Ranking the top 25 MLB free agents

Turner is arguably the biggest prize of the free agent market. While he made only his second All-Star appearance in 2022, he’s truly elite in every area of the game with back-to-back 20-plus home run seasons, elite speed and defense, and a career batting average above .300. Entering his age 30 season, Turner has a decent shot of a decade-long contract.

DeGrom is the best starting pitcher in baseball when he’s healthy, producing an obscene 2.05 ERA and 12.2 K/9 in 102 starts since 2018. The bigger issue is health, as deGrom has made only 26 regular season starts over the last two years. The problem doesn’t come any less concerning entering his age-35 season, but it would be a shock if he earned any less than a three-year deal, given the upside.

Judge bet on himself in 2022 rather than re-sign with the Yankees, and he’s about to be awarded handsomely. The AL Home Run king had the best offensive season in recent memory, but even before that onslaught, he had an OPS+ of at least 143 in four straight years. The concern from teams will likely be Judge’s age (31 in April) and the history of players with his physical traits aging poorly. Even so, Judge is about to be handed generational wealth.

It seems like almost a foregone conclusion that the Cardinals and Arenado will work something out, but he does have an opt-out in his contract. Entering his age 32 season, the Platinum Glover has five years remaining on his deal and is coming off his seventh All-Star campaign with 30 home runs and 103 RBI.

Teams were seemingly hesitant to commit long-term to Rodon after his breakout 2021 season, and understandably so due to his history of shoulder problems. Rodon proved he could stay healthy and thrive over a full year with the Giants in 2022, finishing with a 2.88 ERA and league-best 12.0 K/9, so it will likely take a long-term deal to lock him up as he enters his 30’s.

The writing was on the wall that Correa would re-enter free agency after signing a one-year deal last offseason with two player options. He had another fine season, with a 5.4 WAR and 22 home runs in 136 games for the Twins, and remains in his prime at 28. That long-term deal that Scott Boras was searching for last season is more likely to come this offseason with a labor agreement in the past.

Bogaerts has the leverage of an opt-out this offseason and seems likely to use it after his fourth All-Star appearance. While his power dwindled last season, Bogaerts still hit .307-15-73 with his best WAR since 2019. The Red Sox lineup would be greatly diminished without him.

Back from Tommy John surgery this year, Verlander went hunting for his third Cy Young. He won the AL ERA Title (1.75) while also leading the league in wins (18). A $25 million player option seems hefty for a 40-year-old pitcher, but Verlander knows that he can get more money after his amazing season.

A former No. 1 overall draft choice, Swanson reached 25 home runs for the second consecutive season. His 115 OPS+ was the best of his career over a full season, and Atlanta’s No. 2 hitter had a career-best 5.7 WAR. It’s perfect timing for Swanson to cash in, though the Braves might not be the team to give him big money with the emergence of Vaughn Grissom.

Diaz now has a cult following in Queens, complete with a Tommy Trumpet intro, so it would be an upset if owner Steve Cohen allowed him to leave. Of course, after one of the best seasons by a closer in history (1.31 ERA, 17.1 K/9), Diaz won’t come cheap. Long-term closer contracts really work out well for teams, but the Mets have a big enough budget to withstand failure on the backend.

With injuries almost every year, the whispers of retirement become louder for Kershaw each season. He was working on a one-year, $17 million contract in 2022 and managed to throw only 126.1 innings, albeit highly effective (2.28 ERA, 5.96 K/BB). It would be hard to fathom the future Hall of Fame lefty leaving LA, though there were rumors he’d seek out his native Texas last offseason.

Eovaldi would probably like to forget his 2022 walk year, as he was only able to make 20 starts due to injury. His time in Boston has been up and down since he was acquired in 2018, but the results over the last three seasons have been good when healthy, with a 3.79 ERA, 1.201 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9. Entering his age-33 season and still throwing hard, Eovaldi should draw plenty of interest.

Plagued by injuries for much of his career, Nimmo was a major catalyst for the Mets lineup this season while playing 151 games. He contributed a .367 on-base percentage and 53 extra-base hits as the team’s primary leadoff man, posting a career-best 5.0 WAR. There are a lot of risks, given Nimmo’s injury history, but he stands as the clear center-field prize.

