The 2016 MLB Free Agency period is upon us. At FantasyAlarm we realize just how important player movement is to the value of players, so we're tracking all the movement, of all the players, so you have the data you need to make the best decisions when constructing your fantasy squad in 2016. Below you will find a listing of all the players who are free agents heading into the 2016 season. When signed, we will list the players' new club and give details of his contract. We will also give a quick spin on the players' outlook for the coming campaign (we will also toss in some interesting hot stove information on those bigger name free agents as well).
*** For a write up of the Winter Meetings click on the link to our very own Ray Flowers' write up of the event. That's right, he was there.
| * Age in 2016 in Parenthesis | |||
Catchers | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Alex Avila (29) | CWS | 1-yr, $2.5M | Avila will share the workload with the recently signed Navarro. Neither player is worth a look in mixed leagues. |
| J.P. Arencibia (31) | PHI | Minor Lg. | JPA has power, but nothing else. He will hope to make the roster though it seems unlikely with Carlos Ruiz and Cameron Rupp on hand. |
| Chris Iannetta (33) | SEA | 1-yr, $4.25M | The Mariners dropped John Hicks to add Iannetta, a solid defender who knows how to take a walk. Iannetta is a decent AL-only option backstop but his days of starting in mixed leagues, even in 2-C leagues, is dubious. |
| Tyler Flowers (30) | ATL | 2-yr, $5.3M | Flowers will join A.J. Pierzynski as the top-2 backstops with the Braves. Those two signings mean that Christian Bethancourt seems unlikely to even make the squard this season. |
| Michael McKenry (31) | TEX | 1-yr | Signed a minor league deal with a spring invite. |
| Dioner Navarro (32) | CWS | 1-yr | It would appear that Avila will be the lead dog in this newlook White Sox situation at the catcher spot. Navarro has a career .688 OPS. |
| Jordan Pacheco (30) | |||
| Brayan Pena (34) | STL | 2-yr | Pena will backup the declining Yadier Molina and likely see a limited workload because even if Molina's bat is slowing his defense is still top notch. |
| A.J. Pierzynski (39) | ATL | 1-yr, $3M | A jerk, but he can still hit. He resigned with the Braves on a one year deal reportedly worth $3 million. |
| Jarrod Saltalamacchia (31) | DET | 1-yr | Signed with the Tigers for the minium. The Marlins are still paying him $8 million do don't feel too sorry for him. He will likely slot in behind James McCann now that Avila is gone. |
| Geovany Soto (33) | LAA | 1-yr, $2.8 | Soto will take the place of the departed Iannetta. He might end up stariting over Carlos Perez, but that will be determined at a later date. |
| Matt Wieters (30) | BAL | 1-yr, $15.8M | Betting on himself and a year of health leading to a big contract next off season after accepting the Qualifying Offer. With health he's displayed a 20-75 type of bat, |
First Basemen | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Ike Davis (28) | TEX | Minor Lg. | He's younger than you might think, and though he's been hurt a lot, he still can power the baseball and actually he knows how to get on base as well. A solid AL-only add late if he gains a roster spot. |
| Kyle Blanks (29) | SF | Minor Lg. | He will get an invite to camp and could make the team. He cannot stay healthy though and is nothing more than a reserve round add in NL-only leagues. |
| Chris Davis (30) | BAL | 7-yr, $161M | Massive power bat. The gold wheelbarrow is a-coming and will last for 22 years (he has a bunch of his salary spread out) |
| Corey Hart (34) | |||
| Travis Ishikawa (32) | CWS | Minor Lg. | Had an aborted run with the Mariners before signing on with the White Sox. |
| Pedro Alvarez (29) | BAL | $5.75M | Finally signed a deal with the Orioles to be their DH this season. For more, check out his Player Profile. |
| Dae-ho Lee (34) | SEA | 1-yr, $4M | Stnading 6'4" and weighing about 290 lbs, Lee is a slugger, pure and simply. Totally unclear if he will be anything other than a part-time DH type, though it should be fun to watch him slug away. |
| Justin Morneau (35) | Concussion concerns will cause his payday to be minor, if he even decides to continue his career. | ||
