The MLB offseason remains on pause as the league is still in a lockout, but there is still a wealth of talented free agents who have yet to sign, including some rather notable players for fantasy baseball. From potential front-line starters to future Hall of Famers and everything in between, let’s take a look at some of the best remaining free agents still on the market. We will update this when players below ink a new deal, and you can find further analysis over in the Free Agent Tracker.
Here are the top 20 remaining free agents in no particular order.
Hitters
Freddie Freeman, 1B - Freeman has been incredibly consistent over the last decade for the Braves, and specifically in recent seasons. In every season since 2016 (other than 2020), he’s hit at least 23 home runs with at least a .295 batting average. Freeman is a do-it-all guy that produces across the board for fantasy owners, and if his launch angle rebounds from his 12 degree mark in 2021, he could push for 35+ home runs to go with his 6-10 stolen bases and .300 batting average.
Update: The Los Angeles Dodgers are the winners of the Freeman sweepstakes.
Anthony Rizzo, 1B - When looking at Rizzo’s batted ball profile, he largely looks like the same player, highlighted by a solid walk rate and minimal strikeouts. He’s endured some lower than normal BABIP in recent years and struggles against right-handers in 2021 affected his playing time significantly. With a stroke of good luck, he could return a nice return on investment for fantasy managers in 2022, but I’d expect his stat line to be more comparable to 2021 than his prime years in Chicago.
Update: Rizzo has returned to the Yankees on a two-year deal.
Carlos Correa, SS - Correa signed Scott Boras for his representation, so you know he’s looking to get paid. He’s not going to come cheap by any means, especially coming off his second-best fantasy season of his career. Correa has played in more than 110 games just twice in his professional career, but he’s one of the best pure hitters at his position and is solid defensively.
Update: Correa has signed a deal with the Twins.
Trevor Story, SS - Story has proven to be an excellent bat and quite durable during his time in the big leagues. Outside of the shortened 2020 season, he has played in at least 140 games in each of the last four seasons, and the talented shortstop has at least 25 home runs in every season (sans 2020). The biggest question with Story is whether his statistics hold up outside of Coors Field. He has solid speed, so the stolen base numbers will be there, but his .241 average and 22.24 AB/HR on the road pale in comparison to his .303 average and 14.96 AB/HR at home for his career.
Update: Story will be the new second baseman for the Boston Red Sox.
Kris Bryant, INF/OF - It’s good to know that there’s still some pop in Bryant’s bat, and last year’s 10 stolen bases were a nice surprise in 2021. Bryant returned to a double-digit walk rate, helping those in OBP setups while posting an average exit velocity and barrel rate above his career norms. He started the year off white hot, cooled off in the summer months, and then picked it up a bit down the stretch. Bryant’s .471 batting average in the postseason might help his case for a longer contract heading into 2022, but he’ll need a good home park to boost his power numbers. A safe projection is 25ish home runs for Bryant, but there’s potential for more if he falls into a lucrative spot for right-handed hitters.
Update: Bryant has signed with the Colorado Rockies. Yes, you read that correctly.
Nick Castellanos, OF - Castellanos was excellent in 2021, and his .309 batting average and 34 home runs help his case for a lucrative deal before the 2022 season. He posted a sixth-straight season with a double-digit barrel rate, and a quality barrel rate in Great American Ball Park will go a long way for a player. Castellano hit 23 of his 34 homers last year at home alongside a 1.109 OPS. For comparison’s sake, he hit 11 home runs with a .773 OPS on the road in 2021. Castellanos’ fantasy value in 2022 will be impacted on where he signs, as he needs a good home park to boost his overall numbers, largely his homers and average. Since he doesn’t run, there’s a massive difference for Castellanos between a .290 batting average and 30 home runs, compared to a .270 batting average with 25 home runs.
Update: Castellanos will head to Philadelphia on a multi-year deal.
