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Way-Too-Early MLB Free Agency Big Board for 2026-27 Class
It's never too early to start looking ahead to the 2026-27 MLB free-agent class, which is lacking in overall depth but has a true landscape-alternating talent at the top.
Two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is the top player in the class by a wide margin, and he will be eyeing a record-setting payday for a pitcher. Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta and Zac Gallen could make a case for a nine-figure deal with a strong season.
As for hitters, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the best of the bunch, while outfielders Randy Arozarena, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Dalton Varsho all offer impact upside.
Ahead, we've put together our first MLB free-agency big board for the 2026-27 class. These rankings will be updated throughout the year based on the on-field performance and health of the players.
Let's start with some honorable mentions and a look at players facing contract options and opt-out decisions.
Honorable Mentions and Opt-Outs
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These players missed the cut for a spot inside our way-too-early top 25 rankings, but they'll have a chance to climb with a strong start to the year:
SP: Shane Bieber, Casey Mize, Jameson Taillon, Tyler Mahle, Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin, Nick Martinez, Griffin Canning, Matthew Boyd (mutual option), Michael Soroka (mutual option), Luis Severino (player option)
RP: Pete Fairbanks, JoJo Romero, Jason Adam, Raisel Iglesias, Kenley Jansen, Gregory Soto, Dennis Santana, José Alvarado, Matt Strahm, Paul Sewald, Ryne Stanek
C: Ryan Jeffers, Jake Rogers, Kyle Higashioka, Carson Kelly (mutual option)
CIF: Alec Bohm, Jake Bauers, Rhys Hoskins, Josh Bell, Yoan Moncada, Carlos Santana, Dominic Smith
MIF: Luis Arraez, Gavin Lux, Ha-Seong Kim, Luis García Jr., Jonathan India, Mauricio Dubón, Edmundo Sosa
OF: Ramón Laureano, Adolis García, Cedric Mullins, Tyrone Taylor, Jake Fraley
DH: George Springer, Jorge Soler, Eugenio Suárez (mutual option)
Opt-Outs
The following players have opt-outs in their contracts and could join the 2026-27 free-agent class, but for now they are not included in the rankings. Their likely course of action will become more clear as the season unfolds.
3B Bo Bichette, NYM
SP Corbin Burnes, ARI
RP Ryan Helsley, BAL
SP Clay Holmes, NYM
SP Tatsuya Imai, HOU
SP Michael King, SD
Nos. 25-21
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25. C Tyler Stephenson (Age: 29)
Stephenson is the top catcher in another thin market for backstops, with Ryan Jeffers and Carson Kelly (mutual option) the other potential options for teams in the market for a starter. He has a 103 career OPS+, and he has averaged 15 home runs and 57 RBI over the last three years.
24. RHP Kevin Gausman (Age: 35)
Age will likely limit Gausman to a one-year contract, but with five straight seasons of at least 30 starts and 170 innings, his durability will make him an appealing high-floor addition for any contender with a rotation spot to fill. With a 3.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 189 strikeouts in 193 innings last year, and a 21-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 12 innings this year, he is still pitching at a frontline level.
23. OF Taylor Ward (Age: 32)
After a 36-homer, 103-RBI season last year, Ward was traded to the Orioles in exchange for former top prospect Grayson Rodriguez. Since turning in a breakout season in 2022, he has averaged 29 home runs and 86 RBI per 162 games, and his power production should be enough to earn a multi-year deal.
22. LHP David Peterson (Age: 30)
Peterson was an All-Star last season while pitching to a 3.06 ERA during the first half, but he was knocked around to the tune of a 6.34 ERA in 12 starts after the break. He could end up being a candidate for something similar to the three-year, $39 million deal that Tyler Anderson received from the Angels a few years back.
21. 2B Brandon Lowe (Age: 31)
Despite some defensive limitations and middling on-base skills, Lowe is unquestionably one of the best offensive second basemen in the sport. He earned his second career All-Star selection last year while slugging 31 home runs, and he has been a big part of the Pirates' hot start after he was traded to Pittsburgh in December.
