The MLB lockout is finally over, so we can expect a flurry of activity on the free-agent market before the season starts next month. While some of the marquee names were already signed prior to the lockout, there are still several impact players available.
The list includes hitters with proven track records and intriguing arms that can help teams during the upcoming season and beyond.
In this article, we’ll rank the top 100 MLB free agents, keeping track of where each player lands. You’ll also find a breakdown of each position, which will include an explanation of some of the top options.
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MLB Free Agent Rankings: Top 100
Rk | Player | POS | Age | 2021 Team | Signed With |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Max Scherzer | SP | 37 | Los Angeles Dodgers | New York Mets |
2 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | 32 | Atlanta Braves | Los Angeles Dodgers |
3 | Corey Seager | SS | 27 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Texas Rangers |
4 | Carlos Correa | SS | 27 | Houston Astros | Minnesota Twins |
5 | Trevor Story | SS | 29 | Colorado Rockies | Boston Red Sox |
6 | Marcus Semien | 2B | 31 | Toronto Blue Jays | Texas Rangers |
7 | Robbie Ray | SP | 30 | Toronto Blue Jays | Seattle Mariners |
8 | Kevin Gausman | SP | 30 | San Francisco Giants | Toronto Blue Jays |
9 | Javier Baez | SS | 28 | Chicago Cubs | Detroit Tigers |
10 | Justin Verlander | SP | 38 | Houston Astros | Houston Astros |
11 | Clayton Kershaw | SP | 33 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers |
12 | Raisel Iglesias | RP | 31 | Los Angeles Angels | Los Angeles Angels |
13 | Starling Marte | OF | 33 | Oakland Athletics | New York Mets |
14 | Kenley Jansen | RP | 34 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Atlanta Braves |
15 | Eduardo Rodriguez | SP | 28 | Boston Red Sox | Detroit Tigers |
16 | Kris Bryant | OF | 30 | San Francisco Giants | Colorado Rockies |
17 | Nick Castellanos | OF | 30 | Cincinnati Reds | Philadelphia Phillies |
18 | Marcus Stroman | SP | 30 | New York Mets | Chicago Cubs |
19 | Chris Taylor | 2B | 31 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers |
20 | Seiya Suzuki | OF | 27 | Hiroshima Toyo Carp | Chicago Cubs |
21 | Carlos Rodon | SP | 29 | Chicago White Sox | San Francisco Giants |
22 | Noah Syndergaard | SP | 29 | New York Mets | Los Angeles Angels |
23 | Anthony Rizzo | 1B | 32 | New York Yankees | New York Yankees |
24 | Michael Conforto | OF | 29 | New York Mets | |
25 | Kyle Schwarber | OF | 29 | Boston Red Sox | Philadelphia Phillies |
26 | Jon Gray | SP | 30 | Colorado Rockies | Texas Rangers |
27 | Steven Matz | SP | 30 | Toronto Blue Jays | St. Louis Cardinals |
28 | Anthony DeSclafani | SP | 31 | San Francisco Giants | San Francisco Giants |
29 | Avisail Garcia | OF | 30 | Milwaukee Brewers | Miami Marlins |
30 | Nelson Cruz | DH | 41 | Tampa Bay Rays | Washington Nationals |
31 | Jorge Soler | OF | 30 | Atlanta Braves | Miami Marlins |
32 | Eddie Rosario | OF | 30 | Atlanta Braves | Atlanta Braves |
33 | Mark Canha | OF | 32 | Oakland Athletics | New York Mets |
34 | Alex Wood | SP | 30 | San Francisco Giants | San Francisco Giants |
35 | Alex Cobb | SP | 34 | Los Angeles Angels | San Francisco Giants |
36 | Eduardo Escobar | 3B | 32 | Milwaukee Brewers | New York Mets |
37 | Yusei Kikuchi | SP | 30 | Seattle Mariners | Toronto Blue Jays |
38 | Aaron Loup | RP | 33 | New York Mets | Los Angeles Angels |
