Top five MLB free agents not named Juan Soto

From the most experienced baseball fans to fairweather ones, everyone knows that Juan Soto is the top free agent this offseason. Even though Soto is at the forefront of most baseball fans’ minds, there are plenty of other free agents who deserve big contracts and recognition this winter.

Below are the top five of those free agents, listed by a combination of wins above replacement (WAR) and recent performance.

5. Pete Alonso

That’s right, Pete Alonso, 2019’s NL Rookie of the Year and the face of the New York Mets, is a free agent this offseason. After playing 162 games for the first time in his career last year, Alonso accumulated 34 homers and 88 RBIs, with a .788 OPS.

For many other first basemen, this seems like a career year. For Alonso, this is all career lows (outside of the shortened 2020). This means the 29-year-old is entering free agency in a career-worst year, but many teams need a franchise bat and front offices will be willing to bank on Alonso’s past production returning for the future.

4. Anthony Santander

Despite just reaching his first all-star selection as a 29-year-old, Anthony Santander would be a steal for any team in need of a powerful outfield bat that doesn’t want to pay for Juan Soto.

Over the last three years, the switch-hitter has cemented himself as one of the prominent bats in the Orioles’ lineup, hitting 25 or more home runs, 20 or more doubles, and coining a .770 or better OPS. Also, Santander only committed two errors in right field last season, which is a great improvement compared to the past few seasons.

With his bat and glove continuing to improve, Santander’s and his 44 homers last year make him a fun signing for many teams.

3. Willy Adames

Since being traded from the Rays to the Brewers, Willy Adames has come into his own as one of the top offensive shortstops in the league. This past season, Adames had his best power season yet, hitting 33 doubles and 32 homers, as well as stealing a career-high 21 bases.

Since his time in Tampa Bay, Adames has also improved defensively, producing a positive defensive WAR in each of the last three years. With Adames continuing to improve in all aspects of the game at a premium position, he should be able to secure a massive contract with a contender this offseason.

2. Alex Bregman

Even though Adames had a higher WAR last year (4.8 versus 4.1), 30-year-old Alex Bregman may be able to secure a more lucrative contract, despite posting career lows in all stats.

All teams have to look at is the past production from Bregman, and he immediately becomes an interesting case for a large contract. In 2018, the former Astros third baseman posted a 7.9 WAR with 51 doubles, 31 homers, an all-star appearance and ranked fifth in MVP voting.

He then followed 2018 with an even better 2019, where he hit 41 homers, had a second consecutive all-star appearance, a Silver Slugger and placed second in MVP voting, just behind Mike Trout. Just last season, Bregman posted only a 4.1 WAR, hitting 26 home runs, 30 doubles and winning a Gold Glove. So why is he second?

Bregman recently stated that he’d play second base as well (something he hasn’t done since 2018), giving teams the option to move him around. His multi-positionality, World Series experience and productivity since 2018 should net him a very lucrative deal.

1. Corbin Burnes

According to the Athletic, Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Winner, should get the second largest contract of the offseason behind Soto.

Since his 2021 breakout year, Burnes has been an all-star in each of those four seasons, has had a 3.40 ERA or lower, pitched 167 or more innings and had 180 or more strikeouts. This past year was just his first year since then not receiving any Cy Young votes (as of the writing of this article).

Even though his strikeout numbers were lower than normal last year, he had his second-lowest ERA in a season in that span, tossing a 2.92. He also has cemented himself as a dominant ace who can also eat innings, something that is highly valued by a lot of front offices.

These statistics all speak for themselves. Burnes is one of the best arms in baseball, and no matter the situation or team, he can get the job done. Lots of teams are willing to break the bank for Burnes, and rightfully so.

Honorable Mentions: Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki

Blake Snell

Blake Snell is an interesting case this offseason. After winning the Cy Young in 2023, Snell struggled to find a home until Spring Training, when he signed a 2-year contract with an opt-out with the San Francisco Giants.

After beginning the season with an ERA of no less than 5.79 for the first three months, Snell locked back in during July, tossing a 0.75 ERA for the month and finishing with a 3.12 on the year.

He will most likely demand a massive average salary close to Burnes, which may scare front offices away from him, but his performance over the last two years may attract one team to give him what he wants.

Roki Sasaki

Roki Sasaki was recently posted by the Chiba Lotte Mariners in Japan to be signed by any MLB team. While many casual fans don’t know who Sasaki is, the dedicated fans understand the hype.

The flame-throwing right-hander has posted a 2.35 ERA or below in all four of his seasons as a professional in Japan, as well as a career 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

He’s an honorable mention due to the uncertainty of what his contract will be and the fact that many believe he’s already primed to be a Dodger because of his ties with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani.

Dylan Sechrist is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dks5749@psu.edu.