We’re across the midway level of the 2024 season. Commerce season remains to be a pair weeks from getting totally underway. It’s an opportune time to refresh our rating of the upcoming free agent class.
That is the second of at the least three installments we’ll do over the course of the season. Steve Adams dealt with our preliminary write-up of the highest 10 gamers again in mid-April. That is our try to seize a participant’s incomes energy, so age is massive issue. This isn’t strictly a listing of the very best gamers within the class, although expertise is clearly the place to begin. There’s no change within the prime two spots, however the previous few months have shuffled the following tiers.
Our energy rankings are compiled collaboratively. I labored with Steve and Darragh McDonald — with enter from MLBTR founder and proprietor Tim Dierkes — for this installment. Gamers with opt-out clauses and participant choices are eligible for the checklist. Stats are updated by way of June 26.
1. Juan Soto, OF, Yankees
No shock right here. Soto has been the crown jewel for years and is prone to go wire-to-wire as the highest impending free agent. He continues to construct what seems like a future Corridor of Fame résumé. Soto has been an elite hitter from the second he debuted as a 19-year-old with the Nationals. That carried over upon his first blockbuster commerce to the Padres and hasn’t modified within the Massive Apple.
Soto is on tempo for what is perhaps the very best season of his profession. He’s hitting .303/.434/.567 throughout 357 plate appearances. As measured by wRC+, that offense is 85 proportion factors higher than league common and can be a private excessive over a 162-game schedule. Soto has extra walks than strikeouts for a fifth straight season. He already has 19 homers, giving him an opportunity to exceed final yr’s career-high 35 longballs.
Not solely is Soto one of many prime three hitters in baseball, he’s firmly in his prime. He’ll play all of subsequent season at 26, making him three to 4 years youthful than a typical free agent. A signing group can realistically count on Soto to stay a top-flight hitter for the primary seven to 10 years of a megadeal. Whereas the calling card is clearly the bat, Soto has turned in first rate defensive marks within the Bronx. Each Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast have credited him as a barely above-average proper fielder this season.
Soto turned down a reported $440MM extension provide from the Nats just a few years in the past — a call that more and more seems prefer it’ll repay handsomely. Yankees proprietor Hal Steinbrenner has spoken of a willingness to barter an extension throughout the season, nevertheless it’d be downright stunning if Soto doesn’t check the market at this level. (The outfielder himself instructed as a lot on Tuesday.) The Yankees will definitely make a run at maintaining him, whereas groups just like the Mets, Dodgers, Giants, and many others. determine to be concerned.
Soto will probably be three years youthful than Shohei Ohtani was throughout his free company. Soto isn’t prone to settle for a cope with the type of deferrals that Ohtani took, however he ought to handily beat the approximate $461MM web current worth of the Ohtani contract. He ought to prime half a billion {dollars} and it wouldn’t in any respect be shocking if his camp on the Boras Company had been aiming for one thing near $600MM at the beginning of the winter.
2. Corbin Burnes, SP, Orioles
Burnes has been the highest pitcher within the class for a while. He broke out with a 2.11 ERA throughout the shortened 2020 season and backed that up with an MLB-best 2.43 ERA with 234 strikeouts over 28 begins to assert the NL Cy Younger the next yr. Burnes punched out an NL-leading 243 hitters the next season earlier than delivering a 3.39 earned run common throughout his ultimate season in Milwaukee.
The Brewers traded the three-time All-Star to Baltimore prematurely of his ultimate yr of arbitration. Whereas Milwaukee has gotten good work out of rookie infielder Joey Ortiz (and bought hard-throwing lefty DL Corridor), the O’s can’t have any regrets with how the commerce has performed out. Burnes owns a 2.35 ERA throughout 99 2/3 innings. He’s on his technique to a fifth straight top-10 Cy Younger end and must be a candidate to win the award for a second time.
Not like with Soto, one can at the least discover a yellow flag on Burnes’ stat sheet. His swing-and-miss charge has dropped during the last yr and a half. Burnes struck out greater than 30% of batters confronted in every season from 2020-22. Amongst pitchers with 250+ innings over that stretch, solely Carlos Rodón had the next strikeout proportion than Burnes’ 33.4% mark. That dipped to 25.5% a yr in the past and presently sits at 23.9%, his lowest charge since his 2018 rookie marketing campaign. He’s getting fewer whiffs on each his cutter and curveball than he did again in 2021-22.
