MLB Free Agency: Looking Ahead to the Top 20 Free Agents Next Winter

Even though we are still in the middle of the 2012 free agency period, it's never too early to take a look at who the top-20 free agents will be in 2013.

However, this list could completely change by next winter. Teams will be re-signing their pending free agents throughout the season and all the way up until the free agency period begins in 2013.

This list will also only include players who don't have some sort of player/team option at the end of the year. There will be a list of these players mentioned on the next slide.

Here's the list of the top-20 potential free agents of the 2013 offseason.

Potential Free Agents 0f 2013

1. David Wright (30) - $16 million club option with a $1 million buyout

2. Brian McCann (29) - $12 million club option with a $500,000 buyout

3. Robinson Cano (30) - $15 million club option with a $2 million buyout

4. Kevin Youkilis (34) - $13 million club option with a $1 million buyout

5. Curtis Granderson (32) - $13 million club option with a $2 million buyout

6. Ian Kinsler (31) - $10 million club option with a $500,000 buyout

7. James Shields (31) - $9 million club option with a $1.5 million buyout

8. Stephen Drew (30) - $10 million mutual option with a $1.35 million buyout

9. Jhonny Peralta (31) - $6 million club option with a $500,000 buyout

10. Dan Haren (32) - $15.5 million club option with a $3.5 million buyout

11. Travis Hafner (36) - $13 million club option with a $2.75 million buyout

12. Ervin Santana (30) - $13 million club option with a $1 million buyout

13. Jorge De La Rosa (32) - $11 million player option with a $1 million buyout

14. Tim Hudson (37) - $9 million club option with a $1 million buyout

15. Ryan Madson (32) - $11 million mutual option with a $2.5 million buyout

16. Joakim Soria (29) - $8 million club option with a $750,000 buyout

17. Huston Street (29) - $9 million mutual option with a $500,000 buyout if club declines

18. Juan Rivera (34) - $4 million club option for 2013 with a $500,000 buyout

19. Carlos Ruiz (34) - $5 million club option with a $500,000 buyout

20. Chipper Jones (41) - $7 million vesting/club option

20. Freddy Sanchez

Freddy Sanchez has quietly been one of the better second basemen in the NL the past few years. However, it all depends on whether or not he can stay on the field and out of the trainer's room.

Sanchez hasn't played anything close to a full season since 2009. But he has been productive when he's healthy and in the lineup. He's a gap hitter who consistently hits for an average around .290. He can also play solid defense up the middle.

Sanchez was a key piece in the San Francisco Giants' run to a World Series championship in 2010. He was also playing very well last season before his season-ending shoulder separation 60 games into the season.

At 34 years old, however, he isn't getting any younger.

The Giants currently have a prospect by the name of Joe Panik, who is waiting in the wings to take over Sanchez's spot at second base in the near future. I don't expect the Giants to bring Sanchez back, so he'll likely hit the free agent market at the end of the season.

There will be teams who are willing to take a chance on Sanchez. I expect him to sign a two-year deal to start elsewhere in the major leagues.

19. Nick Swisher

Nick Swisher is entering the final year of his contract with the New York Yankees.

He has had three satisfactory seasons with the New York Yankees, including an All-Star appearance in 2010.

However, he is a left-handed hitter whose numbers have greatly benefited from hitting in the hitter-friendly confines of Yankee Stadium. He hit .273 at home with a slugging percentage of .473 in 2011, but only hit .248 and slugged .425 while playing away.

Those might not be the most drastic differences, but there is no way that the 314-foot porch in right field doesn't help lefties.

The Yankees might be able to find a suitable replacement for Swisher if he ends up asking for too much money.

18. Mike Adams

Mike Adams made a name for himself in San Diego acting as the Padres setup man. If it wasn't for Heath Bell, he would've been the closer and probably would've been an effective one as well.

But Adams was traded to the Texas Rangers before the deadline last season. Even though he pitched well, his 2.10 ERA during the 27 games with the Rangers was the highest it had been since 2008.

Nonetheless, Adams is one of the best middle relievers in the game.

It will be interesting to see if he leaves Texas at the end of the year in order to become the closer elsewhere.

17. Francisco Rodriguez

Francisco Rodriguez signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason to avoid arbitration.

