| MLB FREE AGENT TRACKER | | |
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| Catchers | TEAM | CONTRACT | COMMENT |
| Welington Castillo | BAL | 1-yr, $6M | | The deal includes a second year with a $7 million player option. Castillo went .264-14-68 last year and should produce similarly this season. |
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| Jason Castro | MIN | 3-yr, $24M | | A strong defender who really can't hit. Nothing more than a low end second catcher in mixed leagues at best. |
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| A.J. Ellis | MIA | 1-yr, $2.5M | He will likely play around 30-35 games as the backup to J.T. Realmuto. |
| Ryan Hanigan | PHI | Minor lg. | | He's a nice glove but it's been years since he was worth anything other than a $1 bid in league specific setups. |
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| Nick Hundley | SF | 1-yr, $2M | Gives the Giants a solid veteran backup to Buster Posey. |
| A.J. Pierzynski | | | Wants to play one more season. |
| Wilson Ramos | TB | 2-yr, $12/5M | The deal could be worth $18.5 million if the incentives are hit. On his outlook see Offseason Injuries. |
| David Ross | | | Unless something changes drastically he will retire a World Champion. |
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| Kurt Suzuki | ATL | 1-yr,. $1.5M | There's another $2.5 million in incentives in there for Suzuki who will share playing time with Tyler Flowers behind the dish. |
| Josh Thole | ARI | Minor lg. | | With Iannetta and Herrmann ahead of him, it would take an injury for Thole to even make the club. |
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| Matt Wieters | | | After accepting a one year qualyfying offer last season he's looking to hit it big this offseason. See this Ray's Ramblings piece. |
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| First Basemen | TEAM | CONTRACT | COMMENT |
| Pedro Alvarez | | | Still has 25 homer power. Still waiting for a team. |
| Ike Davis | LAD | Minor lg. | It will be a struggle for him to carve out a role of significance. |
| Edwin Encarnacion | CLE | 3-yr, $60M | The top slugger on the market, EE is getting more than the $60 million listed. For the details see - Encarnacion is an Indian. |
| Adam LaRoche | | | Will he try to rekindle his career or remain with his family? |
| Adam Lind | WAS | 1-yr | Signed to platoon a bit at first base, Lind could obviusly fill-in once Ryan Zimmerman goes down with an injury. |
| James Loney | TEX | Minor lg. | Signed a minor league deal with the Rangers. Who will he battle for playing time, Jurickson Profar? Josh Hamilton? Maybe Joey Gallo? |
| Justin Morneau | | | Not the hitter he once was, but still a servicable bat. |
| Kendrys Morales | TOR | 3-yr, $33M | For more on the signing of Morales see Off-Season Dealings. |
| Mitch Moreland | BOS | 1-yr, $5M | He has a Gold Glove so he will push HanRam to the DH role. Moreland won't play versus lefties given his career .673 OPS against them. |
| Brandon Moss | KC | 2-yr, $12M | He will replace Kendrys Morales. For more on Moss see Health, Rankings, Signings. |
| Mike Napoli | TEX | | Looking to get paid as the top power bat on the secondary market. Seems like it's gonna be the Rangers who add his services. |
| David Ortiz * | BOS | 1-yr, $16M | The Sox picked up the contract just in case after Ortiz went .315-38-127 in his final season. He won't be returning. |
| Nick Swisher | Ret. | | At least he's made millions and has a hot wife. |
| Mark Teixeira | Ret. | | He's retired after an impressive career. |
| Mark Reynolds | COL | Minor lg. | Don't know why he couldn't get a big league deal, or why he went back to Colorado. No line to playing time. |
| Second Basemen | TEAM | CONTRACT | COMMENT |
| Aaron Hill | SF | Minor Lg. | A versatile veteran who is nothing more than a bench presence on an upper division club. |
| Chase Utley | LAD | 1-yr, $2M | Will remain with the Dodgers. |