39 | Mark Melancon | RP | 36 | San Diego Padres | Arizona Diamondbacks |
40 | Corey Knebel | RP | 30 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Philadelphia Phillies |
41 | Andrew McCutchen | OF | 35 | Philadelphia Phillies | Milwaukee Brewers |
42 | Tommy Pham | OF | 34 | San Diego Padres | Cincinnati Reds |
43 | Zack Greinke | SP | 38 | Houston Astros | Kansas City Royals |
44 | Kendall Graveman | RP | 30 | Houston Astros | Chicago White Sox |
45 | Hector Neris | RP | 32 | Philadelphia Phillies | Houston Astros |
46 | Jonathan Villar | SS | 30 | New York Mets | Chicago Cubs |
47 | Leury Garcia | 2B | 30 | Chicago White Sox | Chicago White Sox |
48 | Andrew Heaney | SP | 30 | New York Yankees | Los Angeles Dodgers |
49 | Ian Kennedy | RP | 37 | Philadelphia Phillies | Arizona Diamondbacks |
50 | Yan Gomes | C | 34 | Oakland Athletics | Chicago Cubs |
51 | James Paxton | SP | 33 | Seattle Mariners | Boston Red Sox |
52 | Michael Pineda | SP | 33 | Minnesota Twins | Detroit Tigers |
53 | Dylan Bundy | SP | 29 | Los Angeles Angels | Minnesota Twins |
54 | Yimi Garcia | RP | 31 | Houston Astros | Toronto Blue Jays |
55 | Kirby Yates | RP | 34 | Toronto Blue Jays | Atlanta Braves |
56 | Andrew Chafin | RP | 31 | Oakland Athletics | Detroit Tigers |
57 | Brooks Raley | RP | 33 | Houston Astros | Tampa Bay Rays |
58 | Joc Pederson | OF | 29 | Atlanta Braves | San Francisco Giants |
59 | Yoshitomo Tsutsugo | 1B | 29 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pittsburgh Pirates |
60 | Corey Kluber | SP | 35 | New York Yankees | Tampa Bay Rays |
61 | Daniel Hudson | RP | 34 | San Diego Padres | Los Angeles Dodgers |
62 | Luis Garcia | RP | 34 | St. Louis Cardinals | San Diego Padres |
63 | Collin McHugh | RP | 34 | Tampa Bay Rays | Atlanta Braves |
64 | Jimmy Nelson | RP | 32 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers |
65 | Ryan Tepera | RP | 34 | Chicago White Sox | Los Angeles Angels |
66 | Joe Kelly | RP | 33 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Chicago White Sox |
67 | Jose Quintana | SP | 32 | San Francisco Giants | Pittsburgh Pirates |
68 | Drew Smyly | SP | 32 | Atlanta Braves | Chicago Cubs |
69 | Manuel Pina | C | 34 | Milwaukee Brewers | Atlanta Braves |
70 | Jordan Lyles | SP | 31 | Texas Rangers | Baltimore Orioles |
71 | Michael Lorenzen | SP | 29 | Cincinnati Reds | Los Angeles Angels |
72 | Michael Wacha | SP | 30 | Tampa Bay Rays | Boston Red Sox |
73 | Rich Hill | SP | 41 | New York Mets | Boston Red Sox |
74 | Kole Calhoun | OF | 34 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Texas Rangers |
75 | Roberto Perez | C | 32 | Cleveland Guardians | Pittsburgh Pirates |
76 | Garrett Richards | SP | 33 | Boston Red Sox | Texas Rangers |
77 | Trevor Rosenthal | RP | 31 | Oakland Athletics | |
78 | Joely Rodriguez | RP | 29 | New York Yankees | New York Yankees |
79 | Alex Colome | RP | 33 | Minnesota Twins | Colorado Rockies |
80 | Archie Bradley | RP | 29 | Philadelphia Phillies | Los Angeles Angels |
81 | Chris Martin | RP | 35 | Atlanta Braves | Chicago Cubs |
82 | Jeurys Familia | RP | 32 | New York Mets | Philadelphia Phillies |
83 | Corey Dickerson | OF | 32 | Toronto Blue Jays | St. Louis Cardinals |
84 | Alex Dickerson | OF | 31 | San Francisco Giants | Atlanta Braves |
85 | Cesar Hernandez | 2B | 31 | Chicago White Sox | Washington Nationals |
86 | Danny Duffy | SP | 33 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers |
