There are just 11 days left in the 2025 MLB regular season. And because postseason baseball is about to dominate our brains, hearts and health over the next month, now is a lovely time to review the upcoming free-agent class one final time.
Some of these characters will rise or fall based on October performance, but at this point, this list is pretty comprehensive. The sample of data is nearly complete.
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Notes: Whenever you see a number, a slash and another number, that’s a reference to contract years and total earnings. For instance, the shorthand for Bryce Harper’s 11-year, $330 million deal would be “11/330.” Ages listed below are for the 2026 season.
Previous free-agent rankings: April | May | June | August
1. Kyle Tucker, Cubs OF, age 29 (previous rank: 1)
It has been a tumultuous month for Tucker. After a horrendous summer, he caught fire in mid-August, with four homers and a 1.040 OPS from the 16th onward. Then, on Sept. 2, he went down with a calf issue and hasn’t played since. Whether Tucker returns in time for October and in what capacity has become one of the most important storylines for Chicago down the stretch. His availability shouldn’t have too large of an impact on his free agency; the lefty slugger is still in line for a historic deal. Still, Tucker’s relatively underwhelming campaign hasn’t moved his stock in either direction. A dominant 2025 might have pushed him above the $500 million mark, but that’s unlikely to happen now.
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2. Alex Bregman (opt-out), Red Sox 3B, age 32 (2)
Besides a two-month stint on the injured list due to a quad problem, Bregman’s first year in Boston has gone wonderfully, as he has delivered his most productive offensive season in three years while playing stellar defense at the hot corner. The veteran third baseman has also been indispensable in the clubhouse, helping to shepherd a young Red Sox team through a topsy-turvy season. Bregman has two more years on his deal at $40 million a piece, but he’ll likely opt out and retest the market. A bevy of lower-body issues have stunted his speed and overall athleticism, but there’s conviction around the game that Bregman will always make the most of his abilities. He’d make any team better.
3. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies DH, age 33 (3)
By the time you’re reading this, another Schwar-bomb will probably have landed. As of Thursday, the Phillies’ designated hitter has 53 big flies to his name, a tally that only 23 other MLB hitters have ever reached in a single season. Along the way, Schwarber has endeared himself to Philadelphia and entrenched himself as a leader in the clubhouse. The consensus around baseball still points toward a reunion with the Phillies. But don’t forget about the Chicago Cubs, by whom Schwarber was drafted and with whom he won the 2016 World Series. If Tucker leaves town, the Cubs will need to make a splash this winter. Bringing Schwarber home would keep fan frustration at a minimum and add a huge boost of power to an offense that has tailed off in the second half.
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4. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays SS, age 28 (7)
Bichette is nursing a sprained knee and hasn’t played since Sept. 6. Yet he’s still leading baseball in hits for a resurgent Toronto team. It has been a reassuring season at the plate for Bichette, whose offensive production completely cratered in 2024. His glove is borderline unplayable at shortstop, which will limit his market somewhat and eventually convince a team to push him to second or third. But this remains a special bat, one that would slot into the middle of any order. Willy Adames’ recent seven-year, $182 million contract feels like a reasonable target.
5. Pete Alonso (opt-out), Mets 1B, age 31 (4)
Alonso might have saved his team’s season from complete disaster last weekend, with a walk-off, three-run smash that snapped a brutal, eight-game skid for the Mets and kept New York ahead in the NL wild-card race. The franchise’s new all-time home run king has made meaningful changes to his already imposing offensive profile this season, but whether that step forward is enough to create a market that didn’t exist last season remains to be seen. Alonso is still a right-handed first baseman on the wrong side of 30. Some teams will be out just because of that. But it feels like he needs to be a Met forever, right?
