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Updated MLB Free-Agent Big Board and Predictions Ahead of Spring Training
Pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training next week. But as is usually the case in this day and age, there's still a lot left on the free-agent market.
Zac Gallen and Justin Verlander remain out there despite having upside as No. 1 starters. And while there are fewer notable hitters still looking for work, nobody has scooped up Paul Goldschmidt or Marcell Ozuna yet.
It's therefore time for a fresh free agency big board to replace the one we published on January 16. There are 20 names on the list, with special attention (including final landing spot predictions) paid to the top five.
Nos. 20-16
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20. LHP Justin Wilson
2026 Age: 38
2025 Team: Boston Red Sox
2025 Stats: 61 G, 48.1 IP, 48 H (3 HR), 57 K, 20 BB, 3.35 ERA
Wilson is a lefty specialist, and those just don't have as much value in the three-batter-minimum era. But at least he's a good lefty specialist. He held lefty batters to a .574 OPS last year, mainly owing to a .194 average against his fastball. Especially at a low cost, he's a solid addition for pretty much any bullpen.
19. INF Ramón Urías
2026 Age: 32
2025 Teams: Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros
2025 Stats: 112 G, 391 PA, 11 HR, 3 SB, .241 AVG, .292 OBP, .384 SLG
With Isiah Kiner-Falefa off the board, Urías is the best name left for teams in need of a light-hitting utility infielder. He won a Gold Glove as a third baseman back in 2022, which is also one of three career seasons with double-digit home runs. So at least when compared to IKF, he's not that light-hitting.
18. LHP Patrick Corbin
2026 Age: 36
2025 Team: Texas Rangers
2025 Stats: 31 G, 155.1 IP, 161 H (21 HR), 131 K, 51 BB, 4.40 ERA
It felt like a joke when the Rangers picked up Corbin and inserted him into a depleted rotation last year. Instead, he posted his lowest ERA since 2019 while also giving them five innings when he took the ball. The odds of him doing it again aren't great, but he's still worth a chance as a No. 5 starter.
17. RHP Aaron Civale
2026 Age: 31
2025 Teams: Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs
2025 Stats: 23 G, 102.0 IP, 96 H (16 HR), 88 K, 33 BB, 4.85 ERA
Despite the frequent flier miles, last year wasn't exactly Civale's finest hour. And yet, any team in need of bulk innings at the back end of its rotation or bottom of its bullpen could do worse. Civale is a guy who throws strikes (career 2.5 BB/9) and mostly avoids hard contact courtesy of a seven-pitch mix.
16. 1B Rhys Hoskins
2026 Age: 33
2025 Team: Milwaukee Brewers
2025 Stats: 90 G, 328 PA, 12 HR, 2 SB, .237 AVG, .332 OBP, .416 SLG
Hoskins was a core member of the Phillies before he tore his ACL in March 2023, and his career hasn't been the same since. Yet he still has a good eye for the zone and a swing path made for power, as he had an 11.6 BB% and a 22.1-degree launch angle last year. Maybe there's more to be mined from those skills.
Nos. 15-11
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15. LHP José Quintana
2026 Age: 37
2025 Team: Milwaukee Brewers
2025 Stats: 24 G, 131.2 IP, 120 H (18 HR), 89 K, 50 BB, 3.96 ERA
It's surprising that nobody has scooped Quintana up yet. He's been on a nice late-career run since 2022, posting a 115 ERA-plus over exactly 100 starts. He's a No. 4 or No. 5 starter on a contender, and at worst a No. 3 on a non-contender that could hope to leverage him as trade bait in August.
14. RF/DH Starling Marte
2026 Age: 37
2025 Team: New York Mets
2025 Stats: 98 G, 329 PA, 9 HR, 7 SB, .270 AVG, .335 OBP, .410 SLG
Marte is well past his athletic peak at this point, but his reduced role over the last three years did reveal him to be a solid platoon bat. He posted a .667 OPS against righties, and a .748 OPS against lefties. There isn't much action for right-handed platoon hitters, but still, it's something.