| Mike Napoli (34) | CLE | 1-yr, $7M | Napoli will likely push Carlos Santana to the DH as he will take on starting duties at first base. He's still the the power and 25 homers is doable with consistent work. For more on Napoli. |
| Byung-ho Park (29) | MIN | 4-yr, $12M | Posted by KBO’s Nexen Heroes - he also has a $6.5 million team optoin for a 5th year. Add in the $12.85 million bid to add him, the Twins are in for $24.85 million. There are plenty of questions about how his power will play in North America. |
| Mark Reynolds (32) | COL | 1-yr, $2.6M | Power, and it should easily be on display at Coors. Reynolds can also play both corners and that should make him a nice NL-only add. |
| Sean Rodriguez (31) | PIT | 1-yr, $2.5M | He can play anywhere, an obvious advantage to employment, but also it can be a negative in the gantasy game cause he can never lock down a starting spot. NL-only option, late. |
| Chris Parmelee (28) | NYY | MInor Lg. | With Gregory Bird done for the year, Parmelee has a shot to make the Yankees roster out of camp. |
Second Basemen | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Joaquin Arias (31) | ARI | Minor Lg. | The 31 year old can play a handful of positions though his bat is one of the weakest in the game. |
| Emilio Bonifacio (31) | ATL | 1-yr | A bit surprising that he received a major league deal after his abysmal 2015 (.167/.198/.192). |
| Alberto Callaspo (33) | |||
| Stephen Drew (33) | WAS | 1-yr, $3M | Drew can earn another $1.25 million in incentives. His signing likely means Trea Turner will begin the year in the minors with Danny Espinosa also in the house. |
| Jonathan Herrera (31) | |||
| Maicer Izturis (35) | RET | The 11 year vet chose to hang up his cleats. | |
| Kelly Johnson (34) | ATL | 1-yr, $2M | Johnson will return for a third time the Braves. The nearly 34 year old will continue to fill a utility role with the Braves. He's a strong signing but merely an NL-only play. |
| Howie Kendrick (32) | LAD | 2-yr, $20M | One of the most consistent offensive producers at the position. Will signing of Utley mean Kendrick's time in LA is done? Yes it does. |
| Daniel Murphy (31) | WAS | 3-yr, $37.5M | The Nationals tried to work out a deal for Brandon Phillips and reportedly settled on Murphy or Howie Kendrick when they couldn't get their first choice. Murphy should be the same, solid hitter he's always been in Washington. He's not a fantasy star though so put the playoff version out of your head. |
| Cliff Pennington (32) | LAA | 2-yr, $3.75M | Pennington has a strong arm on defense, some versatility and speed. AL-only bench option is he. |
| Dan Uggla (36) | Will anyone give him a shot? Sounds like someone will. | ||
| Chase Utley (37) | LAD | 1-yr, $7M | Looked pretty lost in 2015 but returnbs to LA on a one year deal. It's unclear what his role will be with the club in 2016. |
| Rickie Weeks (33) | ARI | Minor Lg. | Can still hit lefties. No one seems to care though as he was just able to garner a minor league invite from the D'backs. |
| Ben Zobrist (35) | CHC | 4-yr. $56M | For more on Zobrist see the Winter Meetings writeup (scroll to the bottom). |
Third Basemen | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Gordon Beckham (29) | ATL | 1-yr, $1.25M | The deal includes $500,000 in incentives. He hasn't been good in years. An NL-only play, nothing more. |
| David Freese (33) | Can still hit if in a platoon. Needs to stay healthy of course. The Indians have been said to be interested. | ||
| Conor Gillaspie (28) | SFG | Minor Lg. | Can't envision him as anything other than organizatoinal depth at this point. |
| Maicer Izturis (35) | |||
| Casey McGehee (32) | DET | Minor Lg. | Signed with the Tigers. Hard to see him making the team, let alone carving out a substantial role. |
| Will Middlebrooks (27) | MIL | Minor Lg. | He will try to revive a once bright career. Limited with poor plate discipline, there does seem to be an opportunity for him to grab the third base gig. |
| Juan Uribe (37) | CLE | 1-yr, $4M | A veteran who is a nice clubhouse presence and one who has a reputation as a clutch performer. His signing will send Giovanny Urshela to the minors. |