Nos. 20-16
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20. SP Jack Flaherty (Age: 30)
It's been a bumpy ride for Flaherty, with some early success including a fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young as a 23-year-old, and some struggles with injuries and inconsistency in the years that followed. His 15 losses and 4.64 ERA last season don't tell the full story, as he backed them with a 3.85 FIP and 188 strikeouts in 161 innings.
19. OF Trent Grisham (Age: 29)
Grisham bet on himself by accepting the Yankees' qualifying offer rather than testing the market on the heels of a career year. Now he needs to prove the 125 OPS+ and 34 home runs he logged in 2025 are sustainable. He was essentially a glove-only player in the three seasons prior with a .191 average and 84 OPS+ in 1,288 plate appearances.
18. RP Adrian Morejón (Age: 27)
Morejón was one of baseball's elite non-closer relievers last season, posting a 2.08 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 20 holds in 75 appearances. He limited left-handed hitters to a .325 OPS in 122 plate appearances, and with an upper 90s fastball backed by a plus slider and changeup, he has the stuff to close games.
17. 2B Gleyber Torres (Age: 29)
Torres played well on a one-year, $15 million deal with the Tigers, earning his first All-Star selection since 2019 and posting a 108 OPS+ and 2.9 WAR in 145 games. He was better positioned to secure a multi-year deal coming off that performance, but instead opted to return to Detroit by accepting his one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer.
16. SP Shota Imanaga (Age: 32)
Imanaga made the surprise decision to accept his qualifying offer from the Cubs after both sides rejected contract options, but he will be a more straightforward free agent next winter. Despite some home run issues in the second half last year, he has been mostly great since coming stateside, posting a 3.32 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 328 innings.
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Nos. 15-11
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15. SP Kris Bubic (Age: 28)
After pitching well out of the bullpen in his return from Tommy John surgery in 2024, Bubic returned to a starting role last year and logged a 2.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in 116.1 innings while earning an All-Star selection. A rotator cuff strain ended his season shortly after the All-Star break, but a healthy 2026 season would make him one of the top arms on the market.
14. SS J.P. Crawford (Age: 31)
Crawford is one of only six shortstops with at least 2 WAR in each of the last five seasons, joining Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Dansby Swanson and Willy Adames. His steady glove and plus on-base ability give him a high production floor, and he'll be the top shortstop on the market next winter.
13. RP David Bednar (Age: 31)
Only Emmanuel Clase (157), Josh Hader (131), Kenley Jansen (127) and Raisel Iglesias (114) have more saves since the start of the 2022 season than Bednar, who has converted 112 of 129 chances during that stretch. With a mid-90s fastball, hard splitter and swing-and-miss curveball, he will be the best proven closer on the market next winter.
12. SP Brady Singer (Age: 29)
Singer ranks inside the top 25 among all pitchers with 790.2 innings of work over the last five seasons, and he has a 103 ERA+ during that stretch. The former top prospect has developed into a reliable, middle-of-the-rotation workhorse, and his age makes him an attractive candidate for a multi-year deal.
11. RP Bryan Abreu (Age: 28)
Abreu broke through as a major weapon out of the Houston bullpen in 2022, and over the past four seasons, he has a 2.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 12.7 K/9 in 275 appearances. His 35.5 percent strikeout rate last season ranked sixth among all relievers, and his fastball-slider combo stacks up to any late-inning repertoire in baseball.
Nos. 10-6
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10. SP Brandon Woodruff (Age: 33)
Woodruff was lights out last year in his return from shoulder surgery, posting a 3.20 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 64.2 innings over 12 starts, but a lat strain sidelined him again down the stretch. He accepted a qualifying offer, and will now look to prove his injury issues are behind him.
9. OF Seiya Suzuki (Age: 31)
Suzuki set career-high marks in home runs (32) and RBI (103) last year in the fourth season of a five-year, $85 million contract. He has been a steady run producer since making the jump stateside, but defensive limitations could put a ceiling on his market. Still, he's one of the few legitimate 30-homer sluggers in the class.