13. INF/OF Enrique Hernández
2026 Age: 34
2025 Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
2025 Stats: 92 G, 256 PA, 10 HR, 0 SB, .203 AVG, .255 OBP, .366 SLG
You don't sign Hernández because you expect big numbers. You sign him because you expect him to do a bit of everything for you. He can play most positions on the diamond, and he runs into at least 10 homers on an annual basis—plus more in the playoffs, where he has as many career homers as Carlos Beltrán.
12. 1B Paul Goldschmidt
2026 Age: 38
2025 Team: New York Yankees
2025 Stats: 146 G, 534 PA, 10 HR, 5 SB, .274 AVG, .328 OBP, .403 SLG
Goldschmidt beat the odds when he won the 2022 NL MVP as a 34-year-old, but age has come at him fast in the form of back-to-back seasons of 1-ish WAR. Yet he did have a .981 OPS against lefties last year, so his appeal is more than just as a future Hall of Famer. He'd be a good add as a platoon 1B/DH type.
11. RHP Walker Buehler
2026 Age: 31
2025 Teams: Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies
2025 Stats: 26 G, 126.0 IP, 130 H (22 HR), 92 K, 61 BB, 4.93 ERA
That's now a 4.83 ERA for Buehler in the regular season since 2022, and there's also a missed season (2023) in there because of Tommy John surgery. But since he throws seven pitches, there may yet be a way to get him back on track by unlocking the right mix. A switch to full-time relief work could also make things happen.
Nos. 10-6
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10. RHP Max Scherzer
2026 Age: 41
2025 Team: Toronto Blue Jays
2025 Stats: 17 G, 85.0 IP, 87 H (19 HR), 82 K, 23 BB, 5.19 ERA
Scherzer already has his ticket to the Hall of Fame punched, so it makes sense that he'd be willing to wait for the right opportunity. Now or later, he's a solid option for a contender that has a strong front four in its rotation, but a weak or open No. 5 spot. Even if his bat-missing stuff isn't there anymore, his intensity never dies.
9. OF Randal Grichuk
2026 Age: 34
2025 Teams: Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals
2025 Stats: 113 G, 293 PA, 9 HR, 0 SB, .228 AVG, .273 OBP, .299 SLG
Grichuk's 2024 season is a reminder of why it's so hard to bank on right-handed platoon guys, as his OPS tumbled by 201 points from then to 2025. But since his exit velocity and hard-hit rate both went up, he remains worthy of consideration as a guy who can provide occasional pop as a part-time outfielder and DH.
8. RHP Michael Kopech
2026 Age: 30
2025 Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
2025 Stats: 14 G, 11.0 IP, 6 H (0 HR), 12 K, 13 BB, 2.45 ERA
What we have here is an unfortunate case of a career that has just never really come together. Yet it was as recently as 2024 that Kopech was a key member of the Dodgers' bullpen, and both the life on his fastball (97.5 mph last year) and the extension he gets out of his 6'3", 220-pound frame remain tantalizing.
7. DH Marcell Ozuna
2026 Age: 35
2025 Team: Atlanta Braves
2025 Stats: 145 G, 592 PA, 21 HR, 0 SB, .232 AVG, .355 OBP, .400 SLG
Ozuna was one of the big busts in baseball in 2021 and 2022, but then he launched 79 home runs with a .916 OPS across 2023 and 2024. Though his power died down in 2025, he worked a 15.9 BB% in tandem with his 21 home runs. He's still a guy who can lengthen a lineup, even if it's only as a DH.
6. RHP Nick Martinez
2026 Age: 35
2025 Team: Cincinnati Reds
2025 Stats: 40 G, 165.2 IP, 158 H (22 HR), 116 K, 42 BB, 4.45 ERA
Even if he wasn't as good in 2025, it's impressive that Martinez ran a 3.83 ERA in two seasons as a Red. High-contact pitchers have no business being that solid at Great American Ball Park, which speaks to how well the righty avoids the barrel of the bat. In a bigger home park, he could be an asset as a No. 5 starter or swingman.
