The Milwaukee Brewers are officially World Series champions, and with that arrives the start of MLB free agency. With a lockout looming on Dec. 1, it will be fascinating to see which teams — and which players — scramble to get a deal done early. We don't know what waits on the other side of CBA negotiations. The players are united against a salary cap, but any number of new restrictions are on the table once both sides eventually settle.
This winter's free agency class is not the strongest, but there are a lot of quality players up for grabs and just as many teams desperate to move the needle. Let's dive into the top 25 names available:
25. INF Gleyber Torres
Potential destinations: Phillies, Pirates, Athletics
Gleyber Torres has become a remarkably steady force at the plate, with a .700-plus OPS in five straight seasons. The appeal is simple: Torres does not chase and he works deep into counts, which jacks up his on-base percentage. Torres' power comes and goes, and he's not exactly a masterful defender, but Torres is a dependable everyday infielder in the prime of his career.
24. RHP Nick Martinez
Potential destinations: White Sox, Astros, Cubs
Nick Martinez has successfully floated between starts and long relief stints for years, but he reached another gear in Tampa this past season. He made 31 starts, with a 3.10 ERA in a career-high 180.0 innings pitched. It's smart to bet on regression for the 36-year-old, especially if he leaves the Rays and their elite coaching staff, but Martinez's elite command and penchant for drawing soft contact should allow him to age gracefully.
23. RHP Kevin Gausman
Potential destinations: Padres, Braves, Astros
Kevin Gausman finally fell off the horse this season after years of top ace status, but the 35-year-old still pummels the strike zone with his fastball and coaxes swing-and-miss with his tumbling splitter. Gausman's experience and his durability — with 170-plus innings pitched in five straight seasons — makes him a strong short-term option for contenders in need of a trustworthy workhorse.
22. 1B Ty France
Potential destinations: Padres, Diamondbacks, Guardians
Ty France hopes to put journeyman status behind him after a career-best campaign. He was an essential thumper in the heart of San Diego's lineup, with 21 home runs and an .865 OPS. The market typically fades older right-handed first basemen, but France consistently generates lofty exit velocities and he's a Gold Glove-caliber defender. There's more than enough gas in the tank to warrant a multi-year deal.
21. RHP Tyler Mahle
Potential destinations: Braves, Astros, Padres
There were few more dramatic midseason turnarounds than Tyler Mahle's post-trade deadline. He went from a dud in San Francisco to a dominant No. 2 starter behind Chris Sale, helping to alleviate a shorthanded Braves rotation. Mahle posted a 1.99 ERA in nine starts with Atlanta. There's a lot of small sample noise behind that, but Mahle has long operated with excellent finesse, able to miss barrels and keep mistake pitches to a minimum.
20. RHP Brandon Woodruff
Potential destinations: Brewers, Braves, Padres
Brandon Woodruff has pitched a combined 110 innings over the past three years, with injuries becoming the defining aspect of his career. That naturally dampens interest in the 33-year-old. On the other hand, when he's healthy, Woodruff consistently executes. In terms of pure talent, he might be the second-best pitcher available this winter. A team that buys low could look very, very smart if Woodruff figures out how to stay on the field. He posted a 2.98 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in nine regular season starts for Milwaukee this past season.
19. RHP Kaima Taira
Potential destinations: Dodgers, White Sox, Cubs
Kaima Taira will force MLB evaluators to reckon with their own biases as a 5-foot-8, 220-pound pitcher who consistently overcomes the perceived limitations of his frame. Taira can touch the upper-90s with a deep, eight-pitch mix that dances all over the zone. Taira has fluctuated between reliever and starter duties in NPB, so MLB teams will need to confirm which role best suits him stateside. There's always baked-in uncertainty with international free agents, but Taira's stuff is too unique to overlook — especially at 27 years old.
18. OF Trent Grisham
Potential destinations: Phillies, Blue Jays, Reds
Trent Grisham was severely underserved in the luck department this past season, although Yankees fans are fed up with his defensive blunders and offensive streakiness all the same. Grisham's complicated reputation could render him an extremely valuable buy-low candidate, especially if his next team is smart enough to move him off of center field. Grisham is a disciplined hitter who can generate high exti velocities; he hit 18 homers with a .703 OPS in 2026, but set a career high with 34 years only a year prior.
