Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez. These are the biggest names left in free agency. All of them want significant long-term money, all of them are fielding interest from multiple contenders, and none of them feel particularly close to signing.
The MLB offseason has been eerily slow-moving this winter. Spring training is right around the corner, yet it could be months until some of these bidding wars — or agent-led standoffs — are resolved. As teams look kick free agency into a higher gear, these less-heralded targets could benefit from a frigid top of the market.
RP Seranthony Domínguez
Seranthony Domínguez is not without his warts — primarily an extraordinarily high walk rate — but the 31-year-old put together a strong campaign between Baltimore and Toronto in 2025. He logged 62.2 innings, finishing with a 3.16 ERA and 1.14 WHIP to go along with 79 strikeouts. The command issues are a given at this point in his career, but in terms of stuff, Domínguez is probably the best reliever left on the market.
Lost in all the hubbub around Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez and the remaining starters is the appetite for quality relievers. Edwin Díaz, Robert Suárez, Tyler Rogers, Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley — they all received healthy multi-year contracts, some well into their mid-to-late 30s. Domínguez is not quite reliable enough to hold down the closing role for a contender, but he’s a capable setup man with incredible upside on a game-to-game basis.
All the underlying numbers (minus walks) paint a positive portrait. Domínguez finished 2025 with a whiff rate and strikeout rate in the 94th and 91st percentiles, respectively. His fastball can still touch 100, and his splitter is a top-notch complementary pitch when he can locate it. An iffy postseason résumé might spook some teams, but for those looking to further boost their bullpen, it’s hard to find a better option on the market right now. Don’t be shocked if Domínguez receives a healthy payday and even a bit of security beyond next season.
1B Rhys Hoskins
As the major free agent bats — Tucker, Bellinger, Bichette, Bregman — all slow play things, desperate teams, especially those in smaller markets, could turn to someone like Rhys Hoskins. The 32-year-old has dealt with his share of injuries in recent years, missing all of 2023 and limited to just 90 games in 2025, but Hoskins still has a reputation for postseason heroics and considerable raw power. He ripped 12 home runs and drove in 43 runs in his limited exposure last season, posting a .748 OPS and 108 OPS+.
We’ve already seen Ryan O’Hearn get a couple years of hearty compensation from Pittsburgh, a comparable value play at first base. A lot of teams — San Diego, Miami, St. Louis, Texas, heck, even the Mets — need help on the corners. Hoskins is still a positive defender at first base, with a combination of hard contact and swing discipline that favors a long shelf life, even as he enters his mid-30s. This feels like a prime upside swing for teams who either don’t want to spend on the top-shelf free agents, or who simply don’t have the patience to wait on a Tucker or a Bellinger to render their final decision.
Whether he re-signs in Milwaukee, which is very much a possibility, or he ends up signing elsewhere, Hoskins could surprise some folks with his price tag. There’s a lot of pedigree baked into the equation, as every team — regardless of which stage of the team-building process — will value Hoskins’ leadership and experience. October baseball is, ultimately, the goal for all 30 clubs, and Hoskins has proven that he can step up in pressurized circumstances.
OF Harrison Bader
It’s feeling increasingly like Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger will drag out their decisions in pursuit of max value, which could lead antsier teams to speed up the outfield market. The next guy up is Harrison Bader, whose excellent 2025 campaign may have earned him a multi-year deal, even as he ages into his mid-30s.
Bader checks a lot of boxes, a four-to-five tool guy when he’s operating at full capacity. Consistency season to season has long been a struggle for Bader, but he’s a shutdown defender in centerfield and a menace on the base paths, which provides a certain impact floor. The bat is more volatile, but Bader posted a .796 OPS and 117 OPS+ last season — his most productive offensive campaign at the MLB level by a healthy margin. In 50 games with Philadelphia after the trade deadline, Bader’s numbers ballooned to an .824 OPS and 124 OPS+.
Can teams expect that level of production again? Probably not, but MLB free agency is often a question of ‘what have you done for me lately?’ And in Bader’s case, the answer is… quite a lot. He can ratchet up the power (17 home runs). He’s going to apply pressure with his speed and post Gold Glove-caliber metrics at a premium position. So, while Bader is by no means on the level of Tucker or Bellinger, for a considerably more affordable price, there’s a good chance MLB teams view him as a viable alternative.
3B Eugenio Suárez
The premium infield bats left on the market on Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman. Logically, it could make sense for Eugenio Suárez to play the long game, wait it out, and target the teams that miss out on the high-profile options. The longer these sweepstakes drag on, however, the more likely it is that Suárez simply signs first and attempts to cash in on teams’ impatience.
Last season was quite the roller coaster for Suárez. A dominant first half of the campaign in Arizona (36 home runs and .897 OPS) vaulted Suárez to the top of trade deadline wishlists. He landed in Seattle, on a team with World Series aspirations, and promptly combusted, posting a .682 OPS and 94 OPS+ over his final 53 games.
Suárez is going to strike out a lot. He is not accurately described as “consistent” or “dependable.” But, when it comes to raw power, he has the pop to lead the league in home runs, or at least come close to it. And therein lies significant value, especially if he lands in a favorable hitter’s park, perhaps with more muted expectations than he faced in Seattle post-deadline.
No, Suárez is not a quality defender at the hot corner. No, he is not the premium bat on a winning team. But as your third or fourth-best player, maybe sliding into the DH slot more frequently as he reaches his mid-30s, Suárez has the potential to overperform the contract he’s about to sign. Do not be shocked if teams anxious about their Bregman or Bichette odds start poking around the Venezuela native, whose durability over the years is an underrated trait.
SP Zac Gallen
There’s no much chatter around Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez, both coming off of productive seasons with their respective clubs and ready to cash in with significant long-term deals in a ripe pitchers market. But what about Zac Gallen? In 2023, not all that long ago, Gallen finished third in NL Cy Young voting. He was viewed as a premier ace.
Last season was, relative to expectations, a disaster. Gallen fell flat in a contract year, posting a 4.83 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He still pitched 192 innings, but his strikeout percentage dipped from 25.1 the season prior to 21.5 — in MLB’s 42nd percentile. His changeup remains a high-level pitch, but Gallen’s fastball was pounded more than ever, and his curveballs just didn’t bite the way they used to.
It’s fair to wonder if Gallen, 30, is simply over the hill. He finished the season much stronger than he started, but most of the underlying metrics paint a grim portrait. This was not a case of bad luck. That said, in terms of accolades and past reputation, Gallen brings a lot to the table. It’s equally reasonable to think that, with a change of scenery and a full offseason of tweaking, he could return to something approximating the All-Star pitcher we came to know in years prior.
Pretty much every half-decent starting pitcher is receiving at least three-to-four years of hearty compensation at this point. Gallen should get paid, just not nearly as much as the aforementioned Valdez or Suárez. And therein lies the potential value. If Gallen is the budget-rate “star” addition for your team, and he provides even 90 percent of the value that Valdez or Suárez in 2026, the front office that signs him will look awfully smart.