MLB Free-Agent Rumors: Predicting Where the Top Remaining Players End Up

The big fish have already made their splash in free agency in 2012—Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes, Yu Darvish, etc.—but where will the remaining free agents land?

Spring training is practically over, and there is still a substantial amount of serviceable players left in the free-agent pool.

Names like Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Brandon Webb and Vladimir Guerrero can't be found on an MLB roster.

Yet.

Here are my predictions for where the top remaining free agents will land this season.

Roy Oswalt

We all know that Roy Oswalt will not return to the bigs until midseason. The only question is where will he pitch?

ESPN's Jim Bowden recently tweeted that the Los Angeles Angels have become the front-runner to land the 11-year vet.

If Oswalt signs with the Angels, Los Angeles would boast a second-half rotation of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson, Ervin Santana and Oswalt.

A lot of things can change between now and July, but for now, I'm going with the Angels to land the righty.

Final Prediction: Los Angeles Angels 

Adonis Garcia

After becoming a free agent in February and drawing interest from a majority of the teams in the MLB, Cuban player Adonis Garcia still finds himself without a team to call home.

Per MLBTradeRumors.com, the New York Yankees have not made an offer to Garcia despite reports that they did.

Along the same lines, it was also reported that the Oakland Athletics made an offer, which has also been denied.

It seems like the A's are showing interest in the outfielder, and given their signing of Yoenis Cespedes, they seem like the front-runner for now. 

Final Prediction: Oakland Athletics 

Jorge Soler

Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer has denied interest in 19-year-old Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, according to the Chicago Tribune, which really doesn't mean much.

How often do we see a GM deny reports and then sign the free agent the following week?

Make no mistake about it, Soler is definitely on the minds of Theo Epstein and the Cubs.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cubs outbid everyone and welcome the coveted free agent to Chicago.

Final Prediction: Chicago Cubs

Derrek Lee

The biggest question surrounding Derrek Lee is if he has anything left in the tank.

D-Lee clearly feels he's still got it, as evidenced by a tweet from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

MLBTradeRumors.com reports:

"

The Blue Jays may be the only team that could be a fit for Derrek Lee, writes Fangraphs' Chris Cwik.  Lee could be an alternative to Adam Lind at first if Lind struggles, or Lee could at least platoon if Lind again struggles to hit left-handed pitching.  Though Cwik was pretty hesitant about Lee's chances of playing anywhere in the Majors in 2012, I'm not sure Toronto works as a landing spot either; the Jays have Edwin Encarnacion backing up at first, Travis Snider or Eric Thames as DH candidates, plus Ben Francisco and Rajai Davis as right-handed bench bats.

"

Given the lack of interest from the entire MLB field, I really don't see Lee suiting up for anyone this season.

Final Prediction: Retirement

Johnny Damon

Johnny Damon has been linked to a several clubs this offseason including the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. 

The acquisition of Raul Ibanez soiled any chance of a Damon-Yankees reunion, and the Indians, Braves, Orioles and Rays are no longer publicly showing interest in the 17-year veteran.

Personally, I like a Damon reunion in Detroit, possibly at the DH position, especially since Jim Leyland will not have a steady DH this season.

Ultimately it's going to come down to Damon's pride and whether or not he's willing to join a club without a guaranteed starting role. 

On his lackluster offseason so far, Damon had this to say, according to MLBTradeRumors.com:

"It's difficult, because I feel like I had pretty good year last year. From a stat standpoint, better than more than half the players out there," Damon said.

Final Prediction: Detroit Tigers

J.D. Drew

Multiple sources this offseason have reported that J.D. Drew will most likely retire.

Apparently, his phone hasn't been buzzing with offers, leaving him to contemplate ending his career.

If he does, he'll finish as a .278/.384/.489 hitter with 242 home runs in 14 MLB seasons. 

Not much to guess here.

Final Prediction: Retirement

Mike Gonzalez

Southpaw reliever Mike Gonzalez has been linked to a few different teams this offseason, most notably the Boston Red Sox, according to MLBTradeRumors.com.