87 | Brad Hand | RP | 31 | New York Mets | Philadelphia Phillies |
88 | Collin McHugh | RP | 34 | Tampa Bay Rays | Atlanta Braves |
89 | Andrew Miller | RP | 36 | St. Louis Cardinals | Retired |
90 | Jake Diekman | RP | 35 | Oakland Athletics | Boston Red Sox |
91 | Matt Boyd | SP | 31 | Detroit Tigers | San Francisco Giants |
92 | Chris Archer | SP | 33 | Tampa Bay Rays | Minnesota Twins |
93 | J.A. Happ | SP | 39 | St. Louis Cardinals | |
94 | Dellin Betances | SP | 33 | New York Mets | Los Angeles Dodgers |
95 | Mychal Givens | RP | 31 | Cincinnati Reds | Chicago Cubs |
96 | Adam Ottavino | RP | 36 | Boston Red Sox | New York Mets |
97 | Tyler Anderson | SP | 32 | Seattle Mariners | Los Angeles Dodgers |
98 | Colin Moran | 1B | 29 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Cincinnati Reds |
99 | Mitch Moreland | 1B | 36 | Oakland Athletics | |
100 | Andrelton Simmons | SS | 33 | Minnesota Twins | Chicago Cubs |
Free Agent Rankings: Catcher
Catchers Yan Gomes and Manny Pina have already signed with new teams. These two players were added as depth and are expected to serve as backups. Gomes can take the load off Willson Contreras for the Chicago Cubs, while Pina can do the same for Travis d’Arnaud with the Atlanta Braves.
You also had Roberto Perez, who departed the Cleveland Guardians for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The veteran backstop is expected to be the new starting catcher for the rebuilding Pirates.
Perez is renowned for his defensive abilities, so perhaps he can help out the Bucs’ mediocre starting rotation.
Free Agent Rankings: First Base
Defending World Series champion Freddie Freeman joined the star-studded Dodgers, where he’ll share a lineup with former MVPs Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger. The 32-year Freeman old remains one of the elite hitters in baseball and is coming off another strong season where he slashed .300/.393/.503 with 31 home runs for Atlanta.
Veteran Anthony Rizzo is returning to the New York Yankees after the Cubs traded him to the Bronx last summer. While his production has slipped a bit in recent seasons, he’s still a disciplined slugger who rarely strikes out and can take advantage of Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right.
Free Agent Rankings: Second Base
Marcus Semien parlayed his career season into a massive deal with the Texas Rangers. While his power numbers will likely decline in a less homer-friendly environment, he still retains 25-30 homer upside.
The versatile Chris Taylor remained with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will rely on him following Corey Seager‘s departure.
Leury Garcia is a dependable middle infielder for the Chicago White Sox with solid contact skills who has batted .267 or better in each of the last five seasons.
Cesar Hernandez has rock-solid on-base skills (career .345 OBP) that can help stabilize a thin Washington Nationals lineup.
Free Agent Rankings: Third Base
The third base pool was extremely limited in the 2022 free-agent crop. Veteran Eduardo Escobar heads over to the New York Mets, where he should benefit from an improved lineup around him. Let’s not forget that back in 2019, he slugged .511 with 35 homers and 118 RBIs. We could see a resurgence in New York.
Kris Bryant will look to continue his renaissance in Colorado after slashing .265/.353/.481 with 25 homers in 586 plate appearances last year. It will be exciting to see what the former NL MVP can do at Coors Field.
