The top 25 MLB free agents available this offseason
By Kevin Henry
With the World Series now in the rearview mirror, the Major League Baseball offseason can officially begin.
Of course, the offseason includes movement by free agents. While we don’t know what role a potential work stoppage can or could have with the MLB offseason, we do know that, when baseball begins next season, there will be plenty of new faces on new teams thanks to free agency, trades, etc.
Who are the top 25 MLB free agents available this offseason?
Using this list which documented FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement (WAR) from the 2020 and 2021 season as a measuring tool, let’s rank the top free agents available and what we know about their past and perhaps their future.
As a note, if a player had a club or mutual option or opt-out clause, he was not included in this list.
With that in mind, we’ll start with numbers 21-25 on the list.
T-21. Raisel Iglesias (3.1 fWAR)
In his first season with the Los Angeles Angels, the 31-year-old right-hander led the American League with 59 games finished and posted 34 saves, tying a career-high. Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Iglesias has 30 or more saves in three consecutive seasons.
T-21. Alex Cobb (3.1 fWAR)
Another member of the Los Angeles Angels, Cobb went 8-3 with a 3.76 ERA in 18 starts this past season, striking out 98 in 93.1 innings pitched. The right-hander missed almost two months of the 2021 season with right wrist inflammation but came back to make three solid starts in September.
23. Anthony DeSclafani (3.0 fWAR)
A one-year, $6 million deal with the San Francisco Giants made DeSclafani look like a bargain this season after the right-hander posted a career-high 13 wins and career-low 3.17 ERA and 3.62 FIP. His pair of complete-game shutouts led all MLB pitchers.
24. Michael Conforto (2.9 fWAR)
The former 10th overall draft pick had a much stronger 2020 (.322/.412/.515 with an OPS of .927 in 202 at-bats) for the New York Mets than he did in 2021 (.232/.344/.384 with an OPS of .729 in 406 at-bats).
Conforto, who primarily played right field over the last two seasons, finished 2021 on a tear, however, going 9-for-23 over the final seven games, including this home run in Atlanta.
25. Anthony Rizzo (2.7 fWAR)
Whether he was on the Chicago Cubs or New York Yankees in 2021, Rizzo was consistent last season, slashing .248/.346/.446 with an OPS of .792 in 323 at-bats as a member of the Cubs before being traded to the Big Apple at the trade deadline. Once in New York, his numbers were .249/.340/.428 with an OPS of .768 in 173 at-bats.
The 32-year-old first baseman has 291 career homers, including 23 last season.