A quick rundown of my top free agents still available and a blurb about their situation.
1. Nick Castellanos
Simply put he’s the best and youngest guy out there. He’s probably looking for a long term deal and he deserves it considering he’s 27. But it’s also a deep OF free agent class considering 8 out of the top 10 are outfielders. Castellanos isn’t perfect but his hard hit rate is at a healthy 42.7%, his ISO is at .236 and his WAR was at 2.8 last year.
2. Marcell Ozuna
The 2nd best outfielder out here, would be a significant upgrade in most outfields. His walk rate and hard contact rate is the highest it’s been in his career but a career low BABIP and WAR (since 2015) is troubling. Certainly still worth the likely high price tag just age and a less than stellar stint in STL puts him at the second best option left.
3. Yasiel Puig
Puig is also looking for a long term deal which should hurt him more than Castellanos because he’s 2 years older. Depending on how you look at it Puig has been on 3 different teams since 2018 which could mean there are teams out there looking for his services often or too many teams have taken a chance on him and none of them feel like he deserves another contract. IMO he could easily slot in somewhere like Pittsburgh or any other outfield needy team as a longer term solution, like 3 years if you can swing it.
4. Wilmer Flores
Wilmer’s ability to play the utility role is undeniable and with a glut of outfielders and not much else he would be a great pickup as a bench bat for a team willing to pay around $2-$4 mil.
5. Brian Dozier
I realize Dozier had a fairly precipitous drop in production at the plate since he left the Twins. But we are semi scraping at the barrel with 2nd baseman right now. Dozier is on the wrong side of 30 and a lot of his advance stats point to further decline but he can still be a good power bat and fine fielder for the price.
6. Taijuan Walker
Obviously you’re taking a huge chance here on Walker since he has only thrown 14 innings since 2017. But in a weak remaining SP class, taking a chance on someone who was really good when he was 25 is worth it since he 1. won’t be commanding a lot of money and 2. he’s young 3. he had a good track record before he got hurt.
7. Domingo Santana
This one is fairly simple, he can hit. Domingo is a terrible fielder and before the Rays acquired Jose Martinez from the Cardinals I thought he was a natural fit there as a DH. I know I’ve hyped up a lot of guys for being young but Domingo is 27 and he’s in the 69th percentile for hard hit % and WOBA while he’s in the 74 percentile for xSLG. I would put him higher if he wasn’t a likely fit for a DH slot rather than an outfielder. Maybe he can be a good replacement on the Twins for when Nelson Cruz finally calls it quits.
8. Kevin Pillar
His fielding has ability has gone down over the years but he can play CF and RF effectively. A good bench bat to be sure at 31 as his swing changed last season with the new fly ball revolution. He now has a track record of being a reliable contemporary hitting.
9. Cameron Maybin
Had a renaissance for like half season? Cool. He’s 32 and I thought he was at least 36 but he’s just been the majors for a long ass time. Maybin can still run and hit but again the problem here is there are already way better outfielders out there with a better body of work and less tread on the tires. But if you’re looking for a one year transition player I would rather take a shot on Maybin rather than someone like Kole Calhoun.
10. Alex Gordon
Another outfielder you say? Yes. Gordan is still kicking at 35 and worth a shot somewhere after all the above outfields are gone. He’ll likely end up back on the Royals but that’s fine for both parties.
11. Francisco Liriano
There have to been teams looking to improve their bullpen and I expect Liriano to sign sometime soon as he’s the best relief arm out there for a team looking to make a run. Maybe even for those directionless Diamondbacks if they are looking to win now. Just btw Liriano still throws hard landing in the 98th percentile last year for exit velo and 96th for hard hit percentage.
12. Collin McHugh
McHugh is another guy with a high hard hit rate and while he’s gone from a starter to reliever over the past few years he’s been serviceable to good in Houston until last year which seems like an outlier. He’s 32 years old and might be tainted by the Astros recent fallout but still worth a shot with his above average Xstats.
13. Hunter Pence
Check it out, he’s an old outfielder who had a renaissance year. Was hurt last year and hasn’t been healthy since 2017 so there are issues there compounded by age. For a 36 year this just feels too little too late for me to buy in and again with so many good outfields till out there, there is almost no benefit to pursing Pence above the vet minimum.