Groups will at the least be aware of the drop-off in whiffs, nevertheless it’s not prone to have too detrimental an impact on Burnes’ market. His 95 MPH cutter velocity remains to be as robust as ever. The underside-line outcomes are among the many finest within the league. Burnes has pristine command and could be very tough for opponents to sq. up whilst they’re getting just a few extra balls in play. Whereas each pitcher comes with some stage of well being threat, Burnes’ solely injured checklist stint within the final three and a half years got here on account of a constructive Covid check.
Burnes will play all of subsequent season at age 30. Aaron Nola landed seven years and $172MM final offseason going into his age-31 marketing campaign. Burnes is a greater pitcher. He ought to have the ability to discover an eight-year deal that additionally runs by way of his age-37 season, and there’s an opportunity he will get to 9 years. Whereas Burnes will most likely come up shy of the nine-year, $324MM deal which Gerrit Cole landed just a few years in the past, he shouldn’t have a lot situation surpassing the $200MM mark and will beat $250MM.
3. Willy Adames, SS, Brewers
Adames is the largest riser from the earlier iteration of this checklist. We had him eighth within the class two months in the past. Adames has since pulled away because the clear prime shortstop and fairly arguably the very best infielder. The Brewers shortstop has rebounded from a pedestrian offensive season and is on tempo for the very best yr of his profession.
Over 353 plate appearances, the Dominican-born infielder owns a .238/.331/.423 slash line. He has 13 residence runs and is drawing walks at a personal-high 12.2% clip. Most significantly, Adames is hanging out 21% of the time. That’s trending as simply the bottom strikeout charge of his profession. Whiffs have been the largest query for the righty-hitting infielder. If he’s hanging out at a league common tempo, there aren’t many weaknesses to his recreation.
Adames has reached 20 residence runs in all 4 full schedules he’s performed. Barring harm, he’ll surpass that once more and fairly possible finish in his customary 25-30 homer vary. Whereas Milwaukee’s American Household Subject boosts energy numbers, Adames has stable exit velocities and will get plenty of balls within the air. He has an honest strategy and has incrementally improved his contact charge, significantly on pitches inside the strike zone.
Even when Adames is extra of a superb hitter than an elite one, he’s a serious asset on the opposite facet of the ball. DRS and Statcast have graded him as one of many sport’s finest infielders during the last six seasons. DRS has been bizarrely down on his protection this season, but Statcast has had no such qualms. Most groups will view him as a plus or higher defender, at the least for the following few years. Adames turns 29 in September and may stay a sure-handed infielder with a superb arm into his early-mid 30s.
On prime of the well-rounded manufacturing, Adames has drawn rave critiques from teammates and coaches in each Tampa Bay and Milwaukee for his clubhouse acumen. It’s the type of management and intangibles that groups love from a franchise shortstop. Gamers like Trevor Story, Javier Báez and Dansby Swanson all landed six- or seven-year offers between $140MM and $177MM with a broadly comparable profile. None of these contracts have labored out fairly because the signing group hoped — the Story and Báez offers have been unmitigated disasters — which may give groups pause. But these examples present the worth groups place on a plus defensive shortstop with sufficient energy to hit within the center to higher third of a batting order.
4. Alex Bregman, 3B, Astros
Bregman’s platform yr began quite inauspiciously. He hit .219/.280/.372 by way of the top of Could, a stretch that briefly relegated him so far as sixth within the Houston batting order. Bregman was not solely doing his market no favors, he was a serious contributor to the Astros’ horrible begin to the season.
Fortunes have modified in June for group and participant alike. Bregman owns a .341/.404/.494 line by way of 94 plate appearances this month. His total season slash remains to be pretty pedestrian, weighed down by his early-season swoon. He’s rounding into kind although, and he stays among the finest hitters (non-Soto division) within the class.
Bregman has been an above-average hitter in all 9 seasons of his profession. His 41-homer season from 2019 seems like a transparent outlier at the least partially attributable to the juiced ball. Bregman has gone from an MVP candidate to “merely” an excellent on a regular basis third baseman. Over the previous 5 seasons, he carries a .260/.355/.437 batting line — a wRC+ that checks in 23 proportion factors higher than league common.
Some groups may take situation with Bregman’s batted-ball profile. He has by no means had large uncooked energy that interprets into eye-popping exit velocities. His recreation has been constructed round pristine strike zone really feel and an innate means to drag the ball within the air, thereby maximizing the facility he does possess. This yr’s 35.9% arduous contact charge is under common. Bregman’s stroll charge has additionally fallen sharply as he’s gotten a bit extra aggressive and pitchers have attacked him within the strike zone with greater frequency.
