MLB Free Agents: Top 20 Hitters on the Market
The moment after Brian Wilson threw the final pitch of the 2010 World Series, 142 Major League Baseball players officially became free agents.
The first champagne cork hadnโt been popped in the San Francisco Giants locker room when approximately 19 percent of opening-day rosters didnโt have a contractual agreement for the 2011 season.
Welcome to the MLB Hot Stove season.
We would wait for the Giants to fly back home to San Francisco and hold their championship parade, but we simply donโt have time to do that.
Clubs have five days to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents before the bidding is opened up to the rest of the league.
What does that mean precisely?
When Monday morning arrives next week, Cliff Lee can officially bolt Texas if he chooses to do so.
To prepare for the free agent bonanza that will be upon us shortly, Bleacher Report will take a look at many of the names that could be on the move.
Today, we look at 20 of the top hitters on the free-agent market.
Thereโs one distinction in play: This is a list of names, not a ranking, which is why they will not be numbered from 1-20.
Yes, rankings are fun. Debating whoโs the best at anything provides a great conversation point.
But presenting this discussion in that form would simply be an insult to your intelligence. Why?
Well, letโs say that the free-agent market this year is rather feeble, at best.
Thereโs a handful of intriguing names, and then it drops off rather quickly. Getting to 20 quality names on this yearโs list wasnโt the easiest thing to do. Therefore, I think youโll be able to discern rather quickly who is potentially an impact bat and who isnโt.
With that in mind, here are 20 hitters who are (or could be) free agents this winter.
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
1 of 20
Letโs just get this one out of the way early.
Jeter isnโt going anywhere, so technically this is a bit of a cop-out on my part.
Jeter has been a career Yankee and he will always be a Yankee, if only because New York would claim a state of emergency if he went anywhere else.
But thatโs not to say that negotiations between Jeter and the Yankees wonโt be tense this winter.
Jeter just made $21 million in 2010 for having the worst season of his brilliant career. As he creeps into his late 30s, many wonder how much longer he can remain at shortstop.
Could the Yankees ever ask Jeter to move off the only position he has ever known? Could he be asked to move away from a position that he helped transcend in the modern era?
Can the captain of the Yankees, the man who has made so many memorable jump-throws from the 5-6 hole, quietly shift to left field without there being a controversy?
General manager Brian Cashman and the rest of the organization will have to handle this one delicately.ย
Lance Berkman, New York Yankees
2 of 20
Berkman has a $15-million club option included in his deal for the 2011 season, but the Yankees are expected to pay the $2-million buyout and go a different direction.
New York traded for Berkman mid-season in hopes of adding a little more sock to its lineup for the playoffs. But Berkman hit only one home run in 37 regular-season games with New York before contributing in October.
Berkman will get some offers, but they wonโt be for the type of dollars that the Houston Astros gave him in 2005.
But Berkman, who is a switch hitter, remains relatively healthy and gets on base, so somebody should find a use for him.ย
Heโd be best suited for an American League club that could give him some at-bats at DH.
Edgar Renteria, San Francisco Giants
3 of 20
A little more than a month ago, Renteria explained how he hoped to finish the season strong and then lead the Giants through October, because this may be the last baseball season he would ever play.
In recent years, multiple trips to the disabled list have tested Renteriaโs will. Fifteen seasons in the big leagues and a banged-up elbow were getting the best of him.
How do you do this morning, Mr. World Series MVP?
Yes, what an amazing month it was for Renteria.
With his three-run home run Monday evening off Rangers ace Cliff Lee, the shortstop that wanted to stop gave the Giants all the runs they needed to win their first World Series since moving to San Francisco.
Renteria will surely take some time to think about next year, but he does have a club option for 2011 worth $10.5 million. If the Giants donโt want to pick that up, they can buy it out for $500,000.
The guess here is that San Francisco would welcome Renteria back for another year as its starting shortstop. But is that what Renteria wants?
Way too early to tell.
Heโll have to let the emotions settle before deciding with his family whether he wants to play a 16th season or call it quits as a World Series champion.
A nice problem to have, indeed.
Vladimir Guerrero, Texas Rangers
4 of 20
Guerrero had a great season for the Rangers before going quiet in the World Series (who didnโt against San Franciscoโs pitching?)
