The New York Yankees made the trade to acquire Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason. It's safe to say that so far, that deal hasn't panned out for the Bronx Bombers. Williams has saved 17 games, but the two-time All-Star is 3-5 with a 5.48 ERA. The Yankees gave up left-hander Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin to land the former Reliever of the Year.
However, Williams is not the only pending free agent struggling right now. There are plenty of others who are watching their value take a major hit. Here are four of those players.
4. Zac Gallen
Zac Gallen was once a Cy Young candidate and he even helped guide the Arizona Diamondbacks to the World Series in 2023. However, 2025 has been a disaster for him. He is 9-12 with a 5.31 ERA in 25 starts. He has struck out 131 batters over 144 innings of work, but he is not the ace he once was.
This likely is hurting his value, and it means he probably won't get the long-term deal that so many pitchers seek when they first enter free agency. We will see if he can turn things around soon.
3. Ranger Suarez
Ranger Suarez has actually had a good season with the Philadelphia Phillies. He is 8-6 with a 3.28 ERA in 18 starts. His problem is more of a recent one. His last seven starts have not gone according to plan.
In those seven starts he is 1-4 with a 5.58 ERA. He also has been on the injured list this season. That could lead teams to hesitate before giving him a long-term contract. Instead, he might be forced to sign more of a pillow deal, similar to Jack Flaherty, who signed a two-year pact with the Detroit Tigers with an opt-out clause after year one.
Suarez has a strong track record preceding him. He has pitched well in the postseason every time the Phillies have made it and he is a former All-Star. But he also dealt with injuries in 2024, so teams may be a little bit wary of making a huge commitment to him.
If he can pitch well in the postseason, he could certainly rebuild his value and have more teams come calling for his services. That will determine what his market could look like when the season ends and free agency gets underway.
2. Kyle Tucker
Like Suarez, Kyle Tucker has put together a solid season. He was an All-Star starter for the National League and he has hit 18 home runs with a .380 on-base percentage, .461 slugging percentage and an .842 OPS.
However, he recently suffered a finger injury and that could be limiting him. He has watched his average dip to .267 this month. The Houston Astros traded him prior to the 2025 season, and the Cubs knew that he was entering the final year of his contract.
But if this recent trend continues, the Cubs may have to put him on the injured list, and that could certainly hurt his value. Teams might not want to give him a long-term, high-dollar deal in free agency. But the timing of his slump couldn't be any worse.
Tucker is a four-time All-Star, former Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger and he also helped the Astros win their World Series title back in 2022. But he'll need to turn things around quick if he wants to rebuild his value in free agency.
The Cubs may be turned off by a potential reunion, and other teams could potentially be in the same boat.
1. Dylan Cease
Dylan Cease is another player whose value has taken a major hit this year. He has struggled since finishing second in the American League Cy Young race back in 2022. This year, he is 5-10 with a 4.52 ERA in 24 starts over 129 1/3 innings of work. He has managed to continue striking hitters out, as he has recorded 169 of them this season.
But he has not been the same pitcher since 2022. This was going to be a big year for Cease with his contract expiring. But with his struggles, he is likely to only receive a short-term deal, potentially with a higher dollar value.
It is highly unlikely that teams will want to give him a long-term deal, especially with the way things have gone the past couple of years. He had a 4.58 ERA with the Chicago White Sox in 2023, and while he had a 3.47 ERA last year, that's a far cry from the ace-caliber stats he put up back in 2022.
It will be interesting to see what his market looks like. He was on the trading block at the deadline, but the San Diego Padres did not move him.