| Neil Walker | NYM | 1-yr, $17.2M QO | He was off to a fantastic season last year before it derailed due to a back injury and subsequent surgery. He comes with obvious risk, but it's nice power at the keystone. |
| Josh Wilson | | | |
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| Shortstops | TEAM | CONTRACT | COMMENT |
| Erick Aybar | SD | Minot lg. | | It wil be Aybar or Luis Sardinas at shortstop for the Padres. Have to think that the 33 year old Aybar is the one that emerges. |
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| Clint Barmes | Ret. | | Decided to retire back in May. |
| Andres Blanco | PHI | 1-yr, $3M | | Blanco can play all three spots in the outfield but he's nothing other than a depth option in NL-only leagues. |
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| Lourdes Gurriel | TOR | 7-yr, $22M | Slashed .277/.362/.426 in just under 1,100 at-bats in Cuba's top professional league, including a slash line of .344/.407/.560 with 10 homers in 245 plate appearances during the 2015-16 season. He also offers above-average speed and can play all around the infield as well as all three outfield positions. |
| Brendan Ryan | DET | Minor lg. | Spent all of last year at Triple-A and is 35 years old in late March. |
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| Third Basemen | TEAM | CONTRACT | COMMENT |
| Daniel Descalso | ARI | 1-yr, $1.5M | | He can't hit, .242 lifetime with little power, but he's a solid veteran depth add. |
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| Martin Prado | MIA | 3-yr, $40M | Prado will be paid handsomely to continue being what he has always been - a professional hitter. He hit .305 with 75 RBI and 70 runs scored last season. |
| Justin Turner | LAD | 4-yr, $64M | The best power hitting option at the hot corner on the market returns to the Dodgers. For more see Ray's Rambling's Pre Holiday Talk. |
| Luis Valbuena | LAA | 2-yr, $15M | Sounds like he will potentially start the year at first to cover Pujols, but he's gonna see work at third base as well. |
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| Outfielders | TEAM | CONTRACT | COMMENT |
| Jose Bautista | TOR | 1-yr, $18.5M | The deal can be worth up to $60 million over three years to return to Toronto where he will be expected to be the same guy as always - big-time power. |
| Carlos Beltran | HOU | 1-yr, $16M | | Coming off an impressive power season that nearly saw him go 30-100. The astros paid a steep price hoping for similar production at age 40 (in April). |
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| Gregor Blanco | ARI | Minor lg. | Will battle for a backup spot in the outfield in Arizona. |
| Peter Bourjos | CWS | Minor lg. | More glove than bat. |
| Michael Bourn | BAL | Minor lg. | The Orioles have brought him back to vie for a depth spot in the outfield. |
| Yoenis Cespedes | NYM | 4-yr, $110M | He gets the highest AAV of any position player in baseball history other than Miggy ($31M) at $27.5. An impressive talent, but he has trouble staying on the field. |
| Chris Coghlan | PHI | Minor lg. | | Coughlan can play the infield and the outfield, and he'll likely be a solid NL-only play in '17. |
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| Coco Crisp | | | Someone will sign the veteran. |
| Rajai Davis | OAK | 1-yr, $6M | He will run, steal 30 bases, get on base at a league average pace, and of course be traded by the A's at some point. |
| David DeJesus | | | His wife is so hot. |
| Ian Desmond | COL | 5-yr, $70M | Four 20/20 seasons in five years led to the huge contract. For a breakdown, see the Winter Meetings Report. |
| Dexter Fowler | STL | 5-yr., $82.5M | An on base stud, the Cardinals basically get a guy to replace the player they let go last year (Jason Heyward). See The Aftermath. |
| Sam Fuld | | | | Working his way back from shoulder surgery. |
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| Craig Gentry | BAL | Minor lg. | He had just 34 at-bats at the big league level last season and is now 33 years old. |
