As a rabid 2026 offseason winds down, we can now look ahead to 2027, when Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is expected to headline the MLB free agency class. While there will be fewer top-shelf stars available next winter, there is no shortage of depth. A lot of very capable players will be hoping to secure the bag.
Let's predict the 20 best free agents a year from now. Notable exclusions include Chris Sale, who might retire, and Freddy Peralta, who feels likely to negotiate an extension with old pal David Stearns in New York. Also left out are Corbin Burnes and Tatsuya Imai, who are strong bets to opt in rather than test the open waters given the uncertainty around their health and role, respectively.
20. Taylor Ward, OF
Taylor Ward put up monster numbers in 2025, with a career-high 36 home runs and 103 RBI. Baltimore was willing to trade four years of club control over Grayson Rodriguez to bring him into the fold. Ward is still a functional glove in the outfield, and while his under-the-hood metrics didn't quite measure up to his production in 2025, his plate discipline and propensity for moonshots should put the 32-year-old in a cushy new tax bracket next winter.
19. Max Muncy, 3B
Age is an obvious factor here, as Max Muncy will turn 36 this season. He's a beloved figure in L.A. and an essential part of the Dodgers' Death Star lineup, but the team has a ton of money wrapped up in aging stars as is. The smart move, business-wise, is probably to move on in search of more sustainable options. Still, plenty of teams will want to strike a short-term deal with Muncy, who's in the 99th percentile for walk rate, with big power and an unimpeachable winning pedigree. There's a chance he sticks around, but this could be the swan song for a Dodgers legend before he wraps it up with a different contender.
18. Gleyber Torres, 2B
Gleyber Torres was the source of much frustration in New York for a long time, but he made his first All-Star appearance since 2019 upon joining the Tigers last season. Approaching his 30th birthday, Torres exhibits elite plate discipline, laying solid wood on the baseball and generating 20-plus home run power. Torres' defensive woes are appropriately mitigated at second base and his career-high .358 OBP in 2025 signals that he is still on the upswing of his career arc, offering above-average offense at a position where quality bats can be scarce.
17. Randy Arozarena, OF
Randy Arozarena can skew hot or cold, and his defensive metrics have been consistently mediocre for a while. That said, he cranked 27 home runs and added 31 stolen bases in 2025, and he plays with a palpable edge that offers certain intangible benefits. He's a monster athlete who hits the baseball extremely hard, and a lot of contenders should welcome him into their clubhouse with open arms. Arozarena is very close to Mariners co-star Julio RodrÃguez and would probably welcome a chance to extend his contract, but that's not really how Seattle operates — especially with so much talent coming through the pipeline.
16. Trent Grisham, OF
In 2025, Trent Grisham turned the corner from festering disappointment to essential contributor in his second Yankees season. He bopped 34 homers, double his previous career high, and found himself batting leadoff for the most potent lineup in MLB. Is it sustainable? Time will tell, but it all looks peachy under the hood. Grisham takes smart swings and delivered an expected slugging percentage (.498) above his actual slugging percentage (.464) last season. He's not the Gold Glove center fielder of old, but he's not disastrous either, with enough left in the tank to handle a premium position for a couple more years hopefully before transitioning to a corner spot.
15. Trevor Rogers, LHP
After missing the first chunk of last season rehabbing from a knee injury, 6-foot-5 southpaw Trevor Rogers returned to the Orioles rotation with a bang. He posted a sterling 1.81 ERA and 0.903 WHIP across 18 starts, with 103 strikeouts in 109.2 innings. That was enough to finish ninth in AL Cy Young voting despite the truncated season. He fixed his lower-body mechanics, which should promote more durability long term, and the velocity ticked up a notch. While Rogers still dramatically outperformed his metrics, he projects as a solid No. 2 or 3 starter and he'll hit free agency before his 29th birthday. If Baltimore does not pony up, another team gladly will.
14. Ian Happ, OF
Ian Happ has spent nine years in a Cubs uniform. He has won four straight Gold Glove awards in left field and he's a consistently above-average hitter, finishing last season with a .762 OPS and 23 home runs. He's the consummate pro and the sort of stable, multi-tool impact performer every contender covets. The Cubs almost certainly want to keep Happ in-house, but with Kevin Alcántara and others knocking on the door, Chicago will at least let Happ test the open waters. Jed Hoyer tends to keep his spending below a certain threshold.
13. Michael King, RHP
The centerpiece of San Diego's return haul in the Juan Soto trade, Michael King has successfully navigated the transition from reliever to starter. He dealt with injuries in 2025, and his stats suffered slightly compared to his fringe Cy Young candidacy in 2024, but King successfully deploys four quality pitches with a changeup that serves as quite the put-away. He has a tempting $32 million opt-in clause for 2027, but given how robust the pitching market is these days, another successful season should lead King to explore more long-term security ahead of his 32nd birthday.
12. Brandon Woodruff, RHP
Brandon Woodruff missed all of 2024 after shoulder surgery and dealt with more injury setbacks in 2025, which limited him to 12 starts and put him on ice in October. Even so, Woodruff was phenomenal when healthy, posting a 3.20 ERA and 0.91 WHIP across 64.2 innings with a 83 Ks to boot. For years now, Woodruff has consistently ranked among the best pitchers in baseball when healthy. Age and durability are now mounting concerns, but if he can stay on the bump in 2026 and help guide Milwaukee back to the postseason, Woodruff should cash a nice check in free agency.