Bregman may wind up being one thing of a divisive free agent. The batted-ball knowledge and drop in walks may strike some golf equipment as a harbinger of decline. Bregman’s camp will level to his preternatural contact abilities, stable third base protection, wonderful sturdiness, and standing as one of many faces of a group that has gotten to the ALCS in seven straight seasons. Bregman turns 31 round Opening Day and nonetheless has a shot at a six- or seven-year deal that would push into the $150MM vary (or additional, if he can proceed his blistering June tempo).
5. Max Fried, SP, Braves
A former seventh total choose, Fried has been a top-of-the-rotation arm for many of his time in Atlanta. He turned in a 4.02 ERA in his first full season again in 2019. The southpaw hasn’t allowed greater than 3.04 earned runs per 9 in any of the 5 seasons since then. Fried obtained off to a rocky begin this yr, surrendering 11 runs in 5 innings over his first two outings. Set these apart, and he’s appeared higher than ever. Over his final 13 begins, he carries a 2.12 ERA whereas averaging 6.53 innings per recreation and holding opponents to a .191/.255/.254 batting line.
The best way Fried succeeds is considerably unconventional. He doesn’t miss bats on the stage usually related to an ace. Fried has punched out 23.8% of his opponents in his profession and carries a 22.3% strikeout charge this season. That’s stable however not overwhelming. He excels behind plus command and elite contact administration. Fried is routinely close to the highest of the league in limiting opponents’ exit velocities. He has by no means posted a ground-ball charge decrease than 50% and is racking up grounders at an enormous 60.6% clip this season.
Fried isn’t a peak Dallas Keuchel or Kyle Hendricks sort who thrived regardless of middling velocity. He throws sufficiently arduous, averaging practically 94 MPH on his four-seam and sinker. His mid-70s curveball isn’t an influence breaking pitch, nevertheless it generates a lot motion that hitters have by no means been in a position to sq. it up. Statcast credit him with seven distinct choices. He leans most closely on the four-seam, curve, sinker and changeup.
Some groups may draw back from paying top-of-the-market cash to a pitcher who doesn’t have elite whiff charges. Others may have some concern about Fried’s arm well being. He misplaced three months of the 2023 season to a forearm pressure. (He additionally has a Tommy John surgical procedure on his résumé, though that got here again in 2015 when he was a prospect.) Whereas Fried has appeared no worse for put on, that provides a bit further threat for an funding starting in his age-31 season.
Fried’s camp will most likely view the Nola and Rodón (six years, $162MM) offers as comparability factors. Fried is a Southern California native, which has led some to invest he may desire to signal with a group on the west coast, although he hasn’t publicly tipped his hand on any geographical preferences. He and the Braves have kicked round extension phrases just a few instances over time with out coming to an settlement.
6. Jack Flaherty, SP, Tigers
Fried’s highschool teammate is the primary participant on this top-10 who didn’t crack the checklist in April. He was one among plenty of rebound beginning pitching targets within the class. Flaherty has pulled away from the group with a dominant first three months to his Detroit tenure. By way of 14 begins, he carries a 2.92 earned run common. He has punched out a 3rd of opposing hitters with an enormous 14.2% swinging-strike charge.
It’s Flaherty’s finest sustained stretch because the second half of the 2019 season, when he appeared to be breaking out as among the finest pitchers within the recreation. The intervening 4 years had been largely disappointments. Flaherty struggled to a 4.91 ERA throughout the shortened 2020 schedule. He misplaced prolonged chunks of the following two seasons to shoulder issues. The righty prevented the injured checklist final yr however appeared like a shell of his former self. He allowed practically 5 earned runs per 9 with a roughly common 22.8% strikeout charge between the Cardinals and Orioles. Baltimore used him in aid at instances down the stretch.
MLBTR predicted Flaherty would land a mid-level three-year deal final offseason. Given his youth, that will’ve supplied him a life-changing payday whereas nonetheless affording him the chance to return to the market forward of his age-31 season. As an alternative, he guess on himself and took a straight one-year pact. That appears prefer it’ll pay out handsomely. A nine-figure contract could possibly be on the desk. He’ll play subsequent season at age 29 and has a shot at 5 and even six years. It wouldn’t be with out threat given the volatility of his profession, however Flaherty arguably has the next ceiling than any starter within the class past Burnes and Fried.
