The following players are currently eligible for free agency for the 2021-22 offseason. Players’ ages for the 2022 season are listed in parentheses.
Players on this list generally need to have at least 50 plate appearances or 20 innings pitched in the 2021 season to be included.
Updated 4-4-22
Catchers
Wilson Ramos (34)
Kevan Smith (34)
First Basemen
Asdrubal Cabrera (36)
Second Basemen
Joe Panik (31)
Eric Sogard (36)
Shortstops
Mike Freeman (34)
Third Basemen
Asdrubal Cabrera (36)
Starlin Castro (32)
Jose Rondon (28)
Left Fielders
Brett Gardner (38)
Center Fielders
Jarrod Dyson (37)
Brett Gardner (38)
Danny Santana (31)
Right Fielders
Michael Conforto (29)
Adam Eaton (33)
Brian Goodwin (31)
Matt Joyce (37)
Designated Hitters
Khris Davis (34)
Mitch Moreland (36)
Starting Pitchers
Brett Anderson (34)
Jake Arrieta (36)
Trevor Cahill (33)
Johnny Cueto (36)
Mike Foltynewicz (30)
J.A. Happ (39)
Matt Harvey (33)
Wade LeBlanc (37)
Right-Handed Relievers
Dellin Betances (34)
John Curtiss (29)
Chris Devenski (31)
Rafael Dolis (34)
Oliver Drake (35)
Luke Farrell (31)
Jesse Hahn (32)
Ryne Harper (33)
Tommy Hunter (35)
Brandon Kintzler (37)
Evan Marshall (32)
Yusmeiro Petit (37)
Nick Ramirez (32)
Richard Rodriguez (32)
Trevor Rosenthal (32)
Edgar Santana (30)
Burch Smith (32)
Josh Tomlin (37)
Left-Handed Relievers
Ross Detwiler (36)
Tony Watson (37)
I’m just here to remind everyone that this is NOT the current free agent list. It’s a list of players who project to reach free agency after 2021.
I know it’s confusing to put it out now, but it’s something we like to get up early and maintain.
EVERYONE was listed including Dustin Pedroia. That indeed was a complete list.
Dustin Pedroia is retired
How DARE you!
Lefty reliever Jose Alvarez’s contract has a $1.5M club option ($100K buyout) for 2022, which, at the moment, the Giants seem likely to pick up.
He had a mediocre April and was bad in May, but he’s been lights-out throughout June/July/August.
Probably the best crop of free agent shortstops in recent memory.
The shortstops for 2022 how many will be signed an extension? My guess Seager, Correa, and Baez will sign an extension before free agency.
Each respected team of Swager,Correa and Baez would be dumb to not lock them up. Unless Francisco Lindor is a one and done for his new team and he goes to LA. I personally think he goes to Anaheim. Maybe not on a mega deal. Imagine Trout, Ohtani, Odell, Rendon and Lindor. Add some pitching. That’s a scary potential lineup
Add a lot of pitching.
No disrespect but there’s a ton of teams that if they add a superstar If his caliber and starting pitching they would be good to go. Adding a real good starter is no easy task(I know you know this) Also you still need bull pen help on top of that. I agree with what you are saying though my guy.
Don’t forget about Andrelton Simmons, Marcus Semien, and gregarious who are likely to sign I year deals this off-season.
I think Didi signed a two year deal.
Braves better get Ender re-upped ASAP….same with Desi and the Rockies…..
lol
And this list will grow as some of the players this off-season will sign 1-year deals, which will put them back out into the market again next off-season.
We’ll see how fed-up Arenado is with losing – will he opt out? Proverbial “money where your mouth is” situation.
If he’s not traded this offseason, Arenado will not opt-out, the money is so very much to leave on the table.
Agreed, Larry. Will be a test of integrity, regardless.
will be like all them people that said they were moving in 2016 if something a certain event happened that did happen. Yet no one moved.
not just 2016, literally every election you have. than the conservatives say they moving to Canada.
even though we already have what you claim to be against
I don’t think that’s what was happening
I’m far from Rockies fan but the last 6 years I’ve been to coors field more than any other ball park. I wouldn’t be mad if they traded Arenado. I’d be more disappointed if they didn’t keep Charlie Blackmon. And 20k+ people singing to his walk up music.
Plus the nachos are delicious.
@wrek305, I’m always telling people that Blackman has the best walk up song in baseball
It’s a player option. No way he turns down 21M unless he has a massive year
I wish this was basketball, like harden. Here’s a guy who says I don’t want 2 years at 100. I wanna play for a better organization. We know Nolan wants to win. I feel like the players union makes it almost impossible to take less like other sports do. Which is a shame.
Would love to see Nolan play for an LA team or a big east coast team. He would hit fine in the east coast AL parks. Regardless of how ppl think his bat will perform away from col, his defense will still be other worldly. He’s not going to go from a 300 plus hitter to a junk hitter. He’d hit 260-280 with decent power though imo. He would also gain more interest at a lower pay rate too obviously. He knows he isn’t gonna come close to that payday again. So if he does opt out (doubtful), he’s not gonna expect 30 plus on avg. I’m thinking 20-25 tops yearly. I’ll take anyone with 260-280 avg 25-30 hr and the most consistent glove at third and perhaps the game as a whole at any position(Chapman has a bit higher of a ceiling on defense I must admit, but Isn’t as consistent imo).
