Just as he did for most of the season, Aaron Judge will dominate the headlines as he decides on his baseball future. Judge tops a loaded free-agent class that includes a trio of legendary pitchers, a number of premier shortstops and a whole lot of overall talent.
Below is a list of 70 available players and where they rank in the hierarchy of this year’s free-agent crop. Players are listed alphabetically by tier, and ages are listed as of Opening Day 2023.
Jacob deGrom, RHP, age 34: Despite making just 11 starts in 2022, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner opted out of the final year of his contract, giving him a chance to cash in à la Max Scherzer. Plenty of teams will line up for the chance to bring him in, but will his recent injury history have a major impact on a deal?
Aaron Judge, OF, age 30: Judge’s preseason bet on himself should pay off handsomely; he turned down the Yankees’ seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension offer in April, then went out and belted a new American League record 62 home runs, winning his first AL Most Valuable Player Award. Entering his age-31 season, the only real question is whether he’ll land an eight- or nine-year (or even 10-year?) deal.
Trea Turner, SS, age 29: Turner had a strong platform year, scoring 101 runs while driving in 100 more. His OPS dipped to .809 after he averaged .900 from 2019-2021, but that shouldn’t prevent him from joining the exclusive $300 million club.
Justin Verlander, RHP, age 40: Tommy John surgery cost Verlander all but one start in 2020-2021, leading some to wonder how he would respond at the age of 39. All he did was lead the AL with 18 wins and a 1.75 ERA, throwing 175 brilliant innings for the World Series champion Astros en route to his third career Cy Young Award. Verlander opted out of his $25 million option for 2023, likely with an eye towards a Scherzer-esque deal.
Chris Bassitt, RHP, age 34: After pitching in relative obscurity in Oakland, Bassitt had a strong year with the Mets, posting a 3.42 ERA in a career-high 181 2/3 innings. Since the start of 2018 (when he returned from Tommy John surgery), Bassitt has a 3.29 ERA, delivering five solid seasons.
Xander Bogaerts, SS, age 30: Bogaerts opted out of the final three years and $60 million of his deal, thrusting him into an already strong shortstop market. Bogaerts was an All-Star in 2022, hitting .307 with an .833 OPS, although his power was down (15 home runs).
Carlos Correa, SS, age 28: Correa’s three-year, $105.3 million deal last winter allowed him to opt out, which he did after posting a good (but not great) season for the Twins. For the second year in a row, Correa finds himself part of a strong shortstop class; will he find the type of deal that eluded him last offseason?
Brandon Nimmo, CF, age 30: Nimmo does everything well, making him a player that can help almost any contender. He has a speed-power combination and strong on-base skills to go along with solid defense in center field.
Carlos Rodón, LHP, age 30: Rodón cashed in with a two-year, $44 million deal last winter with the Giants, which included an opt-out clause if he topped 110 innings in 2022. Well, he threw 178 innings, posted a 2.88 ERA and made his second straight All – Star team, setting him up for a much bigger deal this time around.
Dansby Swanson, SS, age 29: A strong defender (league-best 20 Outs Above Average) who made his first All-Star team in 2022, Swanson has established himself as a solid offensive contributor over the past three years. He’s also one of the game’s most durable players, playing in 382 of a possible 384 games since the start of 2020.
José Abreu, 1B/DH, age 36: His 15-homer season suggests he might not be the same threat he once was, but Abreu can still do damage at the plate, hitting 40 doubles while posting an .824 OPS. Still an everyday first baseman, he could also transition to DH at some point.
Josh Bell, 1B, age 30: Bell has been a reliable power threat over the past few years, although his two-month stint in San Diego went poorly (three homers, .587 OPS in 53 games). He should land in the middle of someone’s lineup.
Andrew Benintendi, LF, age 28: Benintendi’s run with the Yankees after the Trade Deadline didn’t go as well as expected, but his first four months with the Royals — he hit .320 with a .387 on-base percentage while playing good defense in left field — should drew the interest of several teams.
