January comes to its conclusion on Wednesday, meaning clubs around the Majors are putting the finishing touches on their rosters with Spring Training only a couple weeks away.
Yet despite more than $2.5 billion in free-agent spending around the league this winter, baseball’s free-agent market is still rolling along, loaded with enough talent to put together a contending team. Among the players still available are a former Most Valuable Player, a two-time Cy Young winner, a World Series champion starting pitcher and a Platinum Glove-winning third baseman.
Let’s take a look at the best player still available at every position (age listed is each player’s age on July 1, 2024).
C Gary Sánchez
Age: 31
Sánchez failed to catch on with either the Giants or Mets early in 2023, but the one-time phenom was rejuvenated after landing with the Padres in late May. He posted a .792 OPS with 19 home runs in 260 plate appearances, showing the power he displayed with the Yankees early in his career. Sánchez’s biggest impact may have come behind the plate, where he emerged as the personal catcher for Blake Snell, who posted a 1.29 ERA in their 18 games together. Perhaps Sánchez is waiting for Snell to sign, hoping for a reunion with his batterymate.
Potential fits: Angels, Red Sox
1B Brandon Belt
Age: 36
The first-base market has been among the slowest this offseason. Rhys Hoskins’ recent two-year, $34 million deal with the Brewers was the first and only significant contract handed out to a first baseman to this point. Belt posted a solid .859 OPS with 19 home runs in 103 games during his first season with the Blue Jays, but there’s a glut of similar players — Carlos Santana, Garrett Cooper, Ji Man Choi and C.J. Cron, for instance — who are still looking for jobs. Perhaps Belt’s lengthy history with Rangers manager Bruce Bochy could help him land with the defending World Series champs.
Potential fits: Rangers, Twins
2B Whit Merrifield
Age: 35
The three-time All-Star (2019, ’21, ’23) isn’t a lock to find himself a starting second-base job in the coming weeks. Given his positional versatility, however, the veteran could be a logical fit for a number of clubs. Merrifield has experience at all three outfield spots, along with limited time at the corner infield positions, offering a jack-of-all-trades type of player that every contender seems to value these days.
Potential fits: Phillies, White Sox
SS Tim Anderson
Age: 31
Anderson gets the slight edge here over Brandon Crawford based on his age: Anderson is entering his age-31 season as opposed to age-37 for Crawford. An All-Star in 2021 and ’22, Anderson struggled through a down season marred by injuries in 2023, posting a slash line of .245/.286/.296 with one home run and 25 RBIs in 123 games, likely putting him in position to sign a one-year deal to reestablish his value. Anderson has shown how valuable he can be in past years, so he should be motivated to find his old form.
Potential fits: Marlins, Rays
3B Matt Chapman
Age: 31
Chapman, the AL Platinum Glove winner in 2018 and ’19, remains one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Although his offensive numbers slipped a bit in 2023, he has a track record as a power threat. He hit at least 27 homers in each of the three full seasons between 2019-22 and owns a 117 career OPS+. Justin Turner’s deal with the Blue Jays may have closed the door on a return to Toronto, but the Cubs remain a potential option for him as he seeks a new deal — especially if Chicago doesn’t bring back Cody Bellinger.
Potential fits: Cubs, Giants
OF Cody Bellinger
Age: 28
Entering the offseason, Bellinger was widely considered to be the second-best hitter on the free-agent market behind Shohei Ohtani, yet the outfielder/first baseman remains unsigned. A reunion with the Cubs makes the most sense, so why hasn’t a deal gotten done? The 2019 NL MVP is said to be seeking a contract worth north of $200 million, but even after his…
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