The MLB offseason is almost upon us and there are a lot of questions as to what moves will be made. Teams will be able to sign 2020-21 MLB free agents soon after the World Series ends and there is a good list of players available. The biggest moves are usually made at the annual MLB Winter Meetings. The meeting is expected to be moved to some kind of virtual event to due COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, it’ll be one of the most interesting offseasons in the history of MLB. With the 2020-21 top MLB free agents coming off of good years, the market should be busy and players should be flying off early.
Top MLB Free Agents This Offseason
J.T. Realmuto (Catcher)
It’s almost for certain that the Phillies try and retain J.T. Realmuto so he probably won’t be on this list for long. Realmuto has been one of the best two-way catchers in the league for the past couple of years. He will demand and get a wealthy contract extension as a valuable backstop. Realmuto played in 47 of the 60 games for the Philadelphia Phillies and had 46 hits and 32 runs batted in with 11 home runs. In his career, he’s had 95 home runs with 358 runs batted in. The Phillies have built their roster over the past couple of years to compete for the postseason and more. Getting their Gold Glove catcher locked up would help.
Trevor Bauer (Starting Pitcher)
Trevor Bauer showed us what he can do last year with the Cincinnati Reds and that has helped him become one of the most-wanted free agents on the market. Bauer has spoken in the past about taking one-year deals every year and he still isn’t opposed to that. We’ll see if that holds true this offseason but he deserves good money wherever he goes. Bauer has entered the Cy Young conversation this season with a 5-4 record and a 1.73 ERA. His team at the time (Cleveland Indians) was one game away from a World Series win in 2016 so he has the experience. Bauer was lights out and can help a contending team.
George Springer (Outfield)
The Houston Astros were two games under .500 to finish the regular season. Most of their players had down years and there weren’t too many positive things to take away from the regular season. One positive thing you could take from the regular season was 30-year old George Springer. He was one of the best players on the team and helped them gut it out into a playoff berth. Springer was second on the team in batting average (.265), second in runs batted in (32), and was the only player to have double-digit home runs with 14. Despite the down years from many, they made it to the ALCS and even took it to a game seven after being down 3-0. Throughout the playoffs, Springer had 14 hits, four home runs, and nine runs batted in. With his performance this season, he’ll be one of the most wanted hitters on the market.
Marcell Ozuna (Outfield)
Last offseason, Marcell Ozuna left the St. Louis Cardinals to sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves. It took a while but he finally found a home and it didn’t take long at all to fit in. Ozuna had a breakout year and put himself in the MVP conversation with 18 home runs and 56 RBI’s in all 60 games (both first in NL). With Ozuna having a great season on that one-year deal, he will get one of the biggest contracts among free agents this offseason.
Marcus Semien (Shortstop)
Marcus Semien has improved over the past few years with the Oakland Athletics. His defensive game has improved significantly while his 2019 offensive numbers were his best by far. This season, the defense has been the same but he took a hit offensively. He had seven home runs and 23 RBI’s in 53 games. With the great level of talent at shortstop on the market next season, it’ll be interesting to see where Semien ends up and what kind of market value he has.
Other MLB Free Agents
DJ LeMahieu (Infield)
Didi Gregorius (Shortstop)
Marcus Stroman (Starting Pitcher)
Liam Hendriks (Relief Pitcher)
Blake Treinen (Relief Pitcher)
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
