The best 25 that would go to the free market

This is going to be a fascinating winter in the world of baseball, as the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement coincides with one of the most comprehensive and talented groups of free agents in many years.

Nobody can know how the market will move. For example, how aggressive (if aggressive) teams will behave when it comes to going for top free agents before the new labor agreement is signed.

But for now, here is our ranking of the top 25 free agents for 2022.

The ages of the players are what each will have for Opening Day 2022. They are listed with their 2021 team for reference. Players with asterisks

They are not automatically free agents, but they could be if they exercise the option to exit their respective contracts. We are also targeting which players are eligible (or ineligible) to receive a qualifying offer. Players who were traded this campaign or have already received a qualifying offer are not eligible to receive one.

1. Carlos Correa, SS, HOU, 27 years old

Eligible for qualifying offer

Since his rookie season in 2015, Puerto Rican Correa’s fWAR of 25.1 is only behind compatriot Francisco Lindor (32.1) and Xander Bogaerts (31.4). This year he played 148 games, his most since 2016.

2. Corey Seager, SS, LAD, 27 years old

Eligible for qualifying offer

As with Correa, injury history is the only major concern with Seager. He is only five months older than Correa and has been very productive when healthy. His wRC + of 132 is the best for any shortstop with at least 2,000 plate trips since 2015.

3. Kris Bryant, 3B / OF, SF, 30 years old

Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

He hasn’t put the numbers back in 2016 (when he won the NL MVP) and 2017, but he’s still a solid producer, with an .843 OPS over the past four seasons) and defensive versatility.

4. Max Scherzer, RHP, LAD, 37 years old

Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

His 2.46 ERA, 166 ERA + and a 0.86 WHIP in which he led the majors in 30 starts for Nationals and Dodgers are proof that Scherzer is still an ace. There will be no shortage of teams interested in obtaining their services.

5. Trevor Story, SS, COL, 29 years old

Eligible for qualifying offer

Although he was not surprisingly traded midway through the season, Story recovered from a surprise slow start and hit .253 / .337 / .506 after the All-Star Game. It is a short with great defense, speed and power. The success of players like Nolan Arenado and DJ LeMahieu after leaving Coors should help him.

6. Marcus Semien, SS / 2B, TOR, age 31

Eligible for qualifying offer

Semien is one of several cases that serve as proof that we should not draw too many conclusions from what happened in the short 2020 season. In 2021, after signing for a year with Toronto, he returned to MVP level (45 HR, 6.6 fWAR ) that he showed in Oakland.

7. Robbie Ray, LZ, TOR, 30 years old

Eligible for qualifying offer

After years showing glimpses of his potential, Ray had a Cy Young season for Toronto, leading the LA with a 2.84 ERA, 154 ERA +, 1.04 WHIP and 193 1/3 innings.

8. Javier Báez, SS, NYM, 29 years old

Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

It will be interesting to see how the market evaluates Puerto Rican Baez. He’s a wizard running bases and defending, and he also has a lot of power at bat, but all those strikeouts affect his ability to get on base. Also in his favor is the fact that he hit .299 / .371 / .515 for the Mets in 47 games.

9. Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL, 32 years old

Eligible for qualifying offer

An accomplished professional and consistent producer, Freeman has not had a

wRC + below 132 or an OPS lower than .841 in none of the past nine seasons. And he’s only missed five games in the last four years.

10. Kevin Gausman, RHP, SF, age 31

Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

After a solid 2020, he’s coming off a fantastic 2021, in which he posted a 2.81 ERA, 145 ERA + and a 1.04 WHIP in 192 acts for the Giants. He turned his career around in San Francisco and should pay off in free agency.

11. Marcus Stroman, RHP, NYM, age 30

Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

Stroman is coming off throwing 179 innings with a 3.02 ERA, a 133 ERA +, a career-best 21.7% strikeout rate and a career-best 6% walk-through rate, the best since his rookie year.

12. Starling Marte, OF, OAK, age 33

Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

Although the Dominican missed a month early in the season with a broken rib, Marte had a huge impact on both the Marlins and the Athletics. Between the two teams, he left a line of .308 / .381 / .456 and led the Big Top with 47 stolen bases in 52 attempts.

