2017 MLB Free Agents: Rumors, Predictions for Top Pitchers on the Market

Following a 2016 offseason in which proven starting pitching was hard to come by, MLB teams have quite a few more options this winter on the free-agent market.

Yu Darvish, Alex Cobb, Jake Arrieta and Lance Lynn are among the marquee names available to offer immediate help in the starting rotation.

The reliever market is a little more thin, which is a stark contrast to a year ago, when Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon all received new deals. Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Jake McGee headline the 2017 class.

Below is the most recent buzz surrounding some of the top arms in free agency.

Multiple Teams Register Interest in Jake Arrieta

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

According to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers have all "checked in" with Arrieta's agent, Scott Boras. Cafardo reported a return to the Chicago Cubs isn't out of the question for the right-hander, either.

While Arrieta is two years removed from winning the National League Cy Young Award, he could be a somewhat risky signing.

Since he's the second-best pitcher on the free-agent market behind Darvish, Arrieta is in a position to command a lucrative multiyear extension.

His performance, however, has trended slightly downward since his Cy Young year in 2015. His 4.16 FIP last season was his highest since 2013, and he allowed 1.23 home runs per nine innings, which were his most since 2012.

To be fair, Arrieta was very good in the second half of last year. His 2.28 ERA after the halfway mark was a little over two runs better than his first-half ERA (4.35). If Arrieta can carry his second half into the 2018 season, then he'll once again be among MLB's best aces.

The Twins and Rockies could be the most interesting suitors for Arrieta's services. Colorado and Minnesota both have young starters who should be staples of the rotation for years to come—Jon Gray for the Rockies and Jose Berrios for the Twins. Each franchise needs to add another established starter, though, before it can seriously contend for a pennant.

That kind of motivation could give Minnesota or Colorado the push necessary to possibly overpay for Arrieta in order to lure him away from richer contenders.

Twins Less Aggressive with Plan to Improve Bullpen

John Minchillo/Associated Press

In addition to Arrieta, the Twins have Darvish on the radar this offseason.

"I've been in contact with Darvish along the way, and we're having active convos with his agent," said general manager Thad Levine in an interview on MLB Network Radio. "He's also a priority for us."

Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reported the Twins have also thrown around a potential trade for Gerrit Cole or Jake Odorizzi.

While Minnesota is thinking big in terms of upgrading its rotation, Berardino added the same approach doesn't apply to the bullpen:

It wouldn't be all that surprising if the race to sign Davis and Holland is relatively tame compared to the respective pursuits of Jansen, Chapman and Melancon. Davis' 2.30 ERA and 3.38 FIP were his worst since becoming a regular reliever for the Kansas City Royals in 2014, while Holland missed all of 2016 to recover from Tommy John surgery.

According to Brooks Baseball, Holland's fastball averaged 93.81 mph in 2017, whereas he was comfortably hovering around 96 mph with his fastball during his time in Kansas City. Holland had a very good bounce-back season with the Rockies; whether he can replicate that in 2018 and beyond is another matter.

Relief pitchers generally age less gracefully than starters. Davis and Holland are both 32, so they've both already likely enjoyed their peak performance years on the mound.

Rather than meet Davis' or Holland's asking price in free agency, some contending teams may wait to see how things shake out to start the 2018 season and look to acquire a proven reliever through trade.

Rangers 'Showing Sustained Interest' in Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

NBC Sports Boston's Evan Drellich reported the Rangers have already signed Doug Fister. According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, that won't be the extent of Texas' free-agent business:

The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant wrote that signing Fister is supposed to be "a portal to bigger moves," with Lynn and Cobb as Texas' "most realistic top-tier candidates."

"There is not a great deal of separation between the two; Cobb is probably a slightly better fit for the Rangers, but truth is, if either one is willing to take about $15 million a year for four years, the Rangers aren't going to get too picky over which one it is," Grant wrote.

It'd be a stretch to say money is no object for the Rangers; otherwise, they'd be looking for a reunion with Darvish or be willing to pay what it takes to bring Arrieta aboard. Texas should still have enough money available to have its choice of Cobb or Lynn.

Neither pitcher has a discernible edge over the other. Lynn has historically allowed more walks (3.40 per nine innings) compared to Cobb (2.62 walks per nine innings), but he also has struck out more than one batter per nine innings (8.46) than Cobb (7.33).

Cobb's fly-ball percentage (26.0) could make him the slightly more sensible target. Lynn's 34.6 percent fly-ball rate may present a bigger problem in a hitter-friendly stadium like Globe Life Park.

As long as the Rangers can land one of the two, they'd help stabilize their starting rotation.

Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise mentioned.