So that you’re a staff on the free-agent market, wanting so as to add the subsequent huge piece of what you hope is usually a contending staff, or perhaps simply that remaining complementary half to assist get you over the road. Who’s on the market – and what sort of assist can they provide?
It’s an fascinating market this yr, as a result of whereas there’s loads of expertise – particularly in mid-level beginning pitching – there’s no franchise-defining expertise who utterly reshapes your membership. The previous few offseasons had, so as, Choose, Ohtani and Soto. There’s no one fairly like that this time round. What there will probably be is a pleasant collection of all types of positions, skills, and abilities that simply may suit your staff completely. Utilizing the brand new Statcast Sizzling Range Tracker at Baseball Savant, we will attempt to see what’s there primarily based on what you want.
(For gamers coming to the Majors after taking part in in international leagues, like Japanese stars Munetaka Murakami and Tatsuya Imai or returning American ex-pats like Cody Ponce and Anthony Kay, 2025 Statcast information is just not at present publicly out there and isn’t included right here.)
In case you’re in search of: The perfect hitters general
Anticipated Weighted On-Base Common (min. 200 plate appearances, for this and beneath)
In case you’re in search of hitters this winter, that is the place you’re headed. That is the cream of the hitting crop. We’re utilizing a strong Statcast metric with a goofy acronym (xwOBA), and what it does is account not just for the standard of contact made (exit velocity, launch angle) however the quantity of contact made, too (strikeouts, walks, hit by pitches). The 2025 MLB common was .316; the very best was Choose, at .459.
So sure, in case you already thought that Schwarber, Alonso, and Tucker had been one of the best hitters out there, this confirms that. (Keep in mind that we’re 2025 hitting solely right here, and never making an attempt to regulate for age to venture ahead.) This tells you that Grisham earned his 34-homer season – do not forget that he hit much better away from Yankee Stadium than at dwelling – and that the well-traveled Bell, who you most likely don’t take into consideration that a lot, may nonetheless have some life in his bat.
The place, although, are Alex Bregman (.336, twelfth) and Cody Bellinger (.322, twenty fourth)? Nonetheless high quality hitters, to make sure, however in Bregman’s case, that’s nicely down from his peak years, when he was within the .370 vary – and his second half was precisely 200 factors of OPS lower than his first half. In Bellinger’s case, the up-and-down trajectory of his profession has lengthy been tough to guage, and in contrast to Grisham, the brief porch at Yankee Stadium actually did appear to assist: His dwelling OPS (.909) was a lot better than his highway mark (.715). What a metric like xwOBA is saying is: His true efficiency was most likely someplace within the center.
In case you’re in search of: Smashed baseballs
Schwarber and Alonso high this grouping additionally, as you’d completely anticipate, after which …. Refsnyder? He’ll be 35 in March, and he’s spent the final decade bouncing across the American League as a little-noticed utility participant, however he additionally discovered a house in Boston over the past 4 years, posting a 123 OPS+ (that’s 23% above the league common) with three glorious years round a down 2023. Other than his age, the flaw right here is apparent: Refsnyder is an excessive platoon participant, one who most likely doesn’t ever really want to face a right-handed pitcher.
Towards lefties, although, Refsynder merely mashes. In 2025, amongst these with 125 plate appearances in opposition to lefties, his .302/.399/.560 mark was tenth finest; over the past 4 seasons, min. 500 plate appearances, it’s sixth-best. It’s what he does. In case you have a look at the groups with the weakest corner-outfield/DH manufacturing in opposition to lefty pitchers final yr, you get plenty of groups who appear to wish to make a playoff push in 2026: Kansas Metropolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and San Francisco. It’s by no means exhausting to see Refsnyder being a extra valued possibility than you’d suppose.
In case you’re in search of: Smashed baseballs, within the air
We’re oversimplifying somewhat right here, but when a hard-hit ball is usually a grounder, then a barrel is a hard-hit ball within the air. It’s one of the best mixture of exit velocity and launch angle (you possibly can learn a fuller definition right here), and it’s been confirmed to be one of many extra predictive Statcast metrics. We, once more, merely can’t say sufficient occasions that Schwarber and Alonso stand above the remainder of the group in baseball-mashing, and Tucker (10.8%, above the MLB common of 8.6%) is one of the best all-around participant resulting from his well-rounded abilities and relative youth. Suárez and Grisham simply had large energy seasons. These are usually not precisely unknown portions.
