Ranking next winter's top 20 MLB free agents
With most top free agents already signed this offseason, here's an early look at the top 20 players slated to become free agents next winter ahead of the 2026 season.
1. Kyle Tucker
Position: OF
2025 team: Cubs
Age during 2026 season: 29
Career fWAR: 21.1
Tucker should hit free agency as the prize of the 2025 class barring a surprise new megadeal with the Cubs. He's one of baseball's few true five-tool stars. Already with two near 30-home run, 30-stolen base seasons, Tucker accrued a whopping 4.2 fWAR in just 78 games in 2024. He's been one of the league's best hitters for his career with an .870 OPS (139 OPS+). If his age-28 season is anything like last year, he'll be in line for one of the biggest contracts in MLB history.
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Position: 1B
2025 team: Blue Jays
Age during 2026 season: 27
Career fWAR: 17.0
Guerrero will be one of the top free agents available next winter if he can't reach a contract extension with the Blue Jays. The 25-year-old is willing to negotiate with Toronto until spring training, but the two sides appear to be far apart on a deal. Guerrero should generate plenty of interest if he reaches free agency after hitting the third-most homers and posting the third-highest wRC+ among qualified MLB first basemen since 2021. He's also in his prime and among the most popular players in the league.
3. Dylan Cease
Position: SP
2025 team: Padres
Age during 2026 season: 30
Career fWAR: 17.6
A move to a more competitive environment in San Diego was all it took for Cease to re-emerge as an ace. While he didn't quite reach the highs of his 2022 Cy Young runner-up season, the righty still finished fourth in voting in 2024 with an excellent 3.10 FIP and 10.6 K/9 over a career-high 189 1/3 innings pitched. He also authored his signature moment by no-hitting the Nationals. Expect Cease to command a massive deal as the unquestioned best pitcher available.
4. Zac Gallen
Position: SP
2025 team: D-Backs
Age during 2026 season: 30
Career fWAR: 16.5
There haven't been many starters better than Gallen since 2019 after he joined the D-Backs in a trade. The 29-year-old has received Cy Young consideration in three campaigns during that stretch, including a third-place finish in 2023. His 3.22 FIP since 2022 has been better than New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and new teammate Corbin Burnes, who just signed a six-year deal with the D-Backs for $210 million.
5. Framber Valdez
Position: SP
2025 team: Astros
Age during 2026 season: 32
Career fWAR: 16.4
Valdez quietly added to his excellent resume with a strong 2024 campaign. He posted his lowest full-season ERA (2.91) and WHIP (1.11) while earning down-ballot Cy Young and MVP votes. The 31-year-old lefty has earned his reputation as a workhorse, throwing at least 175 innings three years in a row. Plenty of teams should be interested in an elite ground-ball specialist who can be trusted to take the mound every fifth day.
6. Michael King
Position: SP
2025 team: Padres
Age during 2026 season: 31
Career fWAR: 8.7
King's first full campaign as a starter came with the Padres after they acquired him in the Juan Soto trade. The right-hander showed he belonged among baseball's best pitchers after posting a 2.95 ERA and 10.4 K/9 in 173 2/3 frames. It'll be interesting to see if he can replicate the same success in 2025 with an eye on a big deal in free agency.
7. Devin Williams
Position: RP
2025 team: Yankees
Age during 2026 season: 31
Career fWAR: 7.6
Don't let Williams' season-ending meltdown in the NLWC fool you into thinking he's anything less than one of MLB's most dominant relievers. The 30-year-old has pitched to a microscopic 1.83 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with a 14.3 K/9 since debuting in 2019. His "Airbender" change-up could very well be baseball's most unhittable pitch. If he shines in pinstripes, there's no telling how big his payday could be.
8. Shane Bieber
Position: SP
2025 team: Guardians
Age during 2026 season: 31
Career fWAR: 21.5
Bieber threw just 12 innings last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He's expected to miss some time in the first half of 2025, which doesn't give him much runway to re-establish his value. If the 2020 AL Cy Young winner can find his old form, he'll likely decline his $16-million player option for next season and try to find a long-term deal in free agency instead.
9. Edwin Díaz
Position: RP
2025 team: Mets
Age during 2026 season: 31
Career fWAR: 13.4
Sound the trumpets: Díaz is gearing up for what should be his healthiest season in years. There were clearly times last year when he was feeling the effects of the torn patellar tendon that cost him his 2023 season. If Díaz is fully back in 2025, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him opt out of his contract to test the market. He'd be just three years removed from putting up a ridiculous 1.31 ERA (297 ERA+) and 0.84 WHIP.