11. Shane Bieber, RHP
A combined nine starts over the last two years obviously hurts Shane Bieber's stock, and it's probably why he made the somewhat surprising choice to pick up his $16 million option for the 2026 season. That said, the 30-year-old comes with a rich history: He's a two-time All-Star and a former Cy Young winner, and when he did take the mound in seven starts last season, the results were solid. He put up a 3.57 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 40.1 innings. Bieber still pitches to consistent ground-ball contact, exercising elite command over the strike zone. A bounce-back year on the reigning AL champs would put him in line for a healthy payday.
10. Kevin Guasman, RHP
Kevin Gausman is the bedrock of Toronto's rotation, with at least 31 starts and 174 innings pitched in five straight seasons. He finished third in AL Cy Young voting just two years ago, and while his strikeouts are ticking down, Gausman still feels as steadfast as ever entering his age-35 season. Gausman's fastball velo continues to hold firm and his splitter remains a devastating out pitch. He only has so much left in the tank, but if Toronto decides to move on after significant external additions to the rotation this winter, another contender will gladly employ the righty for a few more years.
9. Kris Bubic, LHP
After successfully converting to a bullpen weapon in 2024, Kris Bubic was elevated back to the starting rotation in 2025. It was his best campaign to date: Injuries limited him to 20 starts, but Bubic tallied a 2.55 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, averaging a crisp strikeut per inning. Bubic sets the table with a low-90s fastball and gets excellent mileage out of his sweeper and changeup. He generates consistent soft contact, with a deceptive release that keeps hitters in limbo. He was Kansas City's best starter when healthy last season. A repeat affair would put him near the top of the free agent pitching crop in a rabid market.
8. George Springer, DH
After bombing in 2024, George Springer turned back the clock and delivered the best offensive season of his career in 2025. It was a stunning, frankly unexpected turnaround in his mid-30s. Springer is basically a full-time DH at this point, with limited utility in left field, and age is an obvious factor. But he's also a proven winner, with a wealth of October experience, and the numbers last season are hard to scoff at: 32 home runs, 18 stolen bases, with a career-best .959 OPS and 161 OPS+. Even if it's a one-year deal, Springer seems to have enough pop left in his bat to command a hearty salary, whether in Toronto or elsewhere.
7. Seiya Suzuki, OF
Seiya Suzuki oscillated between right field and DH for Chicago in 2025, compiling arguably his best MLB season to date. He cranked 32 home runs with 103 RBI, posting an .804 OPS with passable defensive metrics. Suzuki sees the zone well and produces some eye-popping exit velocities. How exactly he ages into his mid-30s, particularly on defense, is a fair question, but Suzuki has done nothing but mash since coming over from Japan four years ago. His consistency is admirable, and should make him an easy sell to prospective suitors if Chicago decides to clear space in the outfield.
6. Daulton Varsho, OF
Faith in Daulton Varsho probably varies given his relatively light résumé, but in 71 games post-injury last season, he looked the part of an absolute star for Toronto. He's one of the best defensive center fielders in the sport — a perennial Gold Glove candidate at a premium position. That sets the bar fairly high. His offensive production, however, is what really popped off down the stretch. Varsho hit 20 home runs in less than half a season, with an .833 OPS and 122 OPS+. He's due for some regression in 2026, but every team would love an elite glove with Varsho's power tool.
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a better defensive second baseman than he gets credit for, but it's the offense that will keep teams on the hook in free agency. Given his recent inclusion in trade rumors, an extension from New York seems unlikely. Chisholm is a true ray of light in the Yankees clubhouse, though, and old-school dress code critiques hold zero weight here. He plays with flare, but most importantly, Chisholm backs up that flare with production, hitting 31 homers and stole 31 bases last season. His lefty-righty splits aren't always ideal, but Chisholm is a premium bat at second base (with some positional flexibility, given his past life as a show-stopping centerfielder).
4. Nico Hoerner, 2B
Nico Hoerner is a nuts-and-bolts star, the sort of player destined to fly under the radar in today's MLB. Hoerner generates very little power, but he's a contact maven, able to track pitches through the zone and spray base hits all over the field. He's equal parts smart and aggressive on the base paths, and he's arguably the best defensive second baseman in the sport. His two Gold Glove awards make the case, plain and simple. Not every team wants a single-digit home run hitter, but Hoerner's value always far exceeds his surface-level appeal.
3. Bo Bichette, 3B
Bo Bichette has a monster $53.3 million opt-in clause for 2027, which could convince him to stick around. Given his relative youth and his extremely high baseline of production at the plate, however, the odds favor Bichette testing the market again next winter, which is why he structured his contract the way he did to begin with. Bichette is not a huge home run threat, but he hammers line drives, with one of the sharpest hit tools in the sport. The defensive concerns are grave, but Bichette can plug into the heart of any lineup and deliver consistent results.
2. Jesús Luzardo, LHP
Jesús Luzardo's numbers aren't exceptional on the surface — 3.92 ERA and 1.22 WHIP last season — but he finished sixth in pitching fWAR last year, with 10.6 K/9 and a healthy mix of soft, ground-ball contact. Luzardo's 2025 ERA was inflated by a few outlier bad starts, but he spent long stretches of his first Phillies season looking as dominant as any lefty not named Tarik Skubal. He can touch the high 90s with his fastball, but it's Luzardo's sweeper and changeup that put hitters in the dirt. There's a world in which Luzardo builds on last year's success and ends up securing well north of $150 million next winter.
1. Tarik Skubal, LHP
Tarik Skubal is the back-to-back AL Cy Young and he just won a record-setting $32 million arbitration case against Detroit. The Tigers have zero chance of closing the gap in extension negotiations, so Skubal will hit the open market with hopes of securing the largest pitching contract in MLB history. He shouldn't find it difficult. There will be a bidding war of biblical proportions, with all the standard heavyweights (Los Angeles, New York x2, Toronto) all in the mix.