MLB free agency: The 3 best relievers still available

The free agent market for MLB relievers took a massive hit very early on when Edwin Díaz, Robert Suarez, and Rafael Montero all took large contracts with their current teams. Díaz’s contract broke a record in both AAV and total money for relievers. Suarez was pitching in Japan two years ago, and locked down $46 million after a stellar season. Lastly, the Houston Astros locked down Montero without even having an active GM.

The MLB reliever market was pretty thin after that, and got even thinner when Taylor Rogers, Kenley Jansen, and Seth Lugo (among others) also received contracts. Almost every team in the league could use more relievers, and they are going to have to go shopping in the discount section to find solutions.

That is not to say that you can’t find solid arms outside of the top available (it’s certainly doable and happens every year). The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays are two notable teams who seem to pluck guys that nobody wants out of thin air and turn them into sub-2.00 ERA pitchers all the time.

All hope is certainly not lost for competing MLB teams to find impact arms.

In this article, I will take you through potential free agent reliever options who could make that jump for an MLB team this season.

Close, but no cigar

First, I wanted to touch on some intriguing names that didn’t quite crack the top three on our list but still could make an impact for a team this season.

The New York Yankees left a few intriguing options to the free agent market. Chad Green is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery and will not turn in a full 2023 season, but he has been an elite arm in the Bronx bullpen for years. Zack Britton hasn’t pitched to full potential in recent years and has missed some time, but may be worth a flier.

Corey Knebel turned a 3.43 ERA in 44.2 innings last year. The Steamer projections expect some regression, but certainly still a serviceable arm. Another Phillie, Brad Hand, turned in really solid numbers in 40+ innings last year as well to the tune of a 2.80 ERA. He would have cracked this list if his advanced metrics supported his ERA.

Trevor Rosenthal is attempting to make a comeback after not pitching since 2020, but claims he is fully healthy and could be a legitimate buy-low candidate. Lastly, Archie Bradley still needs a home (and I am sure he doesn’t intend to jump over any dugout fences this year).

There are still plenty of options to left to fill gaps in your bullpen. None of these players figure to make or break a staff, but can provide quality innings.

#2. Michael Fulmer

2022: 3.39 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 0.7 fWAR

2023 Steamer Projections via FanGraphs: 4.09 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 0.2 fWAR

To be entirely transparent, I imagined Fulmer being a little bit higher on this list when I started, but the Steamer projections tempered my expectations a bit. However, a repeat of the last two years could make him one of the steal relievers of the year.

Fulmer came up in the league originally as a starting pitcher, and started off his career with back-to-back 3+ WAR seasons as a starter. That was good enough for him to win an American League Rookie of the Year award in 2016. In 2021, he transitioned into a nearly full-time reliever and posted a 2.97 ERA and a 1.5 WAR.

Another perk of signing of Fulmer would be his ability to make spot starts or pitch in long relief if necessary. In a long season, it’s nice to have guys who can fill multiple roles for your team.

After spending his career with the Detroit Tigers, Fulmer was traded to the Minnesota Twins at the deadline and made 26 appearances for them last year. The reason for his modest projections could be his 1.56 WHIP and 3.70 ERA for the Twins in those appearances.

At age 29, he’s also the youngest player on this list. Fulmer is a legitimate candidate to make a team who waited to sign a reliever very happy.

#1. Andrew Chafin

2022: 2.83 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 0.9 fWAR

2023 Steamer projections via FanGraphs: 3.65 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 0.4 fWAR

Yes, number 1 on my list is a 32-year-old journeyman. After 5.5 up and down years with the Diamondbacks, he spent some time with the Cubs, Athletics, and Tigers most recently. In 2021, between Chicago and Oakland, he posted a 1.83 ERA and a 1.4 WAR over 68.2 innings. Those are not numbers to scoff at whatsoever.

According to Baseball Savant, his chase rate was in the 89th percentile last year, and his whiff rate was in the 87th. That is mostly due to his slider, which was practically unhittable. He has five seasons with a K/9 above 10 at this point, including last year.

Is there risk involved? Yes, of course there is. He declined his $6.5 million player option with the Tigers this offseason, so he obviously figures to make at least $7 million. However, the risk/reward for a player like Chafin at around $7 million would be too good for me to pass up.

Not to mention, have you ever seen his mustache?