Ranking MLB’s Top 15 Free Agents Still Available, With Signing Predictions

The top six players from our November rankings are still on the board. Where could they end up?

Bo Bichette is less likely to return to Toronto after the Blue Jays’ signing of Kazuma Okamoto. / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It typically doesn’t take long for MLB’s top free agent to find a new home. The biggest domino usually falls by the conclusion of December’s winter meetings. Last offseason, Juan Soto was the top prize available. The one before that, it was Shohei Ohtani. Before that, Aaron Judge. They all signed their record-breaking contracts by mid-December.

That is not the case this time around. Kyle Tucker is still on the market, and with each passing day it seems less likely his next contract will set some sort of new free agency benchmark. In fact, the top six free agents from our original free agent rankings and signing predictions in November have yet to put pen to parchment.

While many of baseball’s other premier free agents may be waiting for Tucker to sign and set the market, there has still been plenty of player movement since we published our initial rankings. (All of the players we ranked between Nos. 7–17 have signed new deals.) As we enter 2026, this seems like a good time to reassess where the best unsigned players will eventually end up.

Notes: Players’ listed ages reflect how old they will be during the 2026 season.

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1. Kyle Tucker, RF

Age: 29 | Former team: Cubs | Original prediction: Giants | New prediction: Dodgers
Original rank: 1

Tucker will be aiming for a $500 million contract after he made his fourth consecutive All-Star team this year. But the drawn-out nature of his free agency process, which hasn’t produced many credible whispers, indicates he may not reach that benchmark—and presents an opportunity for the Dodgers to swoop in with a high-AAV offer heavy on player options that would let Tucker re-enter the market as early as next year.

Tucker’s potential is tantalizing; in 2023, Tucker was one home run short of joining Jeff Bagwell and Carlos Beltrán as the only Astros to record a 30–30 season. However, he’s missed more than 100 games due to injuries over the last two seasons and has yet to hit more than 30 homers. Chicago traded a strong package to the Astros to acquire Tucker for what Cubs fans hoped would be more than one season, but history says once a player of his caliber reaches the open market, he ends up changing addresses.

MORE: Best Potential Free Agency Fits for Kyle Tucker

2. Bo Bichette, SS

Age: 28 | Former team: Blue Jays | Original prediction: Tigers | New prediction: Cubs
Original rank: 2

Bichette re-established his value after a disastrous 2024 season in which injuries cost him 81 games and most of his productivity. Before the 2025 playoffs, he had never played any position other than shortstop at the major league level, but perhaps it’s time for a permanent move to second base after years of ranking near the bottom in most defensive metrics at shortstop. Bichette’s contact-heavy approach should enable him to age gracefully, and the fact that he’s hitting the open market on the right side of 30 should ensure a big payday.

Recent rumors have linked Bichette to a wide array of contenders, including the Cubs, Phillies and Yankees, who would presumably trade their incumbent second basemen if they can convince Bichette to sign. The Blue Jays, however, are “increasingly unlikely” to sign Bichette in the wake of their four-year deal with Kazuma Okamoto, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

MORE: Best Potential Free Agency Fits for Bo Bichette

3. Cody Bellinger, OF/1B

Cody Bellinger could soon join his fourth team in five years. / Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Age: 30 | Former team: Yankees | Original prediction: Phillies | New prediction: Yankees
Original rank: 3

After being traded to New York in what was essentially a salary dump for the Cubs, Bellinger swatted 29 home runs—his most since hitting 47 in his MVP campaign in 2019—to go along with a career-best 13.7% strikeout rate. Add in plus outfield defense in the corners and capable coverage in center field, and the decision to opt out of his contract was an easy one. Bellinger is clearly one of the premier bats available this winter—not too bad for a guy who was non-tendered by the Dodgers just three years ago. The Yankees have indicated retaining him is their top remaining offseason priority.

