Top 25 remaining MLB free agents with lockout now over

(Audacy) With the MLB lockout resolved Thursday, it's an ideal time to reset the top free agents still available on the market.

After the release of our initial top 25 free agents list last fall, 13 players -- Corey Seager, Max Scherzer, Marcus Semien, Starling Marte, Kevin Gausman, Noah Syndergaard, Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander, Marcus Stroman, Javier Báez, Chris Taylor, Eduardo Rodríguez and Avisaíl García -- signed new contracts before the lockout began on Dec. 2. But many more need to find new homes now as spring training is set to begin in mere days.

With that in mind, here are the top 25 remaining MLB free agents.

25. IF/OF Josh Harrison

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

A former All-Star second baseman, Harrison has found a nice second career as a utility star. In a 2021 season that he split between the Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics, Harrison drove in 60 runs and saw time at six different positions.

24. IF/OF/DH Brad Miller

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Miller has admitted that he tries to go deep every plate appearance, and he's succeeds frequently enough for that approach to make him a valuable piece. The 32-year-old Miller split the last two seasons between the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, hitting 27 home runs and posting a .785 OPS in 188 games. A tremendous clubhouse presence, Miller figures to benefit from the designated hitter being made universal as part of the new collective bargaining agreement.

23. RP Ryan Tepera

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

In his age-33 season, Tepera was excellent out of the bullpen for both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox. He posted a 2.79 ERA and 2.73 FIP in 65 games this past season. Once the lockout concludes, he should be able to find a new home pretty quickly.

22. RP Joe Kelly

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Kelly has nasty stuff and extensive postseason experience, a mix that's likely to intrigue a few contending teams. Over the past two seasons, Kelly has posted a 2.67 ERA across 60 appearances. The Los Angeles Dodgers declined his $12-million option for 2022, but there figures to be quite a bit of interest in the two-time World Series champion Kelly.

21. OF Tommy Pham

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

As he approaches his mid-30s, Pham may no longer be the defender he once was in left field. Still, he homered 15 times and posted a .340 on-base percentage for the San Diego Padres in 2021, so he remains valuable.

20. RHP Michael Pineda

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Once thought to have front-line potential, Pineda has settled into a nice career as a depth piece. That, of course, is when he's healthy. Set to turn 33 in January, Pineda posted a 3.62 ERA and 4.21 FIP across 109 1/3 innings for the Minnesota Twins this past season. He could be a good addition for a team looking for help at the back end of its rotation.

19. LF/DH Andrew McCutchen

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

A five-time All-Star, McCutchen probably is best suited to play 125 or so games at this stage of his career. Still, the former National League MVP will provide quite a bit of value for whoever signs him. In 2021, McCutchen posted a 1.027 OPS against left-handed pitching while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

18. LHP Yusei Kikuchi

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

It was relatively surprising that Kikuchi declined his $13-million club option for 2022 with the Seattle Mariners after he posted a 5.98 ERA in 13 starts following the All-Star break. With that said, the 30-year-old Kikuchi was an All-Star before a difficult second half, posting a 3.48 ERA in 16 starts before the Midsummer Classic. Kikuchi had multiple three-year offers before the lockout began, Audacy Sports insider Jon Heyman reported. The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets are among those who have shown interest, per Heyman, though it's unclear if they were the teams that have offered three-year pacts.

17. LF Eddie Rosario

Michael Zarrilli/Getty Images

Rosario was underwhelming during his 78 games with Cleveland in 2021 but became a fan favorite once he was traded to the Atlanta Braves. In 33 regular-season games with the Braves, Rosario posted a .903 OPS. He stayed hot in the postseason, where he hit .383 and won the NLCS MVP en route to the team's World Series title.

16. RHP Zack Greinke

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Greinke is near the end of a Hall of Fame-caliber career but remains a serviceable starter. While no longer a front-line starter, Greinke posted a 4.16 ERA and 4.71 FIP across 171 innings in 2021, so at a minimum, he's still going to eat innings for you. A six-time Gold Glove award winner, he's also still a tremendous fielder.

15. 3B Kyle Seager

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

Seager homered 35 times and drove in 101 runs in 2021 but also posted just a .285 on-base percentage in what was likely his final season with the Seattle Mariners. There's definitely a place for him in the league, but he may be a three-true outcome player at this stage of his career, given that he struck out 161 times this past season.

14. RF/DH Jorge Soler

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

After a midseason trade from the Kansas City Royals, Soler homered three times in the World Series for the Atlanta Braves en route to winning the series MVP award. He's a bit boom-or-bust offensively -- not to mention, he isn't a highly graded fielder -- but the boom is so impressive that he's certain to receive a major league deal.

13. OF Seiya Suzuki

Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Suzuki's 30-day posting by the Hiroshima Carp will be paused during the work stoppage, per Heyman. Whenever the work stoppage concludes, the Japanese outfielder will have 20 more days to negotiate a deal with MLB teams. Theoretically, there should be a robust market for the NPB star. The 27-year-old Suzuki hit .319 with 38 home runs and 86 walks in 131 games this past season. Any team with a corner outfield vacancy would be wise to check in on him.

12. RP Kenley Jansen

Harry How/Getty Images

One of the best relief pitchers of his era, Jansen is 13th in MLB history with 350 saves and could realistically pass Troy Percival, Jonathan Papelbon and Joe Nathan on the all-time list in 2022. He was underwhelming during the Los Angeles Dodgers' run to the World Series title in 2020, but he rebounded to post a 2.22 ERA and 3.08 FIP across 69 games in 2021.