Most of them, anyway. Tellez form of is what he’s at this level, which is to say a bat highly effective sufficient that it overcomes deficiencies in making contact and baserunning/protection that, in his finest years, will get him as much as a league-average bat. Moncada, nonetheless, is a much more fascinating identify. A giant a part of the commerce that despatched Chris Sale to Boston a decade in the past, Moncada had a star-level 2019 for the White Sox (25 homers, 141 OPS+), however years of decline and harm adopted, resulting in a one-year take care of the Angels simply as camp began in February.
Moncada received harm once more, lacking time with thumb and knee points. He performed the weakest third base protection within the league. However he additionally posted a 116 OPS+ (that’s 16% higher than common), and hit a dozen homers in a half-season, and he’s a 30-year-old switch-hitter who has spent years on a few of baseball’s least efficient groups, and that barrel price pops. We’d see if some forward-thinking staff thinks it’s price a glance. Not, nonetheless, as an everyday third baseman.
In case you’re in search of: Good protection
Statcast’s Fielding Run Worth takes the entire varied fielding metrics – catcher framing, outfielder arms, fielder vary by way of Outs Above Common, and many others. – and places it onto one scale. Final yr, one of the best fielders, studs like Patrick Bailey, Alejandro Kirk, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Pete Crow-Armstrong – received up into the 20s and even 31 Runs, in Bailey’s case. There’s nobody fairly like that right here, however there’s actually fielding worth available.
There’s worth, for instance, in Bellinger, who presents not solely high quality protection (+9 FRV) as a approach to stand out from poor free agent defenders like Bichette (-10) and Alonso (-8), however does so with the flexibility to play all three outfield spots and, if wanted, first base. Whereas his bat isn’t fairly what one of the best sluggers right here can supply, his considerably uncommon defensive abilities make for a much more well-rounded participant. Whereas France’s protection was a little bit of a shock and Santana’s profession could be over as he nears 40 after a poor hitting season, word that Bader is among the finest outfielders Statcast has ever seen. You additionally could have observed what Rojas did in the course of the World Sequence.
One actual weak spot of this class: In order for you a powerful defensive backstop, there’s actually not one to be discovered. No, not even J.T. Realmuto (-6), who has had a notable decline in his protection as he’s aged, although that’s nearly totally resulting from framing and blocking, as a result of his potential to throw out baserunners stays glorious.
In case you’re in search of: Quick runners
We minimize this one right down to a minimal of 100 plate appearances, since you don’t really want that a lot time to point out in case you’re quick or not, and the Main League common right here is 27 ft/sec, with true burners like Trea Turner and Victor Scott II topping 30. Thomas is the standout right here, and it’s as much as you as as to if you suppose try to be fearful that the pace man had his season finish early resulting from foot surgical procedure or be impressed that he might run that quick regardless of plantar fasciitis that required that process.
Not proven right here is the precise stolen base king of the market, Josh Naylor, who managed to swipe 30 baggage regardless of being one of many slowest gamers within the Majors. As Juan Soto confirmed us this yr, pace is a pleasant factor to have if you wish to steal, nevertheless it’s not as very important as you’d anticipate, both.
In case you’re in search of: The best starters
Let’s set a minimal of 100 innings right here. Anticipated ERA, or xERA, is identical thought because the xwOBA metric we mentioned above for hitters — it is primarily based on each the standard and amount of contact — simply offered on the ERA scale. It is helpful as a result of it makes an attempt to take out the consequences of ballpark, protection, and luck.
Suárez and Stop are the true standouts right here, whereas Imanaga has till Nov. 18 to determine whether or not he’s going to just accept the Cubs’ qualifying supply, so he could not even be an possibility. (Not proven: Brandon Woodruff, who additionally has the identical qualifying supply resolution as Imanaga, and pitched solely 64 2/3 innings, although with a wonderful 2.18 xERA, which was nicely past his finest seasons.)
Aside from “Suárez is absolutely good,” there ought to most likely be two takeaways right here:
In case you’re in search of: The best relievers
Minimal 40 innings right here, and now we’ve received some very completely different names.
