MLB free agency has just about run its course with pitchers and catchers around the corner. Alex Bregman is a Chicago Cub. Bo Bichette is a New York Met. Kyle Tucker is, somehow, a Los Angeles Dodger. If you're looking for game-changing talent, well, you're just about out of luck at this point of the offseason — unless you're willing to wade into the murky waters surrounding Framber Valdez right now.
But game-changing talent isn't the only kind. It takes 26 players to fill out an MLB roster, and even more to survive a 162-game marathon and make it to October. Solving needs isn't sexy, but it comes in handy when it's time to play ball — and there are several names still on the market who can help playoff contenders do just that on a budget.
1B Rhys Hoskins (age: 32)
2025 stats: .237/.332/.416 (108 OPS+), 12 HR in 90 games
Hoskins became something of a forgotten man in Milwaukee; he went down with injury in mid-summer, then had his starting job Wally Pipp'd by the Andrew Vaughn breakout. He made just one start in September and didn't appear in a single game in the postseason.
It's easy to forget now, but before his injury, Hoskins was crushing the ball, posting an .849 OPS through the end of May and looking like the sturdy middle-of-the-order bat he was before tearing his ACL in 2023. The batted-ball profile was solid — he still hits it pretty hard and hits a ton of pull-side fly balls — and he's only 32 years old. His limitations are obvious at this point, and he gives you next to nothing in the field or on the bases. There's no reason why he can't get back to being a 25-homer regular who gets on base a ton, though, and that's a bargain for a team in need of cheap pop.
Landing spot: San Diego Padres
INF Luis Rengifo (age: 28)
2025 stats: .238/.287/.335 (73 OPS+), 9 HR, 10 SB in 147 games
Rengifo slogged through a miserable 2025 season, struggling mightily at the plate despite appearing in a career-high 147 games. But it wasn't too long ago that he was a perfectly reliable bottom-of-the-order hitter: From 2022-2024, he posted a 109 OPS+.
He'll turn 29 next month, so it's not crazy to think he can rediscover that from away from the wasteland that is Angel Stadium. And when he's right, he's the sort of player who can do a little bit of everything, playing everywhere on the infield while chipping in double-digit homers and steals. That comes in mighty handy over the course of a 162-game season; if you're a team in need of middle-infield depth, you could do a lot worse.
Landing spot: New York Mets
DH Marcell Ozuna (age: 35)
2025 stats: .232/.355/.400 (113 OPS+), 21 HR in 145 games
There's never going to be a robust market for a 35-year-old who hits right-handed and can't play the field. It's just too big a hit to your team's lineup flexibility. But for all his limitations, Ozuna can still hit: It was just two years ago that he was finishing top five in NL MVP voting.
If you're a team that needs to add some supplementary pop and currently has a vacuum at DH, you could do a lot worse. Ozuna is going to be a perfectly fine bat at worst, and there's still some upside here that could help propel a playoff run or fetch a nice return at the trade deadline.
Landing spot: Arizona Diamondbacks
OF Michael Conforto (age: 32)
2025 stats: .199/.305/.333 (79 OPS+), 12 HR in 138 games
Dodgers fans are rolling their eyes right now, and rightfully so; you can see above just how mightily Conforto struggled in L.A. last year. But bad luck played a role there: His .330 xwOBA was right in line with his career average, and a full 43 points higher than his actual mark.
Until last year, Conforto was a consistently above-average hitter, and he'll still be just 33 years old on Opening Day. I'd be willing to bet he still has at least one or two solid seasons left in the tank, and if you're a team looking to fill a corner outfield spot on the cheap, you could do way worse.
Landing spot: Cleveland Guardians
RHP Zack Littell (age: 30)
2025 stats: 3.81 ERA (111 ERA+), 4.88 FIP, 130 SO in 186.2 IP
Littell isn't going to light up any radar guns or miss many bats. He's a bit of a high-wire act, nibbling on the edges and relying on his defense to make plays behind him. But the righty has figured out a way to make that work for him, with ERAs south of 4 in three of the last four years.
Littell isn't for everyone, and regression could come hard with some worse batted-ball luck. If you've got the defense and the ballpark to help him out, though, he's going to soak up a lot of roughly league-average innings on the cheap; and in this market, that's worth its weight in gold.
Landing spot: San Francisco Giants
LHP Justin Wilson (age: 38)
2025 stats: 3.35 ERA (123 ERA+), 2.95 FIP, 57 SO in 48.1 IP
Wilson has made clear that he'll retire if he doesn't receive a fair offer from a World Series contender. But why wouldn't he? He was very, very good for Boston in 2025, inducing tons of swings and misses and dominating lefties to the tune of a .574 OPS. Every bullpen could use more left-handed pitching, and Wilson is at the top of the market alongside Danny Coulombe. He can be had on a reasonable one-year deal, which is good business for a useful player come October.