Playing Matchmaker with Eugenio Suárez and Top MLB Free Agents Still on the Board
Alex Bregman came off the board this past weekend, signing a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs that includes $70 million in deferrals, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Still, quite a few impact level players remain available in free agency with less than a month until pitchers and catchers report.
To that end, we've played matchmaker with seven notable players who figure to sign in the coming weeks.
Framber Valdez: LHP
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Best Match: New York Mets
ESPN's Buster Olney wrote last week that it felt "inevitable they'll land one of these two," referring to Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez.
While Mets fans may still be hoping for a trade that nets them Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta, Valdez—who FanGraphs says is fifth among all starters in WAR since the start of the 2022 season—would give them a veteran arm to pair atop the rotation with NL Rookie of the Year favorite Nolan McLean.
Valdez and McLean would be a great one-two punch, and perhaps alleviate some pressure on other arms who the Mets are hoping bounce back in 2026, such as Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and David Peterson.
Of course, if the Mets add Valdez—and still have Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat also looming at Triple-A—they could consider a trade of one of those three veteran arms.
Ranger Suárez: LHP
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Best Match: Baltimore Orioles
Editor's Note: Suárez agreed to terms on a five-year, $130M contract with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
We mentioned Suárez on the prior slide, and while it would earn him some enemies in Philadelphia, it would be hard to fault the lefty if he winds up signing with the Mets should they offer him the best deal.
It may not come down to that, though, because Suárez might wind up as a better fit with the Orioles, who still have interest in the lefty, per Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner.
The O's have already acquired Shane Baz via trade and re-signed Zach Eflin this offseason, but Suárez would top off a rotation that also includes Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish.
President of baseball operations Mike Elias has been aggressive this offseason, signing both Pete Alonso and Ryan Helsley, while trading for Taylor Ward. Suárez's addition would help to assure Baltimore bounces back from a woeful 2025 season that saw them finish in last place in the AL East with just 75 wins.
Kyle Tucker: RF
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Best Match: New York Mets
Robert Murray of FanSided reported Tuesday that the Mets have made an offer to Tucker that would be worth $50 million annually. Earlier in the day, Will Sammon of The Athletic said the Mets had offered a three-year deal to four-time All-Star "in the range of $120 to $140 million."
Tucker might have had his mind set on getting a megadeal entering the offseason, but that seemingly hasn't materialized. His best bet might be to take a monster short-term deal with opts outs and return to the market in a year or two when he won't have a qualifying offer attached to him (and may be coming off of a healthier season).
After trading Brandon Nimmo, the Mets have a need in left field. That may mean that Tucker has to shift to that spot, although it's possible the Mets would move Juan Soto from right to open up Tucker's natural position.
Either way, making a ton of money for a year or two and getting a fanbase owned by the richest owner in baseball enamored with you before re-entering free agency might be a pretty sound financial plan for the Excel Sports Management client.
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Cody Bellinger: OF/1B
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Best Match: New York Yankees
In November, B/R projected Bellinger would sign with the Mets. Given this past weekend's report from ESPN's Buster Olney that the Yankees are "at an impasse" in negotiations with the former NL MVP, that could still happen.
But there might need to be some adjusting of expectations for Bellinger, who is repped by Scott Boras. And once that takes place, the Yankees could still prove to be his best landing spot.
Olney wrote last weekend that the two-time Silver Slugger Award winner "is seeking a deal longer than five years and worth more in average annual value than the $30 million per season he has been offered."
Even without a qualifying offer attached to him, Bellinger may not do much better than what the Yankees have already offered him. He can be upset that the Yankees aren't offering six or seven years, but it's reasonable to wonder whether anyone will.
Ultimately, returning to the Yankees would make the most sense if the years and dollars match up. Bellinger hit .302 with a .909 OPS at Yankee Stadium in 2025, as opposed to a .241 batting average and .715 OPS on the road.
The bet here remains that he'll be playing for one of the two New York teams in 2026.
Harrison Bader: OF
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Best Match: Cleveland Guardians
Harrison Bader hit .305 with an .824 OPS after being traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Phillies this past season. Despite that, the Phillies seem likely to move on because they've already signed Adolis García and are prepared to give top prospect Justin Crawford some runway in either center or left field.
While Bader might not be returning to the Phillies, he could suit up in 2026 for a team he's already played for. Namely, if one of the two New York teams doesn't end up with Bellinger or Tucker, Bader would make a ton of sense as a candidate to reunite with.
If not, though, the Guardians project to have an extremely right-handed lineup. Bader would address that, while upgrading on George Valera in right field. Bader's experience in right field is limited, but he's so good at center and left, that he could probably make right field work. The Guards could also put Bader in center field and have top prospect Chase DeLauter play right field.
Either way, they will have upgraded by adding Bader's veteran presence to a club that's won the AL Central in consecutive seasons.
Bo Bichette: INF
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Best Match: Philadelphia Phillies
This could go a variety of ways, but the Phillies—who have a major dropoff in their lineup after the top three of Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber—seem to have emerged as a serious player for Bichette.
In fact, Bichette met virtually with the Phillies on Monday, with Jon Heyman of The New York Post hearing positive feedback about how things went:
The Red Sox have reason to be in on Bichette after losing Bregman's bat from their lineup.
The Yankees also are at least a bat short right now, and if Bichette is willing to take a short-term deal with opt-outs, you can't rule out the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers from making a play.
The Phillies, though, need another right-handed bat, and are at the point where their fanbase will be upset if they don't sign Bichette. He could shift to second or third base (probably second) and potentially help them to get over the hump in October if he puts on red pinstripes.
Eugenio Suárez: 3B
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Best Match: Boston Red Sox
The Los Angeles Angels—the team B/R projected to sign Eugenio Suárez to a two-year, $43 million deal—still make sense as a possible suitor for the two-time All-Star.
However, it didn't appear likely in November that the Red Sox would have gone 0-for-3 on Bregman, Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber. But they have, and the need for a middle-of-the-order slugger is still there. Suárez could slot in at third base for Alex Cora's squad, and if you add him to a lineup that includes Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, Trevor Story and Jarren Duran, the Red Sox will look like a serious World Series contender.
For Suárez—who now has had two stints at the hitting hellscape that is T-Mobile Park—getting to play 81 games a year at Fenway Park would feel like he's died and gone to heaven. For what it's worth, Suárez has four homers and 14 RBI in 10 career games at Fenway Park.
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