WELL, WE’RE WAITING!
Several top free agents still around with spring nearing
MLB pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks — but some still don’t know where they’re headed.
Big names remain unsigned in what’s been a slow-developing free-agent market, offering teams opportunities to make last-minute additions as they gear up for spring training.
A reigning Cy Young Award winner, a former MVP and a recent World Series hero headline the list of available options — just as they did a month ago — though lower-profile players can help fill out rosters, too.
Here are the top remaining MLB free agents at the beginning of February:
BLAKE SNELL
The left-hander seems determined to cash in after his excellence this season with the Padres yielded his second Cy Young Award, though Snell’s market hasn’t materialized how he hoped.
Snell, 31, turned down his only formal offer — a six-year, $150 million pitch from the Yankees — after it didn’t come close to his nine-year, $270 million asking price, USA Today reported last week.
Few pitchers boast a repertoire comparable to Snell’s nasty four-pitch mix, highlighted by his put-away curveball. His strikeout numbers were excellent in 2023, as was his MLB-best 2.25 ERA.
But there are obvious concerns. Snell is largely a five-inning pitcher who led the majors with 99 walks. His ground-ball rate of 43.7% is unspectacular for someone who walks so many batters, and those extra baserunners would become even more worrisome if Snell’s swing-and-miss stuff began to slip over a long-term deal. In the four years between his Cy Young wins, Snell failed to reach 130 innings in a season once.
That said, he’s clearly the best starting pitcher available and could transform a contender’s rotation in time for Opening Day.
CODY BELLINGER
The market is apparently even bleaker for Bellinger, whom USA Today reported hasn’t received a single formal offer.
Bellinger, a lefty-hitting center fielder and first baseman, turned in a resurgent 2023 season in which he batted .307 with 26 home runs and 97 RBI for the Cubs. Teams may be wary of giving him big money, though, after his brutal 2021 and 2022 campaigns caused the Dodgers to non-tender him.
Still only 28, Bellinger won NL MVP in 2019. A return to the Cubs makes sense, as does a deal with the offense-needy Giants. Bellinger’s reported asking price of more than $200 million may be proving too steep.
JORDAN MONTGOMERY
A reunion with the Rangers, with whom Montgomery just won the World Series, feels like the natural fit. Texas starters Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are recovering from surgeries, while Nathan Eovaldi has a lengthy injury history of his own.
But the left-handed Montgomery, 31, remains unsigned and, after pitching to a career-best 3.20 ERA last season, appears poised for a nine-figure deal.
It will be up to teams including the Rangers, Cardinals and Yankees to decide if Montgomery – who has a 38-34 record and 3.68 ERA over seven MLB seasons – is worth it.
MATT CHAPMAN
There’s plenty to like about the well-rounded Chapman, who just won his fourth Gold Glove at third base and has slugged at least 17 home runs in each of his five full, non-COVID-shortened seasons.
Chapman, 30, spent the past two years with Toronto, though the Blue Jays added Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who also won a Gold Glove at third base, and Justin Turner, a corner infielder likely to see significant time at designated hitter this year.
The Cubs and Giants are options for Chapman, according to MLB Network.
CLAYTON KERSHAW
The three-time Cy Young Award winner won’t be ready to start the year after offseason shoulder surgery, and the Dallas native is not expected to consider anything other than a return to the Dodgers or an offer from his hometown Rangers.
Kershaw, who turns 36 next month, pitched to a 2.46 ERA over 131.2 innings last season – right in line with his career 2.48 mark.
JD MARTINEZ
Another Dodgers free agent, the 36-yearold Martinez was an All-Star in 2023 and finished with 33 homers and 103 RBI.
A return to Los Angeles would be surprising, however, considering the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to DH.
No one has made a formal offer to Martinez, according to USA Today, but a return to Boston – where he played from 2018-22 – makes sense after Turner left for Toronto.
The Mets are also a fit, considering their void at DH, as do the Giants, who, again, are in the market for offense.
JORGE SOLER
The perpetually-underrated Soler — who led the AL with 48 homers in 2019 and won World Series MVP honors with the Braves two years later — is fresh off his first All-Star selection.
The righty slugger’s 36 homers helped the upstart Marlins make the playoffs, and at 31, he’s five years younger than Martinez.
The Mets and Red Sox make sense here, too.
TIM ANDERSON
After hitting at least .301 four years in a row from 2019-22 — and winning an AL battle title in 2019 — Anderson suffered a precipitous decline in his walk year.
He batted just .245 with one measly home run in 524 plate appearances for the White Sox in 2023, making the 30-year-old a buylow candidate.
The shortstop said an early season MCL injury affected his hitting.
BRANDON WOODRUFF
The right-hander might not be able to help a team in 2024 after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery with a wide range of recovery times, but his track record makes him an intriguing option for the future.
Woodruff boasts a 3.10 ERA, two All-Star selections and a top-five finish in NL Cy Young voting (2021) over his seven MLB seasons, all with the Brewers, who non-tendered him in November.
Look for someone to give Woodruff, 30, a two-year deal with eyes toward 2025. And if he ends up being able to contribute by the end of 2024? Even better.