MLB Free Agency: Looking Ahead at the Next 3 Free Agent Classes

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The 2011-2012 offseason is coming to a close. Players like Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, CJ Wilson, Prince Fielder, Yoenis Cespedes and Aramis Ramirez will all cash in but what about the next three years? Who will be a free agent then?

Some of these players will get extensions but some will hit the free agent market. Who is in for a big payday in the next three years? Let's find out.

I will be using Cot's Contracts for player's contracts.

* denotes a player with a team, player or vesting option

Notable 2012-2013 Free Agent Position Players

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This positional class is very heavy in terms of catchers and outfielders. Josh Hamilton and Yadier Molina lead those classes and will be in for huge paychecks. Most of these options will get picked up so don't get too excited for players like Curtis Granderson, Ian Kinsler, David Wright and Stephen Drew.

Questions to Consider:

• Will David Ortiz finally get a long-term deal or will he get one-year deal after one-year deal for the rest of his career?

• Will Josh Hamilton stay loyal to the team that gave him a second chance or will he leave if a bigger offer comes along?

• Will the Los Angeles Dodgers retain Andre Ethier and keep him next to Matt Kemp?

• Will the Cincinnati Reds re-sign Brandon Phillips, will they use that money to re-sign Joey Votto or do they have the money to re-sign both of them?

Will BJ Upton finally end up with the Washington Nationals via free agency or trade?

Potential $100 Million Deals:
Yadier Molina, Josh Hamilton, David Wright*, Curtis Granderson*, Ian Kinsler*, Brian McCann*

Catcher	First Base	Second Base	Shortstop	Third Base	Outfield
Brian McCann*	David Ortiz	Ian Kinsler*	Stephen Drew*	David Wright*	Josh Hamilton
Yadier Molina	James Loney	Brandon Phillips	Erick Aybar	Placido Polanco*	Curtis Granderson*
Mike Napoli	Travis Hafner*	Freddy Sanchez	Jhonny Peralta*	Kevin Youkilis*	Melky Cabrera
Russell Martin	Aubrey Huff*	Maicer Izturis	Marco Scutaro	Ty Wigginton*	Andre Ethier
Miguel Montero	Lance Berkman		Jason Bartlett*	Chipper Jones*	BJ Upton
Miguel Olivo*	Carlos Pena		Ryan Theriot	Scott Rolen	Michael Bourn
Carlos Ruiz*			Alex Gonzalez	Mark Teahen	Carlos Quentin
Jeff Mathis				Brandon Inge*	Shane Victorino
					Nick Swisher
					Ichiro Suzuki
					Grady Sizemore
					Torii Hunter

Notable 2012-2013 Free Agent Pitchers

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This pitching class is stacked. Pitchers like Dan Haren, Ervin Santana and James Shields will likely not hit free agency due to their team options but Cole Hamels, Matt Cain and Zack Greinke will all get contracts close to $100 million. Mariano Rivera will either re-sign with the Yankees or retire, which leaves Jose Valverde as the top reliever. Valverde, Adams, League and Rodriguez should all get multi-year deals.

Questions to Consider:

• Will the New York Yankees grab a starting pitcher and improve their rotation yet again or are they really set on a $189 million payroll?

• Will the best closer of all time and the best pitcher of our generation in Mariano Rivera hang up the cleats or re-sign with the Yankees?

• Will the Philadelphia Phillies keep their three aces intact by re-signing Cole Hamels?

• Will the San Francisco Giants re-sign Matt Cain or will they focus solely on Tim Lincecum?

• Will Scott Boras get Ryan Madson a multi-year deal after the one-year "pillow contract" with the Cincinnati Reds?

Potential $100 Million Deals:
Cole Hamels, Matt Cain, Zack Greinke

Starters	Relievers
Cole Hamels	Mariano Rivera
Matt Cain	Jose Valverde
Zack Greinke	Brandon League
Dan Haren*	Mike Adams
Ervin Santana*	Joakim Soria*
Anibal Sanchez	Jeremy Affeldt
James Shields*	Ryan Madson*
Brandon McCarthy	Brian Fuentes*
Francisco Liriano	Juan Oviedo
Shaun Marcum	Francisco Rodriguez
Hiroki Kuroda	Huston Street*

Notable 2013-2014 Free Agent Position Players

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This class is very strong at almost every positon. This class is not just full of superstars, it is incredibly deep and teams looking for bargains will be very happy.

Arguably two of the three best third basemen, Ryan Zimmerman and David Wright, will be free agents this offseason. Third base is a very top heavy position and teams will be lining up waiting to sign one of the few elite players at that position in the majors.

Questions to Consider:

• How much will two of Scott Boras' clients get? Robinson Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury will likely re-sign with their current teams but how much will it cost to re-sign the two superstars?

• Is this really it for Joey Votto in Cincinnati?

• Will the New York Mets let David Wright walk like Jose Reyes, will he re-sign with the team or will they trade him for a couple top prospects?

• Will Justin Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, get a big deal or will his injury issues scare teams off?

• Will Mark Reynolds get a big payday because of his massive power or will his low batting average, poor defense and high strikeout rate keep the price down?

