A sneak peek at the next free-agent class

Is Spring Training too early to look ahead to the upcoming free-agent class? Perhaps.

But with so much talent poised to hit the open market at the end of 2025, it¡¯s worth a sneak peek, especially as we consider the sizable impact these stars could have on the upcoming season.

With this in mind, here is an early preview of the 2025-26 free-agent landscape.

(^ denotes players with a 2026 mutual option)

Gems of the class: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., RF Kyle Tucker

While the past three offseasons have each had an undisputed No. 1 free-agent option -- Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, respectively -- the choice between Guerrero and Tucker could be a legitimate debate.

Guerrero, who could be nearing the end of his Blue Jays tenure after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension prior to his deadline on Feb. 17, is more than two years younger than Tucker and arguably has the higher ceiling, too. Over the past four years, the only players to tally at least 600 plate appearances and record a wRC+ of 160 or higher in multiple seasons were Judge, Soto and Guerrero. The first baseman also has a 48-homer campaign on his r¨¦sum¨¦.

That said, Tucker provides more value as a baserunner and defender, and his collective 145 wRC+ since 2021 is actually the same as Guerrero¡¯s. The outfielder had a 180 wRC+ last year, though a fracture in his right shin limited him to 339 plate appearances. Prior to suffering the injury, he was also on pace for 51 homers -- which would have shattered his career high of 30 -- in addition to 27 stolen bases. If Tucker can replicate that performance over a full season, it would further elevate his profile entering free agency.

In any case, both players are poised to cash in after Soto set a new benchmark for free agents when he signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets in December.

Elite starting pitchers: RHP Dylan Cease, RHP Zac Gallen, LHP Framber Valdez

Although this free-agent class lacks a pitcher with the track record of Corbin Burnes, who headlined this offseason¡¯s crop of available arms, Cease, Gallen and Valdez all have shown the ability to lead a rotation.

Cease, the youngest of the three by five months over Gallen (both are 29), has flashed the highest ceiling, reaching the 200-strikeout threshold in each of the past four years and posting a 2.20 ERA in 2022, when he finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting. He also had the best 2024 campaign of the pitchers in this group, recording a 3.47 ERA with 224 K¡¯s over 189 1/3 innings for the Padres.

Gallen missed nearly a month with a right hamstring strain last year and finished with a 3.65 ERA and 156 strikeouts over 148 innings. In 2023, though, he placed third in the National League Cy Young Award race with a 3.47 ERA and 220 K¡¯s over 210 frames for the D-backs.

Valdez, who turned 31 in November, also spent time on the injured list in 2024, missing most of April due to left elbow inflammation. However, he ended up posting a superb 2.91 ERA with 169 K¡¯s over 176 1/3 innings, continuing his run as Houston¡¯s ace. Valdez has notched the fifth-lowest ERA (3.08) among those with at least 500 innings since the beginning of 2021, and he has earned Cy Young votes in each of the past three years, placing as high as fifth in 2022.

Other prominent starters: RHP Michael King^, RHP Brandon Woodruff^, RHP Zach Eflin, LHP Ranger Suárez

Beyond Cease, Gallen and Valdez, this class will feature a number of other starting pitchers who could garner significant interest in free agency, depending on how things go this year.

King could join the ranks of the elite with another strong season, having recorded a 2.95 ERA with 201 strikeouts over 173 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2024 -- his first full year as a starter.

This is also an important season for Woodruff, who is set to return after missing all of 2024 while recovering from right shoulder surgery. Due to injuries, Woodruff has made more than 27 starts in a season only once in his career (2021). When healthy, though, the 32-year-old has shown frontline starter ability. Among pitchers with at least 500 innings from 2019-23, Woodruff ranked third in ERA (2.93) and fourth in FIP (3.10) while posting the third-largest difference (23.7 percentage points) between his strikeout and walk rates.

Eflin has elevated his performance since he signed a three-year, $40 million deal with Tampa Bay in his first try at free agency following the 2022 campaign. Over the first two years of that contract, Eflin has posted a 3.54 ERA and a 3.37 FIP with 320 strikeouts and 48 walks (6.67 K/BB) in 343 innings for the Rays and Orioles, who acquired him in a trade last July.

Su¨¢rez, meanwhile, has settled in as a solid mid-rotation starter for the Phillies over the past three years. While the left-hander¡¯s performance in his first 15 starts last season -- a 1.75 ERA and a 2.70 FIP -- hinted at the potential for more, he wasn¡¯t able to sustain that success over the course of the year.