5. RHP Zack Littell
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2026 Age: 30
2025 Teams: Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds
2025 Stats: 32 GS, 186.2 IP, 174 H (36 HR), 130 K, 32 BB, 3.81 ERA
Dang, that's a lot of home runs…but even those don't distract from both the workload and the run prevention of Zack Littell's 2025 season.
Those certainly represent his ceiling, but any guy who throws strikes and eats innings like he does has a floor as a solid No. 5. He could even be more than that if he lands with a team that has a big home park to swallow up all the fly balls he gives up.
The Rays didn't match that description in 2025, but they're going back to Tropicana Field in 2026. It's worth noting because the club was reportedly eyeing Littell for a reunion in December.
Final Landing Spot: Tampa Bay Rays
4. RHP Justin Verlander
5 of 8
2026 Age: 43
2025 Team: San Francisco Giants
2025 Stats: 29 G, 152.0 IP, 155 H (16 HR), 137 K, 52 BB, 3.85 ERA
Justin Verlander ran out of things to prove a long time ago, so he's just going for love of the game at this point. And yeah, it helps that he can still pitch.
The 2022 season resembles his last act as an ace, but he fully shrugged off the "washed" accusations with a 2.60 ERA in the second half of last season. He helped himself by becoming less fastball-reliant and by developing a sweeper.
The best place for Verlander is with a contender that can offer him a No. 3 rotation spot, plus a chance to impart some wisdom on up-and-coming young hurlers. Especially after Framber Valdez chose Detroit, there's one team that stands out as being way too obvious for Verlander.
Final Landing Spot: Baltimore Orioles
3. RHP Chris Bassitt
6 of 8
2026 Age: 37
2025 Team: Toronto Blue Jays
2025 Stats: 32 G, 170.1 IP, 174 H (22 HR), 166 K, 52 BB, 3.96 ERA
Chris Bassitt has logged at least 170 innings in each of the last four seasons, so he can offer precisely the kind of bulk that is increasingly rare among starters.
How much run prevention will come with that bulk is the big question, though Bassitt does have two qualities to fall back on. He throws strikes, for one, and he also fits the mold of a guy who avoids hard contact and gets ground balls.
He's a decent No. 4 on a contender, preferably one that can put a strong defense behind him. There's one team like that which also happens to be overdue for a rotation addition.
Final Landing Spot: Atlanta Braves
2. RHP Lucas Giolito
7 of 8
2026 Age: 31
2025 Team: Boston Red Sox
2025 Stats: 26 G, 145.0 IP, 131 H (17 HR), 121 K, 56 BB, 3.41 ERA
That the market has thus far turned a blind eye to Lucas Giolito suggests that teams see right through what he did in 2025.
The ERA was nice, but nothing else was. The righty didn't miss bats or avoid walks at particularly good rates, and he just plain got crushed to the tune of subpar marks for exit velocity and hard-hit rate. It takes a lot of luck to translate that to a 3.41 ERA.
At this point, Giolito is either a back-end starter on a contender or a front-end starter on a rebuilder that sees him as trade bait. Neither would be surprising, though he should prioritize a one-year deal with a contender at this point.
Final Landing Spot: Pittsburgh Pirates
1. RHP Zac Gallen
8 of 8
2026 Age: 30
2025 Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
2025 Stats: 33 G, 192.0 IP, 176 H (31 HR), 175 K, 66 BB, 4.83 ERA
It's been quite the fall from grace for Zac Gallen, who's gone from a top-five Cy Young finisher in 2022 and 2023 to a downright bad starter in 2025.
There is something to salvage here, however. If nothing else, he's a guy who can save a bullpen on any given day. And if a team can figure out what was eating his knuckle-curveball (.438 SLG, 9 HR) last year, that pitch can be a weapon again.
The Chicago Cubs were heavily linked to Gallen once upon a time, but they likely put the finishing touches on their offseason with Edward Cabrera and Alex Bregman. As such, maybe the most likely destination for him is the one he came from.
Final Landing Spot: Arizona Diamondbacks
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
