Ranking the 10 Best Power Hitters Available in Free Agency, Trade Talks

More and more, pitching is dominating Major League Baseball, which means players who provide any kind of offense, and especially power, are coming at a premium on the trade front or in the free-agent market.

Big bats are getting harder and harder to come by, and those that are available tend to come with some sort of flaw or concern, be it age, injury history or contract.

That's why it's helpful to know which players who can be labeled "power hitters" are the best targets for teams to go after this offseason.

The aim here is to rank based on the players' overall skill set and past/future performance with a sprinkle of value mixed in too. But the focus is on those who are not only available, but also can be called power hitters legitimately.

That means you won't find, say, free agent Pablo Sandoval and trade target Jason Heyward on the pages to follow. They might be better all-around than all but a few of the names, and they do have some pop—but they're not quite power-hitter-ish.

This also is rooted in projected playing time and role, so power-only sluggers, like free agents Mark Reynolds or Jonny Gomes, who have plenty of power but aren't everyday players, didn't make the cut.

Just the same, players with little to no logical chance of being traded, like Giancarlo Stanton, who has engaged in extension talks with the Miami Marlins, per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, weren't considered, either.

Ultimately, think about these rankings like so: a general manager of a contender in need of a big bat and with some payroll to spare might consider trying to obtain these players in this order.

Next in Line

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Chris Carter hit 37 homers in 2014, but also batted just .227 with 182 strikeouts.

Colby Rasmus, OF, Free Agent

Chris Carter, 1B/OF/DH, Houston Astros

Mark Trumbo, 1B/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

Mike Morse, 1B/OF/DH, Free Agent

Kendrys Morales, 1B/DH, Free Agent

Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies

No. 10: Evan Gattis, C/OF, Atlanta Braves

Evan Gattis is a flawed player with a perfect nickname—and a lot of power.

El Oso Blanco walks too little (5.5 percent in 2014) and whiffs too much (24.2 percent) and lacks a definitive defensive position, but man, can he punish a baseball when he connects.

As David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes: "Gattis has 43 homers in 783 plate appearances in two major league seasons, and is still a year away from arbitration eligibility, which is why he’s very attractive to many teams looking for a catcher and/or designated hitter."

Gattis is gettable in a deal because the Atlanta Braves have prospect Christian Bethancourt, an elite defender, ready to take over as the starting backstop.

Gattis, meanwhile, is 28 years old, still has four full seasons left under team control and can at least handle being a backup catcher. In other words, he's an intriguing target for more than just his 25-homer power.

No. 9: Adam LaRoche, 1B, Free Agent

Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press

Although he's getting up there, having just turned 35 in early November, Adam LaRoche remains a productive, if somewhat inconsistent slugger.

The lefty-swinging LaRoche missed most of 2011 with injury and had a subpar 2013 (.237/.332/.403), but he has knocked at least 20 home runs every season in which he's played more than 110 games. In 2014, he hammered 26 and drove in 92 runs, both team highs for the Washington Nationals.

LaRoche also picked a good time to put up his lowest-ever strikeout rate (18.4 percent) and best-ever walk rate (14.0 percent) in a full season.

Just don't ask the free-agent first baseman to do much against left-handers—or even face 'em at all, really—as he has a .718 career OPS against them (compared to .842 versus righties).

Considering his advancing age and struggles with southpaws, LaRoche's contract should be reasonable enough (say, $10 million-$12 million for two or three years?) to be worth investing in him and getting a solid return. Oh, and as a bonus, he doesn't come with any draft-pick compensation.

No. 8: Nelson Cruz, OF/DH, Free Agent

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

You'd think MLB's home run leader would rate higher than eighth on a list of the best available power hitters.

Nelson Cruz, who hit 40 this year, has oomph to spare, but there's more to this game than just hitting balls over walls, and that's the only thing the 10-year veteran excels at.

While that's a fine trait to possess, especially in the current pitching-dominated, power-starved environment, it's not enough to mask the very real concerns that surround Cruz. Like, for instance, his age (34), or his statuesque defense or his history of being hampered by injuries or his performance-enhancing drug past.

