Power rankings: The best 5 starting pitchers available in MLB free agency

With free agency officially opened, it won't be long before the MLB rumor mill starts kicking up steam. The big fish on the board is Juan Soto, who will hold up the market's top tier until he signs a new deal. However, after that, we've listed several top-end talents in power ranking format per position. This time, we're diving into the starting pitching market and giving you the top five available this winter.

5. Nathan Eovaldi

Nathan Eovaldi cracks our top five after another solid season. In 2024, he recorded A 3.80 ERA but has been very durable over the past five seasons. In those last five seasons, he has a combined 3.75 ERA and has reached the 140 IP mark three times, with one of those seasons being the 2020 shorted season. This year, he went 12-8 with 29 starts throughout 170.2 IP.

Eovaldi is 34 years old, but given the season he just had, that shouldn't cause much panic among teams looking to ink him to a deal. It will likely be shorter, much like his previous two-year deal with Texas. After Eovaldi officially declined the Rangers' option, he became a free agent and already had teams showing interest. There's no reason to believe he won't be at least a strong middle-of-the-rotation pitcher for any team, if not more.

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4. Blake Snell

Next up is Blake Snell, who finished his follow-up to his phenomenal 2023 season with another strong showing and case for a multi-year deal in free agency. More ace-level production from Snell had him record an ERA of 3.12 in 2024, which speaks volumes to his season prior since that feels like a steep drop-off from just a year ago. Snell is an elite strikeout artist, but where many teams will balk is the lack of confidence in how many innings he will be able to take on.

Being a Scott Boras client, he will want top dollar after back-to-back fantastic years, but the problem is, it's still not a surefire bet that he will live up to and perform at the level that should garner such a contract. Even with another strong season under his belt, Snell fired just 104 innings in 2024, an ongoing trend occasionally interrupted by a dynamite season in between. He has only pitched more than 130 innings twice in his nine-year career, and I don't believe he will receive the massive payday he's expecting for the same reasons as last winter.

3. Jack Flaherty

Between the Detroit Tiger and Los Angeles Dodgers, Jack Flaherty just had the second-best season of his career, reminding us of the upside he had back in 2019 when he finished fourth in Cy Young voting. In 2024, Flaherty finished with a combined 3.17 ERA across 162 frames and 194 punchouts. Still just 29 years old, Flaherty's free-agency journey this winter will be highly watched, but will he receive a top-dollar contract?

It's always interesting when players struggle for a few seasons and then manage a fantastic campaign while on a contract year. That is the case with Flaherty now, who from 2020-2023 managed a below-average 4.42 ERA while recording only 299 innings pitched. Healthy or not, these numbers will play a factor in negotiations on an AAV. Although 2024 was a fantastic showing in which he won a World Series ring, I'm not sure he deserves a significant contract, especially after recording a disturbing 7.36 ERA in the postseason this year.

2. Max Fried

Max Fried not only has a great 2024 but has been stellar over his eight-year career with a 3.07 ERA. After spending all eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Fried will now test free agency after failing to agree on a contract extension with his longtime ball club. For an indication of how dominant he's been, his spectacular 3.25 ERA was his worst mark since 2019. Injuries shortened his 2023 campaign, but he has still managed at least 165 innings every year besides that since 2019, except for 2020 (COVID).

Fried is a southpaw who deserves one of the more lucrative deals among free-agent hurlers this winter. The Los Angeles Dodgers, a starting pitching needy team with money to burn, are already highly interested in bringing Fried to Southern California. He is one of the two best starters on the market this year, and it will be interesting to see where he plays ball in 2025 and beyond.

1. Corbin Burnes

Corbin Burnes is No. 1 on this list, whose elite 3.19 ERA over seven years has earned him four All-Star appearances and one Cy Young Award. Recording at least 32 starts and 190 innings of work over the last three years. At only 30 years old, Burnes is set for his big payday after another elite season in 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles.

Every big market ballclub will be in on acquiring Burnes, and don't be surprised when the bidding war makes him one of the highest-paid pitchers in MLB. He is "widely expected" to land north of $200,000,000 this winter, indicating the large number of years he will get on this deal too. It will be a massive payday and likely give whichever team signs him a significant boost in playoff odds in 2025.