17. RHP David Bednar
Potential destinations: Yankees, Cubs, Tigers
Paying high-end relievers in free agency can resemble Russian roulette, but David Bednar has — with the exception of his no good, very bad 2024 season — been one of the best closers in MLB for five years now. He put 35 saves on his résumé this past season, with a 2.47 ERA in 69.1 innings. Bednar has an incredibly airtight profile, with a fastball that punches up and a splitter that plays peekaboo down in the zone. He can solidify any contending bullpen.
16. OF Ian Happ
Potential destinations: Cubs, Pirates, Giants
Ian Happ has spent a decade producing for the Cubs. He's a four-time Gold Glove winner with 20-plus homers in five of the last six seasons. On the surface, he's a proven and dependable contributor in left field. That said, Happ's average fell off a cliff in 2026, while his strikeout numbers spiked alarmingly high. Happ deploys a patient approach and draws his share of walks, but the 32-year-old is potentially on the downswing of his career.
15. INF Luis Arraez
Potential destinations: Phillies, Yankees, Reds
It took a while for Luis Arraez to find a wanting suitor last winter. He should have better luck this go-around, coming off of a career-best 4.1 fWAR season split between the Giants and Phillies. Arraez's most significant transformation occured on the defensive end; he went from borderline unplayable at second base to a fringe Gold Glove candidate. He's still the best contact hitter in MLB. That's a lot art, but Arraez almost always puts the ball in play — an especially valuable skill set in the cleanup spot, as Philadelphia learned.
14. RHP Casey Mize
Potential destinations: Cubs, Tigers, Braves
Casey Mize was an All-Star in 2025 and he appeared poised for an even better campaign in 2026, with a 2.70 ERA across 16 starts for Detroit. Then he was moved to San Diego at the trade deadline and Mize completely imploded. How teams weigh Mize's dominant start against his horrific finish will determine his ultimate price point, but he's only 29 years old, with ample bounce-back potential. Mize has a great fastball and he consistently keeps his walks in check.
13. LHP Adrian Morejon
Potential destinations: Yankees, Dodgers, Mets
Adrian Morejon was sidelined by a mysterious injury issue in San Diego's NLDS loss to Milwaukee, but he hits free agency at 27 years old with an unassailable profile. The southpaw mixes an elite strikeout rate with an elite groundball rate; he pummels the bottom of the zone with his sinker and deploys a mean changeup for putaways. Morejon has spent the past few years in a setup role, but plenty of teams will view him as a potentially dominant closer.
12. RHP Michael King
Potential destinations: Padres, Cubs, Tigers
Michael King has produced steady results since San Diego moved him from the bullpen to the rotation in 2024. His strikeouts took a nosedive this past season, and King's underlying metrics weren't as dazzling; still, he put up a 3.21 ERA in a career-high 185 innings. King is an effective sinkerballer with postseason bona fides, to boot. He has earned long-term security, with plenty of contenders in need of a mid-rotation innings eater.
11. 1B Jake Bauers
Potential destinations: Mets, Diamondbacks, Rangers
Is there a better feel good story in MLB? Jake Bauers was ready to retire in 2024, but he stuck with baseball to keep his family's health insurance. Two years later, Bauers was integral to a Brewers World Series run. He put together what is by far his more complete, most productive campaign to date, with a career-high 26 home runs and .864 OPS. Everything under the hood suggests Bauers' success is sustainable. He strikes out more than you'd like, but he also draws walks en masse, with enough hard contact and sky-high launch angles to compensate for the swing-and-miss. He has earned himself a hearty payday.
10. C Ryan Jeffers
Potential destinations: Yankees, Rangers, Giants
Ryan Jeffers has turned himself into one heckuva hitter, which carries special value at the catcher, where quality bats are hard to come by. Jeffers hit 14 homers in 92 games this past season, with an .814 OPS. He avoids the chase and draws walks at high volume, able to hit for average and for power. He's not the greatest defender for his position, but at 29 years old, Jeffers provide several years of above-average production at his position.
9. RHP Freddy Peralta
Potential destination: Cubs, Orioles, Tigers
Freddy Peralta finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting a year ago. This past season was far more challenging, as he bombed for the Mets, who paid a premium to acquire him via trade. Peralta was rerouted again at the trade deadline, landing with the Rays. After a bumpy start, that Rays magic kicked in and Peralta finished the campaign on a heater, looking more like his All-Star self. He was brilliant in the playoffs, helping Tampa reach the World Series. He has the chance for a full-fledged bounceback in 2027, although he may not get the long-term contract he imagines.
