Griffin Floyd
With the 2025 MLB regular season officially in the books, a host of pending free agents have played their last home games with their current club, saying goodbye to fans and teammates as they head toward the open market.
The upcoming free agent class contains a multitude of talent: a former MVP, three others who have received votes for the award, and at least two perennial Cy Young award candidates. Even so, this class holds plenty of uncertainty, with players who began their career as superstars but have since seen their performance tail off.
In a sport with no salary cap where the almighty dollar reigns supreme, teams are more likely to roll the dice on potential than they would be in other leagues, although the market has settled down in recent years as free agents like Alex Bregman or Jordan Montgomery get frozen out until the eve of the regular season. Here are the top ten free agents in this mercurial class.
10. Framber Valdez
One of the best left-handed pitchers on the market, Framber Valdez owns a 3.36 career ERA across 1,080 2/3 innings, fanning 1,053 batters in that time. In an era where pitching injuries seem a dime a dozen, Valdez is also a model of dependability. His 902 1/3 innings pitched since 2021 rank fifth in the big leagues, while his eight complete games fall behind only Sandy Alcantara (nine). The next closest pitcher has just five complete games in that span.
A strong ground ball pitcher, Valdez’s performance does hinge on the defense behind him (although his career FIP of 3.51 indicates that he’s still an elite pitcher in his own right), and the fact that he’ll turn 32 ahead of next season might limit the term of an extension.
Another factor preventing the Houston Astros southpaw from climbing up this list is his presence as a teammate. He caught flak earlier this season for apparently crossing up his catcher with a pitch, intentionally hitting him in the chest after a disagreement. That incident could scare some teams out of the race for his talents, but Valdez’s ability to eat innings and limit runs should still earn him a substantial payday.
9. Bo Bichette
Bo Bichette endured the worst year of his MLB career in 2024, logging an fWAR of 0.3 with an OPS of just .598 as calf, knee and finger injuries kept him out of the lineup for half the season. Playing on an expiring three-year, $33.6 million deal this season, the 27-year-old Toronto Blue Jays shortstop rebounded for a .311/.357/.483 slash line with 44 doubles and 18 home runs in 139 games.
Although he’s struggled defensively this year, Bichette has a glove that ranges anywhere from passable to solid. More importantly, his bat and power will play at shortstop on almost any team in the league.
8. Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber will turn 33 before the 2026 season starts, but the 5-foot-11 power hitter played himself into a massive payday — and the MVP conversation — after slugging a career-high 56 home runs this season. Schwarber isn’t a perfect player by any means, striking out more than 28% of the time over the course of his career, but his ability to hit tape measure blasts in bunches should set him up for a lucrative contract.
He might fit in best back with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he’s able to serve as a supplemental bat rather than dealing with the expectation of running the show. Regardless of where he lands, Schwarber has hit the cover off the ball at every stop he’s made during his ten-year career.
7. Alex Bregman
Here we go again. Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox during the offseason, but his contract contains an opt-out for the end of this season. A quad injury caused him to miss the better part of two months, but Bregman managed to slash .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 28 doubles in 114 games.
A former MVP darling, Bregman hasn’t hit more than 30 homers since the 2019 season. Even so, he still boasts a strong bat and quality defense. With Scott Boras as his agent, Bregman is almost certain to walk away from his current deal in the hope of locking up long-term security. A one-off quadriceps injury shouldn’t scare off teams the way a ligament tear would, and Bregman’s history of consistent production could put him in line for a six-year, $200 million contract — reportedly his target from last offseason.
6. Pete Alonso
Like many of the other players on this list, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso contains a player option for 2026 in his current contract, allowing him to hit free agency at the end of the league year.
A picture of durability, Alonso played a full 162-game slate for the second year in a row. Despite the team’s collapse, the 6-foot-3 slugger had another All-Star season, belting 38 home runs and an NL-leading 41 doubles.
Alonso, much like Schwarber, might fare best by sticking around in a situation that he already knows works for him: as the saying goes, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. That’s precisely what he did last season, deciding to sign a prove-it deal with the Mets upon hitting free agency for the first time.