Díaz, clearly, is the largest star reliever on the market, and though this makes Thielbar seem like he’s shut, Díaz can be seven years youthful. There are some fascinating names right here that you just won’t have anticipated. For instance: Keller remodeled himself into a wonderful reliever after years being a back-end starter, and Fairbanks grew to become a free agent for the primary time after a number of years of top-flight efficiency for Tampa Bay.
However we expanded this checklist only a contact longer than the earlier ones expressly to incorporate Williams, who will attain free company beneath the cloud of “having posted a 4.79 ERA” however who, like Stop, will retain nice enchantment for all the pieces that also seems nice beneath the hood. Groups don’t choose pitchers, particularly relievers, solely on ERA.
Be aware how excessive the submarining Rogers is, and retailer that away. We’re going to get again to him.
In case you’re in search of: The perfect swing-and-miss stuff
Whiff price (min. 40 innings)
Díaz, like Schwarber and Alonso on the hitting facet, will proceed to point out up atop these lists, for good motive. That is additionally precisely why Williams will entice extra curiosity than the ERA would point out – he’s nonetheless lacking bats – and have a look at Stop, the one starter displaying up there like he’s a short-outing reliever. Maintain an eye fixed out for Maton as an fascinating identify — he actually leaned into his future as a cutters-and-curves man and elevated his strikeout price from 23% to 33%, the second-largest bounce of any certified pitcher final yr.
In case you’re in search of: The perfect ground-ballers
Floor-ball price (min. 40 innings)
There’s Rogers once more, persevering with a profession of preserving it on the bottom, and Valdez, who is among the most preeminent ground-ball artists of his era. As if Keller including a ton of velocity and strikeouts wasn’t spectacular sufficient, he’s a ground-baller too, apparently, and must be a really intriguing free agent available on the market.
In case you’re in search of: The perfect fastball velocity
4-seam/sinker velocity (min. 40 innings)
No Rogers right here, however we’re not finished with him but. As soon as once more, Keller stands out as being of curiosity, and as soon as once more, Stop pops as being principally “a reliever who can throw a ton of innings.” Robert Suarez – that’s San Diego’s reliever, not Philadelphia starter Ranger – is about to show 35, however the velocity absolutely hasn’t began to wane.
Maybe essentially the most fascinating query is about Helsley, who has elite fastball velocity and noticed a whole lot of success for St. Louis from 2022-24, but had a frankly disastrous 2025 wherein he was traded to the Mets and put up a 7.20 ERA in 20 innings for New York. The fastball, exhausting because it was, received completely pasted (.422 BA, .667 SLG), and whereas there was some dialogue of pitch-tipping occurring, that’s a whole lot of injury to speak your approach round. We assume some staff will have a look at the velo and the historical past of success and be wanting to see if they’ll make things better.
In case you’re in search of: Stopping loud contact
Lowest barrel price (min. 40 innings)
By way of lowest hard-hit price, it’s Ferguson adopted by Tyler Kinley, however let’s stick with the higher worth of “not letting it get crushed within the air,” and now we’re beginning to see why Rogers isn’t simply odd, he’s good. That these are largely the identical names we’ve seen on different lists provides you a good suggestion of who the highest half-dozen or so relievers will probably be on this market.
Additionally word the addition of Soto, who had an odd transformation after becoming a member of the Mets. The lefty minimize his stroll price by greater than half in comparison with what he’d finished with Baltimore, however he additionally noticed his strikeout price drop, and the top consequence was about the identical because it had been.
In case you’re in search of: Excessive arm angles
A part of pitching as we speak is “how bizarre are you able to get?” In different phrases, making an attempt to get completely different seems and angles and pitch repertoires on the identical workers, one thing groups actually do worth now. Having a non-traditional arm angle doesn’t inherently make you good or dangerous … simply fascinating. The context right here is that 90° can be straight excessive, 0° can be precisely sidearm, and that the typical thrower is at 38°.
Lowest arm angles (min 40 innings)
Highest arm angles (min 40 innings)
You’ll be completely surprised to know that Rogers is a big excessive on this approach, and that is how a pitcher throwing 84-mph fastballs manages to achieve success yr after yr. Whereas it didn’t work out for Helsley in New York, it’s most likely not a coincidence that the Mets traded for each Rogers and Helsley on the identical day. In any case, what could possibly be extra confounding for hitters than 84 coming from beneath the dust adopted by 100 coming from proper excessive?