He hit .300 with 29 home runs and has a mutual option for 2011 worth $9 million.
If Texas declines, Guerrero is owed $1 million. If Guerrero declines, then there is no buyout.
At this point in Guerreroโs career, his best move would probably be to go back to Texas.
In one ugly game in San Francisco, Guerrero proved he canโt handle the outfield anymore. Heโs strictly a DH, so that cuts his potential suitors in half.
Couple that with health concerns and itโs hard to imagine Guerrero getting more than $9 million on the open market.
Why not go back to a place thatโs a great hitterโs ballpark and play with a talented team that has a chance to contend again next year?ย
Sounds good to me.
Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins
5 of 20
Cuddyer has a club option for next season worth $10.5 million that also comes with a $1 million buyout.
Cuddyer has been a solid player for the Twins and it seems like heโs comfortable in Minnesota.
Cuddyer isnโt an impact bat and he isnโt going to be the final piece that makes a championship team. But his value could be higher this winter amidst a weaker crop of hitters.
The Twins will likely exercise Cuddyerโs option. But if they donโt, there should be numerous teams interested in offering him a multi-year deal.
Jorge Cantu, Texas Rangers
6 of 20
Exhibit A for what guys like Cuddyer are up against this winter.ย
Aubrey Huff, San Francisco Giants
7 of 20
If Cody Ross was a free agent, he would have made himself the most money off this Giants team simply because of the October he had.
But since he isnโt, that honor goes to Aubrey Huff after putting up a strong season in San Francisco.
The Giants signed Huff to a one-year deal last winter for $3 million, and Huff responded by hitting 26 homers with a .891 OPS.
Huff will have numerous clubs interested in his services this winter, but it would make sense for the Giants to bring him back on a multi-year deal.
Heโs a quality bat that had success in the spacious AT&T Park, and his personality fits the team and city perfectly.
Huff may not repeat these numbers next year. But he proved to be a very valuable piece during San Franciscoโs title run.
Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays
8 of 20
Somebody will offer Pena a nice contract on the free-agent market this winter.
Pena is a big left-handed bat that hits home runs. And power is a limited commodity.
That team just wonโt be the Rays, however.
For all the home runs Pena hits, he strikes out a ton, he doesnโt get on base and he isnโt a great defensive first baseman.
That would be fine on the cheap, but Pena made $10.125 million in 2010 and itโs hard to imagine him taking a significant pay cut to stay in Tampa Bay.
Thatโs Penaโs choice.
But itโs also hard to imagine the Rays tying up such a large chunk of their payroll to one player who isnโt elite at his position.
Jim Thome, Minnesota Twins
9 of 20
Thome needs to go back to Minnesota.
They love him there, he fits into the clubhouse perfectly, he got plenty of at-bats and he had success in the Twins new ballpark.
Thome is aging and he canโt play a position, so even American League teams that are looking for a DH will be reluctant to offer considerable years and dollars.
The Twins paid Thome $1.5 million last year and he responded by hitting 25 home runs with a .412 OBP in 340 plate appearances.
Think the Twins got their moneyโs worth there?
Minnesota should offer the 39-year-old a nice pay raise on a two-year deal and extend the happy marriage.
Juan Uribe, San Francisco Giants
10 of 20
Like Huff, Uribe was another glue guy for the Giants, except he didnโt put up the same production as Huff.
Uribe did hit 24 home runs in 148 games, and if he is willing to come back to San Francisco for the $3.25 million he made this year, the Giants may have him back.
If he is looking for a big increase on a multi-year deal, well, Iโm not sure heโs going to find that out there.
Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox
11 of 20
Beltre has a player option for 2011 that he will decline.
Beltre had a strong 2010 in Boston, where he had a .919 OPS. He would have been a MVP candidate if the Red Sox were in the A.L. East race.
Beltre will most likely ask for a contract worth somewhere in the $10 million range annually, and Iโm not sure Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is going to give that to him.
The Red Sox would love to trade for San Diegoโs Adrian Gonzalez and plug him in at first base next year, but that has yet to develop.