It sounds like the Sox are looking to add a lefty to their bullpen and believe that Gonzalez fits the bill.

Two of Boston's left-handed relief pitchers won't be ready for opening day–Franklin Morales and Rich Hill–and Gonzalez is a serviceable arm out of the bullpen.

He would most likely come at a cheap price, so don't be surprised if Boston makes a move on the lefty.

Final Prediction: Boston Red Sox

Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero's agent told CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman that his 37-year-old client plans on playing baseball in 2012. 

There had been rumors that both the Yankees and Miami Marlins were interested in Vlad, but those rumors have since been squashed.

Guerrero's agent went on to say that if Vlad isn't given a roster spot by an MLB squad, he'll play in Japan this season.

ESPN's Buster Olney recently reported that Vlad worked out for the Cleveland Indians in the Dominican Republic, so that will be something to follow.

His 290/.317/.416 line as a member of the Baltimore Orioles certainly shows that he still has some left in the tank, but with no offers yet, it looks like the future Hall of Famer will be leaving the states soon if he's not acquired by the Indians.

Final Prediction: Plays overseas 

Scott Kazmir

It looked as if Scott Kazmir would reunite with the New York Mets until they were "unimpressed" with the left-hander's throwing session.

Although Kazmir has been pretty terrible over the course of the past three seasons, it's hard to think that a left-handed starter won't get an offer.

He posts a winning record for his career and his 4.17 ERA could be worse.

ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that the Mets were among six teams interested in Kazmir, though the identity of all six teams is unknown.

Given the fact that the entire Mets franchise is in shambles, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the Mets give Kazmir a shot. After all, it's a low-risk situation, and the Mets rotation isn't exactly top notch.

Final Prediction: New York Mets

Damaso Marte

Damaso Marte missed the entire 2011 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2010 as a member of the New York Yankees.

Now ready to pitch in 2012, the southpaw is still looking to find a home in the MLB. 

He's one of few lefties available on the open market and should be scooped up by someone as a reliable reliever, given his career 3.48 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.

Your guess is as good as mine as to where Marte will land. There haven't been any recent reports detailing an MLB team being interested in him.

There are a number of teams that could use a solid left-hander in the bullpen. Given the injury sustained to Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees may ponder bringing Marte back, even after originally declining his 2012 option.

Final Prediction: New York Yankees

Milton Bradley

For a short period of time, the San Diego Padres were linked with the name Milton Bradley.

Those rumors have since been squashed.

Further, MLBTradeRumors.com is reporting that, "at least one executive believes his career is over."

Given his brutal temper and awful play, I don't think anyone wants Bradley.

Final Decision: Retirement

Hideki Matsui

Like Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui's name was linked to a reunion with the New York Yankees until the Bombers signed Raul Ibanez.

Since then, Matsui has yet to make a splash in free agency.

MLBTradeRumors.com is saying that Matsui will wait it out through spring training (injuries and position battles) to see which MLB team requires his services, making it almost impossible for me to make a prediction on his landing spot.

The Baltimore Orioles and a couple other teams around the league are still in need of a DH, so there are options out there for the 37-year-old Matsui.

For now, it looks like we'll have to wait until the end of spring training for a team to sign Matsui.

Final Prediction: Baltimore Orioles

Aaron Miles

Two seasons in a row, Aaron Miles signed a minor league deal with an MLB club and worked his way up to the majors.

Will he make it three years in a row?

His lack of speed and power makes him more of a National League player, and given the injury issues surrounding Chase Utley, Miles might be a good fit for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Ben Ringel also believes signing Miles is the right move for the Phils, which he details in this article.

Final Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies

Magglio Ordonez

After striking out this offseason, it sounds like Magglio Ordonez is ready to call it quits, tweeting that he is close to retirement.

Ordonez saw his only inkling of hope die when the Oakland Athletics, who were interested in the 38-year-old, signed the cantankerous Manny Ramirez.

