Top 11 Impending 2024-25 MLB Free Agents Post-Trade Deadline

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline has passed, and all 30 teams essentially are what they are for the remainder of the 2024 season. The hot stove has simmered to the point where it’s being cleaned in preparation for the offseason.

Of course, transaction speculation never stops in the baseball world, which is why Just Baseball is happy to unveil our latest countdown of the top 10 potential free agents for the 2024-25 MLB offseason.

Honorable Mentions

Before we get to the top 10, here are a few names that just missed the countdown but are certainly worth mentioning before they hit the market this winter.

Stats updated prior to games on August 7.

Teoscar Hernández: OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

After he was banished to T-Mobile Park a year ago and had a disappointing lone season for the Seattle Mariners, Teoscar Hernández has thrived as a run producer for a Dodgers team with a ton of talent in front of him.

The two-time Silver Slugger winner signed a one-year, $23.5 million deal with the Dodgers last offseason.

Entering his age-32 season, Hernández will surely be looking for a multi-year commitment this time around. But if the Dodgers extend him a qualifying offer, that could hurt his chances of receiving multiple years from another team in free agency.

Ha-Seong Kim: INF, San Diego Padres

Had Ha-Seong Kim become a free agent after last season, he would have been one of the most coveted pieces available, as he won a Gold Glove Award and posted a .749 OPS.

But while he’s still on the right side of 30 and has tremendous defensive flexibility, Kim currently has an OPS under .700 this season.

Kim has a $7 million mutual option for next season, which includes a $2 million buyout.

It feels like it might be best for all parties involved to work out a short-term deal to keep Kim in San Diego, or have him accept the qualifying offer, should A.J. Preller and the Padres give him one.

Paul Goldschmidt: 1B, St. Louis Cardinals

Just two years removed from winning NL MVP, Paul Goldschmidt is having the worst offensive season of his illustrious career. That doesn’t mean there won’t be teams interested in him if he hits the open market, but considering he will turn 37 in September, he may have just hit a wall.

The guess here is Goldschmidt will remain in St. Louis for 2025.

Carlos Estévez: RHP, Philadelphia Phillies

Looking to bolster their bullpen before a potential playoff run, the Phillies acquired Carlos Estévez in a trade from the Los Angeles Angels prior to the deadline.

He’s immediately fit in with the veteran clubhouse due to his affable personality. And the 31-year-old has essentially become the closer, despite joining a bullpen that had two other All-Stars (Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm).

Estévez is likely looking for a multi-year deal in free agency, and because he was traded mid-season, he isn’t eligible for a qualifying offer.

Tyler O’Neill: LF/RF, Boston Red Sox

Tyler O’Neill, 29, isn’t someone that’s going to play 162 games for you. But he’s been healthier in 2024 than in either of his final two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, and he is one of the reasons the Red Sox are a surprise playoff contender.

O’Neill seems like one of the more obvious candidates to accept the qualifying offer in the offseason, assuming the Red Sox extend it to him.

Luis Severino: RHP, New York Mets

Like many of the honorable mentions, Luis Severino is a candidate to take the qualifying offer if the Mets extend it to him.

The former All-Star has a 4.06 ERA over 22 starts and is still only 30 years old. But his 4.37 FIP suggests he might be due for some regression in the second half of the season, which will affect his standing this offseason, as will his lengthy injury history.

Tanner Scott: LHP, San Diego Padres

Tanner Scott has been one of the top relief pitchers in baseball over the past two seasons, which is why the Padres acquired him from the Miami Marlins prior to the trade deadline.

If you dig into some of his advanced numbers, they aren’t as good as his 1.31 ERA. But there’s something to be said for getting results, and Scott has done that. He also won’t be eligible for a qualifying offer.

Cody Bellinger: OF/1B, Chicago Cubs

Unless Cody Bellinger goes on a tear in the second half, he’ll probably exