We're now a week removed from the Dodgers breaking a three-decade World Series drought, and it's time to turn our attention to the hot stove. With the way folks with player options are opting in, the expectation is that the financial windfall of this season is going to mean for a light winter on the money front. Another factor? There aren't huge names out there like a Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Mookie Betts, all of whom signed for $300 million or more in the last two years.
That's not to say there aren't good players out there. With the free agency period technically open, here are the five best available players:
1) George Springer: The best position player available, Springer is likely to decline the Astros' one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer and is free to sign with whomever. However, it also means that whoever does ink the 31-year-old will lose a draft pick in compensation.
Of course, people will point to his involvement in the 2017 Astros' scandal - the year he was named World Series MVP. However, his best offensive season was actually 2019, when he hit 39 homers with a .974 OPS and a .292 average, and his postseason credentials speak for themselves: 19 home runs, and a 1.295 OPS in the World Series. A centerfielder who could transition to the corners, the age is a bit of a worry. A four- or five-year deal worth $20-25 million a year, though, would mean you're likely not biting the bullet for the final two years like some of these longer term deals. Prediction: Braves
2) Trevor Bauer: One of the bigger personalities in baseball, he rubs old-timey folks the wrong way for sure. But once every five days he's one of the best starters in the game. The 29-year-old (he turns 30 in January) led the National League in ERA (1.74) and WHIP (0.795) in 2020, was second in strikeouts (100) and he'll be a Cy Young finalist when it gets announced on Monday, with a good chance to win it. Saying he wants to go to a contender, though 2018 seems like a long time ago given how this year went, the Red Sox would be a good fit. He'd join a rotation decimated in 2020 by injury, but theoretically getting back Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez to join Nathan Eovaldi. Bauer would only bolster things. Prediction: Red Sox
3) J.T. Realmuto: Catchers with a consistent bat are a rarity today, and none are better than Realmuto. The 29-year-old hit .266 in 2020, his lowest mark in five years, but he notched his third consecutive season with an OPS above .820, in a full year would have had his third straight 20-homer campaign and is a league-average catcher behind the plate. Though he turns 30 in March, he's a young 30 by the position's standards, as he didn't begin catching until he was drafted by Miami in 2010. We think he'll head to his third NL East team, and he'll become the first splash free agent signing of the Steve Cohen era in Queens. Prediction: Mets
4) DJ LeMahieu: There was no more valuable Yankee the last two years than LeMahieu, who turned a little-celebrated two-year, $24 million deal in the winter of 2018 into back-to-back top-five MVP finishes (assuming he does so in 2020... he will). An All-Star in 2019, LeMahieu batted .327 with a career-best 29 homers, taking full advantage of right field at Yankee Stadium. This year he was even better, hitting .364 for his second batting title, leading the AL on on-base and OPS in the process. Though he's a free agent, he's too valuable for the Yankees to let slip away. Expect a three- or four-year deal for big money. Prediction: Yankees
5) Marcell Ozuna: Atlanta is the place to go for career resurgence. A year after Josh Donaldson turned a one-year "prove it" deal into a 37-homer season and a big contract elsewhere, Ozuna is set to do the same. After a decent 2019 with the Cardinals, the outfielder signed a one-year, $18-million deal in Atlanta and became one of the best hitters in the game in 2020. Playing in all 60 games the 29-year-old led the NL in homers (18), RBIs (56) and total bases and finished third in average (.338) and OPS (1.067). Almost exclusively a designated hitter, how fun would he be with the White Sox, who have a hole at DH and with so many young players could bring in a vet to fill it? Prediction: White Sox