Shortstops | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Mike Aviles (35) | DET | 1-yr, $2M | Aviles is 35 years old, and can earn $300,000 in incentives. His biggest talent is his ability to literally play all over the field making him a solid late round gamble in AL-only leagues. |
| Clint Barmes (37) | KC | MInor Lg. | He's old and really cannot hit, but he's versatile and is still solid with the club. A nice bench signing. |
| Willie Bloomquist (38) | Might retire. Still undecided. | ||
| Asdrubal Cabrera (30) | NYM | 2-yr, $16.5M | The Mets lost out on Ben Zobrist and picked up ACab. Sounds like he will play short on most days though the team feels comfortable using Cabrera at second or third as needed. Deal includes a $2 million buyout. |
| Ian Desmond (30) | TEX | 1-yr, $8M | Not too long ago that he was a fantasy star. Could he be that again with the Rangers as the full-time lefti fielder? Here is his Player Profile. |
| Cliff Pennington (32) | LAA | 2-yr, $3.75M | Can do everything, including pitch (wink, wink). A nice signing. A poor fantasy option. |
| Alexei Ramirez (34) | SD | 1-yr, $4M | Ramirez's deal includes an option. For more on Ramirez see this edition of Ray's Ramblings. |
| Jimmy Rollins (37) | CWS | 1-yr, $2M | He will have a shot, despite declining skills, to be the White Sox starter at shortstop this season. His signing further muddies the waters for Ian Desmond. |
Left Fielders | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Nori Aoki (34) | SEA | 1-yr, $5.5M | He has not power but can still get on base and steal a base. A solid top of the order bat.his deal includes a $6 million option for 2017. |
| Domonic Brown (28) | TOR | Minor Lg. | Remove five weeks from his career and he's never been even average. He will try an resurrect his career as a depth outfielder in Toronto. |
| Yoenis Cespedes (30) | NYM | 3-yr, $75M | Will be able to opt out after one year if he wishes. Didn't get the dollars or years he wanted. Will likely be a bit overhyped after his fantastic run to end the year. Solid power bat, but avg/obp and ability to steal a base don't stand out. |
| Rajai Davis (35) | CLE | 1-yr, $5.25 | Davis will be running around the outfield for the Indians in 2016. The 35 year old outfielder only stole 18 bases last season and with an rather moderate bat (.258/.306/.440) He's a league specific option only. |
| Alejandro De Aza (32) | NYM | 1-yr, $5.75M | A nice depth option in the big leagues, he's barely rosterable in league specific setups since there isn't much of a reason to think he will play daily. |
| David DeJesus (36) | |||
| Jonny Gomes (35) | JAPAN | 1-yr, $2M | He will hope to extend his career, as many others have, but crossing the Pacific to play in Japan. |
| Alex Gordon (32) | KC | 4-yr, $72M | An excellent all-around player. Gordon chose familiarity and decided to return to the Royals. The 32 year old signed a reasonable deal and he should be productive over the course of the contract. |
| .292 with 15 homers in just 59 games. | |||
| Matt Joyce (31) | PIT | Minor Lg. | He will try to make the team out of camp after struggling for a couple of seasons to put together any type of consistent production. |
| Justin Maxwell (32) | MIA | 1-yr, $1.1M | He will fight for a roster spot. For more see this article. |
| John Mayberry Jr. (32) | DET | Minor Lg. | If he's not on the 25 man roster on Opening Day he can request his release. Even if he makes the roster, his role figures to be small. |
| Steve Pearce (33) | TB | 1-yr | No details yet on the contract. Pearce can play multiple spots, and the Rays always seem to value those kind of players a bit more than some other squads. |
| Colby Rasmus (29) | HOU | 1-yr, $15.8M | Ramsus became the first player to accept a Qualifying offer. For more on Rasmus see this Daily Trends article. |
| Skip Schumaker (36) | SD | Minor Lg. | Skip will try to make the team out of game as a bench option who can play all three outfield spots in addition to chipping in at second base if need be. |
| Travis Snider (28) | KC | Minor Lg. | The one time elite prospect will have to fight to make the roster out of spring training. |
| Justin Upton (28) | DET | 6-yr, $132.75M | The 28 year old, three time all-star may not get any better, but he's stable, consistent and always healthy. A solid, late signing, Upton will be a middle of the order threat for the entirety of the deal. |