Tack on the loss of a draft choice because Cruz was tendered a qualifying offer, and it's not so hard to see why there are seven better players available, even if nobody hit any more long balls in 2014.

No. 7: Yoenis Cespedes, OF, Boston Red Sox

A two-time defending Home Run Derby champ, Yoenis Cespedes can make a case as one of the premier right-handed sluggers in the majors, at least in terms of raw power.

The 29-year-old former Cuban star actually reached only 22 homers this past season, the lowest total (by one) in his three campaigns. Part of that could be that he was traded in July and needed an adjustment period in going from the Oakland Athletics to the Boston Red Sox.

Then again, Cespedes also crossed the 600-plate-appearance plateau for the first time in America and walked only 35 times, fewest in his career. That could by why, after acquiring him as part of the Jon Lester deal at the trade deadline, the outfield-loaded Red Sox appear willing to move Cespedes, per Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.

With but one year left before Cespedes gets to the open market, teams would be wise to treat him as a one-and-done for help in 2015. That's not such a bad thing, though, because then his (theoretical new) team wouldn't have to worry about overpaying him once he hits the big three-oh.

No. 6: Yasmany Tomas, OF, Free Agent

Ranking Yasmany Tomas, the latest Cuban sensation, among this group of power hitters is about as tricky as it gets.

For one thing, the soon-to-be 24-year-old is entirely unproven in the big leagues.

For another, the bidding for the free-agent outfielder, who has worked out multiple times already for a number of teams, very easily could approach $100 million territory, as Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

To rank Tomas higher than this, one has to believe not only that he's the next coming of Jose Abreu—another former Cuban star and AL Rookie of the Year favorite—but also that he's worth betting a massive amount of money on without worrying that he could be merely another Dayan Viciedo, or even a complete bust.

If Tomas turns out to be the former, then he might be No. 1 here after the 2015 season. But if he's the latter, then he'll represent a major correction in the exploding market of Cuban players—and a potentially franchise-damaging contract for the club that signs him.

No. 5: Justin Upton, OF, Atlanta Braves

One of the most powerful—and streakiest—hitters in the entire sport, Justin Upton might rank higher than this were he not entering the final year of his contract.

Upton owns a career .202 ISO and fell just one homer shy of reaching 30 for the second time in his eight seasons. Because he's still only 27 years old for most of the 2015 season, he could still have room for a bump in production. But if not, teams that might consider trading for him should feel confident that he's far from past his prime.

On the downside, other than the fact that he'll be a free agent this time next year, the outfielder struck out 26.7 percent of the time, his second-highest rate ever.

Given that, as well as his declining defense and noticeably thickening midsection, there's real risk in giving Upton a long-term deal for north of $100 million, as David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution speculates he might command.

On the other hand, that makes it extremely likely that Upton would reject a qualifying offer after 2015, thus netting his theoretical new team a draft pick, as long as he's acquired before the season starts.

No. 4: Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies

One could make the argument that Troy Tulowitzki belongs atop this ranking. After all, he's a 30-year-old shortstop who performs like one of the top five or 10 all-around players in the game—when he's healthy.

There's the first rub, though. Tulo has played just 264 out of a possible 486 games over the past three years—or barely 50 percent. His penchant for getting injured—and not just nicked up, but to the point where he's out for the season—has become something of a cruel joke, especially because of how well he's played when active.

To wit, the Colorado Rockies star was hitting .340/.432/.603 with 21 homers in 91 games before being felled last year almost immediately after the All-Star break, during which he captained the NL side in the Home Run Derby.

The other big knock? That contract, which pays Tulowitzki $118 million through the 2020 season. There are but a handful of clubs that could even handle taking on that steep a salary, and when combined with the injury history, well, just ouch.

Still, Tulo is the kind of talent that almost makes the money worth it, even with all chunks of seasons missed. Almost—which is why Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that the Rockies, for a change, seem to be realizing as much and at least willing to discuss the possibility of moving their franchise player. What the club would want in return, however, is another potential problem.