Best Bet: Phillies To Win 2022 World Series (+3500) at Caesars
The Phillies have tons of high-end talent that could push them towards World Series contention. Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper remains one of the best hitters in baseball. Their rotation is anchored by two aces in Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. The bullpen should be improved with the addition of Corey Knebel.
There’s also a good chance that the Phillies are aggressive in free agency. We already saw them add Kyle Schwarber to the lineup, and Dave Dombrowski always loves to make a splash. Whatever they decide to do, it’s likely that their roster looks stronger by Opening Day.
Free Agent Rankings: Shortstop
Shortstop is the strength of this free-agent group. Young stud Corey Seager heads over to Texas, where he can become a franchise cornerstone for the foreseeable future (if he stays healthy).
Javier Baez brings his free-swinging approach and dynamic athleticism to spark a Detroit Tigers team that’s on the rise.
Carlos Correa inked a nine-figure deal with the Minnesota Twins after finally showing what he can do in a healthy season last year, bashing a career-high 26 home runs while cutting his strikeout rate to 18.1%.
There are questions about how Trevor Story‘s production will be affected by leaving Coors Field, but he still has an intriguing power-speed profile in a hitting-friendly environment after signing on with the Boston Red Sox — where he’ll play second base for now given the presence of Xander Bogaerts.
Free Agent Rankings: Outfield
Starling Marte brings speed to an imposing Mets lineup after leading the majors with 47 steals last year. Mark Canha should also give the Mets a boost with his strong on-base skills.
Avisail Garcia hits the ball hard, ranking in the 98th-percentile in max exit velocity. He should assist an improving Miami Marlins’ lineup.
We also have to mention the newest Japanese import Seiya Suzuki, who has the ability to smack 25-30 homers with 15-20 stolen bases. He was heavily courted by multiple teams before signing with the Cubs and figures to bring plenty of excitement to the North Side of Chicago.
Free Agent Rankings: Starting Pitcher
Max Scherzer is still providing ace production into his late 30s and is showing no signs of slowing down. He gives the Mets another frontline starter, making their rotation one of the best in baseball.
Defending AL Cy Young Robbie Ray should benefit from the Seattle Mariners’ pitching-friendly park, while Kevin Gausman returns to the AL East as a different pitcher after two excellent seasons with the San Francisco Giants.
Clayton Kershaw and Carlos Rodon are the wild cards of this class. If we knew that Kershaw was fully healthy, he would approach the top five on this list. He showed that he can still put up elite numbers last year with a 16.7% swinging-strike rate. We’ll see if he can turn in another strong year with the Dodgers in his 15th season there.
Rodon came out of nowhere to have a huge 2021 season, but he has similar health concerns. The hard-throwing lefty notched a career-high 34.6% strikeout rate last year, so we’ll see if that is sustainable with the Giants.
Lastly, future Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander is back with the Houston Astros. It’ll be interesting to see if the 39-year-old can regain his form after appearing in just one game over the past two seasons combined.
Free Agent Rankings: Relief Pitcher
Raisel Iglesias decided to remain with the Los Angeles Angels, which is great news for a team that needs to win now and stop wasting years of Mike Trout‘s career.
Long-time Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen joins the reigning World Series champs in Atlanta after recording 38 saves with a 30.9% strikeout rate last season.
Keep an eye on Ian Kennedy as well, who has some closing experience and could find himself in a ninth-inning role with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kennedy tallied 30 saves in 2019 and 26 saves last season. We all know how MLB managers like to defer to experience when choosing their closers, so Kennedy could land that gig despite entering his age-37 season.
Best Bet: Angels To Win 2022 World Series (+3000) at Caesars
The Angels have wasted the prime years of one of the best talents we’ve ever seen in Mike Trout. Now, they have another superstar in Shohei Ohtani. It’s time for this team to make some noise in the postseason. Los Angeles has already taken a shot at an upside starter in Noah Syndergaard.
If they’re able to add one of those hitters to a lineup that includes Trout and Ohtani along with Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh, this could be a formidable offense. This is another team that could look much better by the time the season starts, so you’re getting some terrific value at (+3000).