3 bargain free agents for the MLB offseason

Escalating salaries in Major League Baseball have rendered free agency an inefficient way to acquire talent. However, there's always a handful of players each offseason with the potential to provide a massive bargain to their new clubs.

Here are three players who could fit that description:

Luke Hochevar

The fraternity of relievers who posted a strikeout rate above 30 percent while walking fewer than seven percent of opposing hitters last season includes just five members: Koji Uehara, Sean Doolittle, Jake McGee, Joaquin Benoit and Yusmeiro Petit. 

Uehara recently re-signed with the Boston Red Sox for $18 million and Benoit is heading into the second season of a three-year, $15.5-million deal with the San Diego Padres. All five pitchers, however, would undoubtedly command good money on the open market.

Teams scouring the market for relief help this winter have the rare opportunity to add a pitcher who met these criteria just two seasons ago in Luke Hochevar, who crafted a 1.92 ERA for the Kansas City Royals in 2013. 

The caveat is that he missed the entire 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Hochevar, the first overall pick in 2006, found a home in the bullpen after stumbling through nearly five full seasons as a starter with limited success. Unburdened by having to turn over a lineup, Hochevar pared down his repertoire and enjoyed a marked bump in velocity that afforded him a 13.4 percent swinging-strike rate, placing him directly below Craig Kimbrel.

(Courtesy: Brooks Baseball)

Some regression is to be expected for Hochevar, who still surrendered his fair share of home runs (1.02 per nine innings) and managed a 92.1 percent left-on-base rate in 2013 - the best mark in the American League. 

The lingering effects of his recent Tommy John surgery also make him a dubious investment, but he should provide a nice discount to prospective clubs - one that could pay off handsomely if he can approximate the success he enjoyed two years ago.

Alex Rios

The Rangers hastily declined Rios's $14-million option for 2015 after the 33-year-old stumbled through an unfortunate 2014 campaign in which he hit .280/.311/.398 with just four home runs over 131 games. Rios continued to show strong contact skills and an ability to hit for a solid average, but his power completely evaporated while his defense continued to erode as he managed just 0.2 wins above replacement over 131 games.

It appears Rios settled firmly into the decline phase of his career last season after managing 18 home runs (and 42 stolen bases) just two years ago. But there's some evidence to suggest the two-time All-Star is primed for a rebound in 2015.

Rios, for instance, greatly improved the composition of his batted-ball profile in 2014, posting a career-best 23.5 percent line-drive rate while dramatically reducing his volume of infield popups. Despite posting a meager .118 isolated power, his lowest mark since his rookie season, Rios actually improved his batted-ball distance last season, too. 

His lack of power, however, could've resulted from a change in his approach, as his hit distribution suggests a concerted effort to drive the ball back up the middle.

(Courtesy: Fangraphs)

A change in approach isn't enough to explain his minuscule 2.9 percent HR/FB rate. Rios also suffered an ankle sprain during an at-bat on July 19 that could've contributed to his anemic second half, during which he managed a .544 OPS without recording a single home run.

Though Rios is unlikely to replicate the success he enjoyed from 2012-13, over which he amassed 7.3 WAR in 313 games, he could still be a serviceable everyday outfielder next season and should come at a discount after struggling so profoundly last year.

Brett Anderson

Anderson's medical history contains more chapters than a David Foster Wallace novel, including a wide assortment of ailments that have derailed the 26-year-old's career.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Selected in the second round of the 2006 draft, Anderson has shown flashes of brilliance between his ceaseless trips to the disabled list. Anderson boasts a 3.95 ERA (103 ERA+) over the past three seasons, but he hasn't reached the 50-inning plateau since way back in 2011.

He spent 145 days on the DL this past season due to separate back and finger issues that both required surgery.

Despite his frequent trips to the infirmary, though, none of Anderson's conditions are chronic. He's often slapped with an "injury-prone" label, but it's probably more accurate to call him unlucky. 

After undergoing Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for much of 2011 and 2012, Anderson's comeback effort was derailed in 2013 by a foot injury. Last season, he fractured his finger while batting against Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

A dubious medical history will surely deflate his market value this winter. But teams eager to add a left-hander who's exceptional at inducing ground balls and boasts a career 86 FIP - his park-adjusted fielding independent pitching is 14 percent better than league average - ought to consider Anderson at a discount.