| Carlos Gomez | TEX | 1-yr, $11.5M | Gomez turned down multi-year deals to return to the Rangers where he finally found his groove late in the year. With health, success will follow. |
| Chris Heisey | WAS | 1-yr, $1.4M | Far from an impact player in fantasy, Heisey appeared in 83 games for the Nats last season and batted .216 with nine home runs, 17 RBI and 18 runs scored. |
| Matt Holliday | NYY | 1-yr, $13M | The veteran can still power the baseball effectively. A solid veteran signing for the Yankees. With health, he should basically replace Beltran's lost production. |
| Jon Jay | CHC | 1-yr, $8M | A professional hitter who profiles best as a 4th major league outfielder. He will likely share center with Albert Almora. |
| Matt Joyce | OAK | 2-yr, $11M | It's great to be left-handed. A platoon option if there ever was one, Joyce was paid rather handsomely for who he is at this point of his career. |
| Nate McLouth | | | The end of the line? |
| Logan Morrison | TB | 1-yr, $2.5M | LoMo is a great guy, but he has never lived up to expectations, not close. |
| Angel Pagan | | | Can still get it done, but back woes continue to concern as his age increases. |
| Colby Rasmus | TB | 1-yr, $5M | Power, streakiness, ugly hair. You get it all with this psuedo-slugger who will never meet the sky-high expectations he arrived with. |
| Josh Reddick | HOU | 4-yr, $32M | I think the Astros overpaid. |
| Ben Revere | LAA | 1-yr, $4M | | Revere hit .300 with 20 steals each year from 2014-16 before last year's flameout (.217 with 14 thefts). Should rebound. |
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| Sean Rodriguez | ATL | 2-yr, $11.5M | Rewarded for his best season, S-Rod went .270/.349/.510 with 18 homers in 300 ABs while playing 20 games at 1B, 2B, SS and OF. |
| Michael Saunders | PHI | 1-yr, $9M | The deal inclusde a club option for $11 million. Saunders starred in the first half last season before falling flat on his face in the 2nd half. A career of unfulfilled expectations. |
| Travis Snider | TEX | Minor lg. | Is he still playing? He signed a minor league deal with the Rangers. |
| Jose Tabata * | TOR | Minor lg. | Is he still playing? The 28 year old outfielder posted a .284 average and .393 OBP last season in 60 games at Triple-A. |
| Mark Trumbo | BAL | 3-yr, $37.5M | Ended up with about half of what he was hoping for. Who is Trumbo? Check out this Ray's Ramblings piece. |
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| Starting Pitchers | TEAM | CONTRACT | COMMENT |
| Brett Anderson | CHC | 1-yr, $3.5M | He could earn up to $10 million. He won't. He was signed as rotation depth and will likely makes starts... Until he breaks of course. |
| Bronson Arroyo | CIN | Minor lg. | | The soon to be 40 year old righty is trying to return after having been out of the bigs since 2014. |
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| Brandon Beachy | | | His arm is just broken. |
| Andrew Cashner | TEX | 1-yr, $10M | Cashner's signing likely means Derek Holland and Colby Lewis won't be back. Cashner is long on talent, but short on production as he always underperforms. |
| Bartolo Colon | ATL | 1-yr, $12.5M | While Jeff Mans likes him loaded with sour cream, bacon and chives, the Braves will take him as is after going 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP and 128 strikeouts over 197.1 innings for the Mets last season. The soon-to-be 44 year old defied all sensible logic after he posted a 4.0 K/BB last season despite throwing a fastball that never topped 88 mph almost 90-percent of the time he pitched. |
| John Danks | ATL | Minor lg. | Worst lefty on the market? Not really sure why the Braves seem intent on signing every old guy on the bump... |
| Jorge de la Rosa | ARI | Minor lg. | Worst lefty on the market? Slightly better than Danks. He signed with the D'backs to work out of the pen. |
