Looking ahead to the 2017 free-agent class
This year's free-agent class still has plenty of star power left as Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo, Jose Bautista, and Mike Napoli continue to look for homes this winter. With that being said, it's never too early to look ahead.
While the 2016 class was position player-heavy, next winter's free agency has the potential to feature several prominent starters, including Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish, and Danny Duffy.
Here's a positional breakdown of the top free agents of 2017. Keep in mind the list could be further populated depending on future one-year deals current free agents might sign.
Catchers
PLAYER | TEAM | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jonathan Lucroy | TEX | 142 | 24 | .292/.355/.500 |
Yadier Molina* | STL | 147 | 8 | .307/.360/.427 |
Miguel Montero | CHC | 86 | 8 | .216/.327/.357 |
Jose Lobaton | WSH | 39 | 3 | .232/.319/.374 |
Carlos Ruiz | SEA | 62 | 3 | .264/.365/.348 |
A.J.Ellis | MIA | 64 | 2 | .216/.301/.298 |
*Molina has $15-million team option
First Base
PLAYER | TEAM | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eric Hosmer | KC | 158 | 25 | .266/.328/.433 |
Carlos Santana | CLE | 158 | 34 | .259/.366/.498 |
Mitch Moreland | BOS | 147 | 22 | .233/.298/.422 |
John Jaso | PIT | 132 | 8 | .268/.353/.413 |
Yonder Alonso | OAK | 156 | 7 | .253/.316/.367 |
Second Base
PLAYER | TEAM | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jose Altuve* | HOU | 161 | 24 | .338/.369/.531 |
Ian Kinsler** | DET | 153 | 28 | .288/.348/.484 |
Neil Walker | NYM | 113 | 23 | .282/.347/.476 |
Logan Forsythe*** | TB | 127 | 20 | .264/.333/.444 |
Brandon Phillips | CIN | 141 | 11 | .291/.320/.416 |
Brett Lawrie | CWS | 94 | 12 | .248/.310/.413 |
*Altuve has $6-million team option
**Kinsler has $12-million team option
***Forsythe has $8.5-million team option
Third Base
PLAYER | TEAM | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mike Moustakas | KC | 27 | 7 | .240/.301/.500 |
Todd Frazier | CWS | 158 | 40 | .225/.302/.464 |
Yunel Escobar | LAA | 132 | 5 | .304/.355/.391 |
Jose Reyes | NYM | 60 | 8 | .267/.326/.443 |
Danny Valencia | SEA | 130 | 17 | .287/.346/.446 |
Shortstop
PLAYER | TEAM | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Zack Cozart | CIN | 121 | 16 | .252/.308/.425 |
Alcides Escobar | KC | 162 | 7 | .261/.292/.350 |
Asdrubal Cabrera* | NYM | 141 | 23 | .280/.336/.474 |
J.J. Hardy** | BAL | 115 | 9 | .269/.309/.407 |
Jhonny Peralta | STL | 82 | 8 | .260/.307/.408 |
Eduardo Nunez | SF | 141 | 16 | .288/.325/.432 |
Danny Espinosa | LAA | 157 | 24 | .209/.306/.378 |
*Cabrera has $8.5-million team option
**Hardy has $14-million vesting option
Outfield
PLAYER | TEAM | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Andrew McCutchen* | PIT | 153 | 24 | .256/.336/.430 |
J.D. Martinez | DET | 120 | 22 | .307/.373/.535 |
Carlos Gonzalez | COL | 150 | 25 | .298/.350/.505 |
Lorenzo Cain | KC | 103 | 9 | .287/.339/.408 |
Michael Brantley** | CLE | 11 | 0 | .231/.279/.282 |
Justin Upton*** | DET | 153 | 31 | .246/.310/.465 |
Jayson Werth | WSH | 143 | 21 | .244/.335/.417 |
Melky Cabrera | CHW | 151 | 14 | .296/.345/.455 |
Curtis Granderson | NYM | 150 | 30 | .237/.335/.464 |
Jay Bruce | NYM | 147 | 33 | .250/.309/.506 |
Carlos Gomez | TEX | 118 | 13 | .231/.298/.384 |
Carlos Beltran | HOU | 151 | 29 | .295/.337/.513 |
Matt Holliday | NYY | 110 | 20 | .246/.322/.461 |
*McCutchen has $14.75-million team option
**Brantley has $11-million team option
***Upton can opt out of contract
Starting pitcher
PITCHER | TEAM | IP | ERA | WHIP | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jake Arrieta | CHC | 197.1 | 3.10 | 1.08 | 190 |
Madison Bumgarner* | SF | 226.2 | 2.74 | 1.03 | 251 |
Chris Sale** | BOS | 226.2 | 3.34 | 1.04 | 233 |
Masahiro Tanaka*** | NYY | 199.2 | 3.07 | 1.08 | 165 |
Yu Darvish | TEX | 3.41 | 100.1 | 3.41 | 1.12 |
Johnny Cueto**** | SF | 219.2 | 2.79 | 1.09 | 198 |
Danny Duffy | KC | 179.2 | 3.51 | 1.14 | 188 |
Marco Estrada | TOR | 176 | 3.48 | 1.12 | 165 |
Chris Tillman | BAL | 172 | 3.77 | 1.28 | 140 |
John Lackey | CHC | 188.1 | 3.35 | 1.06 | 180 |
Alex Cobb | TB | 22 | 8.89 | 1.77 | 16 |
Jeremy Hellickson | PHI | 189 | 3.71 | 1.15 | 154 |
Gio Gonzalez***** | WSH | 177.1 | 4.57 | 1.34 | 171 |
Hector Santiago | MIN | 182 | 4.70 | 1.36 | 144 |
Jaime Garcia | ATL | 171.2 | 4.67 | 1.37 | 150 |
Michael Pineda | NYY | 175.2 | 4.82 | 1.35 | 207 |
CC Sabathia | NYY | 179.2 | 3.91 | 1.32 | 152 |
*Bumgarner has $12-million team option
**Sale has $12.5-million team option
***Tanaka can out out of current deal
****Cueto can opt out of current deal
*****Gonzalez has $12-million vesting option
Relievers
PITCHER | TEAM | IP | ERA | WHIP | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wade Davis | CHC | 43.1 | 1.87 | 1.13 | 47 |
Craig Kimbrel* | BOS | 53 | 3.40 | 1.09 | 83 |
Addison Reed | NYM | 77.2 | 1.97 | 0.94 | 91 |
Tony Watson | PIT | 67.2 | 3.06 | 1.06 | 58 |
Pedro Strop | CHC | 47.1 | 2.85 | 0.89 | 60 |
Luke Gregerson | HOU | 57.2 | 3.28 | 0.97 | 67 |
Koji Uehara | CHC | 47 | 3.45 | 0.96 | 63 |
Francisco Rodriguez | DET | 58.1 | 3.24 | 1.13 | 52 |
Fernando Rodney | ARI | 65.1 | 3.44 | 1.39 | 74 |
Tyler Clippard | NYY | 63 | 3.57 | 1.27 | 72 |
Pat Neshek | PHI | 47 | 3.06 | 0.94 | 43 |
*Kimbrel has $13-million team option