Headline Free Agents 2020 and Beyond

[BillyWilliams]

Harper and Machado are this year's marquee free agents; who are headliners for 2020 and beyond?

 

06:24

Jan. 4th, 2019

 

By David Adler MLB.com @_dadler

 

Yes, we know Bryce Harper and Manny Machado haven't even signed yet. We know the 2019 season is still a few months away.

 

But teams are always also looking at the future, so we are, too. Harper and Machado might be two of the most heralded players to hit the open market in recent memory -- but there are going to be plenty of marquee stars reaching free agency in the coming offseasons, too.

 

MLB.com is previewing the free-agent classes for 2020 and beyond. Teams have plenty to look forward to. Here's a look at the notable players at each position who are set to become free agents over the next several years.

 

Notable free agents for 2019-20

 

Catcher: Francisco Cervelli

First base: Paul Goldschmidt, Jose Abreu

Second base: Scooter Gennett, Jonathan Schoop

Third base: Nolan Arenado, Anthony Rendon, Josh Donaldson

Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts, Didi Gregorius

Outfield: Marcell Ozuna, Nicholas Castellanos, Yasiel Puig, Aaron Hicks, Adam Eaton

DH: Khris Davis, J.D. Martinez (opt-out)

Starting pitchers: Chris Sale, Gerrit Cole, Madison Bumgarner, Justin Verlander, Zack Wheeler, Stephen Strasburg (opt-out)

Relievers: Dellin Betances, Arodys Vizcaino, Ryan Pressly

 

The headliner of next year's free-agent class will likely be Arenado, unless the Rockies can lock him up with an extension before then. The third baseman is a perennial MVP candidate, a superstar with both the bat and the glove, and he'll be smack in the middle of his prime when he hits free agency -- 2020 will be his age-29 season. Right alongside Arenado is Goldschmidt, who's a perennial MVP candidate himself, although the newly traded Cardinals first baseman will be entering his age-32 season in 2020.

 

The starting-pitching market will also be much stronger than this year's, when Patrick Corbin was the No. 1 starter available. There will be multiple ace-level free-agents next offseason, with Sale and Cole likely to command the highest price tags -- Sale will be 31 in 2020, and Cole will be 30. If Bumgarner can have a bounceback season this year, he could be in demand too, and if Verlander continues his dominance with the Astros he'll likely be an attractive option for a contender, even entering his age-37 season.

 

Two wild cards of the 2019-20 free-agent class could be Martinez and Strasburg, who can opt out of their contracts with the Red Sox and Nationals, respectively, starting next offseason, although it's very possible neither one will.

 

Notable free agents for 2020-21

 

Catcher: J.T. Realmuto, Mike Zunino, Yadier Molina

First base: Matt Carpenter, C.J. Cron, Yuli Gurriel, Ryan Zimmerman

Second base: Starlin Castro, Jason Kipnis, Cesar Hernandez

Third base: Justin Turner, Zack Cozart, Jake Lamb

Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons, Jonathan Villar, Marcus Semien, Jurickson Profar

Outfield: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, George Springer, Yoenis Cespedes, David Peralta, Michael Brantley, Joc Pederson, Jackie Bradley Jr., Jay Bruce, Giancarlo Stanton (opt-out)

DH: Edwin Encarnacion

Starting pitchers: Jacob deGrom, Trevor Bauer, Robbie Ray, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, Jake Arrieta, Marcus Stroman, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana

Relievers: Blake Treinen, Sean Doolittle, Jeremy Jeffress, Alex Colome, Brandon Morrow

 

Trout and Betts? That MVP duo could outdo even Harper and Machado if they hit the open market together in the 2020-21 offseason, as scheduled. Trout and Betts would both still be in their 20s when reaching free agency, too -- Trout would be entering his age-29 season in 2021, and Betts would be entering his age-28 season. They could be in line for some historic free-agent contracts.

