8 Bargain-Bin MLB Free Agents Every Team Could Use
Obviously, the additions of Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández and Yoshinobu Yamamoto proved to be massive ones who helped the Los Angeles Dodgers land on a parade float in 2024.
With that said, come October, it was once again Kiké Hernández—signed to a one-year, $4 million deal in late February—who was one of the top performers for Dave Roberts and company. Across 51 postseason at-bats for the Dodgers, Hernández homered twice, drove in six runs and posted an .808 OPS.
Clearly, the major investments made in players like Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are why the Dodgers won the 2024 World Series, but picking the right complementary pieces can help you both get to October and do damage on the biggest stage.
With that in mind, here are eight bargain-bin free agents who could prove to be astute signings this winter.
Kyle Gibson
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Kyle Gibson is the definition of an innings eater. There will always be a market for those types of arms, both from contenders and teams just trying to get through a transition season.
Gibson logged 169.2 innings for the St. Louis Cardinals a year ago. It's the eighth time in his career that he's pitched 160 or more innings in a season. His 99 ERA+ in 2024 was slightly below the league average of 100, but the average pitcher isn't going to log as many innings as him.
The only concern with Gibson is he turned 37 in October. Still, teams will be willing to take a chance that he finally hits a wall and give him a one-year deal given his reputation for predictable performance.
Randal Grichuk
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Randal Grichuk was productive across 106 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks a year ago, spending time in both corner outfield positions. The former first-round pick isn't going to be someone's regular center fielder, especially at age 33, but he does have over 3,600 innings at that position in his career as well.
Grichuk was particularly effective against left-handed hitters last year, hitting .319 with a .914 OPS in 184 plate appearances. He wasn't unplayable against righties, though. In 91 at-bats against right-handed pitchers, Grichuk hit .242 with an .801 OPS.
Grichuk would seem to make sense for a team that's looking for a corner outfielder who will start all games against left-handed pitching and some against righties.
José Leclerc
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José Leclerc was the primary weapon out of the bullpen for Bruce Bochy and the Texas Rangers when they won the World Series in 2023. Perhaps he isn't quite that level of a pitcher, but he's a strong rebound candidate following a disappointing 2024.
In 57 games for the Rangers in 2023, Leclerc posted a 2.68 ERA. He's got a 3.27 ERA in 350 career MLB appearances. He did post a 4.32 ERA over 64 games in 2024, although the 3.48 FIP he posted suggested he might have been a bit unlucky.
We're not saying a team should sign Leclerc and install him as their closer. But he's had some dominant stretches in his career and been effective more times than not. He would be a wise investment on a one-year deal for a team that has an established option or two already at the back end of its bullpen and is looking for a high-upside play.
Jose Iglesias
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Whether or not you enjoyed the song "OMG" that Jose Iglesias—strike that, "Candelita"—sang and helped turn into the anthem of the 2024 New York Mets, it's undeniable how effective he was this past season.
After not appearing in the majors at all in 2023, Iglesias revived his career by hitting .337 with 16 doubles, 26 RBI and a 2.5 WAR in 85 games for the Mets. He also remains an excellent fielder, capable of playing second base, shortstop and third base.
Is he going to replicate his .830 OPS in 2025? Probably not. But he is a veteran presence that provides positional versatility. The Mets still feel like the best fit for him, but he's certainly going to get an MLB deal this winter after having to settle for a minor-league one last year.
Héctor Neris
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2024 wasn't a particularly effective season for Héctor Neris, who spent the bulk of the campaign with the Chicago Cubs before eventually returning for a second stint with the Houston Astros. His 4.10 ERA over 62 games certainly doesn't stand out.
With that said, Neris has two things going for him: 1) he's a workhorse, and 2) he's got extended postseason experience, having helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series.
Since the start of the 2016 season, Neris leads all relievers with 575 appearances. The next closest is Kenley Jansen at 533.
At a minimum, you know Neris is going to consistently take the ball for you. At best, you could get a version of him closer to what he was for the Astros between 2022-23, when he posted a 2.62 ERA across 141 games.
If you're a team looking for someone to pitch the seventh inning for you out of the bullpen, Neris makes a lot of sense on a one-year deal.
Alex Verdugo
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Alex Verdugo, to put it mildly, was not a popular player among Yankees fans. But in the right situation—perhaps one in which he would be allowed to regrow his facial hair—Verdugo could be an effective contributor.
The 28-year-old is a career .280 hitter with a .781 OPS against right-handed pitching. He may not have performed offensively for the Yankees in 2024, but he did still post eight defensive runs saved in left field. He's got six career defensive runs saved in right field as well.
A situation with a little less of a spotlight on him where he plays one or both corner outfield positions primarily against right-handed starting pitching would be the best fit.
Spencer Turnbull
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If you're looking for a pitcher to make 32 starts next season, Spencer Turnbull probably isn't your man. He's a veteran of Tommy John surgery, and then he suffered a season-ending lat strain in late June this past year after a strong start to the campaign for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Turnbull seemed a little disillusioned that his strong start in the rotation didn't prevent him from getting bumped to the bullpen eventually when Taijuan Walker returned from the injured list. It's kind of hard to blame him considering that he went 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA over seven starts.
The problem with guaranteeing Turnbull a spot in your starting rotation is that he's likely not going to be available at some point in the season. But it's hard to overlook how dominant he was out of the starting rotation for the Phillies early in 2024.
The 32-year-old feels like someone who will sign with a team not expecting to compete in 2025 and will become a trade candidate if he's healthy and effective come July.
Jesse Winker
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Jesse Winker is never going to match the 2021 season he had with the Cincinnati Reds when he benefitted from playing his home games at Great American Ball Park and hit .305 with 24 home runs and a .949 OPS over 110 games.
But Winker is coming off of his best season since his All-Star campaign in 2021, as he hit 14 home runs with 58 RBI in a season that he split between the Washington Nationals and Mets. Almost all of his damage came against right-handed pitching, whom he drove in 49 runs and posted a .788 OPS against.
Winker, now 31, will make a good platoon partner for a team in need of corner outfield help.
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