As we gear up for a star-studded World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, let’s not lose sight of the free-agency picture still taking shape. You’ll surely hear a lot about it every time Yankees superstar Juan Soto or Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernández approach the plate during the World Series. There are also multiple other Dodgers and Yankees who will hit the open market once the Series concludes.
Throughout the regular season, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz kept track of the field with a top 25 listing. Here’s a look at the top crop of free agents heading into the Fall Classic. This list will evolve and expand as we approach hot stove season.
Juan Soto, Yankees OF, age 26
He has already established himself in Yankees lore with his AL-pennant clinching homer against the Guardians. His deal is expected to be record-breaking.
Mintz: Soto is the best player on the market, and it’s not close. His free-agent contract will start with a five; remember, he turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nats in 2022.
Willy Adames, Brewers SS, age 29
Mintz: Dansby Swanson hit free agency in the winter of 2022 with an inferior track record and received a seven-year, $177 million contract. That feels like Adames’ floor. People around the game also view the Dominican-born shortstop as an elite clubhouse presence.
Corbin Burnes, Orioles SP, age 30
Burnes gave the Orioles a gem in the AL wild-card round that was squandered by Baltimore’s short-lived playoff run. He’ll enter free agency as the top arm available.
Mintz: Burnes’ contract number probably starts with a two.
Max Fried, Braves SP, age 31
Mintz: There’s an argument to have Fried grouped with Blake Snell, further down this top 10, but I think the southpaw’s long track record of success is a separator.
Alex Bregman, Astros 3B, age 31
Mintz: Bregman is no longer the MVP candidate he was a few years back, but he’s also not the listless ghost we saw for the first six weeks of 2024. That all points to a number right around $200. Bregman will be highly sought after.
Blake Snell (opt-out), Giants SP, age 32
Mintz: All the reigning NL Cy Young needed was time. After a stop-start first few months during which he fended off a series of nagging injuries, Snell rediscovered his peak form. Expect him to opt out of the contract he signed last winter with San Francisco.
Pete Alonso, Mets 1B, age 30
If this was Alonso’s finale with the Mets, he deserves a hat tip from their fans after one legendary homer that ousted the Brewers in the wild-card round and another that helped extend the NLCS.
Mintz: He’s still a right-handed-hitting first baseman, which scares teams. He’s a great hitter but not an elite one. There is a chasm between what Alonso was once hoping to get ($200 million) and what he’s likely to get (closer to $125). Still, he slots above the following group of hitters because of his multiyear track record.
Anthony Santander, Orioles OF, age 30
His microscopic sample size from the postseason — 1-for-8 with 2 Ks — in Baltimore’s short-lived postseason appearance shouldn’t be a drag in free agency.
Mintz: The switch-hitting outfielder has a few unavoidable warts: He’s a mediocre defender, and he walks less than you’d like for a middle-of-the-order bat. Still, Santander carried the water-treading Orioles for long stretches of the summer, and 40-homer sluggers don’t grow on trees.
Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers OF, age 32
He’s about to get a hefty raise from his one-year $23.5 million deal with the Dodgers. The shine of a potential World Series title wouldn’t hurt, either.
Mintz: He ranks behind Santander because he’s older and not a switch-hitter, but Hernández ranks ahead of Jurickson Profar because there’s a much longer track record.
Jurickson Profar, Padres OF, age 32
Profar made one of the most memorable catches of this postseason, but he batted just .200 through the Padres’ seven games.
Mintz: This year has been a better-late-than-never breakout for the former top prospect. Whether that’s enough for a team to commit big years and dollars for a player who was solidly mediocre for a decade remains to be seen.
Jack Flaherty, Dodgers SP, age 29
Here’s another World Series participant whose free-agency profile could jump higher with a big performance in the Fall Classic.
Mintz: He’s no longer a candidate to be saddled with the qualifying offer that could have stunted his market (players traded midseason are not eligible).
Cody Bellinger (opt-out), Cubs OF/1B, age 29
Mintz: There are two years and $53 million and change left on the deal he signed with the Cubs last winter, and while his offensive numbers have taken a step back from his resurgent 2023, he’s still an above-average hitter who can play center field.
Christian Walker, Diamondbacks 1B, age 34
Mintz: He remains a fascinating free-agent proposition as a relatively older corner bat with a long track record of bashing baseballs.
Ha-Seong Kim (opt-out), Padres IF, age 29
Mintz: There’s a concerning lull in power output for a player who doesn’t hit for a particularly high average and is more of a solid shortstop defender than a Gold Glover. Then again, there aren’t too many players who can hack it defensively at the most difficult infield position, which should make Kim a hot commodity despite his offensive issues.
Yusei Kikuchi, Astros SP, age 34
Mintz: Houston was slammed for overpaying for the Japanese southpaw at the trade deadline, but Kikuchi delivered for the Astros, with a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts. With a revamped approach — he’s throwing his slider more and his curveball less — a rejuvenated Kikuchi could secure another multiyear deal this winter.
Tyler O’Neill, Red Sox outfielder, age 30
Injuries aside, O’Neill had 31 homers in 113 games in 2024.
Joc Pederson, D-backs DH, age 33
Mintz: The lefty-swinging Pederson is entirely a platoon bat at this point. He still rakes, but is that enough to secure a multiyear deal?
Michael Wacha (opt-out), Royals SP, age 34
Mintz: Wacha has one year and $16 million left on his Royals deal. The veteran right-hander is a good bet to opt out; he was top-20 in MLB in ERA and has made at least 23 starts in nine of the past 10 seasons.
Gleyber Torres, Yankees 2B, age 28
Will his solid postseason run help him lose that “low-energy player” reputation? The mid-August move to the leadoff spot has certainly helped.
Tanner Scott, Padres RP, age 30
Mintz: He’s still the most exciting reliever on the market.
Clay Holmes, Yankees RP, age 32
Mintz: His trademark sinker will never be a top-shelf swing-and-miss offering, but it gathered more whiffs than it did during his horrid midseason dip.
Carlos Estévez, Phillies RP, age 32
Mintz: He feels like a lock to improve on the 2/$13.5 million deal he got from the Angels in 2022.
Justin Verlander, Astros SP, age 42
His player option would’ve vested if he hit the 130 IP mark. He fell quite a bit short of that due to injuries that kept him off the Astros’ playoff roster. Mintz: Verlander has been open about his desire to pitch until he’s 45, and while his stuff and command have looked shaky in his two starts since coming off the IL, he’s still getting enough outs to warrant another deal, even if he ends up back in Houston. Win No. 300 lurks in the distance.
Shane Bieber, Guardians SP, age 30
Made two starts before having Tommy John surgery this season. Mintz: He won’t be ready to pitch again until next April at the earliest. He will surely garner a ton of interest nonetheless, considering his track record. Bieber was a top-10 pitcher from 2020 to 2022 and is young enough that you can envision him ascending back to those heights.
Alex Verdugo, Yankees OF, age 29
Mintz: Verdugo, frankly, just isn’t a very dynamic hitter. He’s a league-average player.