If that happens, Boston could move Kevin Youkilis to third base full time, plug Gonzalez in at first and they would be set for the next five years.ย
Beltre is another guy who will benefit from a weak crop of hitters and will most likely get the money he is hoping for from a team desperate for offense.ย
Derrek Lee, Atlanta Braves
12 of 20
Lee wonโt be offered arbitration in Atlanta and he will most likely have to take an incentive-laden deal if he wants more years.
Lee can be a productive bat and still handles himself well at first base. But he is not the hitter he was five seasons ago when he placed third in the N.L. MVP race.
Teams looking for a veteran right-handed bat that can hit 20-25 home runs, and a player who can scoop up the ball at first, will have an interest in Lee at the right price.
David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
13 of 20
Ortiz has a $12.5 million club option for 2011, with no buyout.
Even if the Red Sox donโt pick that up, can you see Big Papi playing anywhere other than Fenway?
I donโt think so.
Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
14 of 20
Crawford is one of the most-coveted players on the market this winter and some think he will sign a six-year deal worth $100-plus million.
All that means is that heโs no longer going to be playing in Tampa Bay.
When Crawfordโs legs are healthy, he can be a disruptive catalyst at the top of a lineup.
The big-money teams will be on him, with the Los Angeles Angels considered an early favorite to land the left fielder.ย
If you want Crawford, you better be prepared to spend.
Victor Martinez, Boston Red Sox
15 of 20
Martinez seems to be going back to Boston because he wants to play there. And the Red Sox have no reason not to sign a switch-hitting All-Star catcher.
Of course, you have to consider a team like the New York Mets hopping in and throwing a sack of bills around. But this should be a free agent that gets locked up to a large contract fairly quickly.
The Red Sox need Martinez to be a big cog in the middle of their order in the immediate future, and the guess here is that Epstein will pay accordingly.
Jayson Werth, Philadelphia Phillies
16 of 20
Werth is another one of the bigger names on the market this winter.
He has done well for himself in Philadelphia.
Heโs posted a OPS of .860 or better in each of the past three seasons while playing a key role in Philadelphiaโs run to two World Series appearances.
But Werth is also a Scott Boras client, so you know heโs going to be asking for a lot of money given the market.
Will the Phillies pay for that?
Perhaps, and they could use Werthโs right-handed bat to offset the left-handed bats of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.ย
If Werth wants more than Philadelphia is willing to pay, however, then the Phillies seem prepared to give top-prospect Dominic Brown a full opportunity to win the starting right field job in spring training.
Nick Johnson, New York Yankees
17 of 20
The story is always the same for Nick Johnson.
Nice player, canโt stay healthy.
But Johnson is a left-handed bat that gets on base, so as long as he has a heart beat, somebody will take a chance on him.
Orlando Hudson, Minnesota Twins
18 of 20
Hudson signed a one-year deal with the Twins for $5 million, but then didnโt live up to it.
It wasnโt long ago that Hudson was garnering MVP talk with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But then he broke his wrist, slipped off to Minnesota and nobody ever heard from him again.
The most talkative man in the big leagues went silent.
For a table-setting type of player, Hudsonโs .338 OBP in 2010 wonโt cut it, and he played in only 126 games.
Unless heโs willing to play for an incentive-laden deal, he probably wonโt be back in Minnesota.
Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
19 of 20
Konerko has had a nice run in Chicago.
He helped the club win a World Series title in 2005 and then had a fabulous 2010 season in his walk year.
Konerko hit .312 with a .393 OBP and 39 home runs.
If thatโs how heโs going to hit, Chicago would be more than happy to bring him back for a few more seasons.
But thereโs no way to expect Konerko to duplicate this season again in 2011, so his market remains unclear.
He will want to capitalize on his year, but who is going to meet his dollar demands?
Weโll see, but thereโs always numerous teams interested in a quality hitter who happens to be a great clubhouse guy.
Konerko shouldnโt have trouble finding work.
Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals
20 of 20
Dunn likes it in Washington. But he may command the most dollars (annually) on the trade market this year, and that may not be a commitment Washington is willing to make.
Ideally, Dunn goes to the American League and hits 45 home runs with a .390 OBP as a full-time DH.
If the Angels lose out on Crawford, they may be an interesting team in on Dunn.
Follow Teddy Mitrosilis on Twitter. You can reach him at tm4000@yahoo.com.
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