Kyle Schwarber, OF - There’s no questioning Schwarber’s power, as he’s hit at least 26 homers in every year where he’s played in at least 113 games. Last year, he hit 32 home runs in just 113 games! He’s kept the strikeouts consistent over the years, and he even saw a sizable decrease in strikeouts over his 41 games with Boston to close out the 2021 season. Another nice development for Schwarber is that he handled his own against southpaws. He hit .268 against lefties last season, and prior to 2021, he never hit better than .229 against lefties in any season. He’s best suited in a designated hitter role where his bat can shine, and his glove can stay in the clubhouse.
Update: Schwarber signed a deal with the Phillies.
Jorge Soler, DH/OF - Soler will still have outfield eligibility, which helps for fantasy purposes, but he’s best served wherever there is a DH spot available. After his trade to Atlanta in 2021, he was solid, hitting .269 with 14 home runs in 55 games (compared to 13 home runs in 94 games with Kansas City). He maintained his prolific hard contact and exceptional average exit velocity, and his 23.6 percent strikeout rate was his best mark in recent memory. He could be a nice source of power if he lands in a good spot with ample opportunities for at-bats.
Update: Soler has signed a deal with the Marlins.
Michael Conforto, OF - Conforto’s .412 BABIP from 2020 wasn’t repeatable, so a drop in his batting average was to be expected. Outside of that, most of his batted ball metrics remained the same, he kept the strikeouts down and posted a second straight season with a zone contact rate north of 81 percent. Conforto missed a good chunk of time last year with a hamstring issue, but as he regained a rhythm, he looked much better. Conforto hit .272 with eight home runs, 30 RBI and a sub-20 percent strikeout rate from August 1st on.
Eddie Rosario, OF - After hitting seven home runs with nine stolen bases through 78 games with Cleveland, Rosario went to Atlanta and helped the Braves to a title. He hit .271 with seven home runs and two stolen bases in 33 games, enjoying a nice jump in his walk rate, and he launched the ball in the air in Atlanta. Albeit a smaller sample size, his launch angle, average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard hit rate were all above his career averages. The 30-year-old outfielder enjoyed a resurgence in the stolen base department, and if he signs with a team that likes to run, he’ll be an attractive fantasy option in 2022, as he likely hits 20 home runs with a .260ish batting average.
Update: Rosario is returning to Atlanta.
Tommy Pham, OF - While the overall numbers weren't as attractive as his 2017-2019 seasons, 15 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 74 runs scored was a nice bounce back for the most part for Pham, especially when you consider his rough 2020 season. He still suffered some bad luck last year, as his .280 BABIP tanked his batting average to .229, and his xBA was actually at a more respectable .258. His batted ball metrics were in line with recent years for the most part, and while he’s still hitting a ton of ground balls, last year’s 1.52 GB/FB ratio was the lowest mark of his career. With some better luck, he should easily join the 15/10 club, with upside of being a member of the more prestigious 20/15 club.
Update: Pham has signed with the Reds.
Jonathan Villar, IF - Villar has displayed solid power numbers with above average speed throughout his career. His efficiency on the base paths has slipped in recent years, but Villar has put up double-digit stolen bases in every season since 2016. He enjoyed a career-best barrel rate last season at 7.4 percent, while posting a 23.5 percent fly ball rate, which was also a career high. A sizable jump in his fly ball rate could be good for his power numbers, but he’ll need to keep his hard-hit rate and average exit velocity close to last year’s marks to reap the potential rewards of more fly balls. His versatility should be valued by any team, as he can be played at second base, third base, shortstop or even in the outfield in a pinch.
Update: Villar is heading to the Cubs on a deal.
Nelson Cruz, DH/1B - Cruz is basically limited to the American League, unless Major League Baseball implements a universal DH. The last time Cruz played more than 30 innings in the outfield was 2016, and since the start of 2017, he’s logged 61.1 innings in the field (54.1 in OF and 7.0 innings at 1B). Despite battling Father Time and serving an injured list stint in three of the past four seasons, Cruz has maintained big time power, a double-digit barrel rate and weak contact rate at or below three percent.
