Top 25 MLB Free Agents
Nos. 5 and 6
Teams looking for pitching but incapable or unwilling to shop at the extreme top of the market – the Cole, Strasburg part – have places to look. Many will look toward Hyun-Jin Ryu (6).
A Cy Young Award finalists, Ryu appeared to be the likely winner through the first two-thirds of the season. Into early August, he stood 12-2 with a 1.45 ERA for the Dodgers. His mediocre finish – a 2-3 record and 5.40 ERA through his final seven starts – may cost him some free agency money. Ryu’s age – he’ll be 33 – may also hurt him.
Zack Wheeler (5) is the other viable front-line pitching alternative. Wheeler is entering free agency off an 11-8 2019 season for the New York Mets.
The Mets have extended Wheeler a qualifying offer, meaning that signing Wheeler will cost that team a draft choice. On the plus side, Wheeler is a young veteran (he’ll be 30 next year) with a legit heater of the stripe that teams love to have.
There are risks involved, not least of which is the prospect that the market is collectively over-valuing Wheeler. He’s never won more than a dozen games, his 3.96 ERA is nothing to faint over, and his stats amounted to a 102 ERA+, labeling him barely better than average. Still, because it only takes two teams to drive a bidding war, expect Wheeler to get interest.