Alonso’s defense isn’t the best — not that it matters much at a position like first base. That won’t prevent a perennial member of the 30 home run club from inking a long term deal worth nine figures this offseason.
5. Cody Bellinger
The 2019 National League MVP, outfielder Cody Bellinger’s performance tailed off following a meteoric rise to prominence during his first three seasons in the big leagues. The Los Angeles Dodgers nontendered him after the 2022 season, allowing him to hit free agency, and he managed to win the NL Comeback Player of the Year award with the Cubs the following season. Chicago traded him to the New York Yankees last offseason after he began to struggle again.
Bellinger’s up-and-down career continued this year, as he managed to hit 25 doubles and 29 home runs while landing in the 92nd percentile of both Arm Value and Range (measured via outs above average), according to Baseball Savant.
Bellinger can also walk away from his current deal and will almost certainly test the open market. Even with a shaky track record, clubs are sure to target him as the missing piece on a playoff team or as the catalyst for a franchise turnaround.
4. Michael King
After spending most of four seasons with the Yankees as a solid bullpen arm, right-hander Michael King landed in San Diego as part of the Juan Soto trade. The Padres tried him out in the starting rotation and he didn’t miss a beat, pitching to a 2.95 ERA with 201 strikeouts over 173 2/3 innings in 2024.
King missed much of this season with a nerve impingement in his throwing shoulder and knee inflammation during separate stints on the injured list, but still managed a 3.44 ERA over 73 1/3 innings while healthy.
He won’t land a long-term deal due to his short track record as a member of the starting rotation, but King should secure a three- to four-year contract worth around $100 million this offseason. Quality starting pitching is at a premium, and teams will roll the dice on potential like King has.
3. Ranger Suárez
Ranger Suárez began his career as a bullpen arm but didn’t have any growing pains upon joining the Phillies rotation full time during the 2022 season. The owner of a 3.54 ERA and 540 strikeouts over 584 innings since that time, Suárez doesn’t beat opposing batters with velocity.
His four-seam fastball tops out around 92 miles per hour, but Suárez induces ground balls more than 51% of the time and allows just 0.7 home runs per nine innings, keeping his career FIP at a stellar 3.52. It might not be pretty, but it works, and projections for the 30-year-old’s upcoming contract rest somewhere around $25 million per year.
Suárez relies on some variant of the fastball or changeup 79.6% of the time, also throwing a curveball and the occasional slider. Finding what works and replicating it to perfection has made him one of the best left-handed starters available this winter.
2. Zac Gallen
Unlike the rest of this list, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen struggled mightily during the 2025 season. After finishing third in the National League’s Cy Young Award voting during 2023 and fifth in 2022 on the way to posting a 3.39 ERA across his first five seasons in the big leagues, a cruel twist of fate saw the right-hander regress during his final season before hitting free agency.
Gallen still managed to eat up 192 innings and fan 175 batters despite a career-worst ERA of 4.83. Like Bellinger in past seasons, Gallen will likely sign a one-year deal this offseason that gives him the chance to show his 2025 season was a fluke. As a 30-year-old with Cy Young potential, plenty of teams will leap at the opportunity to take that bet. Pitcher walk rates often vary from year to year, so Gallen’s career worst 2.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio is a good bet to rebound.
1. Kyle Tucker
The Astros traded Kyle Tucker to the Cubs this offseason knowing they wouldn’t be able to afford him when he hit free agency, and that should give a clear idea of the type of talent the 28-year-old outfielder brings to the table.
A four-time All-Star during his six full seasons in MLB, Tucker also has a Golden Glove and Silver Slugger to his name, making him a perennial member of MVP award watchlists. Tucker racked up 4.2 fWAR during the 2024 season despite playing just 78 games due to a fractured shin, then slashed .266/.377/.464 with 25 doubles and 22 home runs with Chicago this season.
Not only is Tucker the youngest player on this list at 28, making him a strong bet for steady play in the years to come, he’s also projected to bring in a contract north of $400 million this offseason.