If he does call it quits, the game will be missing one of the best hitters during the past decade-plus. He sports a career .309/.369/.502 line, is a six-time All-Star and has won three Silver Slugger Awards.

Final Prediction: Retirement 

Ramon Castro

Ramon Castro served as a backup catcher for the Chicago White Sox in 2011 until breaking his hand in the beginning of July.

Now a free agent, Castro hasn't fielded many offers from teams interested in acquiring the 36-year-old.

In fact, there's been just one report of late, and it was that the New York Mets are not interested in a reunion with their ex-catcher, according to ESPN New York's Adam Rubin.

At this point, the only way Castro is getting a job this season is if a backup or third-string catcher gets injured during spring training. If not, we have probably seen the last of Castro in the big leagues.

Final Prediction: Retirement

Felipe Lopez

There hasn't been much word on where Felipe Lopez will play in 2012, but he will go somewhere.

At 31 years of age, Lopez is one of the youngest free agents on the market and also one of the most versatile.

He can play all over the infield as a starter or provide depth off the bench for any team.

One team that immediately comes to mind is the Atlanta Braves, who could use some help in the infield, given the status of Chipper Jones.

Final Prediction: Atlanta Braves 

Edgar Renteria

The Milwaukee Brewers recently offered Edgar Renteria a minor league deal, to which he obviously declined.

A World Series MVP just two seasons ago, Renteria has too much pride to accept a minor league deal.

Reports have surfaced, according to MLBTradeRumors.com, that the 16-year man is planning retirement, but hasn't officially filed yet in case there's a spring training breakdown and a team requires his services.

With the regular season about a week away, it looks like Renteria will call it a career.

Final Prediction: Retirement 

Ivan Rodriguez

Zach Links of MLBTradeRumors.com is reporting that the Kansas City Royals have invited Ivan Rodriguez to camp following an injury sustained to starting catcher Salvador Perez.

Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star has since tweeted that the Royals have not invited the catcher to camp, so who knows what to think?

This report comes a few weeks after ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that the Tampa Bay Rays were not interested in the services of Rodriguez behind the plate.

Whether or not the Royals made an offer to Pudge is irrelevant—clearly there is some interest by Kansas City.

For now, the Royals seem to be the only landing spot for the 21-year veteran.

Final Prediction: Kansas City Royals

Miguel Tejada

Oakland Athletics third baseman Scott Sizemore's ACL tear has prompted the question of Miguel Tejada returning to Oakland.

The 15-year vet is definitely open to playing for the A's this season, apparently saying "tell Billy to give me a call. I don’t want big money. I just want to play," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Tejada has become friends with newly signed Athletic Yoenis Cespedes, which could help his chances.

Hurting his chances is the fact that Oakland will give Josh Donaldson the starting job at third, but that doesn't mean Tejada couldn't make the squad as a backup or DH.

Tejada considers the A's organization "like family" and is basically begging to come back at a cheap price. How can Oakland pass this up?

Final Prediction: Oakland Athletics

Javier Vazquez

According to Nick Collias of MLBTradeRumors.com, Javier Vazquez has received offers from a couple of big league teams, but has little desire to continue his career right now. 

Apparently, Vazquez feels that he has the talent to dismiss offers and return whenever he chooses. 

News flash, Javy: You weren't that good.

Final Prediction: Retirement 

Brandon Webb

Former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb is working on getting back on the mound in 2012 after his second rotator cuff operation, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.

Once a dominant force, Webb is now battling to keep his baseball career alive.

There haven't been many reports of teams being interested in the 32-year-old righty. Though he's coming off of a serious injury, Webb would be a low-risk, high-reward guy for any club.

He's not going to demand a lot of money, and given his potential and past performance, is definitely worth a shot, as Bleacher Report's Frank Lennon writes in this article detailing why the Boston Red Sox should take a stab at Webb.

Lennon provides a convincing article with research and statistics to back it up. I'm going to go with it.

Final Prediction: Boston Red Sox

Follow Pete Schauer on Twitter @Pete_Schauer