He had a solid season pitching for the Brewers in 2011 after he was traded by the New York Mets halfway through the season. He posted a 1.86 ERA in 29 innings pitched, as well as a 33/10 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

However, there was one problem: he was the setup man.

At only 29 years old, Rodriguez might believe that he can still be a closer in the big leagues. If he does, expect him to jet at the end of the season and look to become a closer again.

16. Jonathan Sanchez

Jonathan Sanchez is a pitcher that I have yet to figure out. He's always had a world of potential, but he's never quite been able to put it all together.

With the exception of last season, he was getting better from 2007 and on. He lowered his ERA and WHIP every year. He was also improving his strike out totals and innings pitched. Even so, he has yet to untap his true potential and that's a scary thing.

If Sanchez can find a way to improve his command and prevent himself from mentally losing it in a game, he could be an All-Star.

But that will never happen, at least in a San Francisco Giants uniform. Sanchez was traded to the Kansas City Royals during the offseason in return for Melky Cabrera.

Maybe a change of scenery is all Sanchez needs?

But if he fails to show at least some consistency in Kansas City, I doubt the Royals will try to retain him.

He'll be a low risk, high reward type of pitcher if he becomes a free agent.

15. Jose Valverde

Jose Valverde was a perfect 49/49 in save opportunities last season, so he earned every penny of the $9 million contract that he signed with the Detroit Tigers.

However, he made things interesting the majority of the time, but Valverde is an interesting character, so it only makes sense.

He has been a consistent closer in his career, at least for the most part. He's accumulated three-40 save seasons, as well as kept his ERA under four every year since 2006.

He's also 33 years old, so he still has some gas left in the tank. If the Tigers chose not to re-sign him at the end of the year, he'll certainly be the closer for another team in 2013.

14. B.J. Upton

I am very curious to see whether or not the Tampa Bay Rays decide to offer Upton a long-term contract at the end of the year.

As Steve Slowinski stated in his article, retaining Upton would allow players like Ben Zobrist, Matt Joyce and Brandon Guyer—if he starts—to stick at their natural positions. Letting Upton walk at the end of the season would force the Rays to rearrange their entire defensive set, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

However, Upton is probably going to demand a lot of money.

He's a player who has yet to reach his full potential, but has still been somewhat productive at the major league level. He's a player who will strike out a ton, but can steal 40-plus bases, reach double-digit home run totals every season and play gold glove caliber defense in center field.

If the Rays decide to let him walk at the end of the year, there will be plenty of teams willing to take a risk on him.

13. Mike Napoli

Mike Napoli always had raw power, but he put it all together in 2011 with the Texas Rangers.

He hit .320 with 30 home runs and 75 RBI—and did it all while having only 432 at bats.

I would really like to see what kind of numbers Napoli would have if he started every game. Putting up those numbers in only 113 games is quite impressive.

Even though he's slated to become a free agent at the end of the season, I don't think the Rangers are going to let him go anywhere.

12. Shaun Marcum

Shaun Marcum and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed on a one-year, $7.7 million contract this offseason, but both sides hope to have discussions of a long-term contract sometime in the future.

Even though he's the No. 3 starter in the rotation, he had an excellent season in 2011 with the Brew Crew. He posted a 13-7 record with a 3.54 ERA. He was also a solid pitcher in Toronto with the Blue Jays, so this year was not a fluke.

However, he did have to miss the entire 2009 season with a torn ligament in his right elbow—Marcum is a right-handed pitcher.

Another cause for concern was how Marcum finished the 2011 season. He had a 5.17 ERA in the month of September and also failed to give up less than four runs in three postseason starts. He couldn't even make it to the second inning in Game 6 of the NLCS.

He has pitched two full seasons since his injury, so he's proven that he has fully recovered from his surgery in 2009.

If the Brewers chose to let him walk after the 2012 season, Marcum would be a solid No. 2 starter on a lot of teams.

11. Erick Aybar

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim like Erick Aybar, their young shortstop, and have expressed interest in locking him up long-term.

As Jerry Dipoto, the Angels general manager, stated, "We got a one-year deal done and I hope that's just a formality".

Aybar just signed a one-year, $5 million contract this offseason, but that was to only to avoid arbitration.

