Plenty of gems in free agency
J.D. Martinez, Hosmer headline class overshadowed a bit by next year’s crop
The enthusiastic anticipation for next year’s free agent class has overshadowed a current crop that continues to gather strength as the season winds down.
No, there’s not a Bryce Harper or Manny Machado in the group, but a number of impending free agents have boosted their value and should cash in when the signing period begins after the World Series. Their collective worth would further increase if Japanese two-way star Shohei Otani opts to join in.
Even without him, there will be several players ready to make some general managers quite happy — at the right price. Here’s a look at some of those free agents, excluding any with a team or player option.
J.D. Martinez: Martinez was already going to be the most coveted position player on the market because of his relative youth
(30) and recent history of AllStar-level production, including an average of 28 home runs and a
.898 on-base plus slugging percentage over his last three seasons with the Detroit Tigers.
Then Martinez took off upon joining the Arizona Diamondbacks via trade, banging out 25 home runs in 54 games. Granted, the hitting environment in Phoenix is highly favorable, but Martinez’s OPS-plus — which adjusts for the player’s ballpark — is 158 with the Diamondbacks and 160 for the season, well above the major league norm.
Power-deprived clubs — that includes you, San Francisco Giants — should be knocking on his door the second he hits the market.
Eric Hosmer: The slick-fielding Kansas City Royals first baseman has significantly boosted his power output, the one questionable aspect of his game. He entered the season with a career
.428 slugging percentage but has increased that figure to .506, which helps account for his healthy .895 OPS. Hosmer turns
28 in October, brings a positive clubhouse presence and ranks third among American League batting leaders with a career-best
.323 average, to go with 24 homers. He could become a new team’s foundation piece.
Jake Arrieta: A strong second half has allayed some of the concerns about the Chicago Cubs right-hander, who had a 4.67 ERA in 16 starts through June but a
2.01 mark in the next 12 starts after that. Arrieta, who recently
missed time with a hamstring injury, will be 32 by the time the 2018 season starts. He’s obviously not the same pitcher who won the Cy Young Award two years ago — his ERA has nearly doubled from 1.77 to 3.48 — but he can still upgrade a rotation.
Yu Darvish: At 31, Darvish remains one of the game’s top strikeout artists, even if his K ratio has dipped to 27% this season. But there are questions about how else he’s going to get batters out as he ages and whether he’s worth ace money. Darvish’s tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been unimpressive, marked mostly by inconsistency and an inability to go deep into games, with just three outings of at least six innings in eight starts. Darvish’s free agent value might be determined by his postseason performance.
Mike Moustakas: The Kansas City Royals third baseman was well on his way to shattering the franchise’s single-season record for home runs until he hit a major drought, going deep once in 28 games. Moustakas, 29, finally belted his record-setting 37th on Wednesday. He has bounced back well from a torn ACL that cost him most of the 2016 season and has put up a career-best .848 OPS. He’ll get paid this offseason.
Lance Lynn: The perennially underappreciated St. Louis Cardinals right-hander hardly missed a beat after sitting out 2016 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Except for a marked increase in the number of home runs he has allowed (26, twice as many as in 2015), Lynn has put up remarkably similar numbers to his last healthy season, going 11-7 with a 3.09 ERA. At 30, he will have plenty of suitors looking for a dependable starter. Wade Davis: The top closer on the market, Davis has gone 32for-32 in save chances for the Cubs while making his third AllStar Game in a row. Davis’ credentials are burnished by a sparkling postseason résumé (0.84 ERA in 321⁄ innings) and, at 32, 3 he’s striking out 11.6 batters per nine innings. Lorenzo Cain: Too bad for Cain his free agency didn’t roll around after his 2015 season, when he finished third in the AL MVP voting as the Royals marched to a World Series crown. Cain will still be coming off a solid offensive year, as he currently owns a .301 batting average and .807 OPS. Cain still ranks as an above-average defensive center fielder, but he turns 32 in April and might not stay there for the duration of his next contract.
Carlos Santana: The switch- hitting first baseman-DH has never registered an on-base percentage below .350, and he’s at
.372 this season to go along with
23 home runs. Quietly, Santana has averaged 24 homers with 81 RBI and a .821 OPS in his seven full seasons with the Cleveland Indians, including this one. He also leads American League first
basemen with nine defensive runs saved. At 32 in April, Santana should have a few productive years left.
Alex Cobb: Having overcome a line drive to the head in 2013 and Tommy John surgery in 2015, Cobb has set career highs for starts (28) and innings pitched (1731⁄ 3). The Tampa Bay
Rays right-hander is not overpowering but doesn’t hurt himself with too many walks either (2.2 per nine innings). Cobb, who turns 30 in October, should prove an appealing option for teams seeking a middle-of-the-rotation starter.
Jay Bruce: A 10-year veteran at 30, Bruce was a key contributor in some of the Indians’ biggest victories as they set an AL record with 22 consecutive wins. Bruce has emerged from a midcareer decline by averaging 34 homers, 97 RBI and a .827 OPS the last two seasons. He would seem like a particularly attractive outfield option for an AL team that can shift him to DH at times.
Jonathan Lucroy: The most renowned catcher on the market, Lucroy has done himself no favors with a dismal offensive season that picked up a bit after his trade from the Texas Rangers to the Colorado Rockies. The twotime All-Star has a .680 OPS, his lowest since he was a rookie in 2010 and a whopping 175 points below his .855 mark of last year. But at 31, Lucroy still gets high marks for his defense and could be available at a reasonable price.