Ahead of the 2021-22 Major League Baseball offseason, Audacy Sports has put together a ranking of the top 25 potential free agents, and added predictions on where each player will land.
It should be noted that at the time of publication, it isn't clear if any of the 14 players extended a one-year/$18.4 million qualifying offers will accept the deal. Reports have already indicated that multiple players will decline it, and common sense suggests the overwhelming majority of the 14 -- if not all -- figure to sign deals in free agency rather than returning to their current employer on a one-year deal.
Here are the 25 best potential MLB free agents for the 2021-22 offseason, with predictions on what deal they'll ultimately land this winter:
25. RF Avisaíl García
Avisail Garcia can become a free agent this offseason.(Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Prediction: Two-year/$30 million deal with Miami Marlins
It's hard to imagine García becoming a free agent at a better time, as he is coming off a season where he posted an .820 OPS and eight defensive runs saved. The Marlins may not be players for the top-tier free agents, but Kim Ng has an opportunity to bolster the team's lineup this offseason, complimenting an organization that's very deep in pitching talent.
24. RP Kenley Jansen
Kenley Jansen can become a free agent this offseason.(Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 34
Prediction: Two-year/$30 million deal with Minnesota Twins
A three-time All-Star, Jansen has spent all 12 years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 69 games this past season, Jansen posted a 2.22 ERA and recorded 38 saves, moving into 13th in MLB history with 350 saves. The Philadelphia Phillies could also be a potential suitor, though our guess is they'll trade for eight-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel.
23. LHP Eduardo Rodríguez
Eduardo Rodriguez will become a free agent this offseason.(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Prediction: Three-year/$54 million deal with Boston Red Sox
Rodríguez had a 4.74 ERA in 29 starts in 2021, but his 3.32 FIP suggests that he was unlucky to some degree. Rodríguez missed the entire 2020 season, but is just two seasons removed from throwing over 200 innings and finishing sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting. Our initial thought was that he'd be a candidate to accept the qualifying offer, but Audacy Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman has reported that the Red Sox have made a "multi-year offer" to Rodríguez, with Jon Morosi of MLB.com adding that the Detroit Tigers have shown interest in him as well. The guess here is that he'll sign a multi-year pact that includes an early chance to opt out.
22. 1B Anthony Rizzo
Anthony Rizzo can become a free agent this offseason.(Scott Taetsch/USA Today)Age in 2022 Season: 32
Prediction: Two-year/$30 million deal with New York Yankees
In a season split with the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, Rizzo slashed .248/.344/.440 with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs. It is concerning that four-time Gold Glove Award winner posted -6 defensive runs saved in 2021, but he still provides plenty of value to a contending team. Rizzo has already expressed a desire to return to the Yankees.
21. DH Nelson Cruz
Nelson Cruz can become a free agent this offseason.(Tim Fuller/USA Today)Age in 2022 Season: 41
Prediction: One-year/$15 million deal with Seattle Mariners
While he perhaps underwhelmed after being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, the bottom line is that Cruz homered 32 times and drove in 86 runs in his age-40 season. The seven-time All-Star is 51 home runs away from 500 in his career, and at this stage, we won't bet against him getting there. He could return to Seattle -- where he hit 163 home runs between 2015 and 2018 -- in time for the Mariners to contend.
20. DH/OF Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber spent the second half of the 2021 season with the Red Sox.(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Prediction: Four-year/$65 million deal with New York Mets
After being non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs last winter, Schwarber put together an excellent campaign in a 2021 season that he split with the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox. Schwarber homered 32 times and posted a .928 OPS this past season, making him an ideal fit for a team that has an opening in left field and/or at DH. The Mets could very well lose Michael Conforto in free agency, so adding a left-handed power bat to their lineup will be crucial. Signing Schwarber won't require giving up draft compensation, and he could play left field and/or DH, if that becomes universal as part of the next collective bargaining agreement.
19. RF Michael Conforto
Michael Conforto can become a free agent this offseason.(Scott Taetsch/USA Today)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Prediction: One-year/$22 million deal with Chicago White Sox
A former All-Star, Conforto underwhelmed in a contract year, slashing .232/.344/.384. The Mets extended Conforto a qualifying offer, and he's reportedly declined it. That sets him up to either sign a one-year deal for a ton of money, or a J.D. Martinez-type long-term deal with multiple opt outs.
18. IF/OF Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor can become a free agent this offseason.(Norm Hall/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Prediction: Four-year/$68 million deal with Boston Red Sox
Taylor is best classified as a super-utility player, and it would make sense for whoever signs him this offseason to view him that way. Taylor posted a 3.1 fWAR in 2021, while playing 80 or more innings in left field, center field, at shortstop, second base and third base. That type of player has become a necessity on a championship-caliber team. He could reunite in Boston with another similar type of player in Kiké Hernández, his former Dodgers teammate.