Aybar was one of the more underrated shortstops in the league last season. He batted a quiet .279 with 10 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Couple that with his gold glove defense at shortstop in 2011 and you have a very valuable player that any team would covet.

The fact that Aybar is only 28 years old means that the Angles undoubtedly want to sign him to a long-term contract. However, they just dished out a combined $331 million to Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, so the Angels probably aren't willing to spend any more money at the moment.

However, if Aybar happens to become a free agent after the 2012 season, he'll be by far the best shortstop available.

10. Michael Bourn

Michael Bourn will potentially be the best leadoff hitter to hit the free agent market next winter.

He has had over 40 stolen bases the past four years and at least 50 during the past three. He doesn't walk enough to be considered a prototypical leadoff hitter, but he has manged to keep his OBP hovering around .350 for the past three seasons.

He also covers a ton of ground in center field. His two gold glove awards sitting on his mantle at home certainly acknowledge that.

Bourn signed a one-year, $6.8 million contract this offseason to avoid arbitration, which was significantly more than the $4.4 he earned in 2011.

With Scott Boras being his agent, don't be surprised to see Bourn get a pricey deal if the Atlanta Braves choose not to extend him next year.

9. Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera is the best closer of all time. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone who would argue against that.

He's also 41 years old. Combine that with the emergence of David Robertson, the New York Yankees' young relief pitcher, and the Yankees have a problem.

Rivera will likely retire as a Yankee. I don't think either side would want it to happen any other way. However, how long is he going to continue to post these ridiculous numbers?

He's had an ERA under two every season since 2002 (wow) and he's also had at least 30 saves every season since 1997 (double wow).

Rivera will likely continue to sign one-year contracts with the Yankees until he decides to call it quits, so I doubt that he'll ever reach the free agent market. But when he does, Robertson will be ready to go.

The Yankees have been set at closer since 1997 and will continue to be for the next 10 years. That is simply incredible.

8. Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki will be a very intriguing player to watch during the next offseason period.

He is currently in the last year of his five-year, $90 million contract. However, he is also coming off the worst season of his career statistically. It was the first time in Ichiro's 11-year career that he batted under .300 and had an OBP lower than .350.

In fact, Ichiro's season-ending numbers were .270/.310/.335 with five home runs and 47 RBI. Those are not very good numbers, especially for a 37-year-old.

Fangraphs wrote an interesting article stating that Ichiro could have a bounce back season next year. It was strange to see Ichiro have a season like the one he had in 2011 since, well, he's never not been an All-Star before.

However, if he fails to produce yet again in 2012, it might be the end of his tenure in Seattle.

7. Andre Ethier

Andre Ethier signed a one-year, $11 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers—and it might've been the last contract he signs with them.

Ethier is slated to become a free agent at the end of the year. Whether or not he returns to the Dodger Blue will largely depend on his productivity in 2012 and if the Dodgers have the resources to bring him back.

Ned Colletti, the Dodgers general manger, recently stated that he'll have the funds to re-sign the star players to long-term contracts, so the latter will likely not be an issue.

It was also recently discovered that Ethier had been battling knee injuries the past two seasons. That could be the reason why he hasn't duplicated his success from the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Ethier is a very productive hitter. He also won the gold glove award in right field this past season. If he happens to hit the free agent market, teams will certainly inquire on him.

6. Lance Berkman

After being named the comeback player of the year in 2011, Lance Berkman decided to settle for a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Many thought his career was winding down before his resurgence last season.

He hit .274 in 2009 with the Houston Astros, which was the lowest of his career dating back to his rookie season. 2010 wasn't much better, as he hit a combined .248 with the Astros and the New York Yankees.

However, Berkman returned to from with the Cardinals last season by hitting .301 with 31 home runs and 94 RBI.

He'll be 36 years old by the time the next free agency period rolls around, so I don't think any teams will be jumping out to offer him a long-term contract. However, I can see him receiving a type of contract that Carlos Beltran got this year.

There is also no way you can call 2011 a fluke year, as Berkman has been putting up those types of numbers his entire career.

5. Shane Victorino

Shane Victorino has been an excellent center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies for the past five years. He is also set to become a free agent at the end of the 2012 season.

The Flyin' Hawaiian is an extremely well-rounded player. He can hit for power, average, steal bases and plays excellent defense in center field. His .996 career fielding percentage ranks first among all outfielders in history who have played more than 500 games.

