Best of the rest: Top FA pitchers under $100M

Jordan Zimmermann jump-started the market on Sunday, agreeing to a five-year, $110-million deal with the Detroit Tigers.

The top free-agent arm outside of David Price, Johnny Cueto, and Zack Greinke, Zimmermann's quick signing moves the attention to the second tier of available pitchers heading into the winter meetings next week.

Here are the top free-agent hurlers likely to cost under $100 million:

Jeff Samardzija

Jeff Samardzija's miserable season, in which he allowed an MLB-worst 228 hits and 122 runs, likely cost him some money, though the right-hander should still land a favorable deal as prospective teams bank on him bouncing back in 2016. Samardzija has reached the 200-inning plateau in each of the last three seasons, and posted a 3.66 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in two seasons prior to 2015. The Chicago Cubs met with the 30-year-old earlier this month, and could form a reunion, slotting him into the third spot in the rotation behind Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester.

Wei-Yin Chen

Over the past four seasons, Wei-Yin Chen has been one of the most consistent starters among available free-agent pitchers, and agent Scott Boras is hoping to capitalize off a career year from the 30-year-old. Boras believes Chen is worth north of $20 million per season after posting a 3.34 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 191 1/3 innings in 2015. Though he's homer-prone, having surrendered 51 the past two seasons - some of that a product of pitching in the AL East and Camden Yards - the left-hander owns a 46-32 record with a 3.72 ERA with the Baltimore Orioles since entering the majors in 2012.

Yovani Gallardo

After spending the first eight years of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, right-hander Yovani Gallardo proved capable of pitching in the American League, authoring a career-best 3.42 ERA in hitter-friendly Texas last season, though he proved a bit fortunate as he also posted a career-worst 1.41 WHIP. The 29-year-old has been extremely durable, averaging 191 innings over the last seven seasons, and also owns a 2.32 ERA across 31 career postseason innings. Gallardo has drawn interest from the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks so far this offseason.

John Lackey

Few free-agent starters have the resume and fiery temperament of John Lackey. The right-hander enters the open market on the heels of his best season in the majors, posting a career-low 2.77 ERA across a career-high 218 innings. At 37, Lackey is unlikely to sign more than a three-year deal, but could cash in with a higher annual value as he projects to be a strong complimentary No. 2 starter for a team armed with an ace. The San Francisco Giants have expressed interest in Lackey, but expect there to be no shortage of suitors for the two-time World Series winner.

Mike Leake

The youngest of the top free-agent arms, 28-year-old Mike Leake spent the first six years of his career with the Cincinnati Reds before a deadline deal this past summer brought him to the Giants. While he doesn't boast big strikeout numbers (6.1 per nine innings over the past three seasons), he does own a 3.59 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 94 starts over that time. The right-hander projects as a middle-of-the-rotation arm, and holds an advantage over the other four as he's not tied to draft-pick compensation.