6. Munetaka Murakami, Yakult Swallows 3B, age 26 (10)
Murakami missed almost the first four months of the NPB season due to an upper-body injury. And yet, remarkably, he ranks third in NPB with 19 home runs, despite having appeared in only 44 games. This outburst is exactly what scouts wanted to see from Murakami, who has outstanding raw juice but wasn’t showcasing it as much over the past two seasons. He comes with a plethora of questions — how will he adjust to big league pitching? Will he make enough contact to let the power play? Is the glove good enough to stick at third base? — but there aren’t many players this young with this much pop and a track record of success in the world’s second-best league. Murakami is about to be a big, big deal.
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7. Framber Valdez, Astros SP, age 32 (5)
Valdez made news a few weeks back when he crossed up his catcher and showed absolutely zero remorse for doing so. The incident made waves across the game, and potential suitors will certainly inquire about it. Even more concerning is his recent performance. Long one of the more reliable starters in the sport, Valdez is scuffling through the worst eight-start stretch of his career (6.41 ERA since Aug. 3). That’s bad news for an Astros club clinging to a playoff spot, and it’s bad news for Valdez’s checkbook. He has been good enough for long enough that somebody will overlook this rough patch and pay the man, but Framber’s stock is a downward-pointing, red arrow.
8. Cody Bellinger (opt-out), Yankees OF, age 30 (8)
Entering this season, Bellinger’s first in the Bronx, it seemed unlikely that the bleary-eyed lefty would opt out of the final year of the three-year, $80 million contract he signed with Chicago entering 2024. Now, after a sensational 2025, that has become a near-lock. By wins above replacement, Bellinger has been the Yankee’s second-most valuable player behind Aaron Judge. Offensively, he’s closer to very good than elite, but Gold Glove defense at all three outfield spots pumps up his profile.
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9. Dylan Cease, Padres SP, age 30 (6)
The gap between Cease’s expected and actual stats has reached SpongeBob’s-front-teeth levels of wide. Among qualified starting pitchers, only Tampa Bay’s Shane Baz has a larger difference between expected and actual ERA based upon batted-ball data. Thankfully, Cease’s stuff hasn’t backed up at all; he’s still racking up whiffs and punching out hitters at an elite rate. Sure, you’d like to see him post at a Cy Young level before you pay him Cy Young money, but the peripherals are strong enough to convince a rich, analytically inclined team to go for it.
10. Trent Grisham, Yankees OF, age 29 (9)
Hidden beneath Grisham’s inspiring offensive breakout are a few signs of defensive decline. Obviously, you’d take the dude with 31 taters and a .347 OBP over a strong-gloved strikeout machine. I’m not saying Grisham hasn’t supercharged his free-agent stock, but the defensive metrics are somewhat concerning. Grisham was never a burner, even when he ranked superbly in the grass, but his sprint speed has fallen down to the 30th percentile league-wide, making him the league’s slowest every-day center fielder. I think that will scare a few teams away and keep Grisham’s number under $100 million.
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11. Ranger Suárez, Phillies SP, age 30 (16)
Suárez is a true throwback, a crafty lefty who relies on deception, guile and movement over raw fuzz. The southpaw’s heater ranks in the seventh percentile league-wide, yet he has the 12th-lowest ERA among starters with at least 140 innings. That’s because he conjures a ton of soft contact and rarely walks batters. On top of that, the Venezuelan has an abnormally calm demeanor that has helped him build quite the impressive postseason résumé. The stuff isn’t eye-popping — and it never will be — but Súarez is an out-getter.
Bo Bichette, Lucas Giolito and Edwin Diaz are among the biggest risers in this latest version of our free-agent rankings. (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports)
12. Zac Gallen, D-backs SP, age 30 (24)
There he is! The real Zac Gallen finally stood up. The bespectacled righty was so underwhelming in the first half that the Diamondbacks opted to hang on to him at the trade deadline, believing that a recouped compensation pick would be more valuable than the prospects available. But since the deadline, no free-agent starting pitcher has made more money. Gallen still isn’t striking guys out — his 21.4% K rate is a career low — but the results have been light-years better. Because he isn’t overpowering, Gallen needs to rely on pinpoint command, and for whatever reason, that has come back with aplomb. I’m fascinated to see how teams value him.