| Rickie Weeks (33) | |||
| Chris B. Young (32) | BOS | 2-yr, $13M | The reports suggest a multi-year deal in which Young gives the Red Sox veteran depth behind unproven season long performers like Bradley and Castillo. Young can crush lefties. |
| Delmon Young (30) | |||
Center Fielders | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Rajai Davis (35) | CLE | 1-yr, $5.25M | Cleveland added the aging speedster. Could see a lot of work if Michael Brantley isn't good to go to start the season because of his back. |
| Dexter Fowler (30) | CHC | 1-yr, $9M | Nearly went 20/20 with 100 runs score for the Cubs. He is back with the Cubs after seemingly agreeing to a deal with the Orioles. Had to write a whole article about this situation. |
| Austin Jackson (29) | Is turning down deals of one year hoping to get a bigger offer from a desperate club. | ||
| Colby Rasmus (29) | HOU | 1-yr, $15.8M | See this Daily Trends article. |
| Shane Robinson (30) | CLE | Minor Lg. | Sounds like Robinson will sign a minor league deal. He might make the Opening Day roster with the health of Michael Brantley in doubt. |
| Denard Span (32) | SF | 3-yr, $31M | If healthy, will take over in CF allowing the Giants to form a left field duo of Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco. A perfect Giants signing. A stable vet who isn't exciting. |
| Drew Stubbs (31) | TEX | Minor Lg. | Stubbs will be brought in and likely make hte team and find a role against lefties since it sounds like Josh Hamilton could miss a good deal of time. Will make $1.5 million if he makes the team. |
Right Fielders | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Old, but can still hit the long ball. | |||
| Marlon Byrd (38) | |||
| Chris Denorfia (35) | |||
| Jeff Francoeur (32) | ATL | Minor Lg. | Seems likely to crack the roster and see some work against lefty pitchers. The deal requires him to be paid $1 million if he makes the big league club with an additional $1M in incentives available. |
| Justin Ruggiano (33) | TEX | 1-yr, $1.65M | Has a nice power/speed skill set and offer the Rangers an adequate backup to the always injured Josh Hamilton. |
| Jason Heyward (26) | CHC | 8-yr, $184M | 20/20 talent, youth, and a strong fielder as well. Still, this has the smell of a massive overpay. Don't exepect stardom from Heyward, though some improvement on last season's effort is reasonable. |
| Daniel Nava (32) | LAA | 1-yr, $1.375 | He can get on base. He was awful last season but he could see a good deal of work in left field in a platoon with Craig Gentry. |
| David Murphy (34) | BOS | Minor Lg. | A valuable platoon bat, he will make $2 million if he makes the Sox who seem to have a lot of options to look at in the outfield. |
| Gerardo Parra (29) | COL | 3-yr, $27.5M | His signing will likely mean that one of the current Rockies outfielders better pack a suitcase. Parra is a moderate talent, a 15/15 season is certainly possible, but being appreciably better than he was last season is unlikely. |
| Ryan Raburn (35) | Crushes lefties. | ||
| Alex Rios (35) | He's old, and coming off a down year, but he's still talented. Someone will bite, soon. | ||
| Ah-seop Son (28) — | To be posted by KBO’s Lotte Giants | ||
| Grady Sizemore (33) | |||
| Will Venable (33) | CLE | Minor Lg. | Michael Brantley seems very unlikely to make it to the field by Opening Day so Venable gives the Tribe the depth they need. He should start in CF now that Abraham Almonte has been suspended. |
| Shane Victorino (35) | CHC | Minor Lg. | The contract might say Minor League, but it would be shocking if he didn't end up on the the club while being utilized all over the outfield in a depth role. Victorino is due $1 million if he makes the club, and he could double that amount in incentives. |
Designated Hitters | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Chris Carter (29) | MIL | 1-yr, $2.5M | The 29 year old can sock the ball with the best of them. He also walks a lot. However, he strikes out pretty much as often as anyone who ever played the game and his average is atrocious. |
