Breaking down the best of what’s left in the MLB free-agent market

7. Homer Bailey

Right-hander Homer Bailey threw no-hitters in back-to-back years to convince the Cincinnati Reds to take the plunge and offer him a six-year, $105-million extension in 2014. It seemed like a safe enough bet at the time. Bailey was 27 and coming off two dominant seasons with more than 200 innings.

When he signed his deal, Bailey was coming off a two-year run over which he had gone 24-22 with a 3.58 ERA with two no-hitters. The Reds believed he was about to enter his prime and was only going to get better. That actually seemed like what would happen in the early going of 2014. Bailey entered the stretch run that year riding a seven-start run with a 1.62 ERA in 50 innings. That was the last time Bailey would ever pitch well in a Reds uniform. He was shut down in early August 2014 with arm fatigue and battled injuries for the remainder of the deal.

Over the final four years of his time in Cincinnati, Bailey was 9-27 with a 6.25 ERA. He started only eight games in 2015 and 2016 combined and was 1-14 with a 6.09 ERA in 2018 before the Reds traded him to the Dodgers in a salary dump. The rebuilding Kansas City Royals gave Bailey an invite to Spring Training, expecting very little. He managed to make their roster and pitched well enough to become a trade chip at the deadline.

In his first healthy season since 2013, Bailey went 13-9 with a 4.57 ERA. Spectacular? Not really, but the 33-year-old showed he can still pitch at the MLB level and got better as the year went on, pitching to a 2.25 ERA over his final eight starts with a strikeout per inning.