| R.A. Dickey | ATL | 1-yr, $7.5M | Dickey threw 169.2 innings last season for the Jays with a 4.46 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. The 42 year old knuckleballer is merely an innings eater at this point. |
| Scott Feldman | CIN | 1-yr, $2.3M | | He's a swingman at this point. He will probably shoot for the 5th starting spot, but expect both starts and relief appearances this season. |
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| Jaime Garcia | ATL | 1-yr, $12M | The Cards picked up his option. |
| Jeremy Guthrie | | | Hopes to get a bullpen gig. He's pitching in Australian Winter Ball. |
| Jason Hammel | KC | 2-yr, $16M | Can't throw 180-innings, can't, but he's a solid depth starter. Not getting the interest he hoped for. |
| Jeremy Hellickson | PHI | 1-yr, $17.2M QO | After leading the Phillies with 12 wins, Hellickson opted to accept the team's qualifying offer. He finished the 2016 season with a 3.71 ERA and tied career highs with 32 starts and 189 innings pitched. He also struck out a career-best 154 batters, while walking just 45. |
| Derek Holland | CWS | 1-yr, $6M | |
| Daniel Hudson | PIT | 2-yr, $11M | Seems like every team in baseball with a hole in the pen was looking. The Pirates nabbed him. See Minor Movement. |
| Edwin Jackson | | | |
| Cliff Lee | | | The once great lefty will never pitch again. |
| Cory Luebke | CWS | Minor Lg. | | He'll be 32 in March and had an ERA over nine last year. Just a body. |
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| Kris Medlen | ATL | Minor Lg. | He's had about 37 surgeries on his arm but he keeps coming back. |
| Matt Moore | SF | 1-yr, $7M | See why the Giants brought him back. |
| Charlie Morton | HOU | 2-yr, $14M | The Astros hope the groundballer can round out their rotation. |
| Jon Niese | NYY | Minor lg. | Coming off a terrible season with an ERA in the five's, but he is left-handed. |
| Ivan Nova | PIT | 3-yr, $26M | Seemed to resurrect his career in Pittsburgh where he will return. See Mound Movement. |
| Jake Peavy | | | The righty can still get batters out when he's healthy. He's taking time off because of a family issue (divorce). |
| Josh Tomlin | | | He can't keep the ball in the yard, but when he does he's effective. |
| Edinson Volquez | MIA | 2-yr, $22M | He stinks. The Marlins have a need though so they signed the veteran righty. |
| Jered Weaver | SD | 1-yr, $3M | Moving over to the NL, after 11 seasons in the AL all with the Angels. |
| C.J. Wilson | Ret. | | Don't hate him cause he's beautiful. He's decided to retire and focus on car racing. See Mostly Bad News. |
| Travis Wood | KC | 2-yr, $12M | Signed by the Royals to compete for a starting spot after spending all of last season working out of the bullpen with the Cubs. |
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| Relief Pitchers | TEAM | CONTRACT | COMMENT |
| Joe Blanton | WAS | 1-yr, $4M | It took him a long while, but he finally settled for a spot in the Nationals bullpen. A solid arm that can be frequently used. |
| Joaquin Benoit | PHI | 1-yr, $7.5M | The aging vet can stll get batters out, he's still got big time stuff, so with health the Phillies will likely be happy. |
| Jonathan Broxton | STL | 2-yr, $7.5M | Will remain with the Cardinals. |
| Trevor Cahill | SD | 1-yr, $1.75M | | Cahill will get a chance to vie for a rotation spot with the Padres after posting a 2.74 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 65.2 innings last season. |
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| Brett Cecil | STL | 4-yr, $30M | Coming off a down season cause of injury, he will allow the Cards to roll out yet another impressive arm late in games. |
| Santiago Casilla | OAK | 2-yr, $11M | | Seems like Casilla will setup for Ryan Madson, though Madson struggled enough last season that Casilla slipping into the 9th at some point seems possible. |
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| Aroldis Chapman | NYY | 5-yr, $86M | |
