Top MLB free agents 2025: Ranking best players in MLB free agency 2024-’25 led by Juan Soto
By Matt Johnson,
9 hours ago
MLB free agency is one of the most exciting parts of baseball season and there’s legitimate excitement for the winter considering the top MLB free agents in 2025. Juan Soto is the cream of the crop for the best players in MLB free agency, but there’s plenty of All-Star and Cy Young talent behind him.
Let’s dive into our rankings for the top MLB free agents in 2024-’25.
MLB free agency rankings 2025: Top MLB free agents this winter
1. Juan Soto, OF, New York Yankees
Juan Soto is the best MLB free agent in 2025. It’s also difficult to imagine a contract year working out better than it did for Soto in 2024. Even with the added pressure of playing for the New York Yankees and making half his starts at Yankee Stadium, Soto’s delivered one of the best seasons in his MLB career. He delivered his second consecutive season with 30-plus home runs, while maintaining a .300-plus batting average and posting a walk rate of over 18 percent ( FanGraphs ) for the fifth consecutive season. Defensively, per Baseball Savant , he ranks above the 80th percentile in Fielding Run Value for the first time in his career. Soto, age 26 in October, is one of the best MLB free agents to become available in years. When he signs, it will be the second-biggest contract in MLB history.
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2. Corbin Burnes, SP, Baltimore Orioles
Corbin Burnes is the best pitcher in MLB free agency this winter. A four-time All-Star selection and the NL Cy Young Award winner in 2021, Burnes has consistently proven himself now with both the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles. He’ll enter MLB free agency as a 30-year-old with over 900 career innings in the majors, so there should be multiple contract offers for five-plus seasons to choose from. While Burnes’ K-BB rate has dipped under 20 percent for the second consecutive season, he’s still maintaining a Swinging Strike rate of 13 percent or higher and he has a sub 3.00 ERA in the last three seasons. For a potential playoff contender in need of an ace to headline their starting rotation, Burnes is perfect.
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3. Blake Snell, SP, San Francisco Giants – $38.5 million player Option (2025)
Blake Snell makes it onto our list of the top MLB free agents for the second consecutive year. Safe to say the last go-round in MLB free agency didn’t work out well as it took until March before he landed a two-year, $62 million contract. A pair of stints on the injured list and major issues with his command in the first half of the season are strong enough to remind of the risk that comes with Snell. With that said, he’s also been one of the best pitchers in baseball in the second half of the season with a no-hitter and 15-strikeout performance. Snell isn’t going to be an option for risk-averse teams and he likely won’t net anything longer than a three-year contract. With that said he’ll be 32 years old in December and he has the stuff to win a third Cy Young Award.
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5. Jack Flaherty, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Jack Flaherty was one of the top MLB free agents in 2024 who wasn’t for the faint of heart. After performing like a Cy Young candidate early in his career with the St. Louis Cardinals – 3.21 ERA, 1.05 WHI, 10.6 K/9 (2018-’21) – he posted a combined 4.84 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP across 180.1 innings from 2022-’23. In his age-28 season, Flaherty’s best is back. The 6-foot-4 righty recorded a strikeout rate above 30 percent for the first time in his career and he nearly cut his previous career-best walk rate in half (7.1 percent to 4.5 percent). There will be some medical concerns, which prevented the New York Yankees from acquiring him at the MLB trade deadline, but Flaherty’s stuff and his rebound year make him one of the best MLB free agents.
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6. Max Fried, SP, Atlanta Braves
Max Fried isn’t one of the flashiest starting pitchers in baseball, but there are few better examples of a front-line who consistently pitches well. The 6-foot-4 southpaw has been the unsung cog in the Atlanta Braves rotation, especially this season following the Spencer Strider injury. Since the start of the 2021 season, Fried owns a sub-3.00 ERA with one of the lowest walk rates (6 percent) in the National League and a batting average allowed well under .240. He will be 31 years old in January and his career-high in innings pitched (185.2) came back in 2021, but there will be plenty of demand for the southpaw in MLB free agency.
