Seven Pending MLB Free Agents Who Have Hurt Their Stock This Year

There is plenty of talent set to hit the open market this offseason, but not every player on their contract year has put their best foot forward ahead of free agency. There have been some notable pending free agents that haven’t played up to their standards this year, and that will likely negatively impact their earning potential on the open market.

Let’s take a look at seven pending free agents who have hurt their stock heading into the offseason.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees 2B

Chisholm set some lofty expectations for himself heading into the season when he boldly declared he wanted to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases. He’ll end up fairly close to the 50 stolen base mark, currently on pace for 46, but he won’t even sniff 30 homers this year, let alone 50. Chisholm is having one of the worst offensive seasons of his career.

The 2025 Silver Slugger winner is on pace for career lows in batting average (.221), on-base percentage (.299) and slugging percentage (.397), and his strikeout rate is up to 30.1% from 27.9% last season. He’s likely played himself out of the Yankees’ long-term plans, and should see his value on the open market plummet as a result. Age is on his side, as he’s still just 28 years old, but this was far from the campaign Chisholm was hoping for as he enters free agency for the first time.

George Springer, Blue Jays DH

MLB — George Springer has struggled after dealing with a toe injury in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a fantastic season in 2025 in which he recorded a career-high .959 OPS, Springer hasn’t looked the same in ’26. Soon to be 37 years old, it’s been a disappointing campaign for the veteran, who has seen his OPS drop more than 250 points year over year to a below-average mark of .706.

Springer has dealt with some injuries this season, including a fractured toe, which is likely impacting his performance at the plate. But as an aging veteran coming off a significant down year who can’t capably play the field anymore—he’s played just two games as an outfielder this season after playing 54 last year—he’ll almost certainly land a modest one-year deal.

Freddy Peralta, Rays SP

The Mets surrendered a valuable package of prospects to bring Freddy Peralta from Milwaukee to Queens, but he didn’t last a full season in New York before being shipped to the Rays at the trade deadline. The trade to Tampa Bay hasn’t improved his results much, either, as the righthander owns a 5.60 ERA in five starts with his new team—though Wednesday’s game against the Tigers (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) provides hope he’s turned a corner.

Among 54 qualified starting pitchers this season, Peralta owns the second-worst ERA (5.11), better than only Merrill Kelly. His strikeout numbers are the worst they’ve ever been and he’s walking more batters than he did last year. In six fewer starts, he’s already surrendered more home runs than he did all of last season, too. With free agency looming and Peralta now on the wrong side of 30, he hasn’t done himself any favors on the mound.

Bo Bichette, Mets IF

MLB — Bo Bichette has a $42 million player option for the 2027 season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bichette hasn’t had a great first season with the Mets, though he’s turned things around after a particularly putrid first couple of months. Bichette will almost certainly opt in to the second year of his contract in New York, when he’ll be due $42 million. He won’t get that type of money on the open market after what’s been an underwhelming season, in which the 28-year-old owns a .704 OPS with 14 home runs and 66 RBIs.

Luis Robert Jr., Mets CF

A back injury cost Robert much of this season, as he’s been limited to 53 games. When Robert has been on the field in his first year in New York, he has a .737 OPS, which is up from the last two seasons, but it's nothing to write home about and the other parts of his game have taken a hit.

Robert stole 33 bases in 110 games last year, but he has just two steals as a Met—and has been caught stealing three times. His defense in center field is also right around average after he’d largely been excellent there over the years. He has been solid at the plate, striking out in 23.9% of his plate appearances, down from 26% last year and 33.2% in ’24, while improving his walk rate to 10.9%, the highest mark of his career. But an inability to stay healthy, having missed at least 50 games in each of the last three seasons, will hurt the 29-year-old’s value as he hits the open market.

Eugenio Suárez, Reds DH

MLB — Eugenio Suarez has struggled for the Reds in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Suárez belted 49 home runs last season with the Diamondbacks and Mariners, but he’s had a major drop-off offensively since signing a one-year, $15 million deal with the Reds, whom he played for between 2015–21.

Suárez recorded a .824 OPS last season, but has a .696 OPS in ’26, putting him below league-average—not ideal for a guy who doesn’t play much third base anymore. He has registered -0.5 fWAR on the year, with just 18 home runs and 53 RBIs in 102 games, while striking out in an unsightly 34.8% of his plate appearances, ranking in the first percentile of qualified major leaguers. At 35 years old and with heavily declining offensive production, Suarez might struggle to secure a guaranteed major-league contract.

Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks SP

Gallen may have figured last offseason would be the most humbling moment of his career, as he declined a $22 million qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks at the outset of free agency, only to sign an identical deal with them in February after he didn’t find anything more to his liking. Unfortunately, 2026 hasn’t gotten any better for Arizona’s former ace on the field.

Across 19 starts, Gallen owns a 6.34 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 31 walks in 98 innings. The righthander’s 21.5% strikeout rate last season was the lowest mark of his career, but that figure has plummeted further still, down to a dismal 13.9%. He’s never been a flamethrower, but opposing hitters have teed off on his fastball, batting .331 against the pitch with a .545 slugging percentage. Currently on the 60-day IL, Gallen is expected to return to Arizona’s pitching staff in September, at which point he’ll be hopeful of turning things around ahead of free agency. But it wouldn’t be a shock if he had to do so in the bullpen after actively harming the D-Backs’ playoff chances for most of the season.

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