| Jesse Chavez | LAA | 1-yr, $5.75M | While he pitched out of the bullpen exclusively last year, the Angels intend to use him as a starter. He posted a 4.43 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 62 appearances between the Blue Jays and the Dodgers and will hope the pitcher-friendly environment of Angel Stadium helps him reduce the number of home runs allowed this year. In 2016, he allowed 12 home runs over 67 innings. |
| Tim Collins | WAS | Minor Lg. | Small, but can get guys out when healthy. |
| Aaron Crow | | | |
| Michael Dunn | COL | 3-yr, $19M | |
| Dana Eveland | | | |
| Neftali Feliz | MIL | 1-yr, $5.35M | | He will likely battle Corey Knebel for 9th inning duties in Milwaukee. |
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| Luke Hochevar | | | |
| Greg Holland | COL | 1-yr, $7M | Could earn up to $10 million, Holland will likely battle Adam Ottavino at some point for 9th inning work. Could happen early if his arm is healthy. |
| J.P. Howell | TOR | 1-yr, $3M | | The 33 year old lefty had a down 2016 with a 1.40 WHIP and 4.09 ERA. |
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| Kenley Jansen | LAD | 5-yr, $80M | Got $80 million to return to the Dodgers to continue to dominate the 9th inning. See Pre Holiday Talk. |
| Casey Janssen | BOS | Minor lg. | | Just a veteran add for organizational depth. |
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| Kevin Jepsen | ARI | Minor lg. | Coming off a lost season of a 5.98 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over 58 games. |
| Brandon League | KC | Minor lg. | At one point he had a hellacious sinker. |
| Boone Logan | CLE | 1-yr, $5.5M | A dominating lefty against lefties. He cannot be stopped there. See this Ray's Ramblings. |
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| Javier Lopez | Ret. | | Still murder on lefties but he's decided that he's thrown his last big-league pitch. |
| Brian Matusz | ARI | Minor lg. | The lefty threw only nin big league innings last season with horendous results (14.00 ERA, 2.89 WHIP). |
| Mark Melancon | SF | 4-yr, $62M | The "third" closer on the market, Melancon will lock down the 9th for the Giants. For more see the Winter Meetings Report. |
| Joe Nathan | WAS | Minor lg. | The 42 year old pitched just 6.1 innings last season. He will get a change to earn up to $3 million in incentives. |
| Josh Outman | | | |
| Yusmeiro Petit | LAA | Minor lg. | | A nice final man on any staff, he has solid stuff, can start and relieve as well. |
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| Cesar Ramos | PHI | Minor lg. | Will get a shot to make the majors after a dreadful 2016. |
| Sergio Romo | LAD | 1-yr, $3M | Can still get batters out, but his slurvy slider, when not breaking, is a base hit magnet. See This Ray's Ramblings article. |
| Marc Rzepczynski | SEA | 2-yr, $11M | He can get lefties out with the best of them and will fill a prime setup role for the Mariners. |
| Fernando Salas | NYM | 1-yr, $3M | | In 17.1 innings with the Mets last season he had 19 punchouts and no walks. |
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| Sergio Santos | | | |
| Joe Smith | TOR | 1-yr, $3M | For more see this Ray's Ramblings article. |
| Craig Stammen | | | |
| Drew Storen | CIN | 1-yr, $3M | Will likely start in a setup capacity, but the Reds seem open to letting the 9th play out based on spring performance. |
| Koji Uehara | CHC | 1-yr, $6M | Dude can still get batters out at an elite rate. See Signings on the Hill. |
| Jordan Walden | ATL | Minor lg. deal | A big arm, but shoulder woes have derailed his career. |
| Brad Ziegler | MIA | 2-yr, $16M | He has 52 saves as a ground ball machine the last two seasons. Not the prototypical 9th inning arm, he will slot back into a setup role in Miami. |
| * Contract includes an option | | |
| ** Players who received qualifying offers are in bold. | |
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