8. OF Ian Happ (Age: 31)
The longest-tenured player on the Cubs roster, Happ has quietly averaged 25 home runs, 80 RBI and 3.2 WAR per 162 games over the course of his 10-year career with the North Siders. He has also won four straight Gold Glove Awards in left field, providing significant value beyond just his offensive production.
7. SP Zac Gallen (Age: 30)
Expected to be one of the most sought after arms on the market this past offseason, Gallen instead struggled to a 4.83 ERA during his contract year. After testing the market, he eventually found his way back to the D-backs on a one-year, $22.025 million deal that mirrored the qualifying offer he rejected. Can he return to frontline form ahead of another trip to the open market?
6. OF Daulton Varsho (Age: 29)
Originally drafted and developed as a catcher, Varsho is now one of baseball's elite defensive center fielders. Since the start of the 2022 season, he has racked up 87 Defensive Runs Saved in the outfield. He also crushed 20 home runs in 271 plate appearances last year, and his power gives him offensive value without much in the way of batting average (.226 BA career) or on-base ability (.295 OBP career).
5. OF Randy Arozarena
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Age: 31
Stats: 118 OPS+, .238/.334/.426, 60 XBH (27 HR), 31 SB
Randy Arozarena became just the 10th player in MLB history last season with five straight 20/20 seasons, slugging a career-high 27 home runs in his first full season with the Seattle Mariners.
His consistent power/speed production makes him an impact addition to any lineup, and a career-high 50.6 percent hard-hit rate last year backs up his power production in a convincing way.
Add to that his .946 OPS and 12 home runs in 184 plate appearances during the postseason, and he looks like the top outfield bat on the market next offseason.
4. SP Trevor Rogers
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Age: 28
Stats: 18 GS, 9-3, 1.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 103 K, 109.2 IP, 5.4 WAR
Trevor Rogers burst onto the scene to earn an All-Star selection with the Marlins as a rookie in 2021, but he struggled to build off that early success in the years that followed.
He logged a 5.09 ERA in 249.1 innings over the next three seasons while navigating injuries, and the Marlins sold low and shipped him to the Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline in exchange for Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby.
A knee injury delayed the start of his 2025 season, but once he returned to action he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. If he comes close to replicating last year's performance, a massive payday awaits.
3. SP Freddy Peralta
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Age: 29
Stats: 33 GS, 17-6, 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 204 K, 176.2 IP, 5.4 WAR
In five full seasons as a member of the Brewers rotation, Freddy Peralta logged a 3.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 895 strikeouts in 738.1 innings while earning a pair of All-Star selections.
He is one of only two pitchers to record at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last three seasons. The other, Dylan Cease, signed a seven-year, $175 million deal last winter and that could be the floor in Peralta negotiations this winter.
The Brewers flipped him to the Mets this past winter ahead of his final year of club control, and he took the ball on Opening Day as the new ace of the staff. The two sides were unable to come to terms on an extension during spring training, and now he's poised to cash in.
2. 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
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Age: 28
Stats: 125 OPS+, .242/.332/.481, 47 XBH (31 HR), 31 SB
One of the most dynamic offensive players in baseball when healthy, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is coming off the first 30/30 season by a Yankees player since Alfonso Soriano in 2003.
The two-time All-Star has age on his side, as he will be 28 years old for the entirety of the 2026 season, and that should help him secure a massive payday as the most impactful bat on the market.
Marcus Semien was two years older when he signed his seven-year, $175 million contract, and he was part of a loaded free-agent class, so it's not out of the question to think a $200 million deal could be on the horizon if Chisholm puts up similar numbers.
1. SP Tarik Skubal
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Age: 29
Stats: 31 GS, 13-6, 2.21 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 241 K, 195.1 IP, 6.5 WAR
After winning his second straight AL Cy Young in 2025, Tarik Skubal earned a massive raise from $10.15 million to $32 million in his final year of arbitration, and a record-setting contract could be coming next winter.
With two years under his belt as arguably the best pitcher in baseball and another strong start this season, Skubal could be headed for a $40 million AAV as the best pitcher to hit the open market since Gerrit Cole.
The left-hander has no signs of regression in his underlying metrics and fewer than 800 career innings on his arm, making him as safe a bet as any to continue producing at an elite level.
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