The top MLB free agents left as Corbin Burnes reportedly lands deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The MLB offseason certainly hasn’t been short on splashes.
Several big names have changed teams this winter, headlined by the New York Mets luring outfielder Juan Soto from the Bronx to Queens on a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract in free agency.
Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell also made an in-state move, leaving the San Francisco Giants for a five-year, $162 million deal with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers were able to retain outfielder Teoscar Hernández on a reported three-year, $66 million deal, as well.
Meanwhile, former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes departed the Baltimore Orioles and returned to the National League on a reported six-year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Following the departures of Snell and Soto, the Giants and New York Yankees welcomed new stars to town. San Francisco landed shortstop Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million deal, while New York inked ace Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract and brought in 2022 NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year, $12.5 million contract.
The Yankees also found their Soto replacement in the trade market, acquiring outfielder Cody Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs moved on from Bellinger after making a big trade of their own, bringing in outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros. And in another major trade, the Chicago White Sox shipped pitcher Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox.
Other free agent activity included first baseman Christian Walker joining the Astros, second baseman Gleyber Torres heading to the Detroit Tigers, and pitcher Sean Manaea returning to the Mets.
It’s been a wild winter so far, and more big moves are still to come as a number of notable names remain unsigned. Here’s an updated look at the top remaining free agents (listed alphabetically by last name):
Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets
The Mets’ current projected lineup is headlined by Soto and Francisco Lindor, but will it also include one of the franchise’s top all-time home run hitters? Alonso, 30, ranks third in franchise history with 226 homers over his first six big league seasons. The two-time Home Run Derby champion was an All-Star for a third straight season in 2024, hitting .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs and 88 RBIs in 162 games. He also enjoyed a strong postseason as New York made a stunning run to the NLCS.
Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston Astros
A two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, Bregman has spent the first nine years of his career in Houston. After a slow start to 2024, he finished the season hitting .260/.315/.453 with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs in 145 games. The 30-year-old also earned his first-career Gold Glove.
Jack Flaherty, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Flaherty had a bounce-back 2024 season, bringing his ERA down from 4.99 the year prior to 3.17. The 29-year-old, who was acquired midseason by Los Angeles from the Detroit Tigers, went 13-7 overall with 194 strikeouts and 38 walks in 162 innings across 28 starts.
Jeff Hoffman, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
Hoffman, 31, received the first All-Star nod of his career in 2024 as he sported a 2.17 ERA with 10 saves, 89 strikeouts and 16 walks in 66.1 innings. In two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Hoffman recorded a 2.28 ERA across 118.2 innings.
Ha-Seong Kim, INF, San Diego Padres
A strong defensive infielder, Kim saw his production at the plate dip in 2024. The 29-year-old hit .233/.330/.370 with 11 homers, 47 RBIs and 22 steals in 121 games. That followed a 2023 season where Kim posted a .749 OPS across 152 games, stole 38 bases and won a Gold Glove award. Kim’s status for Opening Day is up in the air after undergoing shoulder surgery in October.
Jurickson Profar, OF/INF, San Diego Padres
Profar’s 11th big league season was the best of his career. After being released midseason by the Colorado Rockies in 2023, the 31-year-old earned his first trip to the All-Star Game in 2024, finishing the year hitting .280/.380/.459 with 24 homers and 85 RBIs.
Anthony Santander, OF, Baltimore Orioles
Unanimous MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani were the only players last season to hit more homers than Santander, who went yard a career-high 44 times. The 30-year-old also drove in over 100 runs for the first time with 102 RBIs, hitting .235/.308/.506 in 155 games. Santander, who’s upped his OPS in each of the last three seasons, made his first All-Star Game in 2024.
Roki Sasaki, RHP, Japan
Sasaki is the latest high-profile arm joining the bigs from Japan. The 23-year-old sported a 2.02 ERA with 524 strikeouts and 91 walks in 414.2 innings across four seasons with Japanese club Chiba Lotte. He also made two starts during Japan’s 2023 World Baseball Classic championship run. There’s a twist to the Sasaki free agency sweepstakes, though: teams will only be able to use international bonus pool money to sign him.
Tanner Scott, LHP, San Diego Padres
The 30-year-old Scott was an All-Star for the first time in 2024. The left-handed reliever, who was traded from the Miami Marlins to the San Diego Padres midseason, recorded a 1.75 ERA with 22 saves, 84 strikeouts and 36 walks in 72 total innings.
Justin Verlander, RHP, Houston Astros
Verlander’s age-41 season was his worst in a decade, as he finished with an ERA higher than 3.38 for the first time since 2014. The three-time Cy Young winner went 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA, as a neck injury limited him to 90.1 innings across 17 starts. The rough season came after Verlander posted a 1.75 ERA over 28 starts in 2022 and a 3.22 ERA over 27 starts in 2023.
