BEST IN CLASS
Who’s up next? Top targets in MLB’s 2025-26 free agent class
Mar 25, 2025, 1:59 pm
BEST IN CLASS
There almost certainly won't be a $700 million deal for any player in the baseball's next free agency class, nothing like the record contracts for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and four-time All-Star slugger Juan Soto the past two winters.
Still, plenty of talented players are going into their final seasons before potentially becoming free agents for the first time.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., five-tool player Kyle Tucker and starting pitchers Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen could all become available to other teams after this season. Three-time batting champion Luis Arráez and Bo Bichette, who twice led the American League in hits, could also be first-time free agents.
Guerrero, like Soto already a four-time All-Star and Home Run Derby champion at age 26, had set a self-imposed deadline for negotiating a long-term agreement with Toronto. That passed at the start of spring training without a new deal, when he said he wanted to stay but would listen to other teams in free agency.
Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro remained optimistic going into the season that the team would eventually sign the first baseman to a contract extension.
Soto’s $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets in December came after Ohtani got a $700 million, 10-year deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers the previous offseason. Guerrero told ESPN in an interview after his deadline passed that he was seeking a similar contract length as Soto but noted that his last offer was for less than $600 million.
Here are some of the players eligible for free agency after this year’s World Series:
Guerrero, who will make $28.5 million this season, hit a career-best .323 last year with a .940 OPS, 30 homers and 103 RBIs in his fourth consecutive All-Star season. Over six seasons with the Blue Jays, he has a .288 average with 160 homers and 507 RBIs in 819 games. He finished second in the 2021 AL MVP voting behind unanimous choice Ohtani.
Houston clearly wasn't planning to pay the price to keep Tucker in free agency, so the Astros traded the three-time All-Star and Gold Glove-winning right fielder to Chicago in December for a third baseman, starting pitcher and top prospect outfielder that are all under team control for multiple seasons. The 28-year-old Tucker was limited to 78 games last year because of a fractured right shin, and still hit 23 homers. He had a combined 59 homers, 219 RBIs and 55 stolen bases in 2022-23.
The 29-year-old Cease has 130 starts over the last four seasons, twice finishing in the top four in Cy Young Award voting. He was the AL runner-up behind unanimous winner Justin Verlander while with White Sox in 2022, and fourth in the NL last year when 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts after being traded to the playoff-bound Padres during spring training from a Chicago team that went on to lose 121 games. Cease has 1,016 career strikeouts in 847 1/3 innings.
One of the game's best left-handed starters, the 31-year-old Valdez has a 68-41 career record and is Houston's opening-day starter for the fourth year in a row. He was 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 28 games last season, his fifth in a row to finish with a winning record. The workhorse threw a no-hitter in 2023 and averaged more than 191 innings the past three years.
The 29-year-old Gallen, 14-6 last year, is 43-19 with a 3.20 ERA in 93 starts the past three seasons. Arizona got him his rookie season in 2019 when it traded Jazz Chisholm Jr. to Miami. The Diamondbacks just gave 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star right-hander Corbin Burnes a $210 million, six-year deal, the richest in franchise history. That could significantly impact whether they will also be able to keep Gallen, twice a top-five finisher in Cy Young voting.
Arráez has back-to-back 200-hit seasons, part of three batting titles in a row while finishing each of those seasons with a different team. The Padres acquired him last year in a midseason trade from Miami, which got him from Minnesota after his first batting title with the Twins in 2022. He goes into this season with a .323 career average and only 194 strikeouts in 2,858 career plate appearances.
A calf injury and then a broken right middle finger limited Bichette to 81 games last season, and the 27-year-old two-time All-Star hit a career-low .225 with only four homers. Before that, he led the AL in hits in 2021 and 2022, and batted .306 in 2023 during his third consecutive 20-homer season.
Ozuna, who turns 35 next November, played in all 162 games for the first time last year and was an All-Star for the third time — first since 2016. He has 79 homers and 204 RBIs over the past two years.
Bieber had 20 strikeouts in 12 scoreless innings last season before Tommy John surgery and becoming a free agent for the first time. Cleveland re-signed the 2020 AL Cy Young winner even though he won’t pitch until later this season, during which the pitcher with a 62-32 career record turns 30. He does have a $16 million player option for 2026.
34-year-old catcher J.T. Realmuto, 32-year-old slugger Kyle Schwarber and 29-year-old left-handed starter Ranger Suárez are going into the final seasons of their contracts with the Phillies after being key figures for three consecutive playoff seasons. That began with that 2022 NL pennant that ended a decade-long postseason drought. Schwarber has 131 homers and 302 RBIs in that three-season span, along with 318 walks and 612 strikeouts.
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The Astros closed out their latest road trip with a winning record, a feat made more impressive considering the turbulence at the back of the rotation. Brandon Walter and Ryan Gusto both endured rough outings, with Walter in particular getting tagged hard. Still, Houston salvaged the finale, thanks largely to Mauricio Dubón’s breakout performance. The utilityman launched two home runs to power an offense that’s quietly been heating up for weeks.
But even with a solid finish, not everything is trending upward.
Josh Hader, who’s been one of the game’s most reliable closers this season, has begun to show signs of vulnerability. He’s allowed a home run in three of his last six outings. While his overall numbers remain strong, the long ball—a problem that plagued him last year—is starting to creep back into the picture.
As the Astros return home, the schedule offers no breather. They’ll face the Phillies and Cubs before a brief trip to Colorado to take on the struggling Rockies. After that comes a marquee series against the defending champion Dodgers in Los Angeles. With three of their next four opponents being legitimate World Series threats, the coming stretch looms large.
Can the bats keep pace?
If the last month is any indication, the Astros have reason to feel optimistic. Christian Walker has started to show signs of life after a quiet start to the season, hitting .260 with a .762 OPS and five home runs over the past 30 days. José Altuve has been scorching with a .302 average and .901 OPS in that span, while Jeremy Peña has taken things to another level, batting .384 with a 1.009 OPS.
As a team, the Astros rank 7th in OPS, 5th in runs, 3rd in batting average, and 7th in home runs over the last 30 days. It’s a surge that’s come at the right time—and one they’ll need to sustain.
The injury picture is also starting to shift in Houston’s favor.
Cristian Javier threw a 20-pitch live BP today in West Palm Beach. According to Joe Espada, he was up to 95 mph.
Luis Garcia should throw a live BP next week.
Spencer Arrighetti is still not throwing off a mound yet.
Yordan Alvarez has not resumed hitting.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) June 20, 2025
Joe Espada told The Athletic's Chandler Rome that Christian Javier recently threw a live batting practice session, touching 95 mph as he continues his return from Tommy John surgery. JP France has thrown multiple live BPs and could be ready to help if things continue to progress with his shoulder. Luis Garcia, however, remains further away despite undergoing surgery more than two years ago. He's expected to throw a live BP this week.
Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) should be able to return in August, and Lance McCullers has resumed throwing and is currently on the 15-day IL with a foot sprain.
The Astros are winning. The offense is rolling. The reinforcements are on the way. But with a brutal stretch looming, the team’s margin for error is about to be put to the test.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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