“tired of losing”? Arenado already said he will stay with Cardinals.
Good CF almost never hit the market lol
I think Tommy Kahnle is already a FA.
Good point.
You could make an entire 25 man roster of former all stars out of this. Amazing.
They can now start the Nashville team. With Dombroski there it actually would be the perfect situation to start a major league team. If they have owners and a TV deal. it would be like starting even almost with the other teams lol
Lol good stuff man I agree
that is going to be an interesting offseason in the NL west- the giants and dodgers both have so many guys hitting the market
The Giants do ???
Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Evan Longoria, Johnny Cueto, Donovan Solano, Kevin Gausman, potentially Buster Posey and Wilmer Flores if they buy them out. They’re essentially losing their entire infield plus Flores and two starters. That’s a lot of guys if you ask me.
Longoria is signed through 2022. I think they work out a multi-year deal with Gausman. Posey probably gets a 2 year deal, because Bart is so young. Luciano might be ready by 2022. Flores and Cueto are probably gone, unless Cueto reverses course. After his 2020 year, Belt might have earned himself another contract.
I doubt Posey will be re-signed. This is likely his last season as a Giant.
Bart’s not that young. He turns 24 on December 15.
Bart needs a season at AAA. 2022 could be a transition year with Posey serving as mentor. It is what lured Gausman to the Giants.
Why give Posey a new deal? He’s done. His contract ends, you let him walk and get someone else.
@cosmodeus If you say so, you are the expert. Most people would disagree with you. But, you like to be disagreeable.
Who would disagree that a 34 year old who’s declined defensively and offensively (OPS+ of 83 in ‘19) is undeserving of being re-signed? You can have your own opinion, but you don’t speak for “most people” and you haven’t even attempted to defend your viewpoint beyond that claim of “most people”. So go ahead, make the case for a bad hitting mid-thirties catcher, I’m listening.
They probably will give him another shot probably at first base. They’re in a transitioning phase. They’ll probably sign him to a lesser one year deal to split time behind the dish and at first.
He was injured in 2019. He had surgery, and is finally healthy. He’ll spend half his time at 1st, and mentor Bart. What FA would you prefer over Posey? Which one would you say is better?
They have already been playing him at 1st. I don’t understand why people think his career is over.
He’ll be 34. I wouldn’t count on a bounce back… yea, that list of free agent catchers isn’t great, but there’s gotta be a better option somewhere. I don’t see his bat having a resurgence at that age, that would buck all the normal trends.
His bat won’t play at first base. If they wanna sign him for nostalgia, fine, but a winning team needs a first baseman with an above league average bat. Players get older, they decline, you move on. He maybe could be a backup catcher for someone. Veteran presence and all… but who needs a poor hitting first baseman?
If you don’t have a replacement, why would you dump him?
Well, I’m not saying dump him. But why re-sign him? I’d go younger. Perhaps, with the state of catching in today’s game, he’s actually the best option available for back up, at least. I just generally wouldn’t sign a declining 34 year old to a new contract.
I don’t think anyone is saying to resign him to a monster deal. But I don’t see why they couldn’t get him on a one or two year deal with an AAV around $8-$12 million.
He could definitely be a viable back up if he holds up, everyday catcher is a stretch, in my opinion and 8 million is a bit steep for a back up. I’m not saying force him into retirement, but I’d think you could find the type value he’s gonna give at this point in his career for a lot less.
I agree cosmo
There are tons of first basemen types that can hit way better at this point. If you are that pressed on a veteran catcher get McCann or JT. You have enough coming off the books that you can afford it. Perhaps you can trade some of your other worldly prospects that you guys always tout for a catcher. Idk, but I wouldn’t give buster 8 plus to catch half the games and be a below average bat at first.
So many great shortstops. Who’s the best out of them though? I think Lindor is the best all-around shortstop out of the bunch, but you could also make that argument for Trevor Story. It’s just that Story’s home and away splits are really shown in his OPS+/wRC+.
Probably Correa due to age
Lindor and Correa are only a year apart in age and comes with a lot less injury risk/history.
LOL that Seager is fourth on your list
What list are you talking about?
Totally agree on all points. I like Lindor then Seager though. Correa has a great ceiling but he’s got a toxic attitude and he’s inconsistent( all players are to a degree ). Lindor is most consistent SS in the game. I like Seager because like Correa he proved he can hit under pressure(gotta give ol Carlos that), but he doesn’t have the poor attitude that Carlos does and he might be a bit cheaper. Just my opinion. But agree with you for most part and that was a great post on your part my guy.
MLB1225- not only is that an incredible list of SS’s available I think it’s a FA group at that position that won’t be bettered for a long, long time. I can’t remember another FA class stocked with so many superstar (All-Star caliber) SS’s. This current crop of SS’s have raised the bar on offensive production from the position.