17. LHP Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw can become a free agent this offseason.(Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 34
Prediction: One-year/$18.5 million deal with Texas Rangers
The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner probably isn't going to pitch more than 160 innings a year at this stage of his career, but if he's elite during those frames, that'll play. We kind of like the prediction that Jon Heyman made on the latest episode of "Big Time Baseball" -- Kershaw will sign a one-year deal with his home-town Rangers, for just a bit more than the qualifying offer that the Los Angeles Dodgers declined to issue to him.
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16. SS/2B Javier Báez
Javier Baez can become a free agent this offseason.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Prediction: Five-year/$110 million deal with Chicago Cubs
If Báez re-signs with the New York Mets, it will be as a second baseman, because Francisco Lindor is under contract through the 2031 season at shortstop. Financially, though, he figures to earn more if he signs somewhere else to play shortstop. Báez hit over .300 with nine home runs and 22 RBIs in just shy of 50 games with the Mets, quite the bounce-back from a pretty brutal 2020 with the Chicago Cubs. Wherever Báez signs, you can be sure it will be for less than the deal worth at least $160 million that he rejected from the Cubs prior to the 2020 season.
15. LHP Carlos Rodón
Carlos Rodon can become a free agent this offseason.(Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Prediction: Five-year/$95 million deal with Houston Astros
Rodón was a first-time All-Star in a contract year, which is, well, incredible timing. The lefty is on the right side of 30, and teams won't need to surrender draft compensation to sign him because the White Sox didn't extend a qualifying offer to him. Rodón would be a good addition for an Astros team looking to return to the World Series.
14. RHP Marcus Stroman
Marcus Stroman can become a free agent this offseason.(Adam Hunger/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Prediction: Five-year/$105 million deal with Los Angeles Angels
Stroman accepted the qualifying offer from the New York Mets after opting out of the 2020 season, and a strong campaign in Queens has now set him up to cash in this winter. Stroman is probably more like a No. 3 on a contending team, but he's a tremendous fielder and you won't have to surrender draft compensation to sign him, which will appeal to contending teams. Pairing him with another major veteran addition in the starting rotation is the Angels best path towards returning to the playoffs.
13. RHP Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander can become a free agent this offseason.(Bob Levey/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 39
Prediction: Two-year/$37 million deal with Los Angeles Angels
Verlander is certainly at an advanced stage of his career, but when you consider that he ranked fourth among all pitchers in fWAR between 2018 and 2019, he'd be an intriguing addition. By all accounts, his throwing session Monday went very well, and it appears he'll decline the qualifying offer. If the Angels can't lure Max Scherzer away from the Dodgers, his former Detroit Tigers teammate would be a nice fallback option.
12. LHP Robbie Ray
Robbie Ray had a tremendous 2021 season.(Mark Blinch/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 30
Prediction: Five-year/$125 million deal with Toronto Blue Jays
After acquiring him ahead of the 2020 trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays didn't allow Ray to reach free agency last winter, instead signing him to a one-year/$8 million deal. They were rewarded with a Cy Young-caliber season from the lefty. He figures to cash in this offseason.
11. RHP Noah Syndergaard
Noah Syndergaard can become a free agent this offseason.(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Prediction: Accepts qualifying offer
Syndergaard is extremely difficult to evaluate because he missed all of the 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and only made it back for two appearances in 2021. However, he's still on the right side of 30 and has a 3.32 ERA and 2.93 FIP in his career. Syndergaard's former Mets teammate Zack Wheeler missed the entirety of the 2015 and 2016 seasons because of Tommy John surgery but returned to realize his potential as a front-line workhorse. It's not hard to imagine Syndergaard following a similar path. From here, the best path forward would be for Syndergaard to rebuild his value in 2022 by accepting the qualifying offer, and return to free agency next offseason without a QO attached to him.
10. OF Nick Castellanos
Nick Castellanos can become a free agent this offseason.(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 30
Prediction: Five-year/$105 million deal with Milwaukee Brewers
A year after becoming part of a viral meme, there were a lot of deep drives into left field off the bat of Castellanos. In his age-29 season, Castellanos slashed .309/.362/.576 with 34 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .939 OPS. He opted out of two remaining years on his deal, and has declined a qualifying offer. Audacy Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman first mentioned how good of a fit Castellanos would be in Milwaukee. With an elite starting rotation, the addition of Castellanos could make the Brewers a World Series contender in 2022.
9. 3B/OF Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant can become a free agent this offseason.(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 30
Prediction: Six-year/$140 million deal with Seattle Mariners
Bryant rebounded from a very underwhelming 2020 season to slash .265/.353/.481 in a 2021 season that was been split between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has said that J.P. Crawford will remain the team's starting shortstop, meaning any major addition this winter will have to be someone that's comfortable playing elsewhere on the diamond. Javier Báez and Marcus Semien could be fits, though both of those two are probably most valuable at shortstop. Bryant would give the Mariners a big bat with positional flexibility that isn't a natural shortstop.
