MLB Free Agents 2024-25: Which Hidden Gems Will Transform Their New Teams Overnight?

Here we go — another chilly offseason but a sizzling hot stove buzzing with intrigue and endless questions. What exactly will it take to get these MLB free agents to ink that all-important contract? Is it the allure of a historic payday? The promise of contending for a title? Or maybe just that perfect mix of dollars and years that makes everyone nod in unison? Between Juan Soto headlining a market brimming with pitchers (and plenty of calculators clicking away in front offices), teams are about to face some real mental gymnastics deciding who’s worth what, and for how long.

But here’s the twist: this isn’t just about the zeros on a paycheck. It’s about impact — the kind that changes seasons, ignites fan bases, and maybe… just maybe, rewrites a little baseball history. So buckle up because we’re diving headfirst into the top 25 free agents who could shake up the league the most. Who’s going to inspire the multi-million-dollar ‘yes’? Who’s that diamond in the rough begging for a big chance? And what wild contracts might just blow everyone’s minds?

Let’s sort the contenders from the pretenders, and maybe ponder this alongside me — if players could talk contract numbers with their bats, what would they say?

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Why you want him: His sinker-slider combo is the raison d’être for the Pitching Ninja movement overlays. As long as the 37-year-old Treinen wants to try, someone will employ him to hurl baseballs like that.

Why you want him: He prevents runs. How’s that for a selling point?

What it will take: Assuming he doesn’t accept the Arizona Diamondbacks’ qualifying offer, Walker is in line for three years and at least million a year.

His strikeout rate has dipped precipitously from his award-winning heyday, largely because of how he deploys his trademark cutter – more for weak contact than for whiffs – yet his velocity was up slightly in 2024. It’s a less dominant profile than it was a few years ago, which will lead to some hand-wringing that is unfortunately always justified when starting pitchers cross over into their 30s. Still, there’s no way of reading into Burnes without concluding he’s still one of the best in baseball.

Fried boasts the best ERA over the past five seasons (minimum 500 innings), and the best ERA over the past three seasons (minimum 400 innings). The left-hander, who will turn 31 in January, works with more subtlety than your typical frontline starter. His strikeout rate hovers around a mundane 23%, but he racks up ground balls and avoids homers like the plague, feeding into a 70 BIP- that shows his contact management was second only to Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros in 2024.

Why you want him: He’s looking to cash in after signing a one-year, .5 million prove-it deal ahead of last season. His 2024 was a pitch-perfect return to his good-average, great-power days of 2020-22. Anyone would happily slot .274 and 34 homers into the order, which are Hernandez’s averages per 162 games over the last five years.

1. Juan Soto, OF

Let’s rank MLB’s most promising free agents.

What it will take: A short-term deal worth at least million per year seems most likely for a young hitter who might want another crack at the market.

He swings more than you’d advise (77 discipline+), and makes more contact than you’d expect (106 contact+). That adds up to a lower on-base percentage and at least some room for growth with the bat as he likely shuffles toward the designated hitter life.

Perhaps more importantly, Kim rates as a strong defender at shortstop and could be an excellent one at second base. Having just turned 29, he could certainly maintain that for three or four more years.

2. Corbin Burnes, RHP

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Why you want him: You just can’t go out and get a surefire top-five hitter in baseball at age 26. Except for right now.

What it will take: More than a one-year deal. Right? A season after a delayed, stunted signing with the San Francisco Giants, expect a shorter-term deal worth more than million per year.

Why you want him: Supercharged by an 87-mph slider, Hoffman’s two years in the Phillies bullpen produced a 2.28 ERA across 118.2 innings. He’s not a gold-plated closer at this point, but his journey from failed starter to dominant reliever gives him a wider arsenal and more escape hatches if he runs into trouble. His expected strikeout and walk rates were better than fireballing lefty Tanner Scott, the reliever likely to earn the biggest contract this winter.

3. Roki Sasaki, RHP

What it will take: His deal may not extend beyond five years, but Fried should ask for an average annual value that matches or exceeds the far less consistent Carlos Rodon’s million. It seems likely his total guarantee will come in under 5 million.

Why you want him: The cutter maestro who won the 2021 NL Cy Young with the Milwaukee Brewers joined the Baltimore Orioles in a blockbuster deal last winter and held up his end of the bargain, capping a sterling half decade with 2.92 ERA across 32 starts and 194.1 innings. His 76 raw value- (RV-) ranked fifth among qualified pitchers.

What it will take: Not all that much! Hoffman will probably get something between million and million per year across two or three years.

Why you want him: There’s a world in which we look back and realize a dominant Kikuchi was unlocked in a half season with Houston. Kikuchi thrived with the Astros, amping up his slider use – and, as a result, his strikeout rate – in 60 innings after the trade from the Toronto Blue Jays. His 2.70 ERA in that stint is tantalizing, even as the walks and homers loom in his stat sheet.

4. Max Fried, LHP

What it will take: A classic two-year, million closer or setup man situation.

Why you want him: An all-around player whose glove is the rare value add at the cold corner, Walker nonetheless posted a better RV+ than Alonso or Santander in an injury-interrupted 2024. If he remains relatively healthy as he enters his age-34 season, he’s probably a steal.

