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MLB Free Agency: Tarik Skubal, Teruaki Sato headline a 2026-27 offseason fraught with uncertainty
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- MLB Free Agency: Tarik Skubal, Teruaki Sato headline a 2026-27 offseason fraught with uncertainty
Get ready for one of the weakest and weirdest MLB free agencies in recent memory.
Outside of all-world left-hander Tarik Skubal , this winter's group of free agents is devoid of superstar talent — especially among position players.
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There are a few potential difference-makers, though the class could thin out even further if any of the eight players who received the one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer from their incumbent clubs decides to accept.
Dramatically complicating the 2026-27 offseason is the fast-approaching expiration of baseball's collective bargaining agreement on Dec. 1, with a lengthy work stoppage all but certain to follow until a new CBA is reached.
That will take months, which means free agency is set to grind to a halt until the MLB owners, who want a salary cap, and the MLB Players Association, which staunchly rejects one, can find common ground.
The offseason is now officially underway, so free agents can sign a contract any time between now and Dec. 1.
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But with so much uncertainty hanging over what the next CBA will look like, teams probably won't be willing to hand out big-money, multi-year contracts until a new deal is reached — likely sometime in 2027.
Whether they sign now or many months in the future, here are the best available free agents:
Tarik Skubal
The clear prize of this class, Skubal is expected to command a record-setting contract that could exceed $400 million in total value.
Skubal, who turns 30 this month, went 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 158.2 innings with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers last season.
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That's after he won back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025.
Any team that signs Skubal must be comfortable with his health, as the lefty missed six weeks before the All-Star break due to a revolutionary NanoScope surgery to remove a loose body in his throwing elbow.
But if all checks out — and the new CBA allows for it — Skubal should shatter Yoshinobu Yamamoto's historic $325 million contract with the Dodgers. He could surpass the record-setting $43.3 million annual salaries the Mets paid Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, too.
The Dodgers remain the favorite to retain Skubal, but could the Mets — who typically haven't shopped at the top of the pitching market under David Stearns — make an exception after back-to-back playoff misses ?
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Freddy Peralta
After last offseason's trade to the Mets, the right-handed Peralta struggled in Queens, going 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA.
But the former Milwaukee Brewers ace, 30, returned to form after an August trade to the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching to a 3.25 ERA in 10 regular season starts and a 2.95 ERA in the playoffs.
The ALCS MVP generated far fewer strikeouts and swings-and-misses this year, even though his velocity remained in line with his typical averages.
Still, Peralta did enough down the stretch to restore some value and should garner interest as a lower-cost — but still not cheap — top-of-the-rotation alternative to Skubal.
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Teruaki Sato
Arguably the most compelling bat in free agency has never played in the majors.
Sato, a Yakult Swallows slugger who just won the Triple Crown in Japan, is set to bring his enviable power to the United States.
The main questions surrounding the 27-year-old third baseman — a high strikeout rate and below-average defense that could prompt a position change — are similar to those that accompanied Munetaka Murakami last winter.
But Sato should have a sizable market after he hit .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBI in the Nippon Professional Baseball league last season.
Seeking more offense, the Yankees could be a fit for Sato, whose left-handed power swing fits their standard profile.
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Adrian Morejon
Morejon was the setup man to Mason Miller in San Diego, but that won't deter teams from paying him closer money in free agency.
A left-hander with a 100-mph fastball, Morejon ranked fourth among MLB relievers in WAR (2.8) and third in innings pitched (86.0) in 2026.
He went 9-3 with a 2.83 ERA and averaged 11.20 strikeouts per nine innings.
The Padres made Morejon the qualifying offer, meaning a team will have to surrender draft compensation to sign the soon-to-be-28-year-old. But look for his market to flourish nonetheless.
The Yankees showed interest before the trade deadline.
David Bednar
It wouldn't be surprising to see Bednar, one of this free agency's other top relievers, accept the Yankees' qualifying offer.
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But Bednar, 32, could also seek a longer-term deal after going 7-3 with a 2.47 ERA and 35 saves in 39 chances in 2026.
The Yankees haven't signed a reliever to a big-money contract since 2019, but retaining Bednar would go a long way for a bullpen with numerous other free agents, including Paul Blackburn.
There could be a nice market for Bednar, as the Atlanta Braves' Raisel Iglesias (2.55 ERA, 34 saves) is the only other upper-tier free-agent closer.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Unlike with Bednar, the Yankees did not extend the qualifying offer to Chisholm, who endured a down season in 2026.
After hitting 31 home runs with an .813 OPS in 2025, Chisholm totaled only 19 homers with a .711 OPS last season.
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Still, the lefty-hitting second baseman is one of the best position players in this class due to his power, pedigree, defensive talent and speed (he stole 41 bases last season).
Chisholm, who turns 29 in February, has said he wants to return to the Bronx, but that feels less likely after a 2026 campaign that also included a few unwanted distractions.
Jake Bauers
It's been a winding road for Bauers, a former touted prospect who bounced around the league before breaking out in his age-30 season with the champion Brewers this year.
The lefty-swinging Bauers hit 26 homers with an .874 OPS in the regular season, then won NLCS MVP in October.
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Could the onetime Yankee return to New York and solve the Mets' issues at first base?
Michael King
The ever-steady King pitched to a 3.21 ERA over 32 starts with the Padres, then opted out of the final two seasons of his three-year, $75 million contract.
That makes King — who boasts a 3.15 ERA in his three seasons as a full-time starter — one of the top pitchers on the market.
The right-hander turns 32 in May.
Trevor Rogers
The left-handed Rogers has flashed his upside at times, including in 2025 when he pitched to a 1.81 ERA in 18 starts with the Baltimore Orioles.
Consistency has been a bigger problem for the lefty, who had a 4.03 ERA in 2026 but pitched to a 2.90 ERA over his final 20 starts.
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The below-the-hood metrics are favorable for Rogers, who could fetch considerable money from a team projecting him to take the next step.
The O's made the qualifying offer to Rogers, who turns 29 this month.
Seiya Suzuki
Teams in need of right-handed power or corner outfield help will look to Suzuki, who hit 26 home runs with an .840 OPS for the Chicago Cubs last season.
The 32-year-old just delivered a career-best defensive season in right field, too.
The Cubs extended Suzuki the qualifying offer.
Randy Arozarena
Checking some of the same boxes is Arozarena, a righty-swinging left fielder who just hit 26 homers with an .865 OPS for the Seattle Mariners.
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Arozarena is a below-average defender, but the three-time All-Star has hit at least 20 homers in six straight seasons.
He turns 32 in February and received the qualifying offer from Seattle.
Brandon Lowe
Second base might be the deepest free-agent position, as Lowe just recorded 35 homers, 96 RBI and an .824 OPS while playing improved defense for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Lowe is 32 and received the qualifying offer from Pittsburgh, but look for the left-handed hitter to land one of the largest deals of the offseason.
Luis Arraez
And then there's Arraez, who had to settle for a one-year, $12 million contract last offseason.
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Arraez remains the same contact-oriented singles hitter that not every modern front office covets, but the second baseman's significantly improved defense in 2026 should help him earn a bigger payday this time around.
The 29-year-old hit .310 with six homers and a .765 OPS with the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies in 2026.