11. 1B Anthony Rizzo

Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

While Rizzo is one of the most respected players in the league, the three-time All-Star may be in something of holding pattern until star Freddie Freeman signs. Rizzo posted a .783 OPS in 2021, a campaign split between the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Rizzo was "quite eager" to re-sign with the Yankees, according to a report from NJ Advance Media in late October. Evidently, the Yankees were more inclined to be patient with the first base market.

10. DH Nelson Cruz

David Berding/Getty Images

A seven-time All-Star, Cruz was disappointing after being traded to the Rays, but in a season that he split between the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay, he still hit 32 home runs. With the DH likely to become universal as part of the next CBA, Cruz should have a robust market once the lockout concludes. The 41-year-old Cruz is quietly only 51 home runs away from 500 in his career.

9. OF/DH Kyle Schwarber

Bob DeChiara/USA Today Sports

It's hard to quantify how much better of a situation Schwarber is in this offseason than last. Schwarber was non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs last winter after slashing just .188/.308/.393 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. But Schwarber revived his career during a season split between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox, homering 32 times and posting a .928 OPS in 113 games. Because he was traded during the season, the 28-year-old Schwarber wasn't eligible to receive a qualifying offer. The Philadelphia Phillies -- who now employ his former hitting coach in Kevin Long -- seem like an excellent fit for him.

8. OF Michael Conforto

Jim Rassol/USA Today Sports

Conforto declined a qualifying offer from the New York Mets, meaning that whatever team signs him will have to surrender draft compensation. That team almost certainly won't be the Mets, who lured both Starling Marte and Mark Canha from the Oakland A's early in their spending frenzy. But even when you factor in a disappointing contract year, Conforto is entering his age-29 season and had an .875 OPS between 2019 and 2020. Whatever team makes a long-term investment in him -- or even a short-term one, though the qualifying offer attachment complicates such an arrangement -- will likely be rewarded with his peak seasons.

7. LHP Clayton Kershaw

Scott Taetsch/USA Today Sports

It has always been difficult to imagine Kershaw playing somewhere other than Los Angeles, but it would've been understandable if the Dodgers had dedicated record-setting resources to Max Scherzer. As it turns out, they didn't. Kershaw isn't a replacement for Scherzer at this stage of his career, but the future Hall of Famer did still post a 3.55 ERA and 3.00 FIP across 121 2/3 innings in 2021. The Dodgers didn't extend a qualifying offer to Kershaw, so they won't receive draft compensation if he departs. That's just another reason that it makes sense for them to retain their franchise icon for another season or two.

6. LHP Carlos Rodón

David Banks/USA Today Sports

Tommy John surgery in May 2019 essentially turned 2019 and 2020 into lost seasons for Rodón. However, he emerged from the injury and turned in his best season, posting a 2.37 ERA, 2.65 FIP and 4.9 fWAR across 132 2/3 innings for the Chicago White Sox in 2021. Perhaps the 28-year-old Rodón is never going to be someone who tops 200 innings a season, but there's a case to be made that 2021 was the first season of his prime. Oh, and because the White Sox didn't extend a qualifying offer to him, teams won't have to surrender draft compensation to sign Rodón. It's true that because a team could still give him the qualifying offer in the future, Rodón is incentivized to land a long-term deal this offseason.

5. OF Nick Castellanos

David Kohl/USA Today Sports

Castellanos has reached the free-agent market after the most productive season of his career, having slashed .309/.362/.576 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs. He's never been a really good fielder, but contending teams will be willing to hide his glove in a corner outfield spot to add his bat to the middle of the order. Castellanos is targeting "a seven- or eight-year deal," Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported, which may turn off some teams interested in him for five or six years.

4. 3B/OF Kris Bryant

Darren Yamashita/USA Today Sports

Bryant rebounded from a difficult 2020 season to homer 25 times, post a 3.6 fWAR and flash tremendous defensive versatility in a campaign split between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants in 2021. The New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros have all shown interest in Bryant, Heyman reported.

3. 1B Freddie Freeman

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Freeman is looking for a deal in the range of six years and $180 million, Heyman has reported, which is the exact deal we projected for him earlier in the offseason. While there's certainly interest from other contenders in Freeman, it's still almost impossible to imagine the former NL MVP playing for a team other than the Atlanta Braves.

2. SS Trevor Story

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

A two-time All-Star, Story is a middle-of-the-order hitter and and still an excellent defender, as evidenced by his nine defensive runs saved in 2021. The idea of Story playing any of third base, second base and center field has been floated even dating back to the trade deadline this past summer. It probably only increases the number of potential suitors for Story that teams believe he could succeed at another defensive position, but from here, he will be most valuable, at least in the early years of the contract, playing at shortstop.

1. SS Carlos Correa

Elsa/Getty Images

The Detroit Tigers -- perceived to be the favorites to sign Correa at the outset of free agency -- opted to sign Javier Báez instead. The Texas Rangers signed two of the top shortstops on the market in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the latter of whom is set to play second base. Seager signed the 10-year, $325-million deal that we initially projected for Correa at the beginning of the offseason. We're going to bet that Correa still lands one of the most lucrative contracts in MLB history this offseason. Whether he tops Seager's deal is less clear.

LISTEN NOW on the Audacy app
Sign up and follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram