Now that we're nearly a week removed from the Braves winning the World Series and those with player options had to make a choice, for the most part we know the complete list of free agents. And despite the impending threat of a work stoppage halting at least some of the 2022 season, the list of available players is a good one. A lot of shortstops, a lot of power and a lot of good starting pitching is out there... for the right price, of course.
Here are the five best available players out there, with predictions on where they'll ultimately wind up.
5) Marcus Semien: Who could have seen this coming a year ago? While he was great in 2019, finishing third in American League MVP voting, in a free agent year Semien hit just .223 in the shortened 2020 season and his hopes for a long-term deal seemingly all but dried up. A one-year, $18-million deal with Toronto later, and he's a hot commodity.
Like many hitters, he proved that 2020 was just a fluke, going on a tear in 2021 with the Jays, setting a Major League record with 45 home runs as a second baseman while also setting career highs in RBIs (102), slugging (.538) and stolen bases (15). He'll likely finish third once again in MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani and his teammate Vlad Guerrero, Jr. A plus defender still, he'll get a four- or five-year deal for big money. Our guess? The Mariners make a big splash and he returns to the west coast. Prediction: Mariners
4) Corey Seager: Of all the available free agent middle infielders, Seager is the most interesting. All of the tools are there, that's without a doubt, as the last two years he's combined for a .306 average with a .930 OPS. There are lingering questions, though, about his health - he's had one major injury already that cost him most of 2018, and he only played in 95 games this past year. As a result, there are also questions about how much longer he can play shortstop -- five years? Six? Four? Regardless he's going to get a big payday somewhere, and given the Yankees' needs at short, he seems like the option between, say, a Trevor Story and a Carlos Correa. Prediction: Yankees
3) Freddie Freeman: Fresh off his first World Series, the 2020 National League MVP will turn down his $18.4 million qualifying offer and test the free agent market. At 32 he's still an incredible player, overcoming a slow start to the year to hit .300 with 31 homers and a league-leading 120 runs scored. He hasn't hit below .295 since 2015, hasn't had an OPS below .841 since 2012 and is still above-average at first base. But while other teams might flirt, it's hard to see him finishing his career anywhere else but Atlanta. Prediction: Braves
2) Max Scherzer: Even at 37 he proved he's still among the elite starters in the game, pitching to the tune of a 1.98 ERA over 11 starts after being traded to the Dodgers at the deadline. He's still a workhorse, reaching 30 starts for the 11th time in 13 years in 2021 (the exceptions: he made 27 starts in 2019 and was on pace to hit 30-plus in the shortened 2020 campaign). Obviously he's not getting a long-term deal, but just last summer Trevor Bauer signed a three-year, $102-million contract. Expect Scherzer to get something similar, perhaps to remain in Los Angeles, if they can figure out a way to not pay the remainder of Bauer's contract. Prediction: Dodgers
1) Carlos Correa: Of the shortstops available, he's the one with the most enticing upside. The 28-year-old has always been big for the position, but fresh off a Gold Glove season he's shown that, barring injury, he can play there well into his 30s. His bat can't really be questioned, as his OPS has been .850 or better in five of his seven seasons -- not to mention his 18 home runs and .849 OPS lifetime in the postseason. He'll likely get Manny Machado-type money (10 years, $300 million), which prices out a couple of teams. While we think the Yankees will wind up with Seager, it wouldn't be stunning if it was Correa instead. However, the Tigers have been heavily linked, and with Miguel Cabrera's contract coming off the books in a few years, they'll pony up. Prediction: Tigers