The starting pitching market has been fairly unpredictable during the offseason so far. However, it's slowly taken shape and top-tier options have dwindled down to just a few. Pitchers have received astronomical amounts, so teams have had to be careful with their decision making.
Max Fried, Blake Snell, Yusei Kikuchi, Nathan Eovaldi, Sean Manaea, and Walker Buehler have all been taken off the board. Whether it's for the top or bottom of the rotation, there are still a few options available for clubs to consider adding for 2025.
Here are the best starting pitching free agents still available this offseason
Corbin Burnes
Burnes has been linked to a few teams this offseason including the Dodgers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Giants, and Mets. The Athletic has him projected to earn a seven-year contract worth $217 million. However, Max Fried received an eight-year, $218 contract after projecting well below that number.
Corbin Burnes, Frisbee 84mph Sweeper. 🥏
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 1, 2024
21 inches of horizontal break. pic.twitter.com/9ERXwyqzCz
Burnes is likely to get more than the projected salary as we know his agent Scott Boras will find a team willing to pay top dollar. Burnes has seen a decline in velocity over the past couple of years, but he's still one of the best pitchers in baseball. The California native ranked third in the American League in innings, fourth in ERA, and 10th in strikeouts last season with the Orioles.
The talented right-hander would be a welcome sight for any contending team; he's been named an All-Star in four consecutive seasons. During those four years (2021-2024), Burnes accumulated a 16.5 WAR, a 2.94 ERA, a 3.08 FIP, 199 BB, and 858 K over 757 innings.
Jack Flaherty
Flaherty is an interesting choice for teams as he looked great for the Tigers and Dodgers last season. He ended the year with a 3.17 ERA, a 3.47 FIP, 34 walks, and 194 strikeouts through 162 innings pitched. However, Flaherty has struggled with staying healthy, so teams could be wary of a long-term contract with the 29-year-old.
FanGraphs projects Flaherty to sign a four-year, $88 million contract. There are plenty of teams that could benefit from his services. MLB insider Jim Bowden recently stated he'd like to see the Atlanta Braves take a chance on the talented righty to replace their loss of Max Fried.
Nick Pivetta
Nick Pivetta's 10Ks. pic.twitter.com/MR3GnS7dRZ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 26, 2024
Pivetta is an interesting option as he's never had a season with an ERA lower than 4.00. His career ERA is 4.76 and that's mostly due to allowing a lot of home runs — Pivetta has allowed 20+ homers in every season except the shortened 2020 season. He is not a ground ball pitcher by any means.
Regardless of that, Pivetta had impressive strikeout and walk rates last season. Baseball Savant thought highly of his strikeout rate (28.9%) and walk rate (6.1%). Over the last two seasons, the 31-year-old has walked just 86 batters and struck out 355 of them.
He also declined his qualifying offer from the Red Sox, which means any team that signs him will lose a draft pick. However, there is upside as Pivetta can be hard to hit when he is at his best. He features a riding four-seamer, a great curveball, a sweeping slider, and a cutter. FanGraphs has the Canada native signing a three-year contract worth around $45 million.
José Quintana
It's hard to believe but José Quintana has been in baseball for 13 years now. He is now 35 years old and has struggled to stay healthy in the last few years, which has affected his ability to pitch a lot of innings. However, that improved in 2024, as he tossed 170 1/3 innings (31 starts) for the Mets.
Quintana earned a 3.75 ERA with 63 walks and 135 strikeouts. While his strikeout and walk rates weren't phenomenal last season, he excelled at getting ground ball outs and limiting barrels.
José Quintana's 2Ks in the 5th.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 9, 2024
6Ks thru 5. pic.twitter.com/7wQ7JYO0cr
He is usually a very dependable starter when he is healthy, but there are some rocky innings here and there. However, teams interested in his services will look to his veteran experience and strong finish to the 2024 season to make their decision. He ended September with a 0.75 ERA over 25 innings (four starts) with six walks and 23 strikeouts.
FanGraphs has the right-hander earning a two-year contract worth $24 million. For that price, Quintana would be a bargain add to the end of any contender's rotation.