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7. Willy Adames, SS, Milwaukee Brewers
There’s a steep drop-off in MLB free agency when you’re looking for hitters beyond Juan Soto. Cases could be made for several outfielders, but Willy Adames stands out because of his positional value, bat and defense. Adames ranks top five among shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved since 2022 and he’s top three in FanGraphs ‘ Defensive rating. Over that same stretch, he owns the fifth-best walk rate and is top-12 in OPS. Considering how hard it was for MLB teams to find a good shortstop on the trade market during the 2024 season, a 29-year-old Adames should have a litany of suitors and the Los Angeles Dodgers will be the favorites .
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8. Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston Astros
Alex Bregman entered 2024 viewed as one of the best players in MLB free agency and then his stock plummeted with a career-worst stretch at the plate in the first half of the season. Thankfully, for the Houston Astros and Bregman’s earning power, he turned things around. Heading into his age-31 season, Bregman is years removed from being the MVP finalist who posted a .970 OPS with 215 RBI and 73 home runs from 2018-’19. What an MLB team will get is a quality defender at the hot corner with a lot of playoff experience and a track record that suggests he should have a few seasons with a .800-plus OPS in the years to come. Bregman will test MLB free agency and a departure from the Astros seems inevitable.
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9. Ha-Seong Kim, IF, San Diego Padres
You might notice a theme with our MLB free agency rankings, placing added value on defense and age. Ha-Seong Kim, age 29, will almost certainly get out of his $7 million mutual option for 2025 to become a free agent. It will start a bidding war among teams seeing a Gold Glove-caliber defender who can play either middle infield spot and played nearly 80 career games at third. If that’s not enticing enough, Kim has an above-average .716 OPS over the last three seasons at the plate. While Kim likely won’t repeat his .749 OPS from the 2023 campaign, he’s one of the most well-rounded players in free agency this winter.
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10. Christian Walker, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
There’s no question we’d rather sign Christian Walker over Pete Alonso in MLB free agency. Since the 2022 season, Walker and Alonso have posted a nearly identical OPS. As for Wins ABove Replacement, Walker has been dramatically better than Alonso (10.5 fWAR vs 7.9 fWAR) over that span. That’s because Walker is a multi-time GoldGlove Award winner at first base, while Alonso is a designated hitter pushed into playing first. While Alonso is 3 years younger, his numbers are headed in the wrong direction and that gives Walker another edge.
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11. Roki Sasaki, SP, Japan
If not for an arm injury that sidelined him for a significant stretch of the season, we’d view Roki Sasaki as one of the 10 best MLB free agents in 2025. He doesn’t turn 23 until November, but the young right-handed starter has dominated in the Nippon Professional Baseball. Sasaki threw a perfect game as a 20-year-old and has the NPB record for strikeouts in a single game and the global record for consecutive strikeouts (13). From 2021-’23, the 6-foot-2 hurler compiled a 1.80 ERA in 240 innings pitched, posting a 327-43 K-BB ratio. Medicals will be important, especially since Sasaki last threw 100-plus innings in 2022, but the stuff stands out.
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12. Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets
Pete Alonso is an attractive bat this offseason if you recognize what you’re getting. After averaging a .267/.348/.518 line with an .866 OPS from 2021-’22, the two-time Home Run Derby champion now has a sub-.230 batting average with an OBP under .330 over the last two seasons. The bat speed (91st percentile) is still elite, but Alonso’s Hard Hit rate (63rd percentile) and Barrel Rate (79th percentile) are starting to drop. He’s also striking out at a higher rate than he did from 2021-’22. Any team signing him is only getting value from his bat, which further diminishes potential earnings. There’s real risk in a long-term contract (six-plus seasons), but Alonso could provide nice value on a short-term deal with a higher AAV.
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13. Nathan Eovaldi, SP, Texas Rangers – $20 million vesting option (2025)
It’s going to come down to the wire for Nathan Eovaldi to hit his innings count (300 IP from 2023-’24) to turn the $20 million vesting option into a player option. If he reaches it, he’ll be one of the most desired starters on the market. Eovaldi now has five consecutive seasons with an ERA under 3,9 and it hasn’t cracked 3.7 in the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers. Plus, that October track record (3.05 ERA, 1.04 WHIP in 79.2 innings) adds another layer of appeal. The primary knock is that he’ll be 35 years old in February, so we’re likely looking at nothing longer than a three-year contract.
