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Finding teams for the 3 best remaining free agents

Kenny Karst / USA TODAY Sports

With just under two weeks remaining until Opening Day, there are a few good players still lingering in free agency. While players like Yoenis Cespedes, Matt Wieters, and Rich Hill are no longer available, there is still some value to be had out in free agency.

So do not despair, teams looking for outfield, catching, or pitching help could still find a gem. Helping those signings along is the fact that spring training has helped to expose some roster weaknesses. While nobody is sure where any of the remaining free agents may sign, let's recklessly assign landing spots for three such players.

Doug Fister - SP - San Francisco Giants

While there are many teams that should be shopping for a fourth or fifth starter, the San Francisco Giants are in the perfect situation to add a guy like Doug Fister. The top four of their rotation are as good as almost any, but it's getting hard to ignore the fading abilities of Matt Cain. Over the past three seasons, Cain has thrown 240 1/3 innings and been worth -0.5 WAR over that time. Or, to put it more succinctly, Cain has been worth half-a-win below replacement.

Fister is three years removed from his peak seasons with the Detroit Tigers, but the 33-year-old has quietly put together three nice seasons since then. During a bounce-back campaign with the Houston Astros last year, Fister managed a full workload of 180 1/3 innings with an ERA of 4.64 and a FIP of 4.75. With his strikeout rate and velocity down there's no wonder why he's remained a free agent this long. However, dealing with a full season of going start by start with Cain would be a worse option.

Giants fans waiting for the Tim Lincecum reunion might not like to hear this, but that dance likely needs an ending. What better way to end it by signing a slightly above-replacement level starter to a one-year pillow contract?

Derek Norris - C - Cincinnati Reds

The only reason Derek Norris is still even available is because the Washington Nationals decided they didn't want him anymore after signing Matt Wieters to a two-year deal worth $21 million.

Norris would make a more-than-capable fill-in for many teams, but the same problem plagues him that once plagued Wieters: There aren't many roles. Furthermore, with teams opting for a defensive-minded catching corps, Norris isn't a great option. While he ranks 10th in the league among catchers by Baseball Prospectus' framing metrics, Norris only threw out 21 percent of runners in 2016. That ranks him second-worst among catchers who played at least 100 games.

With the Cincinnati Reds projected to have among the worst catching corps, according to PECOTA, and their situation looking muddier with the health of Devin Mesoraco, Norris seems like a perfect fit. Tipping the scales even more is the fact that the Reds have not shown themselves to be particularly savvy when it comes to analytics. With guys like Jason Castro earning multi-year deals almost solely due to their contributions behind the plate, surely Norris can find an employer.

Angel Pagan - OF - Toronto Blue Jays

What better spot for Angel Pagan to land than the team projected to have the worst output from the left-field position in the entire American League. At the moment, the Toronto Blue Jays are slated to field some sort of platoon in left field involving Melvin Upton Jr. and Ezequiel Carrera. The only problem is, despite batting left-handed, Carrera doesn't bat better against right-handed pitching.

Enter the switch-hitting Pagan, who hit 12 percent better than the league average against right-handed pitching, according to wRC+ in 2016. While the 35-year-old is entering the twilight of his career, Pagan managed a .277/.331/.418 slash line overall last season in 543 plate appearances, most of which came near the top of the lineup. If the Blue Jays are looking for a leadoff hitter - especially in Devon Travis' stead - Pagan seems to be the logical answer.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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