| John Jaso (32) | PIT | 2-yr, $8M | His ability to catch is in some question, but he can still get on base. LIkely won't play much though with no DH and Francisco Cervelli already in town so the asusmption is he will play first base. |
Starting Pitchers | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Bronson Arroyo (39) | WAS | 1-yr, $2M | Missed last season with Tommy John surgery. Can earn up to $6 million in bonuses if he makes 32 starts. Unclear at this point if he will be asked to work in the minors early on to prove that he's ready to rock. |
| Brandon Beachy (29) | LAD | $1.5M | Beachy will returns to the Dogers on a major league deal. He made only two appearances in the bigs last season, and at this point he will likely serve simply as rotation depth. |
| Chad Billingsley (31) | |||
| Mark Buehrle (37) | Just missed 200 innings but still highly effective. Isn't retired but doesn't sound like he's overly motivated to pitch this season. | ||
| Trevor Cahill (28) | CHC | 1-yr, $4.25M | Cahiull was added to work out of the bullpen. However, sounds like he would like to start and likely will at some point given how pitchers injure their arms anymore. |
| Chris Capuano (37) | MIL | Minor Lg. | He was awful last season, emberassinglly so, but the Brewers might find a role for the lefty who has had success in the past. Not worth a look in the fantasy game though. |
| Wei-Yin Chen (30) | FLA | 5-yr, $80M | One of the better non-elite lefties in the AL the past few years he moves to a bigger park which should help him curtail the big fly and potentially lower his ratios as well. |
| Bartolo Colon (43) | NYM | 1-yr, $7.5M | He will reutrn to the Mets. See this article for more. |
| Johnny Cueto (30) | SF | 6-yr, $130M | He's paid to be an ace, but he will settle in as the Giants #2 behind MadBum. That leaves the Giants with Bumgarner, Cueto, Samardzija as a potentially dominating top-3. |
| Marco Estrada (32) | TOR | 2-yr, $26M | Resigned with the Blue Jays on a 2-year deal. Reports suggest that the contract is worth $26 million.He had a 3.13 ERA and 1.04 ERA in 2015. |
| Doug Fister (32) | HOU | 1-yr, $7M | Fister will look to revive his career with the Astros. There are $5 million in incentives avbailable to him. HIs skills seem to be slipping but he still doesn't beat himself. |
| Yovani Gallardo (30) | BAL | 2-yr, $22M | What a mess. He agreed to a 3-year deal, then the deal was almost called off, then it was ulimately cut down to a 2-year deal with a third year option. For more on the mess see this article. |
| Dillon Gee (30) | KC | Minor Lg. | Signed with a club that will likely have him make starts at some point, maybe from the start. You shouldn't care though he could make up to $5 million in incentives. |
| Zack Greinke (32) | ARI | 6-yr, $206.5M | Greinke got that massive deal with a team no one was talking about. The D'backs gave him $34.5 million a year, crushing the previous high of $31 million. Not as good a park to pitch in but he should still be an elite arm. |
| Jeremy Guthrie (37) | TEX | Minor Lg. | He will try to make the Rangers afer a season in which his ERA was 5.95 and his WHIP 1.55. He sure looked toasted last season. |
| J.A. Happ (33) | TOR | 3-yr, $36M | He turned a 1.85 ERA over 61.1 inning with the Pirates and somehow parlayed that into this deal, despite the fact that he's pretty much always been a league average arm. |
| Aaron Harang (38) | |||
| Rich Hill (36) | OAK | 1-yr, $6M | The soon to be 36 year old gets a huge deal after making four great starts for the Red Sox late in the year. A very odd decision for the A's though they did deal Jesse Chavez to open up a starting spot. |
| Hisashi Iwakuma (35) | SEA | 1-yr, $12M | The deal can be for three years if the club accepts options in 2017 and 2018. Had Had a 3/$45 deal with the Dodgers but he failed a physical. That put him back out on the market and the Mariners swept in and signed their former star. The deal has vesting options in 2017 and 2018 and could total up to $47.5 million over the next three years. We don't yet know why he failed the physical. |
| Edwin Jackson (32) | MIA | Minimum | The Marlins pay the veteran minimum for the reliver while the Cubs pick up the rest of his $11 million contract for 2016. |
| Josh Johnson (32) | |||
