Power rankings: The 5 best outfielders available in free agency

MLB free agency season is upon us. With that comes power rankings for every position in the game. One of the deeper positions in availability this winter is among outfielders, where several players are set to find a new home for 2025 and beyond. Here are the best of the bunch.

5. Tyler O'Neill

Tyler O'Neill is fresh off a year with the Boston Red Sox where, even though he appeared in only 113 games, he managed 31 home runs, establishing himself as one of the best power hitters in the league. Still, at just age 29, O'Neill is set to receive a lucrative multi-year deal in free agency, where he will be able to be a vital part of any lineup he enters.

The biggest knock on O'neill is his ability to stay on the field, as he has appeared in 100 games just twice in his seven-year career. Without a doubt, when healthy, O'Neill is a long ball threat every time he steps to the dish, and there will be at least one team willing to roll the dice and hope he stays healthy. He lands at number five on this list simply due to his blistering home run pace in 2024.

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4. Anthony Santander

Switch-hitting Anthony Santander parting ways with the Baltimore Orioles doesn't feel right, but it's likely to become a reality due to the contract he is set to receive this winter. After a career-high 44 home runs and 102 RBIs, Santander picked up the perfect season to have a career year, as he now reached free agency in search of a deal that may prove too lucrative for the Orioles' taste.

Any outfield-needy team, especially those of playoff caliber, will try to land Santander if they miss out on Juan Soto. His ability to hit from both sides of the plate is much desired, and only recently turning 30 years old, will give many teams confidence that he will be productive for years to come. Unlike O'Neill before him, Santander has had no problem staying healthy the last few years and has eclipsed the 30-homer plateau twice in that span.

3. Jurickson Profar

Jurickson Profar had a breakout season in 2024 and will now test free agency after slashing an impressive .280/.380/.459 with 24 HRs and 85 RBIs. Given his ability to play corner outfield or up the middle in the infield when needed, his versatility is a valuable trait that any baseball manager wants more of on their team. Truthfully, Profar's breakout started in the second half of 2023 when he was acquired by San Diego, and continued from there, so his track record is now long enough to believe he has figured something out.

The biggest concern in signing Profar is that before the 2nd half of 2023, you could argue that he was not the most efficient player, given his .238/.322/.386 slash from 2012-2022. It appears we just saw Profar at his absolute peak, which means teams will also use that against him in negotiations, assuming 2024 was his ceiling, and we shouldn't expect much more. Still, the numbers over the last season and a half speak for themselves, and it'll be interesting to see what kind of deal he can get now.

2. Teoscar Hernandez

Getting to the meat and potatoes of this list, Teoscar Hernandez comes in at number two, once again finding himself a free agent. Hernandez enjoyed his most successful season since his breakout campaign in 2021, slashing .272/.339/.501 with 33 HRs and 99 RBIs, culminating in a World Series championship with the Los Angeles Dodgers this year.

Given that he is just 32, it was not only surprising that he didn't sign some kind of multi-year deal last year, but now, with money being deferred to him over time, he will be looking to ink a longer contract. My best prediction is that Hernandez winds up right back with the Dodgers, who ultimately swing at miss at their shot to land the number one player on this list.

1. Juan Soto

Obviously, Juan Soto gets No. 1 here. He is about to receive likely the 2nd most significant contract in the history of baseball, outside of Shohei Ohtani last winter. Soto's demands are sky-high, but it's highly doubtful he surpasses Ohtani's deal, no matter how many homers he hits at what age. Ohtani is a much better player, and Soto's expectation to exceed that deal is unrealistic.

That doesn't mean, of course, that his deal won't exceed $600,000,000. Soto is one of the very best players in baseball, a generational talent when it comes to hitting, and he's only 26 years old. Already a four-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger award winner, Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 in 2024 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs. Given that he's likely not even in his prime yet, he deserves the deal he will get. Don't be surprised by the number of years Soto receives or the AAV. It may not be Ohtani money, but it will be an insane contract wherever he lands.