Like everybody else on this checklist, Flaherty is eligible to obtain a qualifying provide. He’s likelier than any of the opposite prime free brokers to be traded this summer season, which might take the QO off the desk. (Gamers traded midseason can’t obtain a qualifying provide.) The Tigers are nonetheless on the periphery of Wild Card rivalry however haven’t hit sufficient to be a bona fide contender. A deadline deal would enable Flaherty to hit free company unencumbered by draft compensation.
7. Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
Alonso stays one of many sport’s preeminent energy hitters. He has hit at the least 37 homers in his 4 full seasons (and was on a 43-homer tempo throughout the shortened season). He’s not fairly at that stage this yr, connecting on 16 homers with a .465 slugging mark. That places him at a 33-homer tempo, though it wouldn’t in any respect be shocking if he outperforms that throughout the summer season months.
Groups know what they’re getting with Alonso. He’s extremely sturdy and has solely had two minimal injured checklist stints as a giant leaguer. He’s prone to hit 35+ homers in the midst of the lineup. The common and on-base marks are pretty pedestrian, however nobody has extra residence runs than Alonso since he got here into the league in 2019. Although his arduous contact charge and common exit velocity are extra atypical than one may count on, nobody questions his means to hit for energy in any stadium.
Alonso has a case because the second-best offensive participant within the class. There’s not a lot worth in the remainder of the profile. He’s a below-average baserunner and a restricted defender. Defensive Runs Saved has graded him as a mean first baseman over the course of his profession; Statcast has him under common with the glove. Alonso is coming into his age-30 season and can possible attempt to beat the Matt Olson (eight years, $168MM) and Freddie Freeman (six years, $162MM with deferrals) contracts. He may want to maneuver to designated hitter halfway by way of a five- or six-year pact.
The Mets have maintained they wish to maintain their franchise first baseman. Alonso reportedly declined a seven-year, $158MM extension provide throughout the 2023 season. (He’s incomes $20.5MM this season in his ultimate arbitration yr, so he’d “solely” have to prime $137.5MM to come back out forward on that call.) That reported provide got here earlier than the Mets employed David Stearns as president of baseball operations. The edges appear content material to desk discussions a couple of long-term deal till Alonso will get an opportunity to subject affords from different groups. He appeared like a commerce candidate when the Mets had been floundering early within the season. That’s more durable to check now that New York has pulled themselves again into the Wild Card race.
8. Ha-Seong Kim, SS, Padres
Kim is among the prime defensive gamers within the class. Public metrics have given him robust grades for his work throughout the infield. The Padres preferred Kim’s glove sufficient to completely decide to him as their shortstop this yr, bumping Xander Bogaerts to the proper facet of the second base bag.
The offensive profile isn’t as thrilling. Kim is an honest hitter whose recreation is constructed round wonderful strike zone consciousness and pure contact abilities. Kim has walked practically as usually as he has gone down on strikes. A dismal .236 batting common on balls in play has depressed his total output, as he’s hitting .223/.333/.385 throughout 328 plate appearances. Whereas there’s absolutely some quantity of poor fortune in that mark, Kim’s batted-ball metrics aren’t spectacular. This season’s 35.5% arduous contact charge, whereas a profession excessive, remains to be a pair factors under common. The South Korea native is on tempo to prime final yr’s personal-high 17 residence runs, however he’s most likely by no means going to be an enormous energy menace.
After a poor first season on the MLB stage, Kim was price round 4 wins above alternative yearly within the subsequent two years. He’s on an analogous tempo in 2024. There’s most likely not rather more by way of untapped upside, however Kim’s mixture of contact abilities, protection and baserunning (he has 53 stolen bases over the previous two seasons) make him an above-average common. He’s going into his age-29 season and will land a five-year contract in free company.
9. Nick Pivetta, SP, Purple Sox
One of many extra unstable pitchers within the class, Pivetta has considerably quietly excelled over the previous calendar yr. The fitting-hander’s efficiency has lengthy lagged behind the standard of his stuff. It appeared as if he may all the time be too inconsistent regardless of flashing mid-rotation potential. As not too long ago as final Could, he appeared as if he may pitch his approach off the Purple Sox’ roster solely.
Issues lastly clicked for Pivetta after the Sox kicked him to the bullpen in mid-Could final yr. The previous fourth-round draftee dominated in a multi-inning aid position. He continued overpowering hitters after the Sox returned him to the rotation for the ultimate six weeks of the ’23 marketing campaign. Pivetta has labored solely out of the rotation in 2024 and remains to be posting a gaudy strikeout and stroll profile.