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13. Shane Bieber (opt-out), Blue Jays SP, age 32 (19)
The Biebs has made five starts for the Blue Jays after a deadline deal sent him from Cleveland’s IL to Toronto. Four of those outings have been strong, with the only stinker happening in Cincinnati, a brutal place to pitch. Bieber will probably start Game 2 of the ALDS for Toronto, giving him an opportunity to showcase his return on a big stage. It’ll be interesting to see how his market develops. There’s a chance teams are skittish to commit big years to a player who made only 10 starts this season coming off a long-term injury, especially because the fastball velocity isn’t all the way back yet. Still, it has been a good stretch for Bieber.
14. Edwin Díaz (opt-out), Mets RP, age 31 (NR)
There was so much money left on Díaz’s current contract — $18.5 million for the next two seasons, a huge number for a reliever — that I believed he wouldn’t opt out after this season. But from chatting with people around the game, it seems to have become a near certainty that Díaz will. The Mets will surely work hard to keep their closer in Queens, but they might need to craft a new contract to get it done. I’d be shocked if Díaz is pitching elsewhere next season, but he’s ranked this highly as the market’s most effective reliever.
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15. Lucas Giolito (vesting team option), Red Sox SP, age 31 (18)
16. Brandon Woodruff (2026 mutual option), Brewers SP, age 33 (17)
Giolito’s contract has a vesting opt-out that activated when he reached 140 innings, which happened with his start Wednesday. That, in and of itself for a pitcher who missed all of last year due to Tommy John surgery, is a notable accomplishment. The peripheral numbers are less bullish on Giolito, but he has the third-lowest starter ERA in MLB since June 9, behind only Trevor Rogers (!!) and Paul Skenes. At this point in his career, Giolito is a solid mid-rotation starter who rarely misses time (besides the elbow surgery) and will get paid as such.
Woodruff, who also missed all of 2024, has shined since returning from the IL. His numbers are similarly strong, even though his fastball velocity is down about two ticks from pre-injury levels. That, plus his advanced age relative to Giolito and the other top arms on the market, has him a smidge lower on this list. But the under-the-hood numbers absolutely adore Woodruff, despite the drop in heat, which should make him a hot commodity this winter even with the concerning injury history (shoulders are much scarier than elbows).
17. Josh Naylor, Mariners 1B, age 29 (13)
According to Baseball Reference’s Stathead search, Naylor has broken the all-time single-season record for stolen bases by a player shorter than 6 feet and heavier than 225 pounds. Arbitrary? Yes, but the point is pure: No player shaped like this has ever swiped so many bags. No one knows how sustainable this bit is, but it’s certainly impactful. And the more important thing about Naylor is that he’s having basically the same offensive season he has had each of the past four years.
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18. Gleyber Torres, Tigers 2B, age 29 (11)
Torres has tailed off since he led off for the American League in the All-Star Game, but the core of his profile remains unchanged: Gleyber doesn’t chase. Only two qualified hitters, Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, have lower swing rates on pitches outside the zone. That’s a strong base for any player and helps Torres overcome his brutal defensive numbers at the keystone. Given his age and track record of hitting, a club will absolutely offer him a multi-year deal.
19. Tatsuya Imai, Seibu Lions (NPB), age 28 (NR)
Murakami’s impending stateside jump has been expected for a while, but Imai’s dominant 2025 might motivate an MLB move as well. Listed at a slight 5-foot-11, 154 pounds, Imai has absolutely blown NPB hitters away this year, punching out 162 in 145 2/3 innings with a microscopic 1.67 ERA. Granted, Japanese baseball is experiencing something of a deadball era, but Imai’s talent is good enough for him to have success in The Show. He leans heavily on his fastball (94-95 mph) and slider (85-86ish) but has a changeup, a splitter, a sinker and a curveball as well. He’s not a free agent until next year, which means his team doesn’t have to make him available to teams this winter. But given his relatively sudden breakout, there’s a growing sense that the Lions, who would get a percentage cut of Imai’s MLB contract, want to capitalize on the opportunity to cash in.
