The 2023 MLB offseason will be here before we know it, and the collection of pending free-agent players is breathtaking.
Officially, every player that’s eligible can sign with another team five days after the World Series ends. Essentially, that gives every team a five-day exclusive window to negotiate with each of their possible free agents before the madness begins.
MLB Free Agency Madness
This year’s MLB Free Agency period should be filled with drama with names such as Aaron Judge, Jacob deGrom, and Trea Turner, to name a few. While it’s still unknown if Judge will re-sign with the New York Yankees, we’re all but guaranteed to see DeGrom, 34, find a new home, even if questions still linger about his health. He’s coming off a year in which he pitched 64.1 innings, had a 3.08 ERA, recorded 102 strikeouts, and 0.75 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched). It’s still possible the Mets could make a run at him, but look for the Braves and the Rangers to be the main players in the DeGrom sweepstakes.
Judge, 30, is clearly the top free agent this year and is coming off an epic season to remember in which he broke the American League record for home runs (62) and nearly won the triple crown, all while leading the Yankees into the postseason. The Giants, Rangers, Yankees, and Mets are all interested, and another unknown team could make a play.
Turner, 30, is another player who’ll likely receive a decent amount of attention on the open market. He batted just under .300 for the season and added 27 stolen bases to go with his 20 home runs. Look for the Dodgers, Phillies, Cardinals, and Cubs to be the main players for Turner, but don’t be surprised if he signs elsewhere.
Rest Of The Pack
The talent level of the remaining free agents runs deep as this list is jammed packed with players both at the top of their game and those on the rise. Of all those on the free agent list, ten players are eligible for a qualifying offer in 2023.
Those ten players are listed below:
- Willson Contreras, Chicago Cubs
- Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
- Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
- Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
- Carlos Rodón, San Francisco Giants
- Trea Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Chris Bassitt, New York Mets
- Edwin Diaz, New York Mets
- Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets
- Dansby Swanson, Atlanta Braves
A qualifying offer is a one-year deal made by clubs to impending free agents. In 2023 that offer, which is based on the average of the top 150 players’ salary in MLB, is $19.65 million. Determining if a player is eligible is as simple as knowing if that player has previously been offered or was traded mid-season.
If the offer is not accepted by the player, the team is eligible to receive a compensatory draft pick for the loss of that player. With all that in mind, the following free agents are not eligible for a qualifying offer:
- José Abreu, Chicago White Sox
- Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins
- Noah Syndergaard, Philadelphia Phillies
The top ten MLB players left in this deep free-agency class are listed below. Of those listed, you can expect Rafael Devers to get the most play, as most teams never imagined even getting a chance to sign the talented and young (26) third basemen.
- Rafael Devers, Red Sox, Third-base
- Justin Verlander, Astros, Pitcher
- Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers, Pitcher
- Trey Mancini, Astros, 1st Basemen
- Wil Myers, Padres, OF/1B
- Joey Gallo, Dodgers, Left-Field
- Adam Wainwright, Cardinals, Pitcher
- Josh Bell, Padres, First-basemen
- Anthony Rizzo, Yankees, First-basemen
- Andrew Benintendi, Yankees, Outfielder