Premier closers: RHP Devin Williams, RHP Ryan Helsley, RHP Raisel Iglesias, RHP Ryan Pressly

This is shaping up to be one of the most loaded free-agent reliever classes in recent memory, with the potential to get even deeper depending on the outcomes of a number of opt-out decisions (see below).

Williams is coming off an injury-shortened season and will need to adjust to a new environment following an offseason trade from the Brewers to the Yankees. But assuming he doesn¡¯t experience a significant dropoff in 2025, the 30-year-old could land one of the richest reliever contracts in baseball history, given his sheer dominance dating back to his 2020 NL Rookie of the Year Award-winning season.

Helsley doesn¡¯t have as long of a track record as Williams, but his performance over the past three seasons has rivaled that of his former NL Central counterpart. The Cardinals closer won the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award after posting a 2.04 ERA with 49 saves and 79 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings last season.

Iglesias is still going strong at the age of 35. In fact, he had the lowest ERA (1.95) and WHIP (0.74) of his career last season and tied a personal best with 34 saves. Since 2017, only Kenley Jansen has recorded more saves than Iglesias (217), who is entering the final season of a four-year, $58 million deal.

Pressly didn¡¯t close in 2024 after the Astros signed Josh Hader as a free agent, but he¡¯s set to return to that role following a trade to the Cubs. The 36-year-old ranked fourth in MLB with 102 saves across 2020-23 and was an exceptional postseason performer for Houston during those years, pitching to a 0.79 ERA with 14 saves in 31 appearances.

Notable veteran bats: DH Kyle Schwarber, DH Marcell Ozuna, 3B Eugenio Suárez, INF Luis Arraez, C J.T. Realmuto, CF Cedric Mullins

With Schwarber, Ozuna and Su¨¢rez joining Guerrero and Tucker on the free-agent market, teams looking to add some power to their lineups will have plenty of options from which to choose.

Schwarber had the third-most homers (131) and walks (318) of any player across 2022-24, the first three seasons of his four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies.

Ozuna, meanwhile, has produced 79 homers, 204 RBIs and a 147 wRC+ over the past two years -- a complete 180 from his performance in the first two seasons (85 wRC+) of a four-year, $65 million deal with the Braves. Exercising his $16 million club option for 2025 was an easy call for Atlanta.

Likewise, Su¨¢rez¡¯s $15 million club option for 2025 surely didn¡¯t require much debate for the D-backs. The third baseman made an unbelievable turnaround last season, going from being one of MLB¡¯s worst hitters through June 30 (66 wRC+) to one of the best after the calendar flipped to July (162 wRC+). He ended up reaching the 30-homer plateau for the fifth time in the past seven years.

It will be interesting to see how Arraez is valued in free agency. The infielder lacks pop and rates poorly as a defender and baserunner, but he has won three straight batting titles and owns a lifetime .323 average.

Realmuto¡¯s value could also be the subject of much debate next offseason. The veteran, who signed a five-year, $115.5 million deal with the Phillies the last time he reached free agency, was long regarded as one of baseball¡¯s best defensive backstops, but that aspect of his game has slipped in recent years. His offensive production has dropped off, too. Still, with so many clubs in need of a catching upgrade, Realmuto could have his share of suitors when he hits the open market once again.

In a similar vein, MLB¡¯s dearth of average or better hitters with the defensive chops to handle center field on a full-time basis should bolster Mullins¡¯ free-agent stock. While the 30-year-old has never come close to matching his breakout 2021 season (30 HR, 136 wRC+), he has averaged 16 homers, 28 steals and +6 Outs Above Average with a 104 wRC+ over the past three years. A lot of teams could use that type of production in center.

In need of a rebound: SS Bo Bichette, 2B Gleyber Torres, RHP Walker Buehler^, LHP Jordan Montgomery

All of these players had disappointing 2024 campaigns, putting greater weight on what they do in the upcoming season.

Bichette has the most at stake here, considering he once seemed like he was on a path toward a contract in line with the deals signed by fellow star shortstops Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million), Trea Turner (11 years, $300 million) and Xander Bogaerts (11 years, $280 million). That is, before he recorded a 71 wRC+ and 0.3 WAR (per FanGraphs) over 81 games during an injury-plagued 2024 season at the age of 26.