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20. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies C, age 35 (20)
Once the best catcher in baseball, the Oklahoman icon has had a relatively admirable aging curve. Realmuto has been a league-average hitter this season, which, alongside his strong catch-and-throw skills and veteran experience, makes him a very helpful player. He can’t lead an offense anymore, and the framing numbers have declined, but in a light class of catchers, Realmuto will find a market for a multi-year pact, probably to remain in Philly.
21. Eugenio Suárez, Mariners 3B, age 34 (14)
22. Luis Arraez, Padres 1B, age 29 (12)
23. Jorge Polanco, Mariners IF, age 32 (NR)
Geno was considered the most impactful bat available at the deadline, and while there’s still ample time for him to make a mark in Seattle, the veteran third baseman has been horrendous as a Mariner. He has cranked nine homers but managed just 15 other hits, leading to a rough .165/.240/.373 line in navy and teal. This is who Suárez has always been — a streaky slugger with strikeout problems — but he’s hitting the schneid at an unfortunate time.
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Arraez’s contact-heavy schtick has real value when he’s hitting .315, less so when he’s hitting .287, as he is this year. He remains a phenomenally entertaining character, genuinely unique and a wonderful change of pace from the league’s modern, slug-happy style. It’s just that his blend of low juice and poor defense won’t earn him the type of contract old heads might expect.
We have enough of a sample on Polanco now to feel certain that he has become a meaningfully different hitter. He’s striking out significantly less and squaring up the ball significantly more. Coming off various injuries, Polanco was mostly DHing at the beginning of the season, but he has seen more time at second base recently. He’s not very good over there, but having any level of defensive value should help his free-agent case. Polanco is also, far and away, the top switch-hitter on the market, if you care about such things.
24. Michael King (2026 mutual option), Padres SP, age 31 (15)
I’m officially worried about King. He was brilliant in April but then missed nearly three months due to a nerve issue. He came back in August but lasted just two innings before hitting the shelf because of a knee injury. King returned again on Sept. 9, with a decent outing against the Reds, but delivered a stinker this week against the Mets. San Diego is light on starting pitching, which means King should get a playoff start barring another injury. But he still needs to prove that he’s healthy for a team to go all-in. I wouldn’t be shocked by a short-term, high-value deal with opt-outs.
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25. Jack Flaherty (opt-out), Tigers SP, age 29 (23)
Flaherty probably still opts out, right? He’s relatively young, which should help him, but he flat-out hasn’t been very good this season. Every smart team will think they can fix him, but it’s not like the Tigers are a bunch of dunderheads when it comes to pitching development. Flaherty remains a supremely frustrating character, one who flashes brilliance but lacks consistency.
The next 25
26. Harrison Bader, Phillies OF, age 32
27. Ryan O’Hearn, Padres 1B/DH, age 32
28. Max Kepler, Phillies OF, age 33
29. Devin Williams, Yankees RP, age 31
30. Robert Suárez, Padres RP, age 35
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31. Luke Weaver, Yankees RP, age 32
32. Merrill Kelly, Rangers SP, age 37
33. Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays SP, age 37
34. Zack Littell, Reds SP, age 30
35. Cedric Mullins, Mets CF, age 31
36. Willi Castro, Cubs UTIL, age 29
37. Mike Yastrzemski, Royals OF, age 35
38. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers SP, age 38
39. Jose Quintana, Brewers SP, age 37
40. Max Scherzer, Blue Jays SP, age 41
41. Justin Verlander, Giants SP, age 42
42. Germán Marquez, Rockies SP, age 31
43. Tyler Mahle, Rangers SP, age 31
44. Zach Eflin, Orioles SP, age 31
45. Griffin Canning, Mets SP, age 30
46. Rhys Hoskins, Brewers 1B, age 33
47. Ryan Helsley, Mets RP, age 30
48. Marcell Ozuna, Braves DH, age 35
49. Paul Goldschmidt, Yankees 1B, age 38
50. Walker Buehler, Phillies SP, age 31