Why you want him: Buoyed by a smart plate approach (his 119 discipline+ was a top-15 mark in 2024 among hitters with 400+ plate appearances) and excellent defense in the middle infield, Kim churns out quiet value. He has improved his contact rate in each year since making the leap from Korea, which means he now walks almost as much as he strikes out, conjuring a useful offensive force even without significant power.

Why you want him: You were outbid for Santander or Hernandez and can replace a healthy portion of their production just by slotting Pederson in against right-handers. The slugger who should really only operate as a DH is the league’s best platoon player. Within his role, he logged a RV+ that sandwiched in between Gunnar Henderson and Bryce Harper .

5. Alex Bregman, 3B

All of these players are appealing. But when push comes to shove, what is the argument that will convince team executives to sign on the dotted line? And what will the numbers look like on that contract?

What it will take: Pony up, those homers are expensive. Expect a deal of four years or more that approaches nine figures.

Why you want him: Inspired by Chris Sale, the towering lefty dropped down to a lower arm angle and immediately boosted his strikeout rate and opponents’ batting average while cutting his walk rate. It won’t cost you the farm to see if there’s more to unlock as he becomes more comfortable with his new delivery.

Why you want him: The 29-year-old righty who played on the same high school team with Fried and Lucas Giolito (in case you hadn’t heard) has frontline potential. Across four teams in the past two years, he has occasionally reached it and more often slipped into homer-prone fits and starts. The arm that twirled a brilliant 2019 is in there, and perhaps needs encouragement to lean further into his slider and curveball. His once-potent fastball probably isn’t going to reach its old level at 93 mph.

6. Willy Adames, SS

What will convince players to sign on the dotted line? And what will the numbers look like on that contract? We rank the MLB free agents available this offseason.

Why you want him: There’s a non-negligible chance Sasaki goes full Jacob deGrom during the team control years of the franchise that signs him. Oh right, because the 23-year-old right-hander is making the jump from Japan before turning 25, he will be limited to an amateur-style minor-league deal with “team control years” a la Shohei Ohtani’s arrival with the Los Angeles Angels.

Why you want him: You just sorted the MLB leaderboards by home runs and wow, look at that. The 30-year-old former Rule 5 pick gave himself a terrific free-agency platform by blasting 44 homers for the Orioles last season, but his appeal is slightly more nuanced. Over the past three seasons, only five hitters have more homers than Santander’s 105, and all of them strike out more often than he does (20.5%).

7. Blake Snell, LHP

He’s still playable at second with at least some chance at improving with experience, and the bat could handle a move down the defensive spectrum if necessary.

The relatively lithe Fried has never thrown more than 185.1 frames in a season, which will limit confidence in his long-range durability, but he’s also never been anything other than good. Don’t be surprised if he winds up being the smartest pitcher signing of the winter.

Why you want him: A 29-year-old shortstop with 30-homer power, Adames promises pop at a strong defensive position. That position might eventually be third base, but he’s still a capable glove up the middle who will draw interest from some prominent teams in need (hello, Los Angeles Dodgers).

8. Ha-Seong Kim, SS

As ever, the 32-year-old Snell was a bat-missing strikeout monster who’s also prone to missing other things. Starts, the strike zone, the sixth inning. Older and wiser – er, sorry, wilder – than Fried, they get to similar places in very different ways. Snell’s formula feels a bit more tenuous despite his sterling inning-for-inning numbers.

Why you want him: Like a funhouse mirror version of Kim, Torres builds on similarly stellar swing decisions – his discipline+ ranked behind only Soto and Andrew McCutchen – with power that (usually) speaks loudly. Though the overall numbers were down a bit in 2024, it’s likely that he still has plenty of thump in the bat heading into his age-28 season.

What it will take: A mortal lock to land on a team chasing a ring, Eovaldi could feasibly photocopy the three-year, million deal which he recently opted out of and hand it to his favorite suitor.

9. Anthony Santander, OF

What it will take: A worse contract year will keep Bregman under the seven-year, 5 million deal that Marcus Semien signed with the TexasRangers in a frothing market, but the value calculation seems similar, if not favorable for Bregman.

The post MLB Free Agents 2024-25: Ranking the Players Ready to Make the Biggest Impact appeared first on Opta Analyst.

Why you want him: Among hurlers who pitched 100 or more innings in 2024, only Paul Skenes had a better RV-, and only Garrett Crochet had a better whiff+.

10. Pete Alonso, 1B

What it will take: Something like million across no more than four years.

A bedrock member of the Astros core, Bregman peaked as a legitimate MVP candidate when his pull power potential went farther (literally) in 2018 and 2019, but even with 25 homers instead of 40, he’s a consistent asset. With a sharp eye and elite contact skills – his 109 contact+ was a top-10 number among qualified hitters in 2024 – Bregman has about as reliable a skill set as you’re going to find. His walk rate declined noticeably in 2024, but the overall plate discipline picture still looked strong, finishing with a 114 discipline+.

11. Sean Manaea, LHP

Why you want him: The barrel-chested O’Neill might be a couple tweaks away from becoming next year’s Brent Rooker. Or the wild swings between months of mashing, months of striking out and months of sitting on the IL could continue. With enough defensive value still there in the corner outfield, someone will take a shot after O’Neill finished 2024 with a relatively positive 113 RV+.

Blake Treinen, 97 mph Sinker & 85mph Sweeper, Overlay.

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