For those still unaware, all the top-tier pitchers have now found new homes. Johnny Cueto signed with San Francisco, Zack Greinke ditched Los Angeles for Arizona, Jordan Zimmerman is headed to the Motor City and David Price is now with the Red Sox.
As for the position players, teams can no longer hope to recruit Jason Heyward, who is the latest and biggest acquisition of the Cubs. But the off-season actions are far from over with a handful of solid options still up for grabs.
Let’s now take a quick look at the top five names still lingering around the free agency market. And while you’re at it, you can indulge yourself with some football action via our NFL Week 15 Picks and Predictions piece.
[sc:MLBArticles ]The Top 5 MLB Free Agents Still Available
Yoenis Cespedes
[sc:MLB240banner ]With Jason Heyward off the board, the most skilled outfielder and power-hitter left now is undoubtedly Yoenis Cespedes. Despite falling short of leading the New York Mets to a World Series title, the Cuban slugger can still provide a tremendous boost for any team looking to—at least—make a strong bid for a postseason berth or a championship. Across his four seasons—on four different teams—in the majors, Cespedes has blasted 106 homers in total and holds a respectable triple-slash line of .271/.319/.486.
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels have yet to make a big splash in this year’s off-season, but it seems like they could make a one through Cespedes.
According to the New York Daily News’ Mark Fiensand, the club is actually very interested in acquiring Cespedes for the upcoming new season. Without a doubt, his addition will truly be a huge upgrade for the Angels’ current left field options. Plus, he’ll also be able to help them survive life without Albert Pujols, who’s likely to miss the early part of the season after undergoing a right foot surgery.
San Francisco Giants
Looks like the San Francisco Giants’ aren’t done making some game-changing moves. The Giants, who also have left field problems, would certainly receive a huge boost by adding Cespedes. But after spending a lot on Johnny Cueto ($130M) and Jeff Samardzija ($90M), it’s hard to see if they’ll have enough cash to acquire another marquee free agent.
Justin Upton
Over the last nine years, Justin Upton’s been one of baseball’s best hitters. In that stretch, he’s accumulated 190 homers and 616 RBIs while carrying a .271 batting average. He’s also nailed at least 25 or more home runs in the past three seasons. Teams are bound to drool when looking at a power-hitter like Upton, who has yet to reach his ceiling. But of course, he comes at a pretty high value.
Baltimore Orioles
Upton’s addition will be very beneficial for the Baltimore Orioles. He’ll both be able to lessen the effect of Chris Davis’ potential departure and fill in one of the team’s outfield corners. It’ll be interesting though, if the Orioles will be willing to pay beyond their initial $154 million (seven years) offer to Davis, who’s apparently searching for a better deal.
Los Angeles Angels
As mentioned earlier, the Angels are looking to provide some answers to their left field issues. Hence, Upton provides them another option if the team fails in its pursuit of the likes of Alex Gordon or Yoenis Cespedes.
Alex Gordon
Speaking of Alex Gordon, he can also expect a big pay for the upcoming season. The three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner has demonstrated the speed and power to get on base. In nine years in the league, he owns a career stat line of .269/.348/.435 along with 134 dingers. Which team would be willing to spend a lot of cash on a talent like him?
San Francisco Giants
The Giants are reportedly “hot” in acquiring Gordon. This could just become a reality with the team in need of a consistent reliable left fielder. Gordon’s left-handed bat and defensive are exactly the assets they’re looking for.
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are still hoping to re-sign their longest-tenured player, Alex Gordon, through a cheaper deal. The chances of that happening seem to be pretty slim with numerous teams vying for the services of the 31-year-old left-fielder. But there is still a reasonable chance that the Royals might just give in, as Gordon’s repertoire will be a very huge blow to their chances of defending the title next season.
Mike Leake
With all the top-tier starting hurlers off the board, the next best option is arguably Mike Leake, who found himself heading to San Francisco at last season’s trade deadline. The 28-year-old righty held an 11-10 win-loss record with a 3.70 ERA through 30 starts between the Reds and Giants in 2015. In that stretch, he also delivered 119 strikeouts.
Washington Nationals
The D-Backs were initially close to acquiring Leake, but they apparently lost interest in him after acquiring the pair of Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller. In effect, the Washington Nationals have now become his top suitors. Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo is really serious about adding Leake into his current pitching staff headlined by Max Scherzer and his addition can certainly provide more versatility and experience to the team’s already-strong mix of starters.
Chris Davis
Chris Davis brings in an enormous amount of power to any team. He proved just that with Baltimore last year, exploding for an MLB-best of 47 home runs. But at the same time, he led the league in strikeouts (208). Nonetheless, he’s bound to get a huge pay check from teams who are desperate for his top-tier skills.
Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore offered Chris Davis a seven-year, $154 million dollar contract that was negated. Davis and his agent are apparently choosing to wait around further and hope for a bigger deal. Their asking price might be a bit too high which could eventually force them to accept the initial offer from the O’s.
Toronto Blue Jays
Despite the risks that Davis brings, the Toronto Blue Jays have a considerable amount of interest on him. Their power-hitters in Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Russell Martin are all right-handed. Adding Davis’ left-handed bat should add another dimension to their offense and make it even scarier.
Create a betting account now and prepare for the new Major League Baseball season. It’ll be here before you know it.
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