MLB: 5 best free agents who aren’t Bryce Harper or Manny Machado
This season’s MLB free agent class is headlined by Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, both of whom are still unsigned and looking for teams. But there are plenty of others waiting for new deals as well.
Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are the indisputable big fish of this year’s free agency period. Both players are searching for contracts north of seven years and $300 million. But so far, teams are either reluctant to hand out such a deal, or they are still trying to find ways to get creative in order to swing it.
There are still other very good players left on the market being overshadowed by Harper and Machado, though. Like last offseason, this year’s free agency has been a bit of a slow burner. But there are still several teams with glaring needs at certain positions. Even if it takes longer than initially expected, the rest of the prominent free agents will come off the board.
Here are the five best remaining free agents not named Bryce Harper or Manny Machado.
5. Dallas Keuchel
Dallas Keuchel is probably the best-remaining starting pitcher available on the market. He’s had his ups and downs to this point, but his overall body of work over the course of seven seasons with the Houston Astros has been more than solid.
He currently boasts a career 76-63 record with a 3.66 ERA. But even though he is a two-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner, Keuchel isn’t without some red flags. He had a nice 2018 season, but the peripherals show he might be regressing a bit. And since he’ll be entering his age-31 season, teams will likely be wary of giving him a massive, multi-year deal.
He might not be considered an ace-quality starter anymore, but he’s still got plenty of upside and would fit in nicely with just about any rotation. In 2018, he started in a career-high 34 games and eclipsed 200 innings pitched. Durability like that in starting pitchers isn’t easy to come by right now so that in itself will make him look more appealing to teams.
Keuchel is still a high-ceiling pitcher. He probably won’t get a superstar caliber deal, but there are plenty of teams in need of reliable starting pitching that should be willing to give him a more-than-modest contract.
The Cincinnati Reds could potentially be a good landing spot for him. They’ve bolstered their lineup considerably by adding Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig. Sliding Dallas Keuchel into their young rotation would make them that much more of a headache for the rest of the highly competitive NL Central.