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14. Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Teoscar Hernandez signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason with the hopes of rebuilding some of his value. Mission accomplished. The veteran right-handed hitter looked every bit like the All-Star hitter he was in Toronto, posting an OPS over .820 for the first time since 2021. Hernandez’s strikeout rate probably won’t return to that 2021 level (24.9 percent), which helps explain why he’s no longer a .280 hitter. Still, 30-plus home runs with a little speed and .330 OBP is a middle-of-the-order hitter. Entering his age-32 season, though, teams interested in signing Hernandez will need to start giving him a lot more starts at DH instead of allowing him to play the outfield every day.
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15. Cody Bellinger, OF, Chicago Cubs – $27.5 million player option (2025)
Cody Bellinger will have quite the choice to make on the doorstep of MLB free agency. The 2024 season hasn’t gone according to plan, with his OPS dropping more than .100 points from last season’s mark (.881). Still, we’re talking about a player with the power to hit 20 home runs and post a .330-plus OBP with an OPS well above .700. Bellinger is no longer the caliber of fielder he used to be, but the positional versatility (1B, LF, CF, RF) is still there and enticing. Given Bellinger couldn’t land anything better last offseason than the three-year, $80 million contract he signed with the Chicago Cubs, there’s a real likelihood he will pick up his option years ($$52.5 million remaining over two seasons) and then become a free agent as a 31-year-old in 2026.
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16. Anthony Santander, OF, Baltimore Orioles
Anthony Santander picked an excellent time for a career-best season. Hitting 30 home runs isn’t abnormal for him, he did it in 2022 and nearly replicated the feat in 2023. What stands out is the fact that Santander raised his slugging by nearly 60 points, leading to his first season with a .800-plus OPS. The switch-hitter strikes out at a reasonable rate (sub-20 percent) for a power hitter, though, he won’t get on base much outside of the extra-base hits. Still, he won’t kill teams defensively in the corner outfield and switch-hitters with this kind of power don’t hit the free market every year.
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17. Tyler O’Neill, OF, Boston Red Sox
Tyler O’Neill isn’t the definition of durability, but his 2024 season with the Boston Red Sox is the closest he’s come to the top-10 NL MVP candidate the St. Louis Cardinals witnessed in 2021 (.912 OPS). The career-worst strikeout rate of over 31 percent is concerning, but O’Neill is also in the 90th percentile or better for expected Slugging, Barrel rate, Hard Hit rate and Bat Speed, per Baseball Savant . He’ll also still be 29 years old in early June 2025. Plus, he’s not bad defensively and his arm will get a few additional outs. Teams might be more comfortable with a short-term contract, though, since he had a .229/.310/.397 line from 2022-’23.
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18. Clay Holmes, CP, New York Yankees
There’s an added mental pressure that comes with being the New York Yankees closer and Clay Holmes usually delivered in big spots. Turning 32 years old in March, the 6-foot-5 reliever sports a sub-2.8 ERA in nearly 200 innings since Opening Day 2022. He’s also struck out over 25 percent of batters with a walk rate under 8 percent ( FanGraphs ) in that span. He’s young for a reliever, so Holmes should easily be viewed as the best closer available in MLB free agency this winter.
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19. Gleyber Torres, 2B, New York Yankees
Plenty of our top MLB free agents in 2024-’25 have come through with contract seasons that will add tens of millions of dollars to their earning power this winter. Gleyber Torres isn’t one of them. After posting a .800 OPS with 25 home runs and 13 steals in 2023, Torres’ strikeout rate ballooned over 22 percent in 2024 after sitting at just 14.6 percent a year ago. That’s what pushes him down our MLB free agency rankings. What keeps the second baseman inside the top 20 is his .782 OPS with 49 home runs from 2022-’23. The All-Star hitter we saw at the start of Torres’ career (275/.338/.511, .849 OPS) likely isn’t coming back, but Torres should still be viewed as an above-average second baseman and he’ll be 29 years old this winter.