MORE: Best Potential Free Agency Fits for Cody Bellinger

4. Alex Bregman, 3B

Age: 32 | Former team: Red Sox | Original prediction: Red Sox | New prediction: Red Sox
Original rank: 4

Bregman opted out of his contract just one year into his three-year, $120 million deal in Boston. A quad injury cost him about a month-and-a-half in the middle of the year, but he was otherwise productive at the plate after a relatively down 2024 campaign. Bregman’s approach is sound, with minimal swing-and-miss and a good command of the strike zone, and his defense remains at least solid at the hot corner, so it seems likely he’ll get four- or five-year offers from teams this time around. Bregman assumed a leadership role last year with the Red Sox, who appear motivated to sign a star infielder.

MORE: Best Potential Free Agency Fits for Alex Bregman

5. Framber Valdez, SP

Age: 32 | Former team: Astros | Original prediction: Diamondbacks | New prediction: Angels
Original rank: 5

Valdez is one of the majors’ most durable, consistent pitchers; he and Giants ace Logan Webb are the only two hurlers to complete at least 175 innings while recording an ERA under 3.70 in each of the last four seasons. The worm-burning lefty also has three top-10 Cy Young finishes, a no-hitter and a World Series-clinching win under his belt from his time with the Astros. Valdez would step in as a top-tier No. 2 pitcher on just about any pitching staff, and the fact he doesn’t rely on elite velocity likely means he’d age well over the course of a five-year contract. The Angels, who recently agreed to a buyout with Anthony Rendon and reached a settlement in the Tyler Skaggs wrongful death lawsuit, have the payroll space for a big move to get them closer to contention.

6. Ranger Suárez, SP

Age: 30 | Former team: Phillies | Original prediction: Padres | New prediction: Mets
Original rank: 6

The gap between Valdez and Suárez is razor thin, and you could make a strong argument for their places on this list being swapped. The Phillies stalwart is a similarly crafty lefty who has been the picture of consistency over the last four years, always posting a FIP between 3.21 and 3.90. A master of inducing soft contact, Suárez goes against the grain of the modern model starter who relies on plus stuff and seems to thrive on giving hitters a different look than they’re used to. He should solidify some contender’s projected playoff rotation. ESPN’s Buster Olney recently reported that it seems “inevitable” the Mets will end up adding either Valdez or Suárez to their rotation, so we’ll project the Mets to swipe the latter from their division rivals.

7. Eugenio Suárez, 3B

Age: 34 | Former team: Mariners | Original prediction: Rangers | New prediction: Pirates
Original rank: 18

Suárez ranked fifth in the majors with 49 home runs in 2025, but there are quite a few warning signs about the slugger’s longevity. He’s long been one of the most whiff-prone hitters in the league, his production cratered after a midseason return to the Mariners and his defense is already poor enough that his glove is best kept in his locker. All that said, he could make a massive difference in the middle of the lineup on a short-term deal for an offense-starved team like the suddenly active Pirates if everything goes right.

8. J.T. Realmuto, C

Age: 35 | Former team: Phillies | Original prediction: Phillies | New prediction: Phillies
Original rank: 21

The only catcher on these rankings has been a rock-solid member of the Phillies’ championship-contending core for seven years. Unfortunately, his first below-average offensive season in a decade signals either a classic case of a catcher declining in his mid-30s or some truly terrible timing. A return to Philadelphia seems like the best-case scenario for all involved, as he’s likely more valuable to the Phils than anyone else at this stage of his career.

9. Zac Gallen, SP

Age: 30 | Former team: Diamondbacks | Original prediction: Tigers | New prediction: Braves
Original rank: 23

Gallen has made 126 starts over the past four seasons and has logged the third-most innings in baseball during that span, so durability is clearly among his strongest traits. Whether or not all that mileage has begun to wear him down is another issue. He posted career worsts in ERA (4.58), FIP (4.50) and strikeout rate (21.5%) in 2025, a swift decline after back-to-back top-10 Cy Young Award finishes in ‘22 and ‘23. Given his track record, it wouldn’t be a shock if Gallen opted for a short-term deal to regain some of his lost value in search of a bigger payday this time next year.

