Spring training is right around the corner and more than 100 free agents are still unemployed, even after a recent flurry of moves that saw A.J. Pollock, Nick Markakis, and Asdrubal Cabrera sign.
In fact, an armchair general manager can construct a club including only those still available on the market and it could contend for a hypothetical playoff spot.
Without factoring in a budget, here's how to build a contender out of the remaining free agents.
Starting 9
| ORDER | PLAYER | POS | HITS | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denard Span | CF | L | 1.5 |
| 2 | Manny Machado | SS | R | 6.2 |
| 3 | Bryce Harper | RF | L | 3.5 |
| 4 | Mike Moustakas | 3B | L | 2.4 |
| 5 | Marwin Gonzalez | LF | S | 1.6 |
| 6 | Carlos Gonzalez | DH | L | 1.7 |
| 7 | Matt Davidson | 1B | R | 0.8 |
| 8 | Josh Harrison | 2B | R | 0.3 |
| 9 | Martin Maldonado | C | R | 0.9 |
While the combination of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado is obviously formidable, the rest of the lineup is nothing to turn your nose up at. The other seven players have combined for seven All-Star appearances and four Gold Gloves, while five of them have received MVP consideration at some point in their careers. This lineup hit as many home runs (179) as nearly half of the 25-man rosters in MLB last season.
With its combined WAR of 18.9 - according to Fangraphs - this group of nine players would have finished 16th in the league among 25-man rosters and is worth more WAR than the Colorado Rockies' starting lineup in the National League wild-card game.
It even employs a position player who struck out Giancarlo Stanton. Talk about versatility.
Starting Rotation
| PLAYER | THROWS | WAR |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Keuchel | L | 3.6 |
| Gio Gonzalez | L | 2.0 |
| Wade Miley | L | 1.5 |
| Clay Buchholz | R | 1.9 |
| Jeremy Hellickson | R | 1.2 |
The starting rotation of this free-agent club, which features a Cy Young winner and the owner of a no-hitter, has combined to record 436 career wins.
While this rotation has durability issues (a possible reason some of them remain free agents), the five combined for a 3.41 ERA In 2018, which would have been the fourth-best mark in baseball behind the Dodgers, Houston Astros, and Cleveland Indians - all playoff teams.
Using WAR, it was actually better than what three other postseason teams - the Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics - sent to the mound throughout their respective regular seasons.
Bench
| PLAYER | POS | WAR |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Wieters | C | 0.9 |
| Freddy Galvis | SS | 1.2 |
| Adam Jones | OF | 0.5 |
| Jose Iglesias | IF | 2.5 |
Building a strong bench was easy with how many players are still left on the market. This group includes a catcher, fourth outfielder, and two strong defensive infielders, and was worth more WAR than every postseason club's reserves with the exception of the Dodgers.
While this foursome doesn't offer much power - even Jones hit only 15 homers last season after seven straight with at least 25 bombs - their defense has earned them six Gold Gloves, with none belonging to Iglesias, who's widely considered as one of the best defensive shortstops in the league.
Galvis is the only player to have never appeared in an All-Star Game, though he's been a 162-game starter in consecutive seasons.
Bullpen
| PLAYER | THROWS | WAR |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Kimbrel | R | 1.5 |
| Greg Holland | R | 0.3 |
| Tony Sipp | L | 0.9 |
| Bud Norris | R | 0.2 |
| Shawn Kelley | R | 0.5 |
| Oliver Perez* | L | 1.1 |
| Ryan Madson | R | 0.2 |
Despite most of the big names being scooped up already, there's still a lot of experience and talent left on the open market. And behind that group of wily veterans sits one of the greatest closers of all time in Kimbrel.
This bullpen's regular-season ERA of 3.37 would have tied for MLB's third best, ahead of the Yankees, Brewers, Dodgers, Red Sox, Braves, and Rockies.
*Signed deal after story was written
