2014 MLB Free Agents: Best Pitchers on the Market This Offseason

As the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers proved over the weekend, pitching still rules in October.

Luckily for a few teams, there are some very talented pitchers on the 2014 free agent market. From proven veterans to overseas sensations, here are the top pitchers available this offseason. 

Ervin Santana 

Santana's 9-10 record this season wasn't pretty, but the 30-year-old was one of the best pitchers in the American League. 

Santana ranked in the top 10 in the AL with both his 3.24 ERA (ninth) and 1.14 WHIP (eighth). He also proved to be durable, pitching 211 innings over 32 starts. He even got his strikeout count up after a down year in 2012, improving from 133 to 161. 

Santana, who turns 31 in December, is worth a five-year contract. He made $13 million this season.

Matt Garza 

Sexist Twitter rants aside, Matt Garza is a pretty damn good pitcher. 

Garza struggled with his consistency throughout the season, particularly after arriving in Texas. After posting a 3.17 ERA in 11 starts for the Chicago Cubs, Garza's numbers dipped following the midseason trade. 

He registered a 4.38 ERA in 13 starts for the Rangers, and he was wildly inconsistent in September, vacillating from terrible to great on a game-by-game basis.

Still, the 29-year-old Garza is one of the most talented pitchers in baseball. Someone will spend big money on him this winter, and they will be happy they did it.

Masahiro Tanaka 

Tanaka isn't technically a free agent, and any team hoping to sign him will have to negotiate with his Japanese team, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. 

Tanaka is a sensation in Japan's Pacific League, where he went 22-0 with a 1.23 ERA this season. Should he come to the United States, the 24-year-old right-hander would be the biggest pitching acquisition in the MLB. 

The Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers and Red Sox will reportedly be in the running for Tanaka's services (h/t George A. King III, New York Post).