Potential $100 Million Deals:
Brian McCann, Joey Votto, Robinson Cano, Ian Kinsler, David Wright, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Hunter Pence, Evan Longoria*

Catcher	First Base	Second Base	Shortstop	Third Base	Outfield
Brian McCann	Joey Votto	Robinson Cano	Asdrubal Cabrera	Evan Longoria*	Jacoby Ellsbury
Geovany Soto	Justin Morneau	Ian Kinsler	Stephen Drew	Mark Reynolds	Curtis Granderson
	Paul Konerko	Ben Zobrist*	Yuniel Escobar*	Michael Young	Adam Jones
	Michael Morse	Brian Roberts	Rafael Furcal	Chipper Jones	Alex Gordon
	Aubrey Huff	Martin Prado	Jhonny Peralta	David Wright	Shin Soo Choo
	Travis Hafner	Chase Utley	Derek Jeter*	Placido Polanco	Nelson Cruz
				Kevin Youkilis	Corey Hart
				Ty Wiggington	Carlos Beltran
				Ryan Zimmerman	Hunter Pence
					Chris Young*

Notable 2013-2014 Free Agent Pitchers

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Teams looking for starting pitching will love this class. Yes, Tim Lincecum and Adam Wainwright lead the way and will command huge deals, but there are other good pitchers. Any team looking for a veteran can sign Dan Haren, Tim Hudson or Chris Carpenter. There are also a few high-risk high-reward young pitching talent that will be cheaper than they appear due to injuries, such as Josh Johnson and Jair Jurrjens.

Any team looking to sure of the bullpen is not as lucky but there are some good pieces, such as Eric O'Flaherty, who had the lowest ERA in the majors in 2011.

Questions to Consider:

• Will the St Louis Cardinals lose another great player to free agency?

• Will the Angels lose two of their four best starting pitchers?

• Will "The Freak" remain in San Francisco, who seem disinclined to give him a long-term deal, or will he take a bigger contract and leave town? Will fan favorite Brian Wilson stay in San Francisco or will he be too expensive for a closer?

• Will the Miami Marlins be contenders by this time and re-sign Josh Johnson or will their huge spending lead to disappointment and Josh Johnson walking away?

• Will Jair Jurrjens' knee issue scare away teams or will his ace potential get a team to shell out a big deal for him?

Potential $100 Million Deals:
Tim Lincecum, Adam Wainwright

Starters	Relievers
Tim Lincecum	Eric O'Flaherty
Adam Wainwright	Ryan Madson
Dan Haren	Joakim Soria
James Shields*	Joaquin Benoit
Brandon Morrow	Rafael Soriano
Ervin Santana	Carlos Marmol
Matt Garza	JJ Putz
Chris Carpenter	Javier Lopez
Tim Hudson	Brian Wilson
Jair Jurrjens
Josh Johnson
Ryan Vogelsong
Roy Halladay*
Johan Santana*
Jon Lester*

Notable 2014-2015 Free Agent Position Players

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This is probably the weakest positional class I have seen in years. Victor Martinez will be a full-time DH, there is not much talent at first base and outfield, which is normally a strong position, has nobody worth a long-term deal.

Shortstop and third base has some nice names, but there are no real superstars in this list.

Questions to Consider:

• Will Hanley Ramirez leave Miami to become a shortstop somewhere else or will he enjoy playing next to Jose Reyes and re-sign?

• Will the San Francisco Giants be able to re-sign Pablo Sandoval knowing Buster Posey will be hitting the open market soon?

• Will Derek Jeter retire or will he be looking to sign a new deal with the New York Yankees?

• Will Brett Gardner get a big deal because of his defense and speed or will he lose his speed with age?

• Will Billy Butler leave Kansas City or will he stay due to the massive amounts of young talent in their farm system and on their major league club?

Potential $100 Million Deals:
Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Evan Longoria*, Dustin Pedroia*

Catcher	First Base	Second Base	Shortstop	Third Base	Outfield
Victor Martinez	Billy Butler	Dustin Pedroia*	Jimmy Rollins*	Pablo Sandoval	Colby Rasmus
	Adam Dunn	Ben Zobrist*	JJ Hardy	Hanley Ramirez	Nick Markakis
		Rickie Weeks*	Elvis Andrus	Evan Longoria*	Brett Gardner
			Yuniel Escobar*	Aramis Ramirez*	Alfonso Soriano
			Derek Jeter	Ian Stewart	Seth Smith
				Chase Headley	Franklin Gutierrez
					Michael Cuddyer
					Jason Bay

Notable 2014-2015 Free Agent Pitchers

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This would be the best starting pitching class of all time, too bad some of these players will sign extensions. Arguably the four best pitchers in the majors—Verlander, Kershaw, Halladay and Hernandez—are in this class.

The relief pitchers are few and far between but the ones that are there are all above average closers.

Questions to Consider:

• Will the New York Yankees finally get their man in Felix Hernandez, or will they go after the younger Clayton Kershaw barring a very likely extension once the Los Angeles Dodgers get a new owner?

• Will Roy Halladay still be an elite pitcher at 37-years-old and get a multi-year deal or will he just be an expensive one-year deal for a team waiting for a long term answer?

• Will Justin Verlander be a Detroit Tiger for life?

• Will Justin Masterson reach his potential and become an ace? Will he follow CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee's lead by leaving Cleveland or will he stay?

• Will the Milwaukee Brewers lose Yovani Gallardo after losing Prince Fielder and possibly Zack Greinke?

Potential $100 Million Deals:
Clayton Kerhsaw, Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, Justin Masterson

Starters	Relievers
Clayton Kerhsaw	Heath Bell*
Roy Halladay	Jason Motte
Felix Hernandez	David Robertson
Justin Verlander	Joe Nathan
Johan Santana	Chris Perez
Johnny Cueto*
James Shields
Josh Beckett
Yovani Gallardo
Jon Lester
Luke Hochevar
Justin Masterson
John Lackey