He is also an extremely effective base stealer, as evident by finishing 34/40 in stolen base attempts in 2010.

I expect the Phillies to make re-signing Victorino to be one of their top priorities this offseason, but Cole Hamels is also a pending free agent. Retaining both players is certainly possible, but it will be a costly offseason nonetheless.

If Victorino hits the free agent market, he'll have a lot of money thrown his way.

4. Brandon Phillips

At the moment, the Cincinnati Reds are not close to an extension with All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips.

Reaching an agreement before the season is not imperative, but Phillips is such a critical piece to the Reds' success. He's a second baseman, which are hard to come by in MLB, and he's right in the middle of his prime at 30 years old.

As of today, I would put him as a top-five player at his position, which means he's going to become a rich man if he ever hits the free agent market.

He can hit for power, since he has hit at least 17 home runs a season since 2006. He can hit for average since he won the silver slugger award in 2011. He can play defense, as evident by his three gold glove awards in the last four years.

Not to mention he's a great guy who teams would love to have in the clubhouse.

3. Matt Cain

Everyone who sports the black and orange in San Francisco is waiting anxiously for the Giants to sign their ace, Matt Cain, to a long-term contract.

While the two camps are currently negotiating, Cain's remarks on the ordeal didn't say much, but they weren't encouraging for Giants fans either.

As Cain stated, “We’ve talked … and it’s a process,” Cain said. “We’ll see what’s going to happen. We’re definitely here for this year.”

In the same article, it was stated that Cain would accept a hometown discount. But you have to take that with a grain of salt, because if it is true, it wouldn't be a smart move on his part. He should've kept his cards close to his chest in order to maximize the amount of money he could squeeze from the Giants.

But if the Giants fail to reach an agreement on a contract, and Cain hits the open market next winter, he's certainly going to field offers from teams upwards of $150 million.

Cain knows this as well.

As Cain stated when asked about what riches might await him in free agency, he responded, “If you watch MLB Network or SportsCenter, you can’t say you don’t come across it. But that’s not my main focus. I’m just concerned about staying healthy and doing what I can to help us win”.

Whether or not Cain becomes a free agent in 2013 remains to be seen. However, if he does, he'll be one of, if not the most attractive pitcher on the market.

2. Cole Hamels

As of now, Cole Hamels is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2012 season. In fact, he and the Philadelphia Phillies aren't even close to reaching an agreement for a long-term extension.

So the Phillies dished out $125 million to Ryan Howard in 2010. They threw $33 million at an aging shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, whose numbers have been steadily declining since his MVP season in 2007. Heck, they even gave Jonathan Papelbon $50 million over four years after they decided to not retain Ryan Madson.

If the Phillies have been spending all this money, it would seem that they would have enough money to re-sign Hamels, the third ace of the staff. That just has to be part of the Phillies plans. There is no way they would spend all this money and risk not being able to bring him back.

Hamels is a lefty pitcher with strikeout ability. He's started at least 28 games every year since his rookie year. There just isn't much not to like about Hamels.

But if he does become a free agent, he's going to have a big pay day. It's not too often that an ace who's on the right side of 30 years old hits the free agent market.

1. Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers hoped that they could agree to a contract extension before spring training started this year. However, that was temporary put on hold after Hamilton relapsed at a bar in early February.

In a news conference addressed to the media, fans, and all those who cared about his well-being, Hamilton stated, "It would be nice if it was talking about a contract, but we'll put that on the back burner for a while."

I strongly doubt that this incident will scare the Rangers into not offering Hamilton an extension. When healthy, he is one of the best center fielders in all of baseball.

Battling with alcoholism is a lifelong struggle. Everyday is a challenge for those who are mentally addicted to the bottle. In fact, relapsing for alcoholics and drug addicts is actually quite common. It really becomes a problem when relapsing becomes a reoccurring theme and this was the first one—at least, as far as we know—that Hamilton has had one in over three years.

As of now, Hamilton is slated to become a free agent at the end of the 2012 season. At only 30 years old—he'll be 31 by the time the free agency stats—he'll be an extremely hot commodity.

Just don't expect the Rangers to let him get away that easily. He'll be in a Rangers uniform for at least the next five years.