On that topic, Rosenthal writes, "One rival official said the Rockies are willing to move Tulowitzki and [Carlos] Gonzalez but only for returns that would reflect their contributions when healthy. In other words, no discount for injury."

No. 3: Hanley Ramirez, SS/3B, Free Agent

Coming off a solid but unspectacular 2014 in which he hit only 13 homers but still posted an .817 OPS, Hanley Ramirez is also about to turn 31 in December. He's pretty clearly on the downside of what has been a great career, albeit one that has declined aside from his monstrous 2013.

Even that year, though, when he put up an elite 1.040 OPS and smacked 20 long balls, Ramirez missed half the season with injury. After playing at least 142 games every year from 2006-10, the injuries—and missed time—have piled up: He's played in more than 128 contests just once (157 in 2012) over the past four campaigns.

Ramirez also is a pretty terrible shortstop, although he apparently has realized that he can increase his value as a free agent by telling clubs he's willing to switch positions, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

If Ramirez can handle a less demanding spot, like third base, which he played in 2012, then that might help him get more out of his bat and possibly even stay healthier over the life of his next contract.

Being attached to draft-pick compensation is another knock on Ramirez. But if it helps bring down his signing price to, say, $80 million over five years rather than a potential albatross nine-figure pact, that could make him a better target than Tulowitzki.

No. 2: Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Colorado Rockies

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

It might seem silly to have a player who rivals teammate Troy Tulowitzki in the injury issues department, but there are plenty of good reasons why Carlos Gonzalez—a potential trade piece. per Rosenthal's report for Fox Sports—checks in at No. 2.

For one, he'll play all of next season at age 29, so he's one of the few here who falls on the right side of 30.

For another, Gonzalez is capable of playing all three outfield positions and had four straight 20-20 seasons under his belt before an injury-riddled 2014. So he's versatile and has a strong all-around skill set too.

Just as important? Even with all the injury risks, his contract actually is rather reasonable, considering it's for only three more seasons and "just" $53 million.

That said, the risks with Gonzalez are mostly related to health, but they remain real. He had surgery on his left knee in August, which didn't come long after he underwent another procedure to remove a tumor from his left hand in June. No wonder he played a career-low 70 games.

Given all of that, the Rockies' best course of action might be to have Gonzalez get back on the field and remind everyone how good he is, then look to trade him midseason when his value spikes.

No. 1: Victor Martinez, 1B/DH, Free Agent

That a soon-to-be 36-year-old Victor Martinez is No. 1 says a lot about the status of the other players in this ranking, from the onerous contracts and looming free agency to their advancing age and health concerns.

Plus, Martinez isn't necessarily a power hitter by the pure definition of the term, but the man did hit a career-high 32 homers in 2014—more than all but eight players in the sport.

The main reason Martinez, essentially a designated hitter these days, tops the younger position players behind him? He's simply one of the best, most consistent hitters in the majors and has been for a decade now, thanks to his ability to bat from both sides and an incredible approach.

To wit, he walked (70) nearly twice as often as whiffed (42) in 2014, which is something that just doesn't happen anymore. For his career, he sports a triple-slash line of .306/.373/.475 and has a 9.5 percent walk rate compared to a 10.4 percent strikeout rate. While it's risky to expect Martinez to remain productive as he approaches 40, he is the type of hitter who could do so.

"He's amazing at getting the barrel of the bat to the ball, whether it’s neck-high or shoelace-high," Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said of Martinez in August via Jon Morosi of Fox Sports. "Secondly, he can foul off pitches like no one I've ever seen before. Because he can reach so many pitches with his bat, he can extend at-bats unlike any other hitter I've seen."

That in mind, Martinez also could make for a halfway decent value, even if he's aiming for a four-year deal through his age-39 campaign, as Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports. After all, another $52 million contract over that time wouldn't be nearly as devastating if something goes wrong, especially compared to the expected payouts for Hanley Ramirez and Yasmany Tomas or what Troy Tulowitzki already costs.

Statistics are accurate through the 2014 season and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11.