13. Nick Castellanos, OF, CIN, age 30Eligible for qualifying offer

*

Castellanos can get out of the last two years and $ 34 million still left on his contract with the Reds. If you do, it will be one of the most valuable bats on the market. His .939 OPS was sixth best in the majors in 2021 and he finished tied for 12th with a wRC + of 140.

14. Kyle Schwarber, OF, BOS, age 29Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

*

After signing a one-year, $ 10 million deal with the Nationals, a deal that includes a 2022 mutual option for $ 11.5 million, Schwarber should land a multi-year deal after hitting .266 / .374 / .554 with 32 homers for Washington and Boston .

15. Carlos Rodón, LZ, CWS, 29 years old

Eligible for qualifying offer

In 2021, after working on his mechanics and rediscovering the life of his fastball, Rodón finally looked like the prospect he once was, pitching a no-hitter, no-run game and posting a 2.37 ERA, 183+ ERA and 0.96 WHIP. The only doubt is the fatigue he experienced in his shoulder at the end of the season.

16. Noah Syndergaard, RHP, NYM, age 29

Eligible for qualifying offer

Good luck predicting or projecting what Thor might do in the future. Due to Tommy John surgery and a setback in his recovery, he pitched only two innings in the majors in the past two seasons, and he did not want to throw breaking pitches in 2021 to avoid further mishaps.

17. Justin Verlander, RHP, HOU, age 39

Eligible for qualifying offer

Although he missed all of 2021 and most of 2020 due to Tommy John surgery, Verlander’s track record speaks for itself. He won his second Cy Young at age 37 in 2019, and while it might be delusional to expect him to reach that level again, this could be a good opportunity to sign him to a short-term deal.

18. Clayton Kershaw, LZ, LAD, age 34

Eligible for qualifying offer

It’s rare to put Kershaw so low in this ranking, but the injury to his left forearm that prematurely ended his 2021 season obviously complicates his case considerably. In addition, he has finished with a 3.55 ERA and a 115 ERA + in 22 starts, a step back from what he showed in 2020.

19. JD Martínez, BD, BOS, 34 years oldEligible for qualifying offer

*

Martinez would have to put down the $ 19.35 million still owed to him by 2022 to become a free agent, and there are no guarantees that he will. But the potential for a designated hitter in both leagues in 2022 could lead him to seek another multi-year deal.

20. Michael Conforto, OF, NYM, age 29

Eligible for qualifying offer

Conforto didn’t have a good year, with his worst OPS (.729) and worst wRC + (106) since his first full season in 2016. Either way, in the last five years his fWAR of 14.1 is the 13th best of all. the outfielders.

21. Brandon Belt, 1B, SF, age 33

Eligible for qualifying offer

Although Belt was only able to play 97 games due to various injuries, he had a fantastic 2021 at bat. His .975 OPS was the best of his career in a full season – the 29 home runs were also a career high.

22. Chris Taylor, UTL, LAD, age 31

Eligible for qualifying offer

Although his numbers deteriorated in the second half (before his golden homer in the NL Wild Card Game and three homers in a game in the SCLN) Taylor had a solid season that earned him his first All-Star call. In the past two years, he hit .259 / .350 / .448 while playing center, left, third base, shortstop and second base.

23. Anthony Rizzo, 1B, NYY, age 32

Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

Rizzo has seen his best years pass in terms of power, but he is still an above-average hitter with good plate discipline and a solid defense early on. In an age of many strikeouts, Rizzo is a hitter who makes frequent contact.

24. Nelson Cruz, BD, TB, 41 years old

Ineligible for Qualifying Offer

The Dominican will be back on the free market, probably looking for another year contract with the promise that he will bring power and leadership in the cave to a potential contender. Now, with the possibility of the designated in both circuits, there could be more interested in his services. He’s just 51 home runs out of 500.

25. Raisel Iglesias, RHP, LAA, age 32

Eligible for qualifying offer

Over the past two seasons, the Cuban’s 3.1 fWAR is second-best among relievers, behind only Liam Hendriks (4.1). This season, his strikeout percentage minus walking percentage rate of 33.3% was second only to Hendriks (39.7) and Josh Hader (34.8).

Major League Baseball

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The best 25 that would go to the free market