| Scott Kazmir (32) | LAD | 3-yr, $48M | Kazmir can opt out after the 2016 season. Why would he? He wears out every year in the second half but the Dodgers had a need after being spurned by Greinke. |
| Kyle Kendrick (31) | ATL | 1-yr, Minor Lg. | He will bring his own special funk, or shall we call it musk, to the Braves. He can't be worse than he was last year, can he? |
| Ian Kennedy (31) | KC | 5-yr, $70M | Didn't take advanatage of Petco as expected but now he moves to the World Series champs on a long deal. Solid, makes 30 starts every year, with 160+ strikeouts. |
| John Lackey (37) | CHC | 2-yr, $32M | Was impressive in '15 but is already 37 years old. |
| Mat Latos (28) | CWS | 1-yr, $3M | Erik Johnson likely heads back to the minors with the signing of the now injury prone vet. A solid signing. It remains to be seen if Latos can make 30 starts at this point, but if he does he should be effective. |
| Mike Leake (28) | STL | 5-yr, $80M | Sounds like the deal also has an $18 million option for the 2021 season. The Cards lost Lackey and Lynn so they desperately needed a 30 start arm. Leake is no star but he did have a sub 1.20 WHIP last season and has thrown 190 innings in 3-straight seasons. |
| Cliff Lee (37) | At this point one has to assume that he has thrown his last big league pitch though he has been medically cleared so there could be a chance he extends his career. | ||
| Colby Lewis (36) | TEX | 1-yr, $6M | Lewis is a solid innings eater when healthy. His ratios are league average stuff making him nothing more than an AL-only arm despite the gaudy win total last season. |
| Tim Lincecum (32) | Will he return from hip issues as a starter or reliever? He wants to start and will reportedly audition for clubs in March. | ||
| Kyle Lohse (37) | Still waiting for a call. It will come at some point. | ||
| Shaun Marcum (34) | Announced his retiremeent from the game. | ||
| Justin Masterson (31) | Coming back from shoulder surgery in September, he will throw for clubs in mid-March to prove he's healthy. | ||
| Brandon Morrow (31) | SD | Minor Lg. | He will get an invite to spring training. The once dynamic arm just can't stay healthy. If he does, there could be bullpen success given his skill set, but a big risk. |
| Hector Noesi (29) | KOR | 1-yr, $1.7M | He takes his game to Korea after he was outrighted from the White Sox 40 man roster last season. |
| Sean O’Sullivan (28) | BOS | Minor Lg. | Orgazational depth. |
| Bud Norris (31) | ATL | 1-yr, $2.5M | Sounds like the Braves hope that Norris can not only stay healthy but rediscover his lost form. They hope at this point is that he will be a part of their starting rotation. |
| Mike Pelfrey (32) | DET | 2-yr, $16M | Don't know how he convinced the Tigers he was worth this much. |
| David Price (30) | BOS | 7-yr, $217M | His $31 million dollar a year salary ties Miguel Cabrera for the second highest mark ever, and the total dollars make it the richest contract ever given a hurler. As with all other hurlers who get a huge, the odds say he will be a burden the final few years of the contract. |
| Jeff Samardzija (31) | SF | 5-yr, $90M | A second tier behind Price/Greinke/Cueto, JS has a great arm, even if results were missing in 2015. A return to NL and a pitcher friendly home park should help. |
| Alfredo Simon (35) | A bit surprsing he still doesn't have a home. | ||
| Eric Stults (36) | Sounds like if the lefty continues his career it will be in Japan. | ||
| Ryan Vogelsong (38) | PIT | 1-yr. $2M | Returns to Pittsburgh as a 38 year old coming off a down season with the Giants. He will fill the 5th spot on the rotation barring another move. There are $3 million in incentives. |
| Tsuyoshi Wada (35) | KOR | His big league career appears to be complete. | |
| Randy Wolf (39) | |||
| Jerome Williams (34) | Had Achilles surgery which will cause him to miss the first couple of months of the season. | ||
| Chris Young (37) | KC | 2-yr, $11,5M | The tall righty will stay with the Royals on a 2-year deal. He can relieve as we saw last year but we also know he will make some starts, throw the ball slowly, and get a lot of outs even though he really shouldn't be. |