 

There could also be a pair of headlining names at premium positions -- Realmuto at catcher and Simmons at shortstop. Realmuto is one of the few all-around star catchers in the Majors. The same factors that make him such a strong trade chip for the Marlins right now could put him in line for a nice free-agent payday entering his age-30 season in 2021. Simmons, meanwhile, is widely considered the best defensive shortstop in the sport, and he's become an above-average hitter over the last couple of years, garnering some MVP votes. He'll only be 31 in 2021.

 

And the starting-pitching class could be a deep one for a second year in a row. Last year's National League Cy Young winner, deGrom looks like the headliner as of now, but Bauer, Ray and Paxton are also frontline starters. Add in established veterans like Tanaka, Arrieta and Hendricks, and teams looking to bolster their 2021 pitching staffs should have a stable of strong arms to choose from.

 

Notable free agents for 2021-22

 

Catcher: Salvador Perez, Wilson Ramos, Yan Gomes

First base: Freddie Freeman, Anthony Rizzo, Brandon Belt

Second base: Javier Baez, Kolten Wong, Dee Gordon

Third base: Kris Bryant, Eduardo Escobar, Travis Shaw, Miguel Sano

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story

Outfield: Michael Conforto, Tommy Pham, Starling Marte, Kyle Schwarber, Byron Buxton

Starting pitchers: Aaron Nola, Noah Syndergaard, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber, Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke Chris Archer, Mike Foltynewicz

Relievers: Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Brad Hand, Jeurys Familia, Corey Knebel, Archie Bradley, Raisel Iglesias, Roberto Osuna

 

If all the players in line for free agency in the 2021-22 offseason actually reached the open market, it might be one of the best classes ever.

 

Start with the shortstops … wow. Lindor, Correa and Seager are three of the brightest young stars in the game today, and Story emerged along with them in 2018. All four of them would be free agents in their primes -- Correa will be 27 in 2022, Lindor and Seager 28, Story 29.

 

The starting pitchers … wow again. Nola is coming off a breakout season in which he was a Cy Young finalist, and Syndergaard has some of the most overpowering stuff in the game. Both will be entering their age-29 season in 2022. In the same class could be some of the greatest starting pitchers of the generation -- the three-time Cy Young winners Kershaw and Scherzer, and the two-time winner Kluber, although they'll be getting older by the time they're free agents.

 

On top of all that, there's the superstar trio of Cubs that could become free agents all at once -- Bryant, Rizzo and Baez. There's the Braves' Freeman, who's been one of the top first basemen in the NL for years. And there's a deep group of relievers, including elite closers Chapman and Jansen, plus other back-end bullpen arms like Hand, Familia and so on.

 

Potential free agents for 2022-23 and 2023-24

 

If you really want to go down the line, here are some of the star players who could become free agents following the 2022 and '23 seasons.

 

2022-23: Aaron Judge, Christian Yelich, Alex Bregman, Trea Turner, Gary Sanchez, Blake Snell, Edwin Diaz

 

This group includes the Yankees' Baby Bombers, Judge and Sanchez, who have the potential to have become the anchors of a perennial contender by the time they enter free agency. It also includes some of the breakout stars of 2018 -- the NL MVP Yelich (if the Brewers pick up his club option for 2022), and the AL MVP candidate Bregman, Cy Young winner Snell and Reliever of the Year Diaz.

 

2023-24: Jose Ramirez, Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger, Rhys Hoskins, Walker Buehler, Josh Hader

 

The Guardians locked up Ramirez on a team-friendly deal a few years ago, and it paid off when he blossomed into an MVP candidate. That contract puts him on track for free agency after 2023, assuming Cleveland picks up his pair of contract options. He could be joined by the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Bellinger, the emerging two-way star third baseman Chapman and more.

 

Baseball's next free agent classes

WWW.MLB.COM

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Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman and Jordan Montgomery were among the top stars who reached free agency after the 2023 World Series. But what about upcoming free-agent classes? Here's a look at the notable players who are set to become free agents in 2024-25 and beyond.