The Current All-Free Agent Team

Things have been a bit quiet in the baseball world lately. With pitchers and catchers reporting in just over five weeks, several elite free agents remain on the market.

Let’s take a look at the top players remaining at each position.

Position Players

• Catcher: Yasmani Grandal – A position headlined by Kyle Higashioka this offseason, Grandal split time behind the plate in Pittsburgh, posting his best bWAR (0.6) since 2021. Former Met James McCann remains on the board.
• 1B: Pete Alonso – The Polar Bear had a down year in 2024 but still produced 34 home runs and played all 162 games. All roads point to a reunion with the Mets. Justin Turner, Donovan Solano and Anthony Rizzo fill out the first base depth.
• 2B: Whit Merrifield – A thin class this offseason; Merrifield isn’t the player he once was but still adds a reliable bench bat to a lineup. Nicky Lopez and Brendan Rodgers are options.
• 3B: Alex Bregman – The best remaining free agent, Bregman owns a career 39.6 bWAR (20th among active players). Jon Berti and Yoán Moncada are backup options for teams.
• SS: Ha-Seong Kim – The Gold Glove winner missed a chunk of 2024 with injury but is a menace when healthy and can play multiple infield positions. Paul DeJong and former Met Amed Rosario are the better options after Kim.
• OF: Anthony Santander – The former Oriole is the best switch-hitter on the market. He hit a career-high 44 homers in 2024, posted career-bests in RBIs and walks, and received MVP votes.
• OF: Jurickson Profar – Profar enjoyed his best season in 2024, becoming an All-Star for the first time after posting a career-high 3.6 bWAR and 134 OPS+.
• OF: Alex Verdugo – Verdugo struggled in his only season in the Bronx but looks to rebound with a new team. From 2021-2023, the lefty hit 30+ doubles every season. Randal Grichuk, Harrison Bader and Mark Canha remain the best options on the market after these three.
• UTL: Candelita AKA Jose Iglesias – It was not a dream. Iglesias posted a career-best 3.1 bWAR with the Mets in 2024 and ranked in the 77th percentile in outs about average (OAA) with a two OAA.
• DH: J.D. Martinez – The veteran had a down year in Queens, but his wisdom and presence proved more valuable than his bat at times. Any team will be so lucky to add Martinez.

Starting Pitching

It’s 50/50 if the Mets add another pitcher after signing Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and Griffin Canning this offseason. They would benefit from one more, and you can never have enough pitching. Here are the best-remaining starters on the market.

• RHP Jack Flaherty – Flaherty split his time in ’24 with the Tigers and Dodgers, pitching to a 3.17 ERA, 3.47 FIP and 127 ERA+. He struck out 194 batters and only allowed 38 walks.
• RHP Rōki Sasaki – One of the most coveted free agents this offseason, Sasaki also comes at a bargain because of his age. In the NPB, he’s 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA and 505 strikeouts since his debut in 2021.
• RHP Nick Pivetta – He quietly enjoyed steady success with Boston over the past few years. In his five years with the team, he went 37-41 with a 4.29 ERA. He appeared in 131 games and started 107 of them.

Other notable starters available include RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Justin Verlander, LHP Clayton Kershaw, LHP Jose Quintana, RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Kyle Gibson, RHP Michael Lorenzen and LHP Andrew Heaney.

Relievers

No market has felt the effects of a slow offseason more than the reliever market. The Mets desperately need to bolster their bullpen. Here are some top options who remain on the board:

• LHP Tanner Scott – Scott headlines the reliever class after posting a 1.75 ERA between Miami and San Diego in 2024.
• RHP Jeff Hoffman – Hoffman thrived in Philly the past two years after switching to a reliever full-time and was named to his first All-Star team.
• RHP Kirby Yates – The 37-year-old posted his best numbers in Texas since 2019 and received Cy Young votes after finishing with a career-best 3.3 bWAR.
• RHP David Robertson – The former Met was stellar with Texas (3.00 ERA) and looks to continue to be a presence in the back end of a bullpen.
• LHP Jalen Beeks – Beeks performed better after moving from Colorado to Pittsburgh and remains a viable option as a southpaw after Scott.

Keep an eye on names like Kenley Jansen, Carlos Estévez, Danny Coulombe, Dylan Floro, José Leclerc and Caleb Ferguson.

The post The Current All-Free Agent Team appeared first on Metsmerized Online.