| Jordan Zimmermann (30) | DET | 5-yr, $110M | The first big free agent to sign. Jordan is not elite but just below that level. His performance should maintain in Detroit from what we have seen in Washington. The Tigers lose their 2nd round selection and not their first which was protected. |
Right-Handed Relievers | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Al Alburquerque (29) | LAA | Major Lg | Huge arm, right around 11 Ks per nine for his career, but he also has no clue where the ball is going at times. |
| Nate Jones (29) | CWS | 3-yr, $6.75M | There are club options for 2019 and 2020 and a mutual option for 2021. Jones, who returned from Tommy John surgery last year, was throwing 95+ in the second half with 27 strikeouts over 19 innings. |
| Neftali Feliz (27) | PIT | 1-yr, $3.9M | Feliz's career has gone off the rails, and last season his ERA was well over six. Ugly. He will hope to lock into a 7th or 8th inning role with the Pirates. |
| Matt Belisle (36) | WAS | Minor Lg. | Not a bad arm. Probably a 50/50 bet to make the roster. |
| Rafael Betancourt (41) | RET | The 41 year old has decided to retire with 75 career saves in a long and successful career. | |
| Joe Blanton (35) | LAD | 1-yr, $4M | What pitcher haven't the Dodgers signed? He will work out of the bullpen though can start in a pinch. |
| Blaine Boyer (34) | MIL | Minor Lg. | He will apparently get a chance to earn $950,000 if he makes the Opening Day roster. |
| Jonathan Broxton (32) | STL | 2-yr, $7.5M | He's not the pitcher he once was, not close, but he isn't a bad signing as a middle reliever. |
| Yusmeiro Petit (31) | WAS | 1-yr, $2.5M | Can start or relieve with the best of them. The term "swingman" was invented for him. He's likely a direct replacement for Craig Stammen. |
| Joba Chamberlain (30) | CLE | Minor Lg. | The once rising star is just hopeful of cracking the Opening Day roster. He only threw 27.2 innings last season with a 4.88 ERA. |
| Tyler Clippard (31) | ARI | 2-yr, $12.5M | One of the best relievers in baseball for years he throws 70 innings each year and strikes out a batter per game. Armor appeared to be cracking last season however. |
| Justin De Fratus (28) | SEA | 1-yr, $750,000 | The reliever posted a 5.51 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over 80-innings last season for the Phillies. |
| Steve Cishek (29) | SEA | 2-yr, $10M | He had a rough 2015 that saw him demoted to the minors, but he righted the ship late in the year. He will start out in the setup role but could always work his way into the saves mix. |
| Ernesto Frieri (30) | PHI | Minor Lg. | The one time closer with a big arm has to prove himself. There's a chance, with the trade of Giles, that Frieri could see some 9th inning work. Note the word "chance." |
| David Hernandez (31) | PHI | 1-yr | A strong arm that intrigued a few teams. He had a 4.28 ERA and allowed six homers in less than 35 innings last season. Just a guy who isn't worth a look in fantasy. |
| Roberto Hernandez (35) | TOR | 1-yr | He is a spare part that can start or relieve. Nothing to see here. |
| Tommy Hunter (29) | CLE | 1-yr, $2M | He throws hard, and you can't teach that. He owns a 4.31 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over his career. |
| Casey Janssen (34) | SD | Minor Lg. | The 34 year old had a poor effort last season over 40 innings. |
| Jim Johnson (33) | ATL | 1-yr, $2.5M | Over his last 125 outings he has a 5.49 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. God knows why the Braves would give him so much cash. |
| Shawn Kelley (32) | WAS | 3-yr, $15M | He posted an ERA under 2.50 and more than a K per inning last year for the Padres. A nice addition for a team that is likely to be making other bullpen moves. Could end up closing of Papelbon is hurt or ineffective. |
| Mark Lowe (33) | DET | 2-yr, $11M | A two year deal with the Tigers is complete. Crushed it last year and helps to make up for the loses the club from Detroit has suffered this year. |
| Ryan Madson (36) | OAK | 3-yr, $22M | Velocity was back after second Tommy John surgery. The A's rewarded him with a big deal. Could see some 9th inning time with the health uncertainties of Sean Doolittle. |
| Nick Masset (34) | |||
