MLB Free Agents 2012: Where Josh Willingham and More Underrated FAs Will Land

Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes and C.J. Wilson will dominate the MLB free agent headlines, but not every team has the budget to support those stars. Some general managers will have to get more creative to find the most cost-effective ways to fill holes during the offseason.

Here are three underrated options for teams to consider and their possible landing spots.

OF Josh Willingham

Willingham cranked 29 home runs for the Oakland Athletics in 2011 and that's no small feat considering he played half his games at the spacious O.co Coliseum. He'll be one of the few cheap sources of power on the market this winter.

Predicted Landing Spot: Atlanta Braves. Atlanta's offense didn't provide enough help to its talented pitching staff throughout the season. Willingham could take over for Martin Prado in left field, allowing the latter to return to his super-utility role.

C Ramon Hernandez

Hernandez didn't get enough credit for a solid season, because he was in a timeshare with Ryan Hanigan behind the dish in Cincinnati. He had a .341 on-base percentage and 12 home runs in just 91 games and is worthy of a full-time job.

Predicted Landing Spot: Los Angeles Angels. Mike Scioscia let Mike Napoli get away because he insisted on rotating his catchers. Maybe he'll finally learn from his mistakes and let Hernandez join the team as its everyday starter. Jeff Mathis led a disappointing group of backstops in 2011.

SP Jeff Francis

After struggling with injuries for several seasons, Francis started 31 games for the Kansas City Royals this season and was serviceable (ignore his record, that's a meaningless stat). He's a solid back-of-the-rotation option who could outperform his value with an improvement in his strikeout rate.

Predicted Landing Spot: Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh was one of baseball's biggest surprises over the first couple months before fading back into the darkness. They need more rotation depth to keep pace in the NL Central, and Francis would be a safe, cheap addition.