8. RHP Sonny Gray
Potential destinations: Braves, Blue Jays, Padres
Sonny Gray defied Father Time with a dominant 2026 season in Boston. He stacked 169 innings across 29 starts, with a 2.72 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. A three-time All-Star, Gray's reputation probably surpasses his actual value at this point, at least judging from his diminished strikeout numbers and free-falling velocity. Even so, Gray paints the lower half of the zone, with a prolific fastball-sinker combo that allows him to effectively set up the defense behind him.
7. LHP Trevor Rogers
Potential destinations: Orioles, Cubs, Padres
Trevor Rogers failed to recapture the magic of 2025, when he returned from injury to produce a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts for a floundering Orioles rotation. Still, his 4.03 ERA last season does not tell the full story. Rogers increased his sweeper usage with tremendous success, able to get batters finishing outside the zone on the back of his stout fastball, which Rogers commands with the utmost precision. He's not going to pile on strikeouts, but Rogers limits hard contact and does not afford walks easily.
6. 2B Brandon Lowe
Potential destinations: Pirates, Yankees, Phillies
Brandon Lowe was essential to Pittsburgh's offensive turnaround this past season. The Pirates still missed the playoffs, but Lowe was a marvel. He played the best defense of his career at second base while cranking 35 home runs with an .824 OPS. There's a chance for imminent decline at 32 years old, especially since Lowe struggles with the swing-and-miss. Then again, it's rare to come by this kind of production at second base, and Lowe's swing is a thing of beauty. Aesthetics only carry you so far, but watching him, one can't help but feel like Lowe has plenty in the tank.
5. 3B Teruaki Sato
Potential destinations: Yankees, Phillies, Mets
Teruaki Sato is free agency's top international prize at 27 years old. He cranked 39 home runs with a .991 OPS in Japan. Many of the biggest concerns with Sato mirror the concerns over Munetaka Murakami a year ago. Sato is a left-handed power bat who strikes out a ton, and whose positional future is unclear. He is currently slotted at third base, but a move to the outfield or first base is possible. The translation from NPB to MLB harbors uncertainty, but Sato's unbelieveable bat speed — and relative youth — should make him a popular target.
4. INF Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Potential destinations: Padres, Mets, Reds
After an incredible 31-31 season in 2025, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was on track for a monster six-figure contract this winter. He may still cross the $100 million threshold given his youth and his considerable talent level, but Chisholm did not help his cause much in 2026. He was a source of frustration for the Yankees, in large part due to an intolerably high swing-and-miss rate. Chisholm's speed and defense are plusses, and he can hit for power when he's hot, but the inconsistency and the extra baggage — earned or unearned, real or imaginary — could hold him back.
3. OF Randy Arozarena
Potential destinations: Mariners, Phillies, Dodgers
Randy Arozarena responded to offseason noise and frequent trade rumors with his best MLB season to date, despite the chaos that surrounded him on the imploding Mariners. He hit 26 homers and led the American League with 113 runs scored; his .281 average tied a career high for a full season, with a personal best .865 OPS, to boot. Arozarena brings a competitive fire that a lot of teams would benefit from. At 31, he's no longer a spring chicken — and the defensive metrics aren't great — but there's every reason to believe he has the cachet to land a sizable multi-year deal.
2. OF Seiya Suzuki
Potential destinations: Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers
Seiya Suzuki solidified himself as the top positional player in free agency, which should mean a healthy payday for the 32-year-old. He's not immune from the occasional swing-and-miss lull, but Suzuki is very patient, with a high walk rate buoyed by significant power. His finished this past season with 26 homers and an .841 OPS. He has an .800-plus OPS in four straight years; Suzuki has only been in the majors for five years. Additionally, he plays excellent defense in right field. With seemingly every team in the league is looking for right-handed sluggers, Suzuki should have his pick of outfield-needy contenders.
1. LHP Tarik Skubal
Potential destinations: Dodgers, Mets, Blue Jays
No surprise here, as there's a strong case for Tarik Skubal as the best pitcher in baseball, period. The Dodgers paid a king's randsom to acquire him at the trade deadline and will now need to offer an even more bountiful haul — this time money, not prospects — to keep him around. Skubal returned in record time from elbow surgery last season and didn't miss a beat. A two-time Cy Young winner, he posted a 2.72 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 158.2 innings. He can headline any rotation, and you'd feel great about him starting Game 1 of a playoff series. He could command close to $400 million and set a new record for a pitcher in free agency.
Add us as a preferred source on Google