MLB Free Agents 2025 Predictions for Top Batters Set to Hit Open Market
The 2025 MLB playoffs are almost here.
Well, they're coming soon for the 12 franchises fortunate enough to crack the postseason field, that is. For the other 18 organizations, though, it's just about offseason time—and, in certain cases, has surely been the focus for a while now.
Luckily for them, there are difference-making free agents to keep their minds occupied. We'll spotlight three of the best bats on the market and predict where (if anywhere) they'll take their talents this winter.
Alex Bregman, 3B, Boston Red Sox
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Bregman's first go-round in Boston has felt a bit like a play told in two acts. He was everything the Red Sox could've wanted in the first half, but he has struggled to maintain that form in the second half.
Overall, his stat line won't appear much different than normal, save for more missed time than usual (46 absences so far). His .273/.365/.467 slash line looks strikingly similar to his career .273/.365/.481 marks, while his 18 homers, 62 runs and 62 RBI are about what you'd expect when accounting for his injury troubles.
Split the campaign into segments, though, and you'll find a scorching hot start and some chillier stretches of late. In the first half, he posted a .298/.380/.546 slash. In the second, he's down to just a .253/.343/.392. His extra-base hits tally has seen the same decline, as he belted 29 (11 homers) in 53 games before the break and has managed just 16 (seven homers) in 58 games since.
It's tricky to tell what these recent struggles might do to his market—if he even bothers to have one. The three-year, $120 million pact he signed in February came with opt-outs after both this season and next. If he wanted to extend his stay, he can (either by opting into his deal or signing a new one), but if he's aiming for a longer, more lucrative contract, he might have to look elsewhere.
Prediction: Bregman opts out and signs a five-year deal with the Detroit Tigers.
Kyle Schwarber, OF/DH, Philadelphia Phillies
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Timing can be everything for free agents, and it couldn't possibly be working more in Schwarber's favor.
Whenever Philadelphia's campaign comes to a close, the 32-year-old slugger will hit the open market on the heels of his most productive season to date. And considering he came into this year as a two-time All-Star with some monster stat lines on his resume, that's saying quite a bit.
Still, he's never produced like this. His MLB-best 130 RBI are the most of his career, as are his NL-leading 54 home runs. The three players outpacing his personal-best .562 slugging percentage are the only ones that matter in the MVP races: Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Shohei Ohtani.
Given that the Phillies' win-now window remains open, they can and should do everything in their power to keep Schwarber around. It'll be costly to do so—and they have other business to attend to—but the cost of losing him would be far greater.
Prediction: Schwarber re-signs with the Phillies for four years.
Kyle Tucker, OF, Chicago Cubs
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Earlier this season, Tucker appeared to be making the kind of superstar turn in which he'd basically be given a blank check in free agency. There was legitimate MVP buzz surrounding his first half, during which he crammed 17 homers, 22 steals and 124 combined runs and RBI into 95 contests.
Unfortunately, the injury bug halted that run. He's made just 38 appearances in the second half, and his numbers haven't been nearly as loud: five homers, three steals and 38 combined runs and RBI.
He's still almost certainly on course to sign the richest contract of any free agent this offseason. At 28 years old, he should have plenty of prime years in front of him, and his second-half slow down feels so obviously tied to his injury trouble.
A $500 million pay day might be doable, and that feels true regardless if he runs it back with the Cubs or finds his way out of the Windy City. Expect a strong bid from Chicago, but expect an even bigger bid from a club with a longer track record of shelling out huge money for top free agents.
Prediction: Tucker signs a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
