MLB Free Agency: Top Five Players Left and Where They Will Sign

With MLB free agency starting to kick it into gear, we look at the top five names left on the board and who they will sign with.

While a lot of people grumble about the slow MLB free agency process, everyone who deserves a contract will get signed in the next couple of weeks leading up to Spring Training.

There isn’t any sort of collusion as some have suspected, rather teams are getting smarter about how to use their money, and really it’s to the benefit of the teams and their fans. Players may not like it, but as the way things work right now it doesn’t make a lot of sense to give a guy in his early 30s a long contract.

And if players want to complain about taking shorter deals and making tens of millions a year, good luck explaining that the fans. I know the counterpoint is that it’s not fair that the owners get to hold onto to the rest of the money, but that’s why they’re the owners.

I feel like I work just as hard as anyone at my job and wish my employers would give me more money than they make, but that’s why they’re the boss.

Anyway, no matter how much longer it takes, players are going to get their contracts and get their money.

At this point, there are really just five big free agents left on the market in my opinion, and some of the lesser free agents won’t go anywhere until these guys sing.

Craig Kimbrel

It’s very ironic to me that we just saw Mariano Rivera go into the MLB Hall of Fame as the first unanimous selction, and yet Craig Kimbrel can’t find a team interested in him.

This guy has a career ERA of 1.91 and a WHIP of 0.92 with a K/9 rate of 14.7. That’s over nine seasons of work.

In 532.2 innings pitched he has only allowed 285 hits… am I missing something here!?

And I know the sabermetric people are trying to do away with the save statistic, but he has 333 of those as well, including eight straight seasons of 31 saves or more.

Kimbrel started the offseason seeking a six-year deal for around $100 million, and I think he’ll be lucky if he gets half of that figure.

The only two teams linked to him, the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves, have both made it clear they aren’t willing to spend big money on a closer.

This could honestly be someone who goes into Spring Training without a job, as he may have to wait for an injury to occur and a team to get desperate and pay him what he deserves.

Kimbrel is one free agent this offseason that I really do feel bad for as it sounds like he is not going to get paid anywhere near what he deserves.

Prediction: Red Sox

Dallas Keuchel

And for the sake of not misspelling his name anymore, we are going to call him Dallas.

Dallas is paired in with that group of players who are likely waiting on the top two guys on this list to sign. Teams that miss out on Harper and Machado will likely look to Dallas to make a splash.

He hasn’t been quite the same since winning the AL Cy Young in 2015 with 20 wins, a 2.48 ERA, and 216 strikeouts in 232 innings pitched.

He really struggled in 2016 after winning the Cy Young, but bounced back in 2017 — although he only made 23 starts that year.

Last season he managed to pitch over 200 innings again for the third time in the past six years, and he had a respectable ERA of 3.74.

A lot of people still view him as an ace because of his track record and experience, so I’m sure he’s hoping to get paid like an ace.

But at 31-years-old he shouldn’t get more than a three or four-year deal at around $20 million a year.

Teams who have shown interest that could still be in play for Keuchel are the Brewers, Astros, Braves, and Blue Jays.

Much like Kimbrel, I don’t think the Braves are willing to spend that much money on an aging Keuchel.

The Brewers are probably tapped out as well, and I don’t know what to make of Toronto.

Prediction: Astros

Manny Machado

There seems to be more buzz around Manny Machado at the moment than Bryce Harper, so I think we see Manny come off the board first — and hopefully pretty soon.

Despite the reputation that Manny has built for himself as a bad person on the field, you can’t deny that he’s on the best players in baseball.

Last year he hit .297 between the Orioles and Dodgers with 37 home runs and 107 RBI. He’s hit 33 or more home runs in four straight seasons now, and he’ll play the 2019 season at age 26.

Because of that reason, the price tag for Machado is obviously very high with many guessing he wants a 10-year contract for around $300 million.

I think any club who signs him should be creative and give him several opt-out clauses.

Another key factor to consider with Manny is that he is a Gold Glove player at third base, but is league average at shortstop.

He has made it known that he wants to stay at shortstop, so clubs may have to convince him with extra dollars if they want him to play third.

There seem to be three main teams that are tied to Machado right now in the White Sox, Padres, and Phillies.

My guess is that the Phillies are more interested in trying to get Harper, but the smart money is on them getting one or the other.

Large market teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, and Cubs would make sense, but as of today they have not shown a ton of interest.

Something tells me we see something crazy with Manny.

Prediction: White Sox

Bryce Harper

Whatever your feelings are on Bryce Harper, he’s a great player who is about to make a ton of cash.

He’s reportedly already turned down over $300 million from his former team the Nationals.

The one team that I thought made a lot of sense, and I thought they were gearing up to sign him, was the Los Angeles Dodgers. Had I written this article two days ago before they signed AJ Pollock, I would have picked the Dodgers to sign Bryce.

With them now seemingly off the board, the field is currently wide open for the 26-year-old right fielder.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Bryce’s numbers have been all over the place the past four years hitting .330, .243, .319, and .249 over those seasons. His home run numbers over that period are 42, 24, 29, and 34.

It’s also a bit concerning that he’s only played 147 or more games in three of seven seasons.

But even with all of those questions marks, he is considered one of the best players in baseball and will get over $300 million this offseason.

Not only that, but any team and their fanbase would be stocked to sign him — no matter what they say on the message boards.

Unless a mystery team comes along, or one of the big market teams decides to join the mix, it sounds like Harper is either going to end up with the Phillies or Nats.

Prediction: Phillies