Underrated 2022 MLB Free Agents Still Available
At this point, Major League Baseball's free-agent pool for the 2021-22 offseason is more like a puddle. Unless you count Michael Conforto, there aren't any more big fish swimming around in it.
However, there are still a few little fish whose potential value shouldn't be written off.
If you want to see the top 10 remaining free agents, B/R's Joel Reuter has you covered. The task here was to put the guys who didn't make the cut under a microscope and see if there's anything to like.
For the most part, there wasn't. But the search did turn up five exceptions whom we've arranged here in alphabetical order.
RHP Tyler Clippard
1 of 5
Age: 37
Since he first settled into a regular relief role with the Washington Nationals back in 2009, Tyler Clippard has accumulated more rWAR than all but four other relievers.
Nothing lasts forever, though, and Clippard hit a wall last year unlike any he'd hit before.
A capsule strain in his right shoulder landed him on the injured list for the first time in his career, which left him feeling "bummed." He couldn't make his season debut until July 21.
The right-hander did well enough in keeping runs off the board for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but he did so with the lowest strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate of his tenure as a reliever. With his average fastball now down below 90 mph, there may be no fixing that.
Still, Clippard retained some pitches that opposing batters had a hard time squaring up. The average exit velocity against his changeup dropped relative to 2020. Meanwhile, the exit velo against his four-seamer has been in the 83-84 mph range in each of the last two seasons.
Even setting aside the allure of his track record, any team that ventures to take a chance on Clippard would have at least two tangible things with which to work.
OF Brett Gardner
2 of 5
Age: 38
Brett Gardner is only a free agent because he and the New York Yankees both declined options for 2022 back in November. Gardner turned down his $2.3 million player option, while the Yankees rejected their $7.2 million team option in favor of a $1.5 million buyout.
The Yankees' chief concern might be the extent to which Gardner's defense has deteriorated. That arguably defeats the purpose of bringing him back as a fourth outfielder. However, Miguel Andujar and Tim Locastro offer low bars to clear in that regard.
Gardner also moves well for a guy his age, and his plate discipline remained elite in 2021 by way of a 97th-percentile chase rate. Heck, even his 33.2 hard-hit percentage was above his norm for the seven-year Statcast era.
Otherwise, whether Gardner is still welcome within the Yankees' clubhouse is beyond dispute. Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reported that the team is keeping a locker open for him.
"I think everyone in this room wants him back," manager Aaron Judge said.
OF Brian Goodwin
3 of 5
Age: 31
2021 Stats: 72 G, 271 PA, 8 HR, 1 SB, .221 AVG, .319 OBP, .374 SLG, 90 OPS+, minus-0.5 rWAR
Back in 2019, Brian Goodwin appeared in 136 games for the Los Angeles Angels and was their second-most valuable outfielder after Mike Trout. However, he hasn't done much to speak of in two seasons since then.
Goodwin started the shortened 2020 campaign strong with the Angels, but he faded after going to the Cincinnati Reds. He began last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates only to be released in May.
Though Goodwin subsequently got a lifeline from the Chicago White Sox, his overall numbers with them don't exactly move the needle. Because of that, it's easy to see him as little more than a depth piece.
However, what Goodwin could do in 2021 was hit right-handed pitching. By wRC+, he was 25 percent better than average against righties. That's better than Brad Milller, who recently caught on with the Texas Rangers on a two-year, $10 million deal.
Perhaps Goodwin isn't as versatile of a defender as Miller, but he is a superior athlete whose sprint speed and outfield jumps were better than average last season. He deserves a call from any team still looking for a platoon outfielder.
.png?w=256)
LHP J.A. Happ
4 of 5
Age: 39
2021 Stats: 30 G, 30 GS, 152.1 IP, 177 H (30 HR), 122 K, 48 BB, 5.79 ERA, 71 ERA+, minus-1.4 rWAR
There's no other way to say it: J.A. Happ simply wasn't fooling anybody last season.
It isn't just his results that say as much. His peripheral stats at Baseball Savant are likewise coated in blue, with especially alarming bits being his 6th-percentile whiff rate and exit velocity in the 18th percentile.
Because he had a year like that in his age-38 campaign, retirement might be the most likely next step for Happ. If so, he could walk away with few regrets after a largely successful 15-year career.
Alternatively, he could be determined to pick up where he left off after a strong finish with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021. He had only a 4.00 ERA over 54 innings, but seven of the 24 earned runs he allowed came in just one inning on Sept. 1. Otherwise, he had a 2.89 ERA in his other 10 outings.
A big key for Happ was altering his pitch mix to include fewer four-seamers and more sinkers so he could better pitch to the Cardinals' superb defense. Provided he once again has a strong defense behind him, that could be his model for continued success in 2022.
LHP Andrew Miller
5 of 5
Age: 36
2021 Stats: 40 G, 6 GF, 36.0 IP, 41 H (5 HR), 40 K, 16 BB, 4.75 ERA, 82 ERA+, minus-0.2 rWAR
Speaking of Cardinals left-handers who may yet have something left in the tank, let's talk about Andrew Miller.
There's no making the case that he's still the same guy who broke all of the rules in relief for the Cleveland Guardians in 2016 and 2017. He's lost a few...OK, a lot of ticks off his fastball, and his strikeout rate has tumbled accordingly. Plus, the average against his slider has risen about 200 points since 2015.
What Miller can still do, though, is silence left-handed batters:
- vs. RHB in 2021: 1.151 OPS
- vs. LHB in 2021: .545 OPS
Granted, a pitcher with this specific skill is less valuable in the three-batter-minimum era. Yet it's some comfort that Miller had some bad luck against righties last year, which you can see on run-scoring knocks like this one and this one.
Miller did miss time with injuries last year, but that was merely due to blisters on his left foot. That's to say his arm and shoulder were fine, which only adds to the reasons for a team to take a flier on him.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
.png?w=480)