Update: Cruz has signed a one-year deal with the Nationals.
Pitchers
Carlos Rodón, SP - On a per-inning basis, Rodon was excellent in 2021, posting a 34.6 percent strikeout rate and 6.7 percent walk rate. Rodon’s arsenal generated more swings out of the zone, and at least last season, his fastball and slider were two of the more effective pitches in all of baseball. The southpaw dealt with some shoulder fatigue at the end of 2021, and any arm issue for Rodon needs to be taken seriously, as he’s no stranger to arm issues and he has just one season (2016) in his career where he logged more than 140 innings.
UPDATE: Rodon has inked a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.
Clayton Kershaw, SP - It’s crazy to try to comprehend how Kershaw’s 3.55 ERA was his highest mark since 2008. Despite declining velocity with his fastball and what seems like an annual trip to the injured list, the future Hall of Famer has maintained a steady strikeout rate and his pristine command.
UPDATE: Kershaw has returned to the Dodgers on a one-year deal.
Yusei Kikuchi, SP - Recency bias might hurt Kikuchi a bit, as he posted a 3.48 ERA and 1.09 WHIP prior to the All-Star break. However, his last 13 starts resulted in a 5.98 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. He lost command as the year went on, and he allowed a lot of hard contact, highlighted by career-worsts last year in barrel rate, average exit velocity, max exit velocity, and hard hit rate. The strikeouts remained in a good spot for Kikuchi, which was a nice gain from 2020, but a negative takeaway is that the walks remained, especially over the latter half of his season.
Update: Kikuchi has signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Michael Pineda, SP - Pineda is no spring chicken at 33, and he missed a good bit of time last year for various ailments. He posted a quality 3.62 ERA, as Pineda was an underappreciated arm that helped solidify Minnesota’s rotation in 2021. Well, when he was on the field. There are some issues with Pineda’s game, especially in fantasy circles, as he’s losing valuable ticks on his fastball and his strikeout rate is dropping like it is going out of style. Also, when you are generating fewer ground balls and allowing a lot of hard contact, at some point, you’re going to get hurt, and while his 3.62 ERA was solid in 2021, his 4.96 xERA and below average hard hit rate in five of the last six years raise some red flags.
Update: Pineda signed a deal to join Detroit's starting rotation.
Kenley Jansen, RP - Jansen’s cutter is infamous among major league hitters, but he’s opted to use it less frequently in recent years. He enjoyed a nice bump in velocity on his sinking fastball last season, and the veteran closer is slowly but surely trusting his slider more and more. Jansen has an uncanny ability to minimize hard contact and he returned to keeping the ball on the ground (37.9 GB% in 2021) last year. Jansen will likely only take a gig where he’s guaranteed the ninth, but there are only a handful of spots where he wouldn’t immediately usurp the current closer.
Update: Jansen will now be the closer in Atlanta.
Ryan Tepera, RP - Tepera will make for a valuable addition to any team’s bullpen heading into the 2022 season. Alongside a massive arsenal change, Tepera posted a 2.79 ERA and his second-straight year with a strikeout rate north of 30 percent. He threw his slider way more than ever before, while bringing back his four-seamer after a career-low usage rate in 2020. Since 2017, Tepera has 12 saves, 61 holds and a 3.55 ERA.
Update: Tepera has signed with the Angels.
Collin McHugh, RP - McHugh was exceptional in 2021, and a switch in his arsenal unleashed his potential in a relief role. He threw his slider way more than ever before, and that pitch posted a sub-.180 batting average for a second straight season. More sliders also helped in the strikeout department, as he posted a 30 percent strikeout rate, and he also posted career bests in the walk department (4.9%) and barrel rate (2.5%). Take note of where he signs, as he could be very valuable for improving your team’s ratios, especially if he doubles down on his 2021 pitch usage and mentality.
Update: McHugh has signed with the Atlanta Braves.