Who is the best free agent at each position?
This year¡¯s free-agent market offers options at every position, though some are obviously deeper than others.
MLB offseason signings and trades
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? Top 25 free agents | Every free agent, by position
? Tracking every team's offseason moves
? FA guides: Burnes | Alonso | Bregman | Santander
? Offseason dates, rules & terms explained
While we have already explored the overall free-agent rankings and tiers this offseason, here¡¯s a look at the top player at each position -- an All-Free-Agent Team, of sorts -- plus some other alternatives for every position.
C: Kyle Higashioka
The catching market is relatively thin this winter, with a number of players better suited for part-time play making up most of the group. Higashioka had the best year of his career in 2024, hitting 17 home runs with 45 RBIs in 84 games.
Best of the rest: Danny Jansen, Gary S¨¢nchez, Carson Kelly, Yasmani Grandal, Elias D¨ªaz, James McCann
1B: Pete Alonso
Christian Walker might be the best all-around player at the position thanks to his defense -- he¡¯s won three straight Gold Gloves -- but Alonso is four years younger and offers more power potential. For a club seeking an immediate influx of power into its lineup -- or a long-term solution at first -- Alonso gets the nod here.
Best of the rest: Walker, Carlos Santana, Paul Goldschmidt, Justin Turner, Donovan Solano, Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, Ty France, Josh Bell
2B: Gleyber Torres
Like catcher, the second base market isn¡¯t loaded this offseason. Torres didn¡¯t have a great year -- he slashed .257/.330/.378 with 15 home runs in 154 games -- but he¡¯s entering his age-28 season and has two All-Star appearances on his resum¨¦. A change of scenery may help Torres find the form from earlier in his career.
Best of the rest: Hye-Seong Kim, Nicky Lopez, Whit Merrifield, Jorge Polanco, Brandon Drury, Adam Frazier
SS: Willy Adames
There's no debate at shortstop, where Adames is the clear-cut No. 1 free agent at the position. The 29-year-old slashed .251/.331/.462 with 32 homers, 112 RBIs and 21 stolen bases last season, and while his Outs Above Average dipped to only one, he had a 26 OAA mark in 2022-23.
Best of the rest: Ha-Seong Kim, Jose Iglesias, Paul DeJong, Amed Rosario, Nick Ahmed, Brandon Crawford
3B: Alex Bregman
If you¡¯re looking for a stud at third base, this is a one-man class led by Bregman, who overcame a rocky start to 2024 to post excellent numbers -- 25 home runs, 62 RBIs and an .845 OPS -- over his final 108 games. Bregman¡¯s 39.6 career bWAR ranks 27th among active players and is fourth among players 30 or younger.
Best of the rest: J.D. Davis, Yo¨¢n Moncada, Gio Urshela, Brian Anderson, Jace Peterson, Luis Ur¨ªas
LF: Jurickson Profar
The top prospect in the game in 2013, Profar struggled to find consistency throughout the first decade of his career. That all changed in 2024, when he helped pace the Padres offense with a .280/.380/.459 slash line, 24 home runs and 85 RBIs, posting a career-best 4.3 fWAR. He made his first All-Star team after signing a one-year, $1 million deal last winter, but his big season should line him up for a far bigger contract.
Best of the rest: Tyler O¡¯Neill, Mark Canha, Michael Conforto, Alex Verdugo, Tommy Pham, Travis Jankowski, Jesse Winker, Adam Duvall, David Peralta
CF: Harrison Bader
Bader isn¡¯t going to wow anybody with his bat, having posted an 80 OPS+ over the past three seasons. But his glove in center more than makes up for that -- the 30-year-old remains one of the best defenders at the position, posting a double-digit Outs Above Average for the fifth time in his past six 162-game seasons.
Best of the rest: Michael A. Taylor, Garrett Hampson, Aaron Hicks, Manuel Margot, Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez
RF: Juan Soto
Right field may boast more notable players than any other position this offseason, and while Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez might have topped the list in some years, Soto is the No. 1 overall free agent available this winter. A generational talent, the 26-year-old Soto should land a contract to match in the coming weeks.
Best of the rest: Santander, Hern¨¢ndez, Max Kepler, Jason Heyward, Randal Grichuk
DH: Joc Pederson
Among a group of veteran names, Pederson stands out following a superb season that saw him hit 22 home runs with a .923 OPS in 407 plate appearances against right-handed pitching. Pederson fits best as half of a DH platoon, though he managed a .749 OPS in 42 plate appearances against lefties in 2024.
Best of the rest: J.D. Martinez, Andrew McCutchen, Daniel Vogelbach, Eloy Jim¨¦nez, Matt Carpenter
RH starting pitcher: Corbin Burnes
We¡¯re not including Roki Sasaki because of his international amateur status, though his value is greater because of his age (23) and contractual limitations. Among the big league free agents, Burnes tops the list of starting pitchers thanks to his lengthy track record of excellence: He¡¯s 52-31 with a 2.88 ERA and 816 2/3 innings pitched since the start of 2020, trailing only Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in the latter during that time.
Best of the rest: Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Flaherty, Luis Severino, Nick Pivetta, Shane Bieber, Walker Buehler, Kyle Gibson, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Charlie Morton
LH starting pitcher: Blake Snell
Snell occupied this space a year ago after winning his second Cy Young Award, and while his 2024 started out poorly following his late signing with the Giants, the lefty dominated during the second half. With no Draft-pick compensation attached and the need for frontline starters around the league, he should be able to find the long-term deal that evaded him last winter.
Best of the rest: Max Fried, Yusei Kikuchi, Sean Manaea, Clayton Kershaw, Matthew Boyd, Andrew Heaney, Jose Quintana
RH relief pitcher: Jeff Hoffman
Two straight excellent seasons (2.28 ERA, 184 ERA+) have Hoffman -- a first-time All-Star in 2024 -- among the top relievers available this winter. Hoffman ranked in the top 5 percent of the league in chase percentage, whiff percentage and strikeout percentage, numbers that should have him high on the radar of clubs seeking late-inning help.
Best of the rest: Clay Holmes, Carlos Est¨¦vez, David Robertson, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Shawn Armstrong, Blake Treinen, Dylan Floro, Kirby Yates, Jos¨¦ Leclerc, Jakob Junis, Yimi Garc¨ªa
LH relief pitcher: Tanner Scott
Scott has been one of the best relievers in the game since the start of 2023, posting a 7.6 rWAR over 146 appearances. He had a 1.75 ERA with the Marlins and Padres last season, thriving in both closing and setup roles, and was a master of inducing soft contact, ranking in the 99th percentile or better in both hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity.
Best of the rest: Aroldis Chapman, Danny Coulombe, Jalen Beeks, A.J. Minter, Will Smith, Andrew Chafin, Caleb Ferguson, Tim Hill