8. RHP Kevin Gausman
Kevin Gausman had a career year with the Giants in 2021.(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Prediction: Six-year/$132 million deal with San Francisco Giants
Some were caught off guard that the Giants extended a one-year/$18.9 million qualifying offer to Gausman last winter, but his decision to accept the deal proved to be mutually beneficial. It took him until his fourth team, but Gausman has finally tapped into his front-line potential, as he has posted a 3.00 ERA in 251 2/3 innings since the start of the 2020 season. Without a qualifying offer attached to him, Gausman figures to do very well this winter, though the guess is he'll remain in San Francisco.
7. CF Starling Marte
Starling Marte can become a free agent this offseason.(Jay Biggerstaff/USA Today)Age in 2022 Season: 33
Prediction: Four-year/$72 million with Philadelphia Phillies
There are so few difference makers in center field, and Marte is one of them. You'd prefer that he wasn't going to be 33 in the first year of what figures to be a very lucrative deal, but Marte is coming off a season where he slashed .308/.381/.456 as a primary center fielder. If anything, Marte is at the height of his powers currently, and figures to easily top the three-year/$30 million deal that he reportedly rejected from the Miami Marlins before his July trade to Oakland. The Phillies need a center fielder and someone that can hit at the top of their order, and Marte checks both of those boxes.
6. SS/2B Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien can become a free agent this offseason.(Michael Owens/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Prediction: Five-year/$130 million deal with Houston Astros
Semien disappointed in 2020, his final season with the Oakland Athletics. However, that was wedged in between two seasons where he was an American League MVP finalist. Semien finished third in AL MVP voting in 2019, and hit 45 home runs and posted a 6.6 fWAR in 2021 for the Toronto Blue Jays. It's a bit risky to pay Semien with the intention of him being a shortstop, given that he's 31, had -6 defensive runs saved at the position in 2020 and played primarily at second base in 2021. But he had such a monster 2021 season, that a team not willing to meet the asking prices of Carlos Correa or Corey Seager will pounce on him, probably with the thought that he'll play shortstop.
5. 1B Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman can become a free agent this offseason.(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 32
Prediction: Six-year/$180 million deal with Atlanta Braves
The reigning National League MVP, Freeman put together another excellent season for the Braves in 2021, hitting .300 and posting a .995 OPS. Freeman has spent all 12 years of his career with the Braves, and it's difficult to imagine him in another uniform. With that said, he'll certainly decline the qualifying offer, so the Braves will need to work out a long-term deal with the five-time All-Star. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in late September that Freeman is expected to top the five-year/$130 million deal that Paul Goldschmidt signed with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2019 season.
4. SS Trevor Story
Trevor Story can become a free agent this offseason.(Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Prediction: Six-Year/$140 million deal with Texas Rangers
Even when you factor in what was a relatively underwhelming contract year, Story has been one of the best offensive performers in baseball over the last five years. In addition to surrendering draft compensation after he declines the qualifying offer, any team that signs Story will have to accept the reality that he may need to move to another position in the back half of his deal. But the 28-year-old's bat, at least in a normal year, will play at any spot on the diamond. Like Kershaw, he could return to his home state on a big deal this offseason.
3. RHP Max Scherzer
Max Scherzer can become a free agent this offseason.(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 37
Prediction: Three-year/$105 million deal with Los Angeles Dodgers
Scherzer maybe isn't at his peak anymore, but he remains one of the most dominant starters in the sport. In 30 starts between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021, Scherzer went 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA, 2.97 FIP and 5.4 fWAR. The Dodgers couldn't extend a qualifying offer to him because he was traded during the season, which sets Scherzer up to potentially land the three-year deal he reportedly desires. Audacy MLB Insider Jon Heyman has suggested that the Los Angeles Angels -- desperate not to waste any more years with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani -- could challenge the Dodgers for Scherzer's services in free agency.
2. SS Corey Seager
Corey Seager can become a free agent this offseason.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 28
Prediction: 10-year/$301 million deal with New York Yankees
While not a Gold Glove-caliber fielder, a healthy version of Seager can be an offensive force. In the 2020 postseason, Seager homered eight times and drove in 20 runs, en route to winning both the NLCS and World Series MVPs. He was limited to just 95 games in his walk year, unfortunately. Still, there will be plenty of suitors, and it's hard to imagine with Trea Turner in the fold that the Dodgers will be willing to give Seager a lucrative 10-year deal.
1. SS Carlos Correa
Carlos Correa can become a free agent this offseason.(Ed Zurga/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 27
Prediction: 10-year/$325 million deal with Detroit Tigers
Like Seager, Correa has had some issues staying on the field in his career. However, Correa was largely healthy in 2021, and is the youngest of the star shortstops to hit free agency this offseason. It sounds as though Correa expects to depart Houston, as he recently referred to 2021 as his "last year with the Astros." Correa acknowledged before this season that he had turned down a six-year/$120 million extension offer from the Astros, and the five-year/$160 million offer that Mark Berman of FOX 26 reports that the team has followed up with isn't going to be competitive. We believe he'll reunite with his former manager A.J. Hinch in Detroit.
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