| Jason Motte (34) | COL | 2-yr, $10M | Had a nice rebound effort last season but would seem to me that his skills are a poor fit here. His numbers will not look good if he repeats the 47 percent fly ball rate he posted last season. Chad Qualls was also signed to lend a hand, 2-years, $6 million, and his groundball skills will play. |
| Edward Mujica (32) | PHI | Minor Lg. | Was terrible last season, but the Phillies likely will end up giving him a shot to throw consistent innings out of the bullpen for them this season. |
| Joe Nathan (41) | Working his way back from his second Tommy John surgery. Reports, to this point, are positive. | ||
| Darren O’Day (33) | BAL | 4-yr, $31M | Didn't quite get Andrew Miller money, calling five million short, but the sidewinder got paid to stay home. |
| Bobby Parnell (31) | DET | Minor Lg. | Hopes to make the Tigers pen. At one time a strong 9th inning arm, he's yet to find his footing since undergoing Tommy John surgery. |
| Joel Peralta (40) | SEA | Minor Lg. | Teh aging righty will be invited to camp. He only tossed 29 innings last season as his body started to break down. |
| Fernando Rodney (39) | SD | 1-yr, $2M | Sounds like he could be headed to the Padres. Should receive first shot at the 9th inning job. We'll see if he can hold on to it. |
| Joakim Soria (32) | KC | 3-yr, $25.M | A 3-year deal to return to the Royals with a 4th year mutual option thrown in. It's likely that he will set up for Wade Davis as he returns to the team that he starred for a few years back. . |
| Tim Stauffer (33) | ARI | Minor Lg. | A former elite level draft pick, Tim has had some nice spurts here and there. The 2015 season wasn't one of those efforts (1.98 WHIP over 20.2 innings). |
| Dale Thayer (35) | BAL | Minor Lg. | Just not much to see here. |
| Chad Qualls (37) | COL | 2-yr, $6M | The ground ball inducing righty should continue to have success even in Coors, but as of now it appears a long shot that he will end up with any work in the 9th inning. |
| Carlos Villanueva (32) | SD | 1-yr. $1.5M | A useful arm who has no value in mixed leagues. |
| Ryan Webb (30) | TB | 1-yr, $1M | The righty gets ground, can eat up some innings, and isn't one but exciting. |
Left-Handed Relievers | New Team | Contract | Comment |
| Antonio Bastardo (30) | NYM | 2-yr, $12M | A lefty with dominant stuff that often struggles to throw strikes. Should get a strikeout an inning while piling up the holds. |
| Joe Beimel (39) | |||
| Jerry Blevins (32) | NYM | 1-yr, $4M | He only appeared in seven games last season. |
| Craig Breslow (35) | MIA | Minor Lg. | Will try to prove he can still get batters out. Wasn't at all impressive last season, but he should still have a good shot to earn a pen role. |
| Neal Cotts (36) | HOU | Minor Lg. | Cotts has been a K per inning arm the past three seasons and he's pretty darn tough on lefties. |
| Randy Choate (40) | Sounds like the Astros are kicking the tires. | ||
| Ross Detwiler (30) | CLE | 1-yr, $1M | Learned today, thanks to MLB.com, that he had the lowest exit velocity off the bat of anyhurler in 2015. Who knew? Will try to grab a roster spot in spring. |
| Brian Duensing (33) | KC | Minor Lg. | Will look to make the bullpen for the World Champs. |
| Jeff Francis (35) | |||
| Tom Gorzelanny (33) | CLE | 1-yr, Minor Lg. | Signed to be a lefty out of the bullpen. He will receive an invite to spring training to aid his hope to make the team. |
| Cesar Jimenez (31) | |||
| Sean Marshall (33) | RET | The lefty called it quites with a 72-82 career record. | |
| Franklin Morales (30) | The Red Sox were the last team mentioned to be interested. | ||
| Eric O’Flaherty (31) | PIT | Minor Lg. | He was brutal last season, his shoulder was jacked, but he could end up being a nice add out of the pen for the Pirates. |
| Manny Parra (33) | |||
| Oliver Perez (34) | WAS | 2-yr, $7M | Control sometimes amiss, but still a large arm. |
| James Russell (30) | |||
| Tony Sipp (32) | HOU | 3-yr, $18M | Looking for $6 mil a year and at least three seasons he ended up staying with the Astros. He an ERA under 2.70 with more than a strikeout an inning the last two seasons. |
| Joe Thatcher (34) | CLE | Minor Lg. | Threw 22.2 innings last season. Not a bad arm, though there's no fantasy interest. |
| Matt Thornton (39) | SD | Minor Lg. | Still throws smooth cheese and can get lefties out, though his strikeout rate has vanished. |