Top 20 MLB free-agent position players

With the offseason underway, we rank the top 20 free-agent position players (ages at start of 2026 season).

1. Kyle Tucker

Age: 29
Bats: Left
Position: OF
2025 salary: $16.5M
Qualifying offer: Yes

Tucker has emerged as one of the most valuable players in baseball over the past five years. Since 2021, the outfielder ranks ninth in FanGraphs' offensive rating and 10th in both fWAR and wRC+. His 2025 campaign with the Cubs was a bit of a roller coaster and included a calf injury, but there's no denying Tucker is worthy of the biggest contract of the winter.

2. Kyle Schwarber

Age: 33
Bats: Left
Position: DH
2025 salary: $20M
Qualifying offer: Yes

Schwarber set himself up for a monstrous payday after leading MLB with 132 RBIs and finishing second with 56 homers. The slugger has hit 38 or more home runs in each of the last four seasons, and belted 46 or more in three of the last four. He also tied his career high with a .928 OPS and finished fourth in MLB with a .323 isolated power.

3. Cody Bellinger

Age: 30
Bats: Left
Position: OF/1B
2025 salary: $27.5M
Qualifying offer: No

Bellinger's debut season with the Yankees set him up for a significant raise after he posted his highest RBI and fWAR total since his 2019 MVP season. Along with the offense, Bellinger is capable of playing above-average defense at all three outfield spots as well as first base.

4. Pete Alonso

Age: 31
Bats: Right
Position: 1B
2025 salary: $20M
Qualifying offer: No

Alonso struggled to find a free-agent deal last offseason, but that won't happen again after he opted out of his Mets contract. The five-time All-Star appeared in all 162 of New York's games, hitting a league-best 41 doubles to go along with 38 homers and 126 RBIs. He isn't attached to a qualifying offer this time around, either.

5. Bo Bichette

Age: 28
Bats: Right
Position: SS
2025 salary: $16.5M
Qualifying offer: Yes

Bichette enters free agency as the top shortstop available after finishing second in the AL in hits, doubles, and batting average despite missing the final month of the regular season with a knee injury. The 27-year-old was stellar in his World Series return, which included a three-run homer in Game 7, and has produced 3.8 fWAR or higher in four of his last five seasons. Bichette's potential openness to play second base could enhance his market.

6. Alex Bregman

Age: 32
Bats: Right
Position: 3B
2025 salary: $35M
Qualifying offer: No

Bregman opted out of his Red Sox deal and left $80 million on the table because he should have plenty of suitors as the top third baseman available. The two-time World Series champion brought a winning attitude to the Red Sox, who made the playoffs for the first time in four years. He also posted his highest OPS and slugging percentage since 2019, when he finished second in AL MVP voting.

7. Munetaka Murakami

*Stats from Japan

Age: 26
Bats: Left
Position: 1B/3B
2025 salary: N/A

Murakami, a slugging corner infielder who spent last season playing for the Yakult Swallows in Japan, is the most intriguing international free agent this winter. He's a two-time Central League MVP and four-time All-Star, whose 56 homers in 2022 were the most in a single season for a Japanese-born player. He won the Triple Crown that same campaign at the age of 22, becoming the youngest player in league history to do so.

8. Trent Grisham

Age: 29
Bats: Left
Position: OF
2025 salary: $5M
Qualifying offer: Yes

The Yankees gave Grisham a chance to play everyday in 2025 and he rewarded them with a career year while setting himself up for a nice payday in the process. His 34 homers doubled his previous career high, and his 125 OPS+ and .464 slugging percentage were the highest of his seven big-league seasons.

9. Josh Naylor

Age: 28
Bats: Left
Position: 1B
2025 salary: $10.9M
Qualifying offer: No

Naylor split 2025 between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, where he combined for a three-win season with career-best totals in wRC+, offensive rating, and stolen bases. He was terrific for Seattle in the postseason, slashing .340/.392/.574 with 16 hits and seven runs scored.

10. Eugenio Suárez

Age: 34
Bats: Right
Position: 3B
2025 salary: $15M
Qualifying offer: No

Like Naylor, Suárez split his 2025 campaign between the D-Backs and Mariners. The slugger matched his career high with 49 homers and drove in the most runs of his 12-year career while posting his highest OPS since 2019. His numbers plummeted after he was traded to Seattle, which has a much more pitcher-friendly park than Chase Field in Arizona.

