Some players and some teams already made some decisions. Kevin Gausman and Marcus Stroman accepted qualifying offers. Drew Smyly signed a one-year contract with the Braves. Josh Tomlin also signed a one-year contract with the Braves. Robbie Ray inked the deal with the Blue Jays. Players such as Jose Peraza and Mallex Smith each signed a minor league contract. Top free agents such as Trevor Bauer and DJ LeMahieu are still available. In the meantime, on the free agent market, besides these top players, there are several players worth watching.
Michael Brantley was hitting .309/.370/.497 in his two years at the Astros. He was an All-Star in 2019. In these two seasons, Brantley’s wRC+ was 133 and 134 respectively. Brantley will turn 34 next season, however, his consistency could help him secure a short-term contract.
Bradley failed to hit .250 from 2017 to 2019. Nonetheless, Bradley bounced back in 2020 and he batted .283/.364/.450. His defense is definitely outstanding and he didn’t commit any errors in the 2020 season.
Tommy La Stella was an All-Star in 2019 and he was also very consistent in 2020.
He was traded to the A’s from the Los Angeles Angels. La Stella was hitting .281/.370/.449 and collected 25 RBI this year. His wRC+ was 122 and 129 last two seasons.
Cesar Hernandez just won his first Gold Glove award. Hernandez was hitting .283/.355/.408 and in the 2020 season, he had 66 hits, 5th most in the AL, and 20 doubles, leading in the AL. His wRC+ was 108.
The Padres declined Moreland’s option for the 2021 season. He was traded to the Padres in August. Moreland batted .265/.342/.551 between the Red Sox and Padres. Moreland is already 35, however, he batted .270/.352/.586 against righties in 2020. That could be something worth thinking.
Joc Pederson only batted .190/.285/.397 in 2020. It’s obvious that Pederson can’t hit lefties because he only batted .191/.266/.310 against lefties in his career so far. However, he crushed 36 home runs in 2019. You can’t ignore his power. He was a key player to help the Dodgers win the World Series. In the postseason, Pederson hit .382/.432/.559.
Profar made it into the big league in 2012 when he was only 19 years old. But, from 2012 to 2019, there was only one season that Profar hit above .250. He only batted .218/.301/.410 in 2019. He seems to be much better in 2020, hitting .278/.343/.428. Batting average of .278 was his career high.
Left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ finished his three years in pinstripes. Happ earned 21 wins and posted a 4.13 ERA. In 2020, Happ made 9 starts and earned 2 wins. Batters only hit .208 against Happ. He just turned 38 in October, a one-year deal could be reasonable for him.
Taijuan Walker spent his first 4 seasons with the Mariners and he was traded to the Diamondbacks in November, 2016. The Mariners signed him in February and in August Taijuan Walker was traded by the Mariners again, this time he was traded to the Blue Jays. In 2020, Walker threw 53.1 innings with an ERA of 2.70. He could be an option for teams to enhance rotation depth.
Garrett Richards was the 42nd overall pick in the 2009 draft. He spent first 8 seasons with the Angels and he signed a two-year deal with the Padres in late 2018. He threw 51.1 innings this season and posted a 4.03 ERA. Opponents batted .244 against him in 2020.
Martin Perez is probably the most consistent starting pitcher in the Red Sox rotation. He made 12 starts in 2020 and batters hit .240 against him.
Odorizzi only made 4 starts in 2020. Back in 2019, he earned 15 wins with an ERA of 3.51 and was an All-Star. He’s supposed to be a reliable option for teams that want to add rotation depth.
Baez spent 7 years with the Dodgers. In these 7 years, he never finished a season with an ERA over 4 and opponents only hit .206 against him. Those numbers look pretty good, right? At age 32, can Baez secure a multi-year deal?
Blake Treinen finished the 2019 season with an ERA of 4.91 and a WHIP of 1.62. He and the Dodgers agreed a one-year deal and he bounced back in 2020. His ERA was 3.86 in 2020 and WHIP was 1.21. He became a reliable reliever for the Dodgers and he also collected his first save in the World Series.
Holland began his career as a Royal and became an All-Star in 2013 and 2014. He played for the Rockies in 2017 and was selected to the All-Star game again. He posted a 4.54 ERA with the Diamondbacks in 2019. He came back to the Royals in 2020 and he collected 6 saves with an ERA of 1.91. He just turned 35 this month, maybe he will sign a short-term deal?
Tony Watson has been a very reliable left-handed reliever. In his career so far, he only finished one season with an ERA over 4. In 2020, his WHIP was only 0.89 and batters only hit .191 against him.
In addition, former Cy Young winners Jake Arrieta, Corey Kluber, Felix Hernandez are available on the market. Former World Series MVP Cole Hamels is also available. At the same time, Rich Hill, who’s 40 years old, is still looking to join a playoff contender. Among these free agents, who will finalize a deal first?
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