Over 11 begins, he owns a 4.06 earned run common. Pivetta has fanned 27.2% of batters confronted in opposition to a 6.4% stroll charge. He’s giving up a lofty 1.87 residence runs per 9 innings, resulting in an unimpressive 4.42 FIP. Metrics that normalize HR/FB are way more bullish (3.43 SIERA, 3.56 xFIP). The longball has all the time been a problem and is a key cause he has by no means posted a sub-4.00 ERA season within the massive leagues. But it’s doable a group falls in love with the stuff and the strikeouts.
Relationship again to final yr’s preliminary bullpen conversion, Pivetta touts a 3.48 ERA with an enormous 32.1% strikeout charge throughout 160 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .202/.263/.388 in 639 plate appearances. Pivetta misplaced round a month this season to a flexor pressure in his forearm. That’s a possible concern, however there wasn’t any structural harm and he has held up since being reinstated on Could 8. Outdoors of virus-related placements, that was Pivetta’s first injured checklist stint in his MLB profession. If the forearm situation is within the rearview, he seems like a quantity innings eater with the stuff to be a No. 3 starter. Even going into his age-32 marketing campaign, he’s obtained a shot at a four-year deal if he can maintain this Okay-BB% and maintain his ERA at an affordable stage.
10. Luis Severino, SP, Mets
Severino jumped throughout city after a horrible ultimate season with the Yankees. The 2-time All-Star signed with the Mets on a pillow contract that assured him $13MM. The early returns are good. Severino has turned in a 3.29 ERA whereas averaging six innings per begin by way of his first 15 outings. It’s a marked enchancment from the 6.65 ERA that ended his time within the Bronx.
If one appeared no additional than the ERA, it’d be straightforward to conclude that Severino is again to the No. 2/No. 3 kind he’d proven for many of his Yankee tenure. It’s not that easy. Severino hasn’t recaptured the swing-and-miss stuff that primarily evaporated after 2022. This yr’s 19% strikeout charge is a match for his 18.9% mark a season in the past. His 8.5% swinging-strike proportion is down barely from final season and trending in direction of a private low. Slightly than overpowering hitters the way in which he as soon as did, Severino has gotten by with dramatically higher batted-ball outcomes than he had throughout his ultimate season with the Yankees.
The 30-year-old deserves some credit score for that. Severino has integrated a sinker that he’s utilizing round 1 / 4 of the time. Whereas the pitch doesn’t miss bats, it has helped improve his ground-ball charge to a career-high 50.8% clip. Hitters have additionally had a considerably more durable time squaring up his four-seam fastball than they did final season. Severino has mentioned he believed he was tipping his pitches final yr.
There’s definitely some quantity of fortune on this yr’s outcomes. Opponents hit .326 on balls in play final season; that’s all the way in which all the way down to .252. His charge of residence runs per fly-ball has greater than halved (from 20.9% to 9.4%). That’s not all luck, nevertheless it’d be too optimistic to wave away the position of batted ball variance solely. As is so usually the case, the reality lies someplace between the previous two seasons.
Severino shouldn’t be prone to safe the type of nine-figure deal that when appeared attainable except he dramatically improves the whiff charge. Nonetheless, there’s sufficient to love within the profile to warrant a three- or probably four-year contract. Gamers like Taijuan Walker ($72MM) and Jameson Taillon ($68MM) landed four-year ensures round $70MM with comparable profession arcs. They’d been former prime prospects who as soon as appeared like potential top-end arms earlier than settling in as mid-rotation sorts with no ton of strikeouts. Severino, who turns 31 in February, could possibly be following that trajectory. He’ll be eligible for a qualifying provide except the Mets commerce him.
Honorable Mentions (listed alphabetically): Cody Bellinger*, Matt Chapman*, Gerrit Cole *^, Paul Goldschmidt, Teoscar Hernández, Clay Holmes, Danny Jansen, Max Kepler, Tyler O’Neill, Jurickson Profar, Anthony Santander, Max Scherzer, Christian Walker
* Denotes ineligible for a qualifying provide
^ Cole can choose out of the remaining 4 years and $144MM on his contract at season’s finish, although if he indicators his intent to take action, the Yankees can override his opt-out by tacking on a tenth yr at one other $36MM. As a result of Cole was solely not too long ago reinstated from the injured checklist and since the Yankees can successfully veto his opt-out, we’re not together with him on this installment. If, because the season wears on, he’s pitching effectively sufficient to set off that opt-out and there’s speak of the Yankees permitting him to stroll, he may land on future iterations.