11. Jorge Polanco

Age: 32
Bats: Both
Position: 2B
2025 salary: $7M
Qualifying offer: No

Polanco rebounded from an injury-plagued 2024 to put together his best campaign in four years. His 134 OPS+ and .495 slugging percentage were the highest of his career and he also finished top five among second basemen in homers and RBIs. Polanco delivered several clutch hits in the postseason for the Mariners.

12. Gleyber Torres

Age: 29
Bats: Right
Position: 2B
2025 salary: $15M
Qualifying offer: Yes

Torres settled for a one-year deal with the Tigers last offseason and set himself up for a more lucrative payday this winter after an All-Star campaign. The Venezuelan infielder finished top 10 among second basemen in games played, homers, runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, wRC+, and fWAR.

13. Harrison Bader

Age: 31
Bats: Right
Position: OF
2025 salary: $6.25M
Qualifying offer: No

Bader put together a career year at the perfect time. The 31-year-old posted a .796 OPS with 17 homers and continued to play elite defense. He was especially good for the Phillies after they acquired him from the Twins, posting a 129 wRC+ and 1.2 fWAR in 50 games.

14. Ryan O'Hearn

Age: 32
Bats: Left
Position: 1B
2025 salary: $7.5M
Qualifying offer: No

O'Hearn was one of the lone bright spots for the Orioles before they traded him to the Padres. The left-handed slugger combined to post career-best marks in homers (17), RBIs (63) and OPS+ (125). The first-base market is flooded with good players, but O'Hearn should be an interesting option for teams unwilling to pony up for Alonso or Naylor.

15. J.T. Realmuto

Age: 35
Bats: Right
Position: C
2025 salary: $23.875M
Qualifying offer: No

Realmuto is no longer baseball's best catcher as he enters his age-35 season, but he still provides two-way value. The veteran backstop is good for 10-plus homers and 50-plus RBIs, and finished last season seventh among catchers in fWAR. He also ranked in the 95th percentile in caught stealing above average and in the 99th percentile in pop time.

16. Luis Arraez

Age: 28
Bats: Left
Position: 1B/2B
2025 salary: $14M
Qualifying offer: No

Arraez may not light up Statcast metrics, but he's still one of the best contact hitters in the game. The three-time batting champion led baseball in hits for the second time and has had an average of .300 or greater in all but two of his big-league campaigns.

17. Mike Yastrzemski

Age: 35
Bats: Left
Position: OF
2025 salary: $9.25M
Qualifying offer: No

Yastrzemski looked like the steal of the deadline when he posted a .976 OPS with 15 extra-bases hits and 13 RBIs for the Royals in August but cooled down to end the season. Nonetheless, Yastrzemski is a consistent outfielder who regularly puts up two-win seasons and hits around 20 homers. He's also capable of playing all three outfield spots.

18. Kazuma Okamoto

*Stats from Japan

Age: 29
Bats: Right
Position: 1B/3B
2025 salary: N/A

The Yomiuri Giants said they will post Okamoto, an 11-year veteran in Japan's top league. He made a name for himself at the 2023 World Baseball Classic with a homer in the championship game against the United States. Okamoto belted 248 homers and slugged .521 in Japan, making him an intriguing option at one of the corner infield spots for teams in need.

19. Ha-Seong Kim

Age: 30
Bats: Right
Position: SS
2025 salary: $13M
Qualifying offer: No

Kim became the top shortstop available behind Bichette after he opted out of the final year of his contract with the Braves. Kim struggled to stay healthy last season, but posted the 10th-best defensive rating and the 11th-highest fWAR among shortstops from 2022-24 when he also stole 72 bases.

20. Marcell Ozuna

Age: 35
Bats: Right
Position: DH
2025 salary: $16M
Qualifying offer: No

Ozuna enters free agency after his worst offensive season in three years, but the slugger is still capable of providing a lineup with thump. The veteran DH has hit 20 or more homers in nine campaigns and owns a career .469 slugging percentage. He also drew a career-high 94 walks last season when his .355 on-base percentage ranked 14th in the NL.