Hidden Gems in 2008 MLB Free-Agent Class

I have a list of the players who have already filed for free agency. Here is the updated list.

Arizona
Clark, Tony (1B); Dunn, Adam (OF); Cruz, Juan (RP); Eckstein, David (SS); Hudson, Orlando (2B)

Atlanta
Julio, Jorge (RP); Norton, Greg (OF); Ohman, Will (RP); Smoltz, John (SP); Tavarez, Julian (RP)

Baltimore
Cintron, Alex (SS); Millar, Kevin (1B); Payton, Jay (OF)

Boston
Casey, Sean (1B); Colon, Bartolo (SP); Cora, Alex (SS); Kotsay, Mark (OF); Ross, Dave (C); Schilling, Curt (SP); Varitek, Jason (C)

Chicago Cubs
Blanco, Henry (C); Dempster, Ryan (SP); Edmonds, Jim (OF); Fox, Chad (RP); Howry, Bob (RP); Lieber, Jon (RP); Ward, Daryle (1B); Wood, Kerry (RP)

Chicago White Sox
Cabrera, Orlando (SS); Crede, Joe (3B); Hall, Toby (C); Ramirez, Horacio (RP); Uribe, Juan (2B)

Cincinnati
Affeldt, Jeremy (RP); Fogg, Josh (SP); Hairston Jr., Jerry (SS); Lincoln, Michael (RP); Mercker, Kent (RP); Valentin, Javier (C); Weathers, Dave (RP)

Cleveland
* Donnelly, Brendan (RP); Elarton, Scott (SP); Rincon, Juan (RP)

Colorado
Fuentes, Brian (RP); Herges, Matt (RP); Hernandez, Livan (SP); Melhuse, Adam (C); Podsednik, Scott (OF)

Detroit
Garcia, Freddy Antonio (SP); Jones, Todd (RP); Wilson, Vance (C)

Florida
Hendrickson, Mark (RP); LoDuca, Paul (C); Rhodes, Arthur (RP)

Houston
Ausmus, Brad (C); Hawkins, LaTroy (RP); Loretta, Mark (2B); Wolf, Randy (SP)

Kansas City
Grudzielanek, Mark (2B)

Los Angeles Angels
Anderson, Garret (OF); Garland, Jon (SP); Oliver, Darren (RP); Rivera, Juan (OF); Teixeira, Mark (1B)

Los Angeles Dodgers
Beimel, Joe (RP); Blake, Casey (3B); Garciaparra, Nomar (1B); Johnson, Jason (RP); Lowe, Derek (SP); Maddux, Greg (SP); Park, Chan Ho (RP); Ramirez, Manny (OF); Sweeney, Mark (1B);

Milwaukee
Branyan, Russell (3B); Durham, Ray (2B); Gagne, Eric (RP); Kapler, Gabe (OF); Lamb, Michael (3B); Sabathia, CC (SP); Sheets, Ben (SP); Shouse, Brian (RP)

Minnesota
Everett, Adam (SS); Guardado, Eddie (RP); Punto, Nick (SS); Reyes, Dennys (RP)

New York Mets
Alou, Moises (OF); Armas Jr., Tony (RP); Ayala, Luis (RP); Easley, Damion (2B); Hernandez, Orlando (SP); Martinez, Pedro (SP); Martinez, Ramon E. (2B); Perez, Oliver (SP); Rincon, Ricardo (RP); Wise, Matt (RP)

New York Yankees
Abreu, Bob (OF); Moeller, Chad (C); Ponson, Sidney (SP); Rodriguez, Ivan (C)

Oakland
Brown, Emil (OF); Foulke, Keith (RP); Thomas, Frank (DH)

Philadelphia
Gordon, Tom (RP)

Pittsburgh
Gomez, Chris (3B); Michaels, Jason (OF); Mientkiewicz, Doug (1B); Rivas, Luis (SS)

St. Louis
Isringhausen, Jason (RP); Izturis, Cesar (SS); Looper, Braden L. (SP); Lopez, Felipe (2B); Springer, Russ (RP); Villone, Ron (RP)

San Diego
Hoffman, Trevor (RP); Prior, Mark (SP)

San Francisco
Aurilia, Rich (1B)

Seattle
Bloomquist, Willie (OF); Cairo, Miguel (1B); Ibanez, Raul (OF)

Tampa Bay
Baldelli, Rocco (DH); Hinske, Eric (OF)

Toronto
Wilkerson, Brad (OF); Parrish, John (RP)

Texas
+ Blalock, Hank (3B); Bradley, Milton (DH); Jennings, Jason (SP); Vazquez, Ramon (3B); Wright, Jamey (RP)

Washington
Perez, Odalis (SP)

In every free-agent class, there are players who are coveted by just about every team. Then, there are players who fall through the cracks but could be very helpful to a team. I give you my top five free-agent gems.

1. Orlando Hudson- "O Dog" is not spectacular, offensively, but he is a solid player. He is a good defender who will make a team better.

2. Mark Kotsay- Kotsay was a solid player for the Braves until he got traded to the Red Sox in August. Kotsay proved his versality when he unselfishly moved to first base to help the injured Red Sox. He might not play 162 games, but you will be getting a player who will do whatever for the team.

3. Casey Blake- Blake is not a young player anymore. However, he proved that he still can play at a high level. The Dodgers saw that in the final two months of the season.

4, Jerry Hairston Jr.- When Hairston is healthy, he can be an exciting player to watch. He was playing at an extremely high level when he got hurt. He is a perfect fit for teams looking for a super utility player.

5. Eric Hinske- Hinske had a solid season. He is not an everyday player anymore, but an A.L. team will love his versatility. He can play 1B, 3B, LF, RF, and DH.