Although his decline wasn't nearly as extreme as Bichette¡¯s, Torres also experienced regression in 2024 (15 HR, 104 wRC+), his age-27 season. Formerly one of baseball¡¯s top prospects, Torres never lived up to expectations during his time with the Yankees after an excellent start to his career, but he did have 49 homers and a 118 wRC+ across 2022-23. Perhaps a change of scenery will do him well after he signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Tigers.

Like Torres, Buehler signed a one-year deal in free agency -- landing with the Red Sox for $21.05 million -- and will be looking to rebuild his value with a new team after a lackluster walk year that saw him post a 5.38 ERA over 16 starts for the Dodgers. Granted, Buehler¡¯s struggles are understandable, considering he missed part of 2022 and all of 2023 while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old did show flashes of his former self in the playoffs, tossing 10 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts and a 43.7% whiff rate over his final three postseason outings.

Montgomery reached free agency in 2023 on the heels of a brilliant postseason that was instrumental to the Rangers' World Series title. At that point, he was coming off a two-year run in which he posted a 3.34 ERA over 64 starts during the regular season. However, he didn¡¯t end up signing until late March and never got on track last year, recording a 6.23 ERA in 25 games (21 starts) for the D-backs. The left-hander exercised his $22.5 million player option to return to Arizona for 2025, with his sights set on improving his stock before testing free agency once again. That question is, how many starting chances will he get this season after the D-backs added Burnes to their rotation?

Potential opt-outs: 3B Alex Bregman, 1B Pete Alonso, 1B/OF Cody Bellinger, DH Joc Pederson, OF Tyler O'Neill, INF Ha-Seong Kim, RHP Jack Flaherty, RHP Seth Lugo, RHP Shane Bieber, RHP Edwin Díaz, RHP Robert Suarez

The list of players with opt-outs or 2026 player options is packed with stars, from position players (Bregman, Alonso, Bellinger, Pederson, O¡¯Neill, Kim) to starting pitchers (Flaherty, Lugo, Bieber) to closers (D¨ªaz, Suarez), potentially making the upcoming free-agent crop even more robust.

A number of these players could hit free agency for the second straight offseason if they choose to opt out. That most prominently includes Bregman and Alonso, who endured protracted free-agent experiences before settling for shorter deals than they might have preferred: Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox and Alonso returned to the Mets on a two-year, $54 million pact.

Flaherty, who was a free agent at the end of both 2023 and 2024, had a similar experience despite improving his value with a strong bounceback year for the Tigers and Dodgers last year. He ended up back in Detroit on a two-year, $35 million deal that will pay him a $20 million salary in 2025 along with a $5 million signing bonus. He has a $10 million player option for 2026 that would increase to $20 million if he makes at least 15 starts this season.

Like Alonso and Flaherty, Bellinger, Pederson, Kim, Bieber and Lugo all have one year left on their contracts after 2025, which could make their opt-out decisions fairly simple, assuming good health and production. It could be a tougher call for Bregman, O¡¯Neill, D¨ªaz and Suarez, all of whom are signed for multiple years beyond 2025.

Most interesting club options: Luis Robert Jr., Shota Imanaga

Most club options involving star players will be no-brainers at the end of the 2025 season. Braves starter Chris Sale ($18 million), Royals catcher Salvador Perez ($13.5 million), Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy ($10 million), Brewers starter Freddy Peralta ($8 million), Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies and Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz ($6 million) are among those with 2026 club options that seem likely to be exercised.

Robert¡¯s situation is less certain -- in part because we don¡¯t know where he¡¯s going to be at the end of 2025. The rebuilding White Sox have been shopping him since last summer but have yet to make a move.

The 27-year-old center fielder has a $20 million option for both 2026 and 2027, a team-friendly salary if he plays like he did in 2023, producing 38 homers, 20 steals and a 128 wRC+ over 145 games. However, if his 2024 struggles (84 wRC+) persist and injuries remain an issue, his future becomes far murkier. Of course, a team that acquires him via trade could view the option as a worthwhile gamble on his upside. But if his performance continues to lag, the decision may not be so straightforward.

Imanaga faces similar uncertainty with his contract, but for a different reason. Although the left-hander had a stellar rookie season after making the jump from his native Japan to MLB, the Cubs have to decide next offseason whether to guarantee Imanaga $57 million across 2026-28, covering his age 32-34 seasons. If he takes a step back in 2025, Chicago might be more hesitant to make that commitment. Should the Cubs decide to decline the option, Imanaga would receive a pair of player options -- worth $15 million apiece -- for 2026 and 2027.