Ahead of the 2021-22 Major League Baseball offseason, Audacy Sports has put together a ranking of the top 25 potential free agents.
The following players technically could become free agents this offseason, but were left off the list because their club and/or player options are overwhelmingly likely to be exercised: Buster Posey, J.D. Martinez, José Ramírez and Craig Kimbrel.
Here are the 25 best potential MLB free agents for the 2021-22 offseason:
25. RF Avisaíl García
Avisail Garcia can become a free agent this offseason.(Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
Because García had over 500 plate appearances in 2021, his $12 million option for 2022 is now a mutual one, which typically assures that one way or another, he'll be looking for a new deal this offseason. The Brewers may extend a qualifying offer to García, which it's possible he'll accept. If not, it's hard to imagine him becoming a free agent at a better time, as García is coming off a season where he posted an .820 OPS and eight defensive runs saved.
24. RP Kenley Jansen
Kenley Jansen can become a free agent this offseason.(Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 34
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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. Whether it's from the Dodgers or another team, there will be plenty of interest in Jansen this winter.
23. LHP Eduardo Rodríguez
Eduardo Rodriguez will become a free agent this offseason.(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
Rodríguez had a 4.74 ERA in 29 starts this season, 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. If he doesn't accept the qualifying offer, he should have a robust free agent market.
22. 1B Anthony Rizzo
Anthony Rizzo can become a free agent this offseason.(Scott Taetsch/USA Today)Age in 2022 Season: 32
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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.
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
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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.
19. RF Michael Conforto
Michael Conforto can become a free agent this offseason.(Scott Taetsch/USA Today)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
A former All-Star, Conforto underwhelmed in a contract year, slashing .232/.344/.384. It still sounds as though the Mets plan to extend a qualifying offer to Conforto, though early indications are he would likely decline it. Even after a down season, Conforto has a pretty strong track record and can play both corner outfield positions. It would hardly be shocking if some team bets on him this winter with a multi-year pact, one that would likely include player 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
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
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.
17. LHP Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw can become a free agent this offseason.(Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 34
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
It's hard to truly evaluate Kershaw as a free-agent candidate because he'll probably end up back in Los Angeles, possibly even before he reaches the free agency. But in the event that the future Hall of Famer declines the qualifying offer and earnestly considers other options, he's still a front-line pitcher when he's healthy. 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.
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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
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
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 though teams will need to surrender draft compensation to sign him if he declines the qualifying offer, it's not hard to make a case that he's just now entering his prime and is worth a major investment.
14. RHP Marcus Stroman
Marcus Stroman can become a free agent this offseason.(Adam Hunger/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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.
13. RHP Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander can become a free agent this offseason.(Bob Levey/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 39
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors penned a good piece on whether the Astros should extend a qualifying offer to Verlander, who missed entire 2021 season after having Tommy John surgery in October of 2020. 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, it's hard to imagine letting him walk for nothing. Given his age, Verlander might be inclined to accept the qualifying offer if he gets the chance.
12. LHP Robbie Ray
Robbie Ray had a tremendous 2021 season.(Mark Blinch/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 30
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
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, who they'll certainly extend a qualifying offer to this offseason. If Ray declines the qualifying offer and reaches free agency, he'll be the most coveted lefty available.
11. RHP Noah Syndergaard
Noah Syndergaard can become a free agent this offseason.(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 29
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
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 Mets would be wise to extend a qualifying offer to Syndergaard. If not, he'd be a very interesting free agent target for a team that's not risk averse.
10. OF Nick Castellanos
Nick Castellanos can become a free agent this offseason.(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 30
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
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. Audacy Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman says that Castellanos is likely to opt out of the remaining two years of his contract this offseason. One would think that if he does the Reds will extend a qualifying offer to him. We'll see if he believes he can do better on the free agent market than a massive payday for one year from the Reds.
9. 3B/OF Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant can become a free agent this offseason.(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 30
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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. Presumably, Farhan Zaidi and the Giants would like to extend Bryant. But if he reaches the free agent market, he'll be an enticing addition for a slew of contenders. Not only can Bryant play multiple positions, but any suitor wouldn't have to surrender draft compensation to sign him because his midseason trade means that he's not eligible to receive a qualifying offer.
8. RHP Kevin Gausman
Kevin Gausman had a career year with the Giants in 2021.(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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 if the Giants allow him to reach the open market.
7. CF Starling Marte
Starling Marte can become a free agent this offseason.(Jay Biggerstaff/USA Today)Age in 2022 Season: 33
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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.
6. 2B/SS Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien can become a free agent this offseason.(Michael Owens/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 31
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
Semien disappointed in 2020, his final season with the Oakland Athletics. However, that may be 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. The A's -- in a pretty shortsighted move -- didn't extend a qualifying offer to Semien last offseason and he ultimately signed a one-year/$18 million deal in Toronto. Certainly, Semien, who played primarily at second base in 2021, will receive a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays this winter if a long-term deal can't be worked out in the interim.
5. 1B Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman can become a free agent this offseason.(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 32
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
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 a qualifying offer, so the Braves will need to work out a long-term deal if they hope to keep Freeman in their uniform for the entirety of his career. 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
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
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.
3. RHP Max Scherzer
Max Scherzer can become a free agent this offseason.(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 37
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? No
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 can't extend a qualifying offer to him because he was traded during the season, which sets 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
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
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. But unless he accepts the qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seager could very well depart in free agency this winter given that the defending World Series Champions acquired Trea Turner in July.
1. SS Carlos Correa
Carlos Correa can become a free agent this offseason.(Ed Zurga/Getty Images)Age in 2022 Season: 27
Eligible for Qualifying Offer? Yes
Like Seager, Correa has had some issues staying on the field in his career. However, Correa has been largely healthy in 2021, and will be 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 he'll seemingly be rewarded for betting on himself.
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