THE CLASS OF 2025
SOTO, ALONSO ON CENTER STAGE AS LEADING MEN FOR A STAR-STUDDED FREE AGENCY NEXT OFFSEASON
Major League Baseball’s 2023-24 free agency forever will be known for the Dodgers’ creative and lucrative $700 million deal with Shohei Ohtani.
Will next year’s simply be the Juan Soto class? How about the Roki Sasaki class? Or, as it projects now, could it be regarded as a deep group that leads to a change of power in the game?
In one year plenty can change, but the view one season away sees a deep group of bats, particularly infielders, and an array of starting pitchers who are lined up for potential nine-figure deals — with perhaps a different batch of teams that spent big this offseason.
The largest outlays devoted to free agents this offseason belonged to the Dodgers by more than three times the runner-up (the Giants).
The Phillies and a couple surprises in the Diamondbacks and Royals rounded out the odd top five in an offseason in which the Yankees’ heavy lifting was done through trade.
Teams that in recent years have been more active, such as the Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rangers and Padres, took a backseat and could leap up to the front next year. A stacked organization like the Orioles, in the process of being sold, could seek to be the next Astros and begin spending on top free agents to complement their cheap prospects. The most aggressive teams might be different, but the chief agent will be the same. Scott Boras, who took several unexpected defeats this offseason, will be back representing many of the game’s best players including Soto, Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Max Scherzer and the same handful whose prolonged free agencies led to underwhelming deals, many with opt-outs (Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and J.D. Martinez).
The Mets will be clear of Scherzer’s dead money — whether they still will be paying some of Justin Verlander’s 2025 salary will be decided this season — and will have money to maneuver. The Yankees, who could lose Soto, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Rizzo, Alex Verdugo and Clay Holmes, will have to be busy.
Extensions, injuries and underperformance can alter the outlook, but here are some of the free agents who compose what looks like a strong class:
POSITION PLAYERS
There isn’t a ton at catcher, where Danny Jansen and Travis d’Arnaud may lead the field.
But the first-base market will be loaded, which could affect both New York teams. Alonso, maybe the most dependable 40-homer threat in the game, will be a free agent. Rizzo can reach free agency if the Yankees decline a $17 million club option. The Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt, who already may be a Hall of Famer, will hit the market at 37. An underthe-radar option will be Christian Walker, the cleanup hitter of the pennant-winning Diamondbacks who blasted 33 home runs and posted an .830 OPS last season — when he won his second straight Gold Glove. Bellinger could hit the market again, as could Rhys Hoskins, who can opt out of a two-year pact with the Brewers.
Torres, who will turn 28 in December, will be a young free agent who likely will be the best of the second basemen. The former top prospect has not become the superstar he once looked destined to be, but he has settled into being a solid bat. The options behind Torres will largely depend upon whose options get picked up. Tampa Bay’s Brandon Lowe, a power hitter who struggles to stay healthy, could hit the market if the Rays turn down a $10.5 million option. The Phillies hold a club option on Whit Merrifield, and the Giants and Wilmer Flores have a mutual option for 2025.
At shortstop, the Brewers’ Willy Adames — a sure glove who is coming off of a down season but has a history of hitting — might lead the pack. Ha-Seong Kim, a flexible-fielding infielder who’s playing shortstop for the Padres this sea
son, broke out last season (.749 OPS) and has a mutual option after this season.
It is possible (likely?) the Yankees and Mets will be hunting for third basemen, a market that will begin with Alex Bregman. The longtime Astro — which means he would come with playoff experience and a cheating stain — has not been the same MVP candidate he was in 2018 and ’19, but he is turning 30 this month and carries an .812 OPS over the past two seasons. If not Bregman, Matt Chapman (player) and Eugenio Suarez (club) have options after this season, while Justin Turner, J.D. Davis and Gio Urshela all have local ties and all will be available.
It is possible (definite?) the Yankees and Mets will be hunting for Soto, who already reportedly rejected a $440 million extension from the Nationals. For a superstar who is most often compared with Ted Williams and will be 26 in October, the bidding could reach (or surpass) $500 million.
The infield class is stronger than the outfield, though Verdugo, Anthony Santander, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Michael Conforto and Joc Pederson are among the other outfielders who can become free.
STARTING PITCHERS Barring injury, new Orioles ace Corbin Burnes should set the market as the closest thing to a sure-thing as exists within pitching in free agency. Burnes, 30 in October, has made at least 28 starts in each of the past three seasons.
Other potential aces around Burnes’ age include Atlanta’s Max Fried and Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, though both are coming off seasons that included injury concern. Speaking of which, a strong season from Walker Buehler could elevate the Dodgers righty into a different stratosphere, but Buehler is coming off a second Tommy John surgery and will start this season late.
There are aging, perhapsbreaking-down-but-perhapsbrilliant options in Verlander
(who has a vesting option for next year), Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw (player option). Among a large group with high upsides but could be risky are Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, Nathan Eovaldi (vesting option), Robbie Ray (opt-out), Merrill Kelly (club option),
Frankie Montas (mutual option), James Paxton, Alex Cobb and Kyle Hendricks.
RELIEVERS The Yankees could be in the market for a closer with Clay Holmes, about to embark on his age-31 season, set to hit the market. Among the established closers who could join him: Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Giovanny Gallegos (club option), Ryan Pressly (mutual option) and Craig Kimbrel (club option).
WILD CARDS We are assuming the Yankees will not allow Gerrit Cole to get away. After this season, the ace can opt out of the remaining four years and $144 million on his deal, but the Yankees then have the option to tack on a 10th year of his current deal, in 2029, at $36 million. Cole’s injury complicates the situation, but it would be a large surprise if he found his way to free agency.
We are also assuming Sasaki will not come over from Japan, but only he knows the truth. The 22-year-old is seen as one of the best pitchers on Earth, a star for Chiba Lotte in the NPB who already has made it clear he wants to play in MLB. But if the righty is posted before he is 25, he would be seen as an international amateur and subject to international bonus pool money restrictions — the same restrictions that allowed the Angels to originally sign Ohtani for a $2.3 million signing bonus and $545,000, league-minimum salary.
If “the Monster of the Reiwa Era” is available at a price that every team can afford? Next year’s strong class of free agents would be even stronger.