RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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It would be the understatement of the millennium to call this an underwhelming free-agent class.
Last winter, nine players — Kyle Tucker, Dylan Cease, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger, Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suárez, Bo Bichette and Framber Valdez — signed contracts worth more than $100 million. Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor ended up a tick below that at $92.5 million.
The upcoming offseason brings a far weaker market. New Dodger Tarik Skubal is a lock to exceed $100 million, but he might be the only one. And that has absolutely nothing to do with the upcoming labor fiasco; these players just aren’t that good.
And yet, we persevere. Here are our latest free-agent rankings.
Notes: Whenever you see a number, a slash and another number, that’s a reference to contract years and total earnings. For instance, the shorthand for Bryce Harper’s 11-year, $330 million deal would be “11/330.” Ages listed below are for the 2027 season.
Previous rankings: May edition | June edition
1. Tarik Skubal, Dodgers SP, age 30 (previous rank: 1)
Skubal is a Dodger now, in case you haven’t heard . That swap could have major ramifications for the rest of this season and beyond, if L.A. completes its three-peat. But for Skubal the free agent, moving west doesn’t move the needle too much, beyond the increased chances that he signs an extension. Detroit was never shelling out the big bucks to keep its ace around. The deep-pocketed Dodgers might try to make it worth Skubal’s while to forgo the chaos of free agency.
The most important thing for The Skubal Estate is that the big man is back, healthy and looking like himself . Until further notice, it’s fair to put the bone-chip, loose-body affair behind him.
2. Seiya Suzuki, Cubs OF, 32 (9) 3. Randy Arozarena, Mariners OF, 32 (5)
Frankly, we don’t feel good putting anybody at No. 2 on these rankings. This was supposed to be Freddy Peralta’s spot, but the new Ray has pitched so poorly that we had no choice but to sink him down the list a bit.
And so, Suzuki ends up here pretty much by default. The Japanese outfielder has the best underlying metrics of any impending free-agent hitter. He has rebounded from a slow May and is set to finish with an OPS above .800 for the fourth consecutive season. His popularity back in Japan could also help boost his market. Most crucially, Suzuki has improved as a defender, something that certainly does not apply to the next character.
Arozarena’s offensive consistency is commendable and should land him a nice payday, but his outfield play has backslid precipitously enough to raise concerns. Randy’s routes have never been crisp, but a decline in footspeed has made things even hairier out in the grass. His bat is legit and would fit in the top half of any big-league lineup, but the defensive shortcomings push him below Suzuki for now.
4. Freddy Peralta, Rays SP, 31 (2)
Peralta, despite his season of woe, remains the likeliest free agent after Skubal to snag a $100 million deal. A change of scenery could do him well, as could the Rays’ pitching expertise. Peralta’s first start with Tampa Bay went awfully , though the evils of Coors Field deserve some blame for that. He has thrown poorly enough, for long enough that we had to sink him on our list, but we can’t completely quit this cat.
This ranking is, in part, a show of faith in Tampa Bay’s pitching development group to get the gregarious righty back on track. With the Rays hurtling toward October, Peralta is primed to play a major role over the next few months . That could either restore his value or send him deeper into the abyss.
With Freddy Peralta having moved himself down the list, No. 2 on these rankings is up for grabs. Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports
5. Luis Arraez, Phillies 2B, 30 (8) 6. Brandon Lowe, Pirates 2B, 32 (7) 7. Gleyber Torres, Tigers 2B, 30 (14) 8. Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees 2B, 29 (3)
Boy, that’s a lot of second basemen. Depending on your preferences, you could shuffle this quartet in any number of ways. We’ve got Arraez atop the list because he has (1) gotten more lithe and athletic, (2) reemerged as a viable defender at second, (3) rediscovered the best version of his contact-oriented self and (4) is about to command far more screentime in Philly than he was getting in San Francisco.
Lowe has cooled off a bit over the past six weeks, but he continues to hit for power. His defensive strides are almost as striking as Arraez’s; the 32-year-old has gone from minus-10 OAA in 2025 to plus-7 this season. Torres is easily the worst glovesmith of this group, but he has the most bankable offensive track record. It’s interesting that no true contender called the Tigers about Gleyber during Detroit’s deadline sell-off. Injuries have made this a stop-start season for the former Yank, but he has performed when healthy.
The same cannot be said for Chisholm, who has been one of this campaign’s more disappointing characters. After a 30-30 2025, this was shaping up to be a potential breakout season for the effervescent Bahamian. Instead, he has been pure mediocrity at the dish. Batting average isn’t everything, but Jazz’s .217 mark isn’t going to secure him the gargantuan contract he was hoping for.
9. Ryan Jeffers, Twins C, 30 (18)
Jeffers has been merely good (.757 OPS) instead of great since returning from a hamate issue on July 10. But let’s give the Twins’ backstop some grace. Players often take longer to return to prime form after experiencing hand issues. That’s probably truer for a catcher.
With the Twins shockingly close to a playoff spot , Jeffers ended up staying in town at the deadline. That might make him a strong candidate to receive a qualifying offer. But given the dearth of catching and power on the market, this dude could be in line to make a nice payday this winter.
10. Ian Happ, Cubs OF, 32 (6) 11. Taylor Ward, Mariners OF, 33 (10)
Happ has trailed off significantly over the past few months, a schneid backed u...
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