Sifting Through the Bargain Bin: Under-the-Radar MLB Free Agents Still Available

While many of the top dominoes have already fallen on the MLB free-agent market, there are still a handful of impact players looking for new contracts.

Here are the top 10 free agents still available at the start of 2020:

1. 3B Josh Donaldson
2. OF Nicholas Castellanos
3. OF Marcell Ozuna
4. RP Will Harris
5. C Robinson Chirinos
6. RP Daniel Hudson
7. OF Yasiel Puig
8. 1B/3B Todd Frazier
9. SP Alex Wood
10. IF/OF Brock Holt

However, we're going to focus on the potential bargain options outside of that top-10 list.

Some of the under-the-radar signings made after Jan. 1 last year that provided a solid return on investment include Danny Santana (Jan. 9 to TEX), Avisail Garcia (Jan. 18 to TB), Drew Pomeranz (Jan. 23 to SF), Francisco Liriano (Feb. 4 to PIT) and Jose Iglesias (Feb. 23 to CIN).

Here's a closer look at seven guys who could be this year's best bargain-bin additions.

IF Asdrubal Cabrera

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Steamer Projections: 508 PA, .261/.330/.440, 46 XBH (18 HR), 61 RBI, 64 R, 1.6 WAR

Veteran infielder Asdrubal Cabrera signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Texas Rangers last offseason, and he could wind up with a similar payday this winter.

The 34-year-old hit a modest .235/.318/.393 for an 80 OPS+ in 368 plate appearances with the Rangers, but he caught fire after he was released in August and scooped up by the eventual World Series champion Washington Nationals.

In 38 regular-season games with the Nationals, he hit .323/.404/.565 for a 143 OPS+ with 17 extra-base hits in 146 plate appearances, and he was 6-for-21 with three RBI during the Fall Classic.

With 13 years of MLB experience under his belt and the ability to play all over the infield, he can be a versatile bench player or super-utility option for a contending team, or a stopgap starter at second or third base.

RP Steve Cishek

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Steamer Projections: 60 G, 4.51 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, 8.6 K/9, 0.1 WAR

Steve Cishek just wrapped up a successful two-year, $13 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, posting a 2.55 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 11 saves and 36 holds in 150 appearances.

The 33-year-old has ample late-inning experience dating back to his time as the Miami Marlins closer, including a 34-save season in 2013 and a 39-save season in 2014. All told, he has 132 career saves over the course of his 10-year career.

But there are some red flags.

His 2.95 ERA was accompanied by a 4.54 FIP last season. His strikeout rate dropped (10.0 to 8.0 K/9) and his walk rate climbed (3.6 to 4.1 BB/9), which helps explain the less-than-stellar Steamer projections.

Still, teams looking to add another proven arm on a one-year deal could do a lot worse than rolling the dice on the side-winding right-hander. As someone who is not overly reliant on velocity, he should age fairly well compared to his flame-throwing counterparts.

IF Wilmer Flores

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Steamer Projections: 345 PA, .285/.335/.479, 34 XBH (14 HR), 49 RBI, 43 R, 1.2 WAR

At the start of the offseason, the Arizona Diamondbacks opted to decline their $6 million option on Wilmer Flores in favor of a $500,000 buyout, and he remains available on the free-agent market.

The 28-year-old hit .317/.361/.487 with 27 extra-base hits in 285 plate appearances for the D-backs last season, splitting his time between first base and second base defensively.

If nothing else, he's an extremely attractive platoon option.

He crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of a .337/.367/.615 line over 109 plate appearances last season, and he has an .813 OPS against southpaws over the course of his seven-year career.

An increase in his hard-contact rate (+4.5%) and decrease in his soft-contact rate (-7.9%) suggests that last year's numbers are at least partially sustainable. He's a worthwhile addition capable of providing some upside on a cheap one-year deal.

SP/RP Collin McHugh

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Steamer Projections: 48 G, 3 GS, 4.10 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 9.5 K/9, 0.5 WAR

Collin McHugh made 102 starts for the Houston Astros from 2014 to 2017, posting a 3.70 ERA, 106 ERA+ and 9.0 WAR.

The additions of Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole pushed him to the bullpen for the 2018 season, and he thrived in his new role, posting a 1.99 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and a career-high 11.7 K/9 in 72.1 innings over 58 appearances.

The 32-year-old was moved back into the starting rotation to start the 2019 season, but he struggled to a 6.37 ERA over eight starts before returning to the bullpen.

He had a 2.67 ERA with five holds in 27 relief appearances the rest of the way before he was shut down in September with elbow soreness.

Whether he is targeted as a back-of-the-rotation starter or a multi-inning reliever, McHugh is capable of filling a number of different roles on the staff. The health of his elbow raises some questions, but on an incentive-laden one-year deal, he could be a steal.

IF Brad Miller

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Steamer Projections: 191 PA, .237/.319/.436, 17 XBH (8 HR), 24 RBI, 23 R, 0.3 WAR

Brad Miller spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees last season before finding a home with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 30-year-old joined the Phillies when he was acquired from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations on June 13, and he went on to hit .263/.331/.610 with 12 home runs in 130 plate appearances while lining up at shortstop, third base, and both corner outfield spots.

It's not the first time he's flashed intriguing power.

Serving as the primary shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016, he posted a 113 OPS+ with 30 home runs in a 3.3 oWAR season before his offensive production dropped off significantly the following year.

He's the type of player who could benefit from the addition of a 26th roster spot, with the defensive versatility and offensive potential to fill a number of different roles off the bench.

After settling for a minor league deal last offseason, it remains to be seen if he will be able to secure a guaranteed MLB pact this time around.

SP Drew Smyly

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Steamer Projections: 24 GS, 5.00 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 50 BB, 128 K, 130 IP, 0.8 WAR

It's easy to overlook Drew Smyly as a potential rotation addition after he posted an ugly 6.24 ERA in 114 innings with the Rangers and Phillies last season.

However, he was a different pitcher after making his way to Philadelphia in July.

An unsightly 8.42 ERA in Texas ultimately led to his release, and the pitching-needy Phillies scooped him up a month later. They immediately inserted him into the starting rotation, and he wound up posting a 4.45 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 62.2 innings over 12 starts.

He closed out the season with a quality start against the eventual World Series champion Washington Nationals, allowing four hits and two earned runs while racking up a season-high 10 strikeouts in 6.1 innings.

Prior to missing the 2017 and 2018 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, Smyly was a promising young starter who was one of the centerpieces of the blockbuster deal that sent David Price from Tampa Bay to Detroit at the 2014 trade deadline.

A full season worth of the production he showed during his two months in Philadelphia would be well worth a one-year roll of the dice.

SP Taijuan Walker

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Steamer Projections: 19 GS, 4.93 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 36 BB, 93 K, 108 IP, 0.8 WAR

During his time in the Seattle Mariners farm system, Taijuan Walker was ranked among the top 20 prospects in all of baseball three years running from 2011 to 2013, according to Baseball America.

After showing some intriguing upside as a member of the Seattle rotation in 2015 and 2016, he was traded to the Diamondbacks in a five-player deal that also brought Ketel Marte to Arizona and sent Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger to Seattle.

In his D-backs debut, Walker posted a 3.49 ERA over 157.1 innings in a 2.6 WAR season, but he has been sidelined for the bulk of the past two years recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Still just 27 years old, he was non-tendered at the start of the offseason with a projected arbitration salary north of $5 million.

Greg Johns of MLB.com reported in December that the Mariners are "definitely interested" in a reunion with the former top prospect. It remains to be seen if other teams inquire, but it's easy to see the upside here given his age and past performance.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.