10. Harrison Bader, CF

Harrison Bader recorded a career-high 117 OPS+ in 2025. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Age: 32 | Former team: Phillies | Original prediction: Dodgers | New prediction: Mets
Original rank: 28

From 2022 to ‘24, Bader put up a .284 on-base percentage—ninth-worst among 230 qualified hitters—with an 80 wRC+. He picked a great year to break out of that rut, posting career highs across the board over 146 games while playing his usual strong defense. That should set him up nicely for a multi-year deal, particularly in a year with a relatively thin crop of starting-caliber center fielders. Bader’s uptick in offensive production seems tied to him adding bat speed, which upped his barrel rate but also his strikeout in whiff rates. It was clearly a worthwhile tradeoff, and inquiring teams will need to decide whether or not its effect can be a lasting one.

11. Luis Arraez, 1B

Age: 29 | Former team: Padres | Original prediction: Guardians | New prediction: Nationals
Original rank: 25

Baseball’s King of Contact is beyond compare. Nobody else runs a strikeout rate like Arraez’s career 6.1%, and for a while, his singular approach was remarkably effective. Arraez won three straight batting titles in three different uniforms from 2022 to ‘24, averaging 630 plate appearances with a 123 wRC+ during that span. That production took a big dip in ‘25, as Arraez put up career worsts with a .292 batting average and 104 wRC+. When the singles stop falling in, Arraez is left with a lot of empty calories, particularly when factoring in his defensive limitations. He seems like a good candidate to chase a one-year platform deal to get back on more solid footing for next winter.

12. Zack Littell, SP

Age: 30 | Former team: Reds | Original prediction: Orioles | New prediction: A’s
Original rank: 27

Littell set a career high in starts (32) and innings (186 2/3) last season, elevating himself to a reliable rotation mainstay just three years after being a full-time reliever. He doesn’t miss many bats, he doesn’t walk people much and he now can take the ball every fifth day. An alarming home run rate (1.74 per nine innings) should go down pitching away from Tampa Bay and Cincinnati, so Littell will likely be enticing for teams looking to add to their pitching depth (which is pretty much all of them).

13. Lucas Giolito, SP

Age: 30 | Former team: Red Sox | Original prediction: Diamondbacks | New prediction: Orioles
Original rank: 29

If you need some convincing that the Angels have inherited the mantle of MLB’s most cursed franchise, consider Giolito’s last couple of years. After he was traded from the White Sox to the Halos at the 2023 trade deadline in an ill-conceived attempt at contention, he posted a 6.89 ERA in six starts for Los Angeles, was put on waivers and claimed by Cleveland, where he was even worse, then signed with the Red Sox in the offseason and had to undergo elbow surgery before he threw a pitch for them. Fortunately, 2025 brought some respite in the form of 26 starts with a 3.41 ERA, albeit with a sharp downturn in strikeout rate. The end product is a mid-rotation arm with a heavy dose of risk attached. 

14. Chris Bassitt, SP

Age: 37 | Former team: Blue Jays | Original prediction: Blue Jays | New prediction: Cubs
Original rank: 36

Bassitt is the metronome of this year’s class of pitchers. He’s made at least 30 starts in each of the last four years, with a 3.77 ERA and a strikeout rate that’s never wavered from 22%. At his age and declining velocity, though, he’s at best a depth piece for teams who need an extra reliable arm to help cover innings and get them to the postseason, not necessarily somebody you’d feel comfortable starting in a playoff game. That’s still a valuable profile, though, and even entering his age-37 season, Bassitt could command a multi-year deal.

15. Nick Martinez, SP

Age: 35 | Former team: Reds | Original prediction: Angels | New prediction: Padres
Original rank: 37

Since MLB implemented the qualifying offer system in 2012, 157 players have been offered one. Martinez became just the 14th to accept it last year, locking in a one-year, $21.5 million deal for himself. He began the year as a rotation mainstay but, by year’s end, was back in his old familiar swingman role. Martinez logged career highs in starts (26) and innings (165 2/3), but also posted his worst ERA (4.45) and strikeout rate (17%) since returning to the majors from Japan in ‘22. Despite those results, Martinez has had a sub-4.00 xERA in each of the past four years, and his versatility will likely earn him a good bit of interest on the open market, albeit at a lower rate than he earned last year.

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