Outside of Shohei Ohtani, last year’s MLB free-agent class lacked premium star power on the position player front. This winter, however, there’s a much stronger collection of game-changing talent available.
The group is headlined by a superstar who could fetch a record-breaking contract, but there is also a bevy of other excellent hitters who could confidently slide into the middle of most lineups.
Now that the World Series is over, eligible players are technically free agents. We’re entering the Hot Stove phase of the baseball calendar and to prepare you, here’s a look at the top 10 position players available.
1. Juan Soto
Age: 26
Position: Outfielder
2024 WAR (per FanGraphs): 8.1
Everything has lined up perfectly for Soto. The generational talent turned down a 15-year, $440-million contract from the Washington Nationals in 2022 and was fixated on hitting the open market. He’ll do so now, in the prime of his career, after authoring a monster campaign with the New York Yankees that profiles as his best yet.
Soto, 26, is represented by super-agent Scott Boras and the main storyline of the winter will be whether or not the duo can surpass Ohtani’s record-setting $700-million deal with the Dodgers. There are so many numbers that bolster Soto’s case — 41 home runs, 129 walks and .989 OPS in 2024 — but his advanced metrics are even more impressive. The amount of 99- or 100-percentile rankings on Soto’s Baseball Savant page is simply astonishing.
And if you thought the American League-champion Yankees held an edge in the Soto sweepstakes, think again. When he was asked about that following the conclusion of the World Series, here’s what Soto told reporters: “I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency. I don’t want to say anybody has an advantage because at the end of the day, we’re going to look at what they have and how much they want me.”
2. Alex Bregman
Age: 30
Position: Third baseman
2024 fWAR: 4.1
Bregman was a pillar in the Houston Astros lineup over the past nine years and the team that signs him will get a player who it can simply plug into third base without worry. The contract he receives will carry Bregman past his prime, but, for now, you pretty much know what you’re going to get from him — a disciplined plate approach with 25 home runs, close to an .800 OPS and above-average defence. Stepping away from stats, Bregman is a battle-tested veteran who can provide leadership and a championship pedigree to a clubhouse.
3. Pete Alonso
Age: 29
Position: First baseman
2024 fWAR: 2.1
Power is the Polar Bear’s calling card. Alonso has launched 226 home runs since debuting in the majors in 2019 and, during that span, only Aaron Judge (232) has more. That’s supported by metrics you want to see from a classic slugger. His bat speed registers in the 93rd percentile while his barrel rate is in the 89th. Alonso is also incredibly durable, ranking second to Marcus Semien in games played over the past six seasons.
4. Willy Adames
Age: 29
Position: Shortstop
2024 fWAR: 4.8
Adames is the best shortstop on the market and timed his free agency with a very impressive campaign. He reached career-bests in stolen bases (21), home runs (32), doubles (33), games played (161) and fWAR (4.8). Adames strikes out a lot, but his strong walk rate (10.8 per cent) makes that easier to digest. Simply put, Adames is among the elite power-hitting shortstops in the sport and that fact has been somewhat obscured because he’s existed in the smaller markets of Tampa Bay and Milwaukee.
5. Anthony Santander
Age: 30
Position: Outfielder
2024 fWAR: 3.3
Like Adames, Santander timed his free agency perfectly and is coming off a monster season. The outfielder clubbed a career-high 44 home runs to put an exclamation point on his status as a premier power hitter. In fact, since Santander became a full-time player with the Orioles in 2022, his 105 homers trail only five players in the majors: Judge, Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber, Alonso and Matt Olson. Over that span, Santander, who just turned 30, produced a 125 OPS-plus. What’s also interesting about the switch-hitting Venezuelan is that his career splits against left-handers and right-handers are nearly identical:
|
|
vs. RHP |
vs. LHP |
|
BA |
.243 |
.253 |
|
OBP |
.302 |
.320 |
|
SLG |
.470 |
.467 |
|
OPS |
.772 |
.786 |
6. Teoscar Hernandez
Age: 32
Position: Outfielder
2024 fWAR: 3.5
Hernandez’s stock dropped slightly during his 2023 campaign with the Seattle Mariners but the outfielder signed a one-year, $23.5-million pact with the Dodgers and fully re-established his value. He cranked out a career-high 33 homers last season in addition to a 137 OPS-plus that’s only bested by the 146 mark he produced during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. There’s no doubt that Hernandez is one of the game’s preeminent sluggers. Since 2019, only 14 players have hit more than Hernandez’s 158 home runs.
7. Ha-Seong Kim (mutual option will be declined)
Age: 29
Position: Shortstop
2024 fWAR: 2.6
Kim, who’s now played in four MLB seasons after a successful seven-year stretch in South Korea, does so many things well. Firstly, he’s a contact hitter with an excellent plate approach — Kim’s chase percentage is in the 98th percentile of major leaguers, while his walk rate is in the 96th percentile and his whiff percentage is in the 92nd. He won’t hit for a ton of power but can steal bases — he swiped 38 bags in 2023 — and also provides strong defence at a premium position.
One caveat: Kim injured his right shoulder in mid-August and didn’t return to the Padres lineup after that. In late September he announced that he would have surgery on a labrum tear in that shoulder. We’ll see how that impacts the term teams are willing to offer Kim.
8. Christian Walker
Age: 33
Position: First baseman
2024 fWAR: 3.0
Let’s consider Walker Pete Alonso-lite for the purpose of this list. He’s a power-hitting first baseman who’s averaged 32 homers and a 123 OPS-plus over the past three seasons and can slot nicely into the middle of any lineup. While Walker is a little older, he still makes hard contact and has shown impressive bat speed. He could make sense for any club that misses out on Alonso and will likely command a shorter deal.
9. Gleyber Torres
Age: 27
Position: Second baseman
2024 fWAR: 1.7
Torres is a talented player who can be frustrating at times. That volatility was encapsulated during the World Series. He’s got the ability to come up with a big hit or draw a key walk, in addition to offering home run potential. At the same time, Torres can sometimes lack attention to detail, like when he botched a key relay throw from right field during Game 1 against the Dodgers. That said, the second baseman is just heading into his age 28 season and has a consistent track record that gives teams a strong idea of his floor. You can pretty much pencil Torres in for 140 games, 20 homers and an OPS-plus in the 110 range.
10. Tyler O’Neill
Age: 29
Position: Outfielder
2024 fWAR: 2.5
The Canadian outfielder enjoyed a career season in 2021 and then followed that with two injury-plagued campaigns. He did manage to re-establish his value in 2024, though, while playing with the Boston Red Sox. He led the club with 31 home runs despite only playing in 113 contests. That’s an average of one homer every 3.64 games, which is an impressive display of power that was better on a per-game basis than Schwarber, Soto and Gunnar Henderson last season.
Honourable mentions: Paul Goldschmidt, Jurickson Profar, Rhys Hoskins