Bassitt was relatively unknown in Oakland before joining the Mets this season and continued to be a very effective middle-of-the-rotation starter. Few pitchers have been more consistent since 2019, as Bassitt has 42 wins, a 3.31 ERA, and 8.6 K/9 over that time. The 33-year-old’s 181.2 innings in 2022 make him as attractive as any of the other numbers.

A journeyman starter before signing with the Dodgers last offseason, Anderson rewrote the story of his career with an incredible season in LA. Working off a reworked changeup, he posted 15 wins and a 2.57 ERA as an All-Star. Teams are taking a risk Anderson can repeat that performance after seeing it for only one year, but he should at least be a solid backend option with elite control in back-to-back seasons.

The only foundational player remaining in Chicago last year from their 2016 World Series squad, Contreras showed up by hitting 20 homers for the fourth time. He’s consistently been above average offensively and defensively, though the risk at catcher increases for a pitcher beyond age 30.

Bell was having another great year in Washington before he was shipped to San Diego along with Juan Soto at the deadline. His Padres performance is forgettable, with a putrid .192 batting average and .587 OPS in 210 plate appearances. That small sample size is unlikely to hurt his market too much, especially with his improving plate discipline.

The writing is on the wall for Jansen to go elsewhere after the Braves acquired Raisel Iglesias at the trade deadline. That’s not to say Jansen failed after coming over from the Dodgers, as he led the NL with 41 saves and had a 3.38 ERA and 12.0 K/9. The cutter looks as nasty as ever, even at age 35.

Rizzo has a player option for 2023, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he opted out to earn a longer-term deal. Yankee Stadium seemed to fit Rizzo quite nicely, as he rejoined the 30-home-run club last season after some significant offensive slippage in the previous two years. Still, Rizzo’s .338 on-base percentage was his worst since 2013, and his defense isn’t what it was when he won four Gold Gloves.

We probably shouldn’t put too much weight behind Abreu’s MVP in the abbreviated 2020 season, but there’s no doubt he can still hit in his mid-30s. The bigger concern now is Abreu’s declining power, with a career-low 15 home runs in 157 games last season. There is something to be said for his durability and career-best .378 on-base percentage, with Abreu’s strikeout rate also the lowest of his career in 2022.

A fractured hand ruined Benintendi’s time in the Bronx, and his value is up for debate with the new approach we saw from him last year. Formerly a 20/20 man in Boston, Benintendi hit only five home runs in 521 plate appearances, but his .373 on-base percentage and plus defense will garner a lot of interest.

Taillon has suffered a seemingly countless number of health issues and injuries since he was the second overall draft choice in 2022, so it was heartening to see his success with the Yankees in a walk year. Granted, this isn’t the same flame-throwing star we saw early in Taillon’s career with Pittsburgh, but a sub-2.00 BB/9 will play anywhere. After consecutive relatively healthy seasons, Taillon should have a big market.

Perez put it all together after reuniting with the Rangers, posting a 2.89 ERA in 196.1 innings. He showed a plus groundball rate (51%), but there should be concern about whether Perez can keep the ball in the park at last year’s spectacular rate with assurances that the ball won’t be lively again. At best, Perez’s ERA metrics (3.27 FIP, 4.08 SIERA) do suggest pending regression.

A solid No. 2 starter early in his career with the White Sox, Quintana just hadn’t been the same since suffering multiple arm problems. He was terrific after the Pirates signed him for relative scraps last season and only got better with the contending Cardinals, posting a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts. There’s a lot of risk in giving Quintana a long-term deal based on last year, with a pedestrian 7.4 K/9 and a history of injuries, but the return of his curveball should excite some teams.

Stripling was a savior for the disappointing Blue Jays pitching staff, reemerging to post a 3.01 ERA over 134.1 innings. The pinpoint control (1.3 BB/9) wasn’t foreign to him, as Stripling was similarly outstanding early in his career with the Dodgers. The veteran right-hander found a pitch mix that worked, all but trashing his curveball in favor of a changeup that should make him a great under-the-radar free-agent signing.