Major League Baseball's 10 Best Free Agents

by Julian Spivey

1. David Price
Zack Greinke had the best year of any pitcher in baseball in 2015, but David Price is the most valuable free agent pitcher on the market. The thing Price really has going for him is he’s younger than Greinke; Price just turned 30. Price went 18-5 last season for the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays and had an American League best 2.45 ERA. Look for Price to potentially become the highest paid pitcher in baseball history this offseason and note that the Chicago Cubs could be the front-runner for him as Price has spent the majority of his career under Cubs manager Joe Maddon when the two were in Tampa Bay.

2. Zack Greinke
Zack Greinke had one of the best seasons for a pitcher ever last season with his majors leading 1.66 ERA to go along with his incredible 19-3 record. That season has Greinke in line for a huge payday this offseason, but his age being 32 puts him behind David Price on this best free agents list. He should get a smaller deal because of that. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest payroll in baseball and should be desperate to re-sign Greinke, but a lot of experts actually have him destined for the Dodgers hated rival San Francisco Giants.

3. Yoenis Cespedes
This year’s free agent outfielders are a who’s who of Major League Baseball outfielders. Every one of them is capable of hitting higher than .280, at least 25 homers and winning Gold Gloves when playing well. I think that Yoenis Cespedes is the best of the free agent class and he showed why last season in his two-month stint with the New York Mets leading them to the World Series. Sure, Cespedes was horrible in the World Series, but that shouldn’t hurt his stock any. Cespedes is about to be a rich man.

4. Jason Heyward
Jason Heyward is the best defensive outfielder in baseball, which will make him a rich man on its own. It’s Heyward’s bat that has frankly been a disappointment in his first few MLB seasons, but that bat was starting to come around a bit in the second half of the season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Heyward’s .293 average was almost 20 points higher than his previous high and he stole more bases last season than any year of his career. If his power and RBI numbers come up as expected, he’ll be an all-around player. The Cardinals gave up a lot to the Atlanta Braves last winter to acquire him and should offer a huge contract to keep him around.

5. Alex Gordon
Alex Gordon is hailed by some within the game as the greatest defensive left fielder to ever play baseball. Like, Heyward in right field, that alone will get him a ton of money. But, unlike Heyward, Gordon has actually shown he can handle the bat in the last few seasons. He’s entering his age 32 season, which makes him less valuable than a guy like Heyward, who’s only going to be 26. Gordon has been the face of the Kansas City Royals for many years now and even though they might not be able to afford him that alone should make the try.

6. Justin Upton
Justin Upton has quietly been one of the very best outfielders in all of baseball over the last few years for the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks and could be very well changing uniforms once again. The 28-year old averages around a .270 average with at least 25 homers and 80 RBI a season and could wind up around 30 homers and 100 RBI in the right situation.

7. Chris Davis
I don’t trust Chris Davis. Many best free agent lists have him as the best available offensive player and in the top three altogether, but I can’t put him ahead of the four outfielders I have ahead of him on this list. Davis is the best power hitter available, period. But, he can’t be trusted. He hit .262 with a major’s leading 47 homers and 117 RBI last season and had a majors leading 53 homers and 138 RBI in 2013. He’s also only going to be 30 years old next season. But, it’s his 2014 season that has him on the untrustworthy side for me. That season he hit under the Mendoza line at .196 with only 26 homers and 72 RBI – it’s that inconsistency that has him this far down on the list.

8. Johnny Cueto
Johnny Cueto has this weird thing about his career where he’s one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball for the first part of the year and then his numbers go up steadily throughout the season to where he’s not so special in the latter part of the year. Despite, his nearly perfect World Series start for the Kansas City Royals in October he didn’t help them out as much as expected during his two months with them during the season. He’s the third best starting pitcher on the market, by far, behind David Price and Zack Greinke and whoever misses out on those two should be willing to pay him big bucks.

9. Ian Desmond
Ian Desmond is a confusing one. The shortstop, who will be 30-years old next season, is capable of becoming one of the two or three best shortstops in baseball and has shown that at times during his career, especially the 2012 through 2014 seasons with the Washington Nationals and then last year in a contract year he kind of fell apart hitting only .233. Still, he’s the best middle infielder on the market and should be set to make a lot of money.

10. Jordan Zimmerman
A lot of experts have Jeff Samardzija has the fourth best starting pitcher on the free agent market, but I just don’t get it. Jordan Zimmerman would seem to be the obvious choice, but has been one of the most ignored and underrated best starters in baseball over the last few seasons. Not only is Zimmerman slightly younger than Samardzija, but his numbers over the last three years are incredibly better. Zimmerman has gone 46-24 over the last three seasons, whereas Samardzija has been 26-39. You say you don’t care about the outdated win-loss record? Well, Zimmerman’s career ERA of 3.32 is almost a full run lower than Samardzija’s ERA. 

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