Free agency teems with talent
List of available MLB players headlined by young stars Bryce Harper, Manny Machado
LOS ANGELES — When he signed a $93-million, three-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, Clayton Kershaw opted not to test a freeagent market headlined by a pair of younger generational talents in Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.
Not that Kershaw isn’t a generational talent himself. But he chose the safer deal, one that did not test the theory that he was in decline and therefore not worth as much on a yearly basis as younger free-agent pitchers.
That was good news for everyone else when the free-agent sweepstakes began Saturday. This is not the 2018 free-agent class MLB agents and team executives envisioned. It could still produce a pair of 26-year-old stars who sign long-term contracts worth more than $300 million and send teams scrambling for the best of the rest. Only seven players were extended $17.9million qualifying offers from their teams: Patrick Corbin, Yasmani Grandal, Harper, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel, A.J. Pollock and Hyun-Jin Ryu. They have until Nov. 12 to accept or reject the offer. Any team that signs a player who has rejected a qualifying offer is subject to the loss of one or more draft picks in 2019.
These are the top free agents of the 164 available this winter.
1. Bryce Harper, 26, OF
Still the darling of the bunch, Harper had a down year with the Washington Nationals. His production suffered as his strikeouts rose to 169. He batted only .249 with an .889 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. But he drove in 100 runs for the first time in his career, had 34 home runs and 34 doubles and played in a careerhigh 159 games.
2. Manny Machado, 26, SS
On-field antics won’t hurt Machado’s payday much. His 2018 campaign made sure of that. He matched his career high of 37 home runs, had 35 doubles, stole 14 bases and, like Harper, drove in 100 or more runs for the first time (107). In stints with the Baltimore Orioles and the Dodgers, he hit .297 with a .905 OPS.
3. Patrick Corbin, 29, SP
With Kershaw off the list, Corbin is the premier left-handed starter available this winter. He logged 200 innings over 33 starts and struck out 246 batters for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His 2.16 walks-per-nine-innings rate is the lowest posted by pitchers available on the free-agent market.
4. Dallas Keuchel, 31, SP
The former Cy Young Award winner gave up a major leaguehigh 211 hits and carried a 4.22 ERA through his first 102.1 innings with the Houston Astros. Keuchel regrouped in July, posting a 3.25 ERA in his last 17 starts and cut down on home runs allowed. He finished with a 3.74 ERA in 204.2 innings, an American League-best 34 starts and 153 strikeouts.
5. Craig Kimbrel, 30, RP
Kimbrel regressed in 2018, walking more than twice as many (31) than he did the previous season (14) and striking out fewer batters (96 in 62.1 innings). He struggled with the command of his high-90s fastball and had a 2.74 ERA that didn’t crack the top 30 for relievers. Despite blowing five of his 47 save opportunities for the Boston Red Sox, Kimbrel collected more than 40 saves for a fifth consecutive season.
6. Nathan Eovaldi, 29, SP
Eovaldi’s 3.81 ERA in 111 innings in his first season back from August 2016 elbow-ligament surgery may not have inspired much on the open market. But none of those numbers account for how dominant Eovaldi, who can throw a 100-m.p.h. fastball, was as both a starter and reliever for the Red Sox in the playoffs, when he had a 1.61 ERA and struck out 16.
7. J.A. Happ, 36, SP
A July trade from the Toronto Blue Jays to the New York Yankees was a welcome change for the left-handed Happ. He had a 2.69 ERA in his last 11 starts and ended the season with a 3.65 ERA in 177.2 innings. He collected 193 strikeouts, issued 51 walks and gave up 27 home runs over 31 starts.
8. Michael Brantley, 31, OF
When healthy, Brantley can hit near .300 with power. He showed that in 2018, when he batted a team-best .309 with 17 home runs, an .832 OPS and 76 RBIs for the Cleveland Indians. He struck out only 60 times in 631 plate appearances, drew 48 walks and had 36 doubles.
9. Josh Donaldson. 33, 3B
A shoulder injury limited Donaldson to only 52 games this season. But after a contested trade from the Blue Jays to the Indians and his eventual activation from the disabled list, he batted .280 with seven RBIs, three homers and three doubles in 16 games in September.