I’m a Mariners fan- we are grooming JP Crawford to be our SS of the future. He improved on his 2019 season by becoming a GG defender in his 2nd season.* He lowered his K-out rate, increased his BB rate and overall became a slightly better hitter in 2020. However I feel like he and all other young SS’s coming up will be unfairly measured to this 2021-22 class of SS’s. The current Seattle farm system is stocked with plenty of highly rated OF’s but not so many top INF prospects. It will be interesting to see if Dylan Moore can keep the 2B job in 2021. If he is not able to it will also be interesting to see if Dipoto goes after one of these SS’s. He will have plenty of money available and I’m sure Crawford or one of these FA SS’s could easily handle a transition to 2B. Of course, a lot can happen in one season- I’m so glad we are finally in a position to be able to spend some money on decent FA’s players from here on out. No more picking off the scrap heap!
Best list of available catchers in like a decade easy and probably gonna stay that way since most of the good ones are from broke teams
Avg age looks to be ~33 years old. That makes my desire for the NYY to sign Kim at SS even greater. I’d even go as far to say that they could still sign Lindor next year and move or trade Kim. Both players help them get younger and that’s a good thing.
You realize the good shortstops are way younger than 33?
i’d take craig stammen for $38
I didn’t know J-Ram was a FA. This is a super-star caliber FA class.
Hmmmm I wonder if the Phillies will pick up Odubel Herrera’s $11.5mil option to hide him in rural Pennsylvania again in 2022.
Joe Kelly’s agent deserves a big hand for negotiating a $4M buyout on a $12M team option. Well done!
Found a typo…you typed a 4 instead of a 5…
Albert Pujols (52)
fixed
He looks the part.
But doesn’t that make it even more impressive? Let’s just say he’s Two to five years older…. who can even play at that age? In 2019 he hit 294 with risp and was probably already in his 40s during that season.
I know rbi doesn’t count to anyone but the reason he has so many is not just because he’s batted 3-5 most of his life(that does indeed help), it’s because he can flat out rake with risp. I know the guys done and all but it cracks me up when ppl pile on one of the greatest hitters to EVER play the game. Mike Trout hit 297 with risp in 19’.
Worth 30 mil? No! What 40 year old is?
Add to the fact he played more first base in 19 than he has in years! Nobody that age can even play a position at all. The overweight fella in Boston who failed his drug test that’s about to get in the hall ( joke of a double standard ) never played a position at a serviceable level(not saying pujols plays serviceable first anymore) but he won a gold glove or two before. That’s why David could hit well at his age, drugs and he didn’t play the field much.
The reason pujols had to keep playing until last year was because you didn’t have a better option. Who was gonna bump him out of his spot before last year? Justin I can’t barely hit 190 bour?
I get it la Stella was a much better hitter but a first basemen should have more power than he has. That’s why he was rotated in so many games. Lack of a better option and his salary. But I guess it’s alberts fault they gave him that money too right? Best ten years to ever start a career I’m sure you and every other arm chair GM just knew he was gonna fall off.
Well said
if you are the Cardinals you have to be excited to see roughly 62 million in dead weight coming off the books after next year. They need to do everything in their power to make sure Carpenter doesnt reach his vesting option. Knowing the Cardinals he will reach it unfortunately
All the more reason the Jays do not need Lindor this year. 5 young shortstops and a solid stopgap option in Iglesias.
Actually a forgotten one. Aaron Boone will be a free agent after the Yankees fail to win the WS for the eleventh straight year…
Looie- the Yankees just rewarded their 11th straight failure with a three year extension. Lol
Wonder who’s going to sign MVP candidate Ryan Tepera.
Mets should resign porcello
The shortstop market going to be a good one for next offseason. But you look at the ages of most of these players you won’t see more than 3 years deals for some 30 plus older players. These players all sign early contract extension and now they are hitting the market at an older age going to be a hard to build some of these guys on most lineups unless you’re a rebuilding team that could use veteran leadership and experience.
soo much projected higher quality hitting the market the ‘dumpster’ diving signings may be higher quality as well.
Pirates should pick up and Outfielder and a starter or two and see what happens. If it doesn’t work well release them if they’re doing horrible or trade them at the deadline for some cookies.
Scatch Nate Jones.Today,you announced his retirement!
FWIW: Justin Wilson has both a club option and a player option on his contract. Highly doubtful the Reds pick up his club option but he might pick up his player option depending on how poorly or well he pitches from here on out.
I assume for practical purposes this list isn’t supposed to include Rule 9 (formerly Rule 55) minor league free agents this season who had big league service this year?! If not, I’d add Heath Hembree (who is still in waiver limbo) and Mike Freeman who is playing for Louisville. Hembree technically speaking will have over 6 years of service, Freeman will have over 3.
FWIW: Adam Duvall should also be on here. He has a mutual option with the Braves.
Isn’t it literally illegal to include the phrase “trevor bauer” in an article that actually allows comments??
Would be nice if MLBT could fix the page titles
Thanks
Tim,
Delino DeShields did not get enough service time this year to qualify for FA. He’ll be arb eligible and a likely nontender.
I think Wily Peralta will also be a free agent and I can’t find him on the list.
Matt Duffy is not on this list.