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20. Justin Verlander, SP, Houston Astros
Father Time, or more specifically, over 3,500 innings thrown in the majors, has caught up to Justin Verlander. Turning 42 years old in February, the 6-foot-5 righty spent the majority of the 2024 season on the injured list with arm and neck troubles. He also hasn’t reached 170 innings in a season in two years and 2024 was his first under 100. There’s also the ERA over 4.00 and 1.2 WHIP in the last two years to show you aren’t getting that 39-year-old Cy Young winner. In the right circumstances, though, Verlander could still prove to be quite valuable. If he finds the right team to limit his innings, Verlander is probably a better bet than Max Scherzer.
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Top MLB free agents by position
Here are the top MLB free agents by position in 2024-’25.
Catcher
- James McCann, Baltimore Orioles
- Elias Diaz, Colorado Rockies
- Travis d’Arnaud, Atlanta Braves – $8 million club option
- Danny Jansen, Boston Red Sox
- Austin Hedges, Cleveland Guardians
- Yasmani Grandal, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Gary Sanchez, Milwaukee Brewers
- Austin Barnes, Los Angeles Dodgers – $3.5 million club option
- Max Stassi, Chicago White Sox – $7.5 million club option
- Jacob Stallings, Colorado Rockies
- Luke Maile, Cincinnati Reds – $3.5 million club option
- Kyle Higashioka, San Diego Padres
- Curt Casali, San Francisco Giants
- Tomas Nido, Chicago Cubs
- Carson Kelly, Texas Rangers
- Kevin Plawecki, San Diego Padres
- Sandy Leon, Atlanta Braves
- Roberto Perez, Boston Red Sox
First Base
- Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Pete Alonso, New York Mets
- Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
- Rhys Hoskins, Milwaukee Brewers
- Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees – $17 million club option
- Josh Bell, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Joey Votto, Toronto Blue Jays
- Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins
- Dominic Smith, Boston Red Sox
- Wilmer Flores, San Francisco Giants – $3.5 million player option
- Joey Gallo, Washington Nationals
- Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles – $7.5 million club option
- Giovanny Urshela, Detroit Tigers
- Rowdy Tellez, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Jake Lamb, Pittsburgh Pirates
- C.J. Cron, Boston Red Sox
Second Base
- Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees
- Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays – $10.5 million club option
- Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners – $12 million club option
- Adam Frazier, Kansas City Royals – 48.5 million mutual option
- David Bote, Chicago Cubs – $7 million club option
- Leury Garcia, Atlanta Braves
- Brandon Drury, Los Angeles Angels
Shortstop
- Willy Adames, Milwaukee Brewers
- Ha-Seong Kim, San Diego Padres – $7 million mutual option
- Paul DeJong, Kansas City Royals
- Amed Rosario, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Kyle Farmer, Minnesota Twins – #6.3 million mutual option
- Miguel Rojas, Los Angeles Dodgers – $5 million club option
- Brandon Crawford, St. Louis Cardinals
- Enrique Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Jose Iglesias, New York Mets
- Kevin Newman, Arizona Diamondbacks
Third Base
- Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
- Eugenio Suarez, Arizona Diamondbacks – $15 million club option
- Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox – $25 million club option
- Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants – $17.7 million player option
- Justin Turner, Seattle Mariners
- Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
Outfield
- Juan Soto, New York Yankees
- Cody Bellinger, Cubs – $27.5M player option
- Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles
- Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Michael Conforto, San Francisco Giants
- Tyler O’Neill, Boston Red Sox
- Marcell Ozuna, Braves – $16M club option
- Mark Canha, San Francisco Giants
- Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies
- Joc Pederson, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Kevin Kiermaier, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Harrison Bader, New York Mets
- Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres
- Austin Slater, Baltimore Orioles
- Jesse Winker, New York Mets
- Manuel Margot, Minnesota Twins
- Jason Heyward, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins
- Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Hunter Renfroe, Kansas City Royals
- Mitch Haniger, Mariners – $17.5M player option
- Michael Taylor, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Tommy Pham, St. Louis Cardinals
- Adam Duvall, Atlanta Braves
- Whit Merrifield, Atlanta Braves
- Robbie Grossman, Texas Rangers
- Travis Jankowski, Texas Rangers
- Randal Grichuk, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Rob Refsnyder, Boston Red Sox
- Kevin Pillar, Los Angeles Angels
Starting Pitcher
- Corbin Burnes, Baltimore Orioles
- Blake Snell, Giants – $38.5M player option
- Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
- Jack Flaherty, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Max Scherzer, Texas Rangers
- Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
- Gerrit Cole, Yankees – $36M player option
- Roki Sasaki, Japan
- Robbie Ray, Giants – $25M player option
- Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves
- Lucas Giolito, Red Sox – $19M player option
- Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers – $20M vested option
- Frankie Montas, Brewers – $20M mutual option
- Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals
- Michael Wacha, Royals – $16M player option
- Sean Manaea, Mets – $13.5M player option
- Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians
- Luis Severino, New York Mets
- Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks – $7M club option
- Freddy Peralta, Brewers – $8M club option
- John Means, Baltimore Orioles
- Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers – $3.1M club option
- Adrian Houser, New York Mets
- Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs
- Kyle Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals
- Jose Quintana, New York Mets
- Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers
- Ross Stripling, Oakland Athletics
- Yusei Kikuchi, Houston Astros
- Lance Lynn, Cardinals – $11M club option
- Anthony DeSclafani, Minnesota Twins
- Drew Smyly, Chicago Cubs
- Alex Cobb, Cleveland Guardians
- Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Martin Perez, San Diego Paders
- Marco Gonzales, Pittsburgh Pirates
- James Paxton, Boston Red Sox
- Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Colin Rea, Milwaukee Brewers
- Ryan Yarbrough, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Mike Clevinger, Chicago White Sox
- Michael Soroka, Chicago White Sox
- Luke Weaver, New York Yankees
- Spencer Turnbull, Philadelphia Phillies
- Matt Boyd, Cleveland Guardians
- Joe Ross, Milwaukee Brewers
Relief Pitcher
- Kenley Jansen, Boston Red Sox
- Clay Holmes, New York Yankees
- Tanner Scott, San Diego Padres
- Yimi Garcia, Seattle Mariners
- Ryan Pressly, Houston Astros – $14M vested option
- David Robertson, Texas Rangers – $7M mutual option
- Carlos Estevez, Philadelphia Phillies
- Devin Williams, Milwaukee Brewers – $10.5M club option
- Nick Martinez, Cincinnati Reds – $12M player option
- Craig Kimbrel, Baltimore Orioles – $13M club option
- Aroldis Chapman, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Daniel Bard, Colorado Rockies
- Matt Moore, Los Angeles Angels
- Hector Neris, Chicago Cubs – $9M club option
- Joe Kelly, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Kendall Graveman, Houston Astros
- Blake Treinen, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Emilio Pagan, Cincinnati Reds
- Nick Pivetta, Boston Red Sox
- Paul Sewald, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Chris Martin, Boston Red Sox
- Phil Maton, New York Mets -$7.8M club option
- Scott Barlow, Cleveland Guardians
- Jake Junis, Cincinnati Reds
- Trevor Williams, Washington Nationals
- A.J. Minter, Atlanta Braves
- Keynan Middleton, St. Louis Cardinals -$6M club option
- John Brebbia, Chicago White Sox
- Will Smith, Kansas City Royals
- Ryne Stanek, New York Mets
- Chris Stratton, Royals – $4.5M player option
- Andrew Chafin, Rangers – $6.5M club option
- Brooks Raley, New York Mets
- Luke Jackson, Braves – $7M club option
- Aaron Bummer, Atlanta Braves
- Jose Leclerc, Texas Rangers
- Wandy Peralta, San Diego Padres
- Seranthony Dominguez, Orioles – $8M club option
- Shelby Miller, Tigers – $4.3M club option
- Lucas Sims, Boston Red Sox
- Jonathan Loaisiga, New York Yankees
- Dylan Floro, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Jalen Beeks, Pittsburgh Pirates
- Trevor Richards, Minnesota Twins
- Scott Alexander, Oakland Athletics
- Jeff Hoffman, Philadelphia Phillies
- Daniel Hudson, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Caleb Ferguson, Houston Astros
- Andrew Kittredge, St. Louis Cardinals
Find Matt Johnson on Twitter @Matt_Sportsnaut
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