Mike Clevinger, RHP, age 32: Clevinger’s return from Tommy John surgery was rocky at times, but the right-hander showed enough flashes of his old self to believe he will be better in 2023. Prior to the injury, Clevinger was among the best in the game, posting a 2.96 ERA from 2017-2020.
Willson Contreras, C, age 30: Contreras remains one of the better bats at the catching position (22 home runs, .815 OPS in 2022), but his defense is considered average at best. He’s still the best catcher on the market, so he should draw significant interest.
Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, age 33: Eovaldi made 32 starts in 2021, earning his first All-Star selection. He was limited to 20 starts and 109 1/3 innings in ’22 thanks to a pair of stints on the injured list. He has been a consistent mid-rotation piece over the past three seasons, posting ERAs between 3.72 and 3.87 each year.
Mitch Haniger, RF, age 32: Injuries have been a big problem for Haniger, who has exceeded 96 games in a season just twice in his six seasons. When he played in 2022, he produced, slugging 11 home runs in 57 games.
Kenley Jansen, RHP, age 35: After opening his career with eight straight seasons of a sub-3.00 ERA, Jansen has done that only once in the past five years. Still, he led the NL with 41 saves in 2022 and remains a reliable closing option.
José Quintana, LHP, age 34: Quintana pitched well for the Pirates (3.50 ERA in 20 starts), but he thrived after being traded to the Cardinals, for whom he posted a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts. It was his best season since his All-Star campaign in 2016, leaving potential suitors to decide which pitcher they’ll be getting.
Jameson Taillon, RHP, age 31: Taillon had his best season since 2018, matching a career high with 14 wins while posting a 3.91 ERA. The righty also threw 177 1/3 innings, the second-highest total of his career.
Taijuan Walker, RHP, age 30: Walker made the All-Star team in 2021, then suffered through a terrible second half. The right-hander bounced back with a strong 2022, going 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts.
Michael Brantley, OF/DH, age 35
Matt Carpenter, INF/OF/DH, age 37
Carlos Carrasco, RHP, age 36
Aroldis Chapman, LHP, age 35
Michael Conforto, OF, age 30
Johnny Cueto, RHP, age 37
Brandon Drury, INF, age 30
Adam Frazier, INF/OF, age 31
Andrew Heaney, LHP, age 31
Luke Jackson, RHP, age 31
Corey Kluber, RHP, age 36
Jordan Lyles, RHP, age 32
Trey Mancini, 1B/OF, age 31
JD Martinez, OF/DH, age 35
Adam Ottavino, RHP, age 37
Jurickson Profar, OF, age 30
Taylor Rogers, LHP, age 32
David Robertson, RHP, age 37
Ross Stripling, RHP, age 33
Noah Syndergaard, RHP, age 30
Justin Turner, 3B/DH, age 38
Christian Vázquez, C, age 32
Michael Wacha, RHP, age 31
Jesús Aguilar, 1B/DH, age 32
Zack Britton, LHP, age 35
Andrew Chafin, LHP, age 32
Aledmys Díaz, INF/OF, age 32
Carlos Estévez, RHP, age 30
Zack Greinke, RHP, age 39
Josh Harrison, INF/OF, age 35
José Iglesias, SS, age 33
Kevin Kiermaier, CF, age 32
Craig Kimbrel, RHP, age 34
Corey Knebel, RHP, age 31
Michael Lorenzen, RHP, age 31
Chris Martin, RHP, age 36
Andrew McCutchen, OF, age 36
David Peralta, OF, age 35
Wily Peralta, RHP, age 33
Jace Peterson, INF/OF, age 32
David Phelps, RHP, age 36
Michael Pineda, RHP, age 34
Miguel Sanó, 1B/3B/DH, age 29
Carlos Santana, 1B, age 36
Trevor Williams, RHP, age 30
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