10. Cody Bellinger
Position: OF
2025 team: Yankees
Age during 2026 season: 31
Career fWAR: 24.0
Bellinger has a $25-million player option for 2025, which means he's in the driver's seat next winter. If the 29-year-old rakes at his new home in the Bronx with the Yankees, he could enter free agency as one of the most sought-after position players available. The former MVP has nearly 200 career homers and a 120 OPS+ on his resume to go along with his defensive versatility as both an outfielder and first baseman.
11. Ryan Helsley
Position: RP
2025 team: Cardinals
Age during 2026 season: 32
Career fWAR: 5.8
Helsley rode a four-seam fastball that averages 99.6 mph to a 2.04 ERA and MLB-leading 49 saves for the Cardinals in 2024. He's finished top-12 in NL Cy Young voting in two of the past three years. Whether Helsley finishes his season in St. Louis or is traded elsewhere, he'll be one of the most coveted relievers on the free-agent market.
12. Bo Bichette
Position: SS
2025 team: Blue Jays
Age during 2026 season: 28
Career fWAR: 16.2
Take away last season, and Bichette is higher on this list. The 26-year-old twice led the league in hits and never posted an OPS+ below 121 until last season when it plummeted to 71. The shortstop possesses a well-rounded game that includes speed, power, and the ability to consistently make contact, so his market should be strong if he can stay healthy and find the form that made him nearly a five-win player in both 2021 and '22.
13. Marcell Ozuna
Position: DH
2025 team: Braves
Age during 2026 season: 35
Career fWAR: 29.6
Ozuna appears to have found the fountain of youth in Atlanta. He's slugged 79 home runs over the last two years while driving in 204. He played in all 162 games in 2024 en route to his first All-Star appearance since 2017. There's no reason to doubt Ozuna's skills at the plate, but it remains to be seen what the market will be for a 34-year-old designated hitter.
14. Luis Arraez
Position: 1B
2025 team: Padres
Age during 2026 season: 29
Career fWAR: 11.0
Arraez is never going to sit atop a home run leaderboard, but baseball's best contact hitter should have no trouble finding a job in 2025. The 27-year-old has won three straight batting titles, rarely strikes out (29 in 672 plate appearances last season), and is capable of playing first, second, and third base, as well as the outfield.
15. Josh Naylor
Position: 1B
2025 team: D-Backs
Age during 2026 season: 29
Career fWAR: 7.0
Naylor is primed for a big 2025 hitting in the middle of a potent Diamondbacks lineup. The Canadian set new highs in home runs (31) and RBIs (108) while making his first All-Star team last season. He'll turn just 28 in June and should garner plenty of interest as a power threat from the left side of the plate.
16. Ranger Suárez
Position: SP
2025 team: Phillies
Age during 2026 season: 30
Career fWAR: 11.4
Suárez has positioned himself for a nice deal if he can continue to pitch like he has in recent years. The southpaw, who began his career as a reliever, owns a 3.44 ERA and 3.52 ERA in 90 starts since 2021, amassing 10.6 fWAR in the process. He's not an ace, but a left-hander who ranked 83rd percentile or better in average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, and groundball percentage should be desirable for clubs in need of rotation help.
17. J.T. Realmuto
Position: C
2025 team: Phillies
Age during 2026 season: 35
Career fWAR: 34.8
Realmuto played just 99 games in 2024, his fewest in a full season for his entire career. He was his usual self when on the field, however, hitting at an above-average clip (109 OPS+) while posting strong defensive metrics behind the dish. His next contract will reflect a team's belief in his ability to continue playing baseball's most demanding position in his late 30s.
18. Kyle Schwarber
Position: DH
2025 team: Phillies
Age during 2026 season: 33
Career fWAR: 16.7
Teams know what they're getting if they sign Schwarber, an elite but aging slugger who doesn't hit for much average. Since 2017, only Aaron Judge has more homers than Schwarber, who also ranks eighth in isolated power during that same time period. The 31-year-old also boasts a solid .343 career OBP despite 612 strikeouts over the past three seasons.
19. Joc Pederson
Position: DH
2025 team: Rangers
Age during 2026 season: 34
Career fWAR: 17.5
Teams keep signing Pederson to short-term deals to crush right-handed pitching, and it keeps working out. The lefty's .908 OPS (151 OPS+) with the Diamondbacks in 2024 was the highest of his career. If his numbers this season are anything like that, expect him to decline his player option for 2026 with the Rangers to become a free agent again.
20. Eugenio Suárez
Position: 3B
2025 team: D-Backs
Age during 2026 season: 35
Career fWAR: 29.3
Suárez is an underrated slugger who's been incredibly valuable to multiple clubs throughout his career. The Venezuelan ranks fourth in homers (238) since 2017 and has amassed the seventh-most fWAR among qualified third basemen during that same span. He also plays every day, appearing in 1,471 games in 11 big-league seasons, including all 162 in 2023 and another 158 last season.