzo/Stats: After showing diminished velocity in 2023, Bieber came out firing during spring training, and he was lights out in his first two starts of the regular season before he was sidelined with an elbow issue. That ultimately led to Tommy John surgery on April 12, and he is now on the recovery trail. He could be a prime candidate for a qualifying offer, or a back-loaded, two-year deal that allows him a runway to rebuild his value.Stats: Torres looked like a budding superstar when he launched 38 home runs in his age-22 campaign, and while he has failed to match that level of production in the years since, he has still been a productive second baseman. In seven years with the Yankees, he has a 112 OPS+ with 137 home runs and 15.7 WAR in 879 games, and his age should help bolster his earning power.Stats: Yates tallied 41 saves and posted a 1.19 ERA and 15.0 K/9 in 60 appearances with the Padres in 2019. Injuries derailed his career in the years that followed, but he bounced back with the Braves in 2023 before inking a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Rangers and earning his second All-Star nod. The two-year, $32 million deal that Kenley Jansen signed with the Red Sox could serve as the framework for his next deal.Stats: Kikuchi has gone 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 48 innings over nine starts since joining the Astros at the trade deadline, and Houston paid a steep price to acquire him as a two-month rental. He inked a three-year, $36 million contract with the Blue Jays last time he hit the open market, and even at his age he could land a similar deal this time around.Stats: Wacha has pitched well enough this season that he is a safe bet to decline his $16 million player option for 2025. Since the start of the 2022 season, he has quietly gone 38-13 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 366 strikeouts in 417.2 innings while pitching for the Red Sox, Padres and Royals. It's not out of the question to think he could stay in Kansas City on a new contract, but he has pitched his way to a fresh multiyear deal.
- Heather Barry/20. RP Carlos Estévez (Age: 31) Estévez enjoyed a breakout 2023 season after joining the Angels on a two-year, $13.5 million contract, saving 31 games and earning his first All-Star selection. He continued to pitch well in the closer's role this season before joining the Phillies at the trade deadline in a deal that cost them a pair of top pitching prospects, and he is now pitching high-leverage innings for a World Series contender. Hoffman went No. 9 overall in the 2014 draft and was a top prospect for the Blue Jays before he was traded to the Rockies in the Troy Tulowitzki deal. Things never clicked in a starting role, but he showed potential pitching out of the Reds bullpen in 2022 before enjoying a true breakout season with the Phillies last year. Armed with an elite fastball-slider combination, he has been one of baseball's most effective late-inning relievers. Over the last 15 years, Zack Britton (4.1, 2016) and Blake Treinen (4.4, 2018) are the only relief pitchers who have recorded a 4-WAR season, so that should help put how valuable Scott has been this year into perspective. The hard-throwing lefty has 53 saves and 37 holds with a 2.68 ERA and 11.8 K/9 in 209 appearances over the past three years, and he could be the highest-paid reliever of the 2024-25 class. O'Neill looked like a star on the rise when he logged a 34-homer, 6.1-WAR season in 2021. However, injuries limited him to 168 games in the two years that followed, and the Cardinals sold low when he was traded to the Red Sox. He has reached 100 games played for just the second time in his career, and those injury issues will impact his market. Still, it's impossible to ignore his elite production this year. Wild stat: Half of his 98 hits this year have gone for extra bases. A late-bloomer who did not become a full-time player in the big leagues until his age-28 season, Walker has developed into one of the best first basemen in the league. Since the start of the 2022 season, he has a 125 OPS+ with 95 home runs and 11.4 WAR in 437 games, winning NL Gold Glove honors in 2022 and 2023. The two-year, $40 million deal that Anthony Rizzo signed with the Yankees is a reasonable comparison for his earning power.
- Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/ Manaea has steadily raised his stock thanks to a strong second half, including a current stretch of seven straight starts where he has gone at least 6.2 innings every time out and posted a 2.81 ERA over 48 innings. He has a $13.5 million player option for the 2025 season but looks like a lock to decline that in search of more guaranteed money and a multiyear deal. The best seasons of Profar's career have come in a Padres uniform, including a 3.0-WAR campaign in 2022 before he flopped on a one-year deal with the Rockies the following year. Will that be reason enough for him to potentially take a discount to stay in San Diego? The former No. 1 prospect in baseball leads the NL with a .385 on-base percentage. Not bad for a guy playing on a one-year, $1 million contract. Part of the "Boras Four" who did not see free agency play out as hoped last winter under the guidance of super agent Scott Boras, Bellinger settled for a three-year, $80 million deal that contains an opt-out this offseason. According to Bob Nightengale of , he is "fully expected" to remain with the Cubs and opt into his $27.5 million salary for next year, but until that move becomes official he is a candidate to join the 2024-25 market. The numbers don't jump off the page, but with his elite defense at multiple infield positions and production mix of power and speed, Kim is one of the most valuable all-around players on the market. He had 40 extra-base hits, 38 steals and 5.8 WAR in 152 games last season, and all told he has racked up 15.3 WAR over the life of his four-year, $28 million deal with the Padres. His $10 million mutual option for 2025 is a lock to be declined on his end. After a good-not-great season with the Mariners in 2023, Hernandez signed a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Dodgers to help ease the loss of J.D. Martinez in the middle of the lineup. Since the start of the 2020 season, he ranks 17th in the majors with 128 home runs, and this time around he might be able to land something in the ballpark of the five-year, $100 million deal Nick Castellanos signed with the Phillies a few years ago.
- Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via One of the most successful Rule 5 picks in MLB history, Santander has slugged 151 home runs over the past six seasons for the Orioles, including a career-high 41 long balls in his contract year. His defensive value is limited and he is not a huge on-base threat, but his top-of-the-scale power can transform a lineup. Alonso has launched 225 home runs since bursting onto the scene with a 53-homer rookie season in 2019, and only Aaron Judge (227) has hit more during that six-year span. He has averaged 44 home runs and 113 RBI per 162 games over the course of his career, and there is little doubt he is one of baseball's elite power hitters. He reportedly turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension offer in June 2023, but something in the ballpark of $25 million annually might get a deal done. Fried broke out during the shortened 2020 campaign when he finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting, and over the past five years, he has a 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 609 strikeouts in 644.1 innings spanning 110 starts. He has dealt with some injuries, but he has also consistently pitched like a frontline starter when healthy. Can the Braves afford to let him get away? A true homegrown superstar, Bregman has compiled 1,121 hits, 188 home runs and 39.1 WAR in nine seasons with the Astros since going No. 2 overall in the 2015 draft. He has also added a .790 OPS with 19 home runs and 54 RBI in 97 playoff games while helping the Astros win a pair of World Series titles. With Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker both set to hit free agency after the 2025 season, the Astros might need to decide who to prioritize long-term. Snell struggled to a 9.51 ERA in six starts over the first three months of the season while navigating adductor and groin strains, but he has been lights out since getting healthy. In 13 starts since he returned from the injured list on July 9, he has a 1.33 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 105 strikeouts in 74.1 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .125 average. That should make declining his $30 million player option for 2025 an easy decision.
- David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Age: Stats: Jack Flaherty was one of baseball's most exciting young pitchers in 2019 when he posted a 2.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 231 strikeouts in 196.1 innings to finish fourth in NL Cy Young voting in his age-23 season. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to 154.2 total innings in the subsequent three seasons. He managed to stay healthy in 2023, but battled his command while posting a 4.99 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 144.1 innings with the Cardinals and Orioles. That performance left him to settle for a one-year, $14 million deal from the Tigers in his first trip to free agency last winter. Now he has turned things around in a big way, and he has continued to impress since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline. His age will be a major bargaining chip in free agency, as he is two and three years older than the other top starting pitchers on the market. With Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw headed for free agency and multiple other starters recovering from injury, bringing him back could be a top priority for the Dodgers this winter.
- John Fisher/Age: Stats: For teams looking to upgrade at shortstop, Willy Adames is the clear top-tier option on the market this winter, followed by Ha-Seong Kim and then a major drop-off to Paul DeJong, Amed Rosario and others. Adames has slugged a career-high 32 home runs this season, and his 112 long balls since the start of the 2021 season are tied with Corey Seager for the most among all shortstops. He has also tallied a career-high 109 RBI this year thanks to a .295/.413/.671 line with runners in scoring position, and he has also added 18 steals in 22 attempts to provide a more well-rounded offensive impact. Poor defensive metrics ( -14 DRS, -10.5 UZR/150 ) this year run counter to what he has provided with his glove in years past, so it will be interesting to see if that is held against him in negotiations.
- Jim McIsaac/Age: Stats: The 2018-19 MLB offseason was among the most anticipated in recent memory, due in large part to the fact that Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were both available and young enough that teams were bidding on their prime years rather than their potential decline. Juan Soto fits a similar profile. Still only 25 years old, Soto is already in his seventh MLB season and is unquestionably one of baseball's most accomplished hitters with a 160 OPS+, 200 home runs and 36.2 WAR already to his credit. He has thrived in the bright lights of New York this year, slugging a career-high 40 home runs without altering his patient approach as he still has 123 walks and a .419 on-base percentage setting the table ahead of Aaron Judge. Can the Yankees afford to keep him? Can they afford to let him get away? It might cost $500 million to get a deal done, but he is a game-changing talent.
Read the full article:https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10135755-mlb-free-agency-big-board-looking-ahead-to-top-25-available-players
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