⚾ Best fits for top free agents

06.11.2025, 14:40 espn.com

There is no Juan Soto in MLB free agency this year. There is definitely no Shohei Ohtani. But although there might not be a player who will inspire people to track the flight paths of private jets on social media, it's an intriguing class of free agents nonetheless -- one especially deep in power hitters.

Let's look at 13 of the most interesting free agents, assuming a few likely player opt-outs, and some potential best fits for each player. We'll leave out some of the top relievers -- Edwin Diaz (opt-out), Robert Suarez (opt-out), Devin Williams -- and instead focus on the top position players and starting pitchers available this winter.

Players are ranked in order of their Baseball-Reference WAR from 2025.

2025 stats: .272/.334/.480, 29 HR, 98 RBIs, 13 SB, 5.0 WAR2026 age: 30

Best fit: New York Mets

Bellinger surprisingly tops the list in 2025 WAR, although that doesn't by any means suggest he's going to get the biggest contract. Indeed, although he offers positional versatility with his ability to play all three outfield positions as well as first base, teams will be skeptical of his 2025 numbers since he hit .302 with 18 home runs and a .909 OPS at Yankee Stadium with its short porch compared with .241 with 11 home runs and a .715 OPS on the road. Bellinger works for the Mets both in center field -- heck, they were playing 33-year-old infielder Jeff McNeil out there at times -- and at first, if they don't re-sign Pete Alonso.

Another possible fit: New York Yankees

A reunion with the Yankees is possible, but if the Yankees are committed to Jasson Dominguez in left field and give Spencer Jones a shot in center, they're going to be reluctant to give Bellinger a long-term contract. Given some of their recent returns on long deals (DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton), they probably don't want to get sucked into another big contract for a non-superstar player, no matter how good Bellinger was in 2025.

2025 stats: .240/.365/.563, 56 HR, 132 RBIs, 4.7 WAR2026 age: 33

Best fit: Philadelphia Phillies

Everyone expects Schwarber to return to the Phillies, coming off his 56-homer season and with his added value as one of the best teammates in the game. Nothing is guaranteed, however, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is balancing a lot of decisions this offseason. J.T. Realmuto is also a free agent, Ranger Suarez is a free agent and Zack Wheeler's return is a question, plus the team in general is getting older. But it's still a team in a championship window -- if Schwarber remains in the lineup.

Another possible fit: Mets

Think the Mets would love to steal Schwarber away from the Phillies? Addition and then subtraction from your rival. Would Schwarber leave the Phillies for the enemy? Players are a lot less loyal than we'd like to believe. Starling Marte was the Mets' primary DH and he's a free agent, plus consider: The Mets signed Soto and Alonso had a better season -- yet they still scored two fewer runs than in 2024. It was an above-average offense, fifth in the NL in runs, but it wasn't a great offense. Adding Schwarber could take it to the next level.

2025 stats: 12-8. 3.20 ERA, 157 IP, 154 H, 38 BB, 151 SO, 4.7 WAR2026 age: 30

Best fit: Detroit Tigers

Suarez has been a steady and underrated pitcher since 2021, with a 3.25 ERA over the past five seasons, relying on a six-pitch repertoire that allows him to overcome below-average fastball velocity. He always gets dinged up at some point, so he's a 150-inning pitcher as opposed to a 180-inning guy, but that still makes him a good fit for the Tigers, who need rotation depth, should have plenty of room in the payroll and could trade Tarik Skubal (sorry, Tigers fans).

Another possible fit: Toronto Blue Jays

Suarez will have a lot of interest even though he lacks that blistering fastball. Indeed, his lack of No. 1-starter pedigree will bring more teams into the bidding, even if he's expected to get a nine-figure deal. The Blue Jays are an interesting fit here. Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer are free agents; Shane Bieber has a player option; and Kevin Gausman is a free agent after the 2026 season. They'll be looking for some long-term stability in the rotation.

2025 stats: .266/.377/.464, 22 HR, 73 RBIs, 25 SB, 4.5 WAR2026 age: 29

Best fit: Los Angeles Dodgers

If healthy, Tucker would have led this list in WAR -- he was hitting .291/.395/.537 for the Chicago Cubs at the end of June when he suffered a fracture in his right hand, which he tried to play through. But he hit just .225 the rest of the way. Indeed, he's projected to get the biggest contract of the offseason, perhaps as much as $400 million.

As good as he has been, there are some Anthony Rendon vibes here: Tucker has now been injured two years in a row (he also missed much of September with a calf injury); he's turning 29; his speed/range Statcast metrics aren't great (26th percentile in both categories); and he's not a "face of the franchise" type of personality, which you normally expect for $400 million.

Could the Dodgers absorb another huge contract? Well, why not? The Dodgers are the best fit of "will spend money" and "have need," considering they got nothing from left field in 2025 and suddenly have concerns about Mookie Betts' long-term impact at the plate after his subpar (for him) season.

Another possible fit: San Francisco Giants

The Giants, of course, have been trying to land an elite offensive player in free agency forever -- finally trading for Rafael Devers last June. Giants corner outfielders hit just .237/.309/.378 with 37 home runs and 12 stolen bases, so adding Tucker to the lineup would give them a much-needed second lefty power hitter (with rookie slugger Bryce Eldridge likely to take over at first base, too).

2025 stats: 13-11, 3.66 ERA, 192 IP, 171 H, 68 BB, 187 SO, 3.8 WAR2026 age: 32

We've got it all covered as the Dodgers beat the Blue Jays to win a second consecutive title.

Behind the scenes of L.A.'s repeat title »Game 7 win cements Dodgers' dynasty »The rise of Toronto's Trey Yesavage »What it's like watching Vlad Jr. dominate »Inside an epic 18-inning Game 3 thriller »

Best fit: Baltimore Orioles

At some point, the Orioles will sign the front-line starter they need, right? Right?! They finished 24th in rotation ERA at 4.65 and had seven starters who made at least 10 starts in 2025 -- and four of them had ERAs over 5.00. That's not going to cut it in the AL East. Trevor Rogers (1.81 ERA in 18 starts) did emerge in the second half, and Kyle Bradish returned from Tommy John surgery at the end of the season, but the Orioles have lacked that durable No. 1-type starter and Valdez is second in innings pitched over the past four seasons.

Another possible fit: Houston Astros

The Astros have the need to bring Valdez back as the rotation was mostly a mess in 2025 aside from him and Hunter Brown. The payroll, however, looks pretty maxed out with the likes of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker and Josh Hader (they're also paying Lance McCullers Jr. and Cristian Javier a combined $39 million in 2026). Don't rule out a return, but the Astros have let other stars leave in free agency -- Correa, Alex Bregman, George Springer, Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander.

2025 stats: .228/.298/.526, 49 HR, 118 RBIs, 3.6 WAR2026 age: 34

Best fit: Athletics

The A's aren't often included in lists like this one -- especially for a player coming off 49 home runs -- but a lot of factors could push Suarez to the A's: his age, his below-average OBP and strikeout rate, his subpar production after he was traded to Seattle. The A's started nine players at third base in 2025 (players who combined for just 10 home runs), and Suarez would certainly bring power and durability -- he has missed just seven games the past three seasons. He's also a good clubhouse guy who would fit in with the team's younger players. The A's surprised people by signing Luis Severino last offseason, so they could land Suarez in a similar scenario.

Other possible fits: Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners

The Brewers (.234, 11 HR, .650 OPS) and Tigers (.221, 11 HR, .629) both made the playoffs despite subpar production at third base. Milwaukee loves high-contact offensive players, so maybe Suarez doesn't fit there, and Detroit might not want to add another high-strikeout rate guy in the middle of the lineup on top of Riley Greene. The D-backs and Mariners are familiar with Suarez -- he played for each in 2025 -- but both have young players in Jordan Lawlar and Colt Emerson whom they could play at third.

2025 stats: .273/.360/.462, 18 HR, 62 RBIs, 3.5 WAR2026 age: 32

Best fit: Boston Red Sox

Bregman hit free agency last year and didn't sign until the middle of February, a three-year, $120 million deal with opt-outs after both 2025 and 2026. He played well enough with the Red Sox that he's likely to test free agency, even though a quad strain limited him to 114 games. After a hot start, he didn't hit nearly as well after returning in July -- .250/.338/.386. The big surprise is that the pull-happy Bregman hit better on the road (.875 OPS) than at Fenway (.761 OPS).

Still, the Red Sox remain the best fit. He was an important veteran presence for Boston's young position players, and he's a right-handed bat in a lineup otherwise heavy in lefties (Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida). Bregman's age presents some risk on a long-term deal, but although his speed metrics are sinking (17th percentile), he still has good range at third base and brought his OBP back up after it dropped to .315 in 2024.

Other possible fits: Tigers, Yankees, Phillies

Bregman's contact ability makes him a likely fit for the Tigers -- and he'll be too expensive for the Brewers. The interesting long shot candidates would be the Yankees and Phillies. The Yankees have Ryan McMahon under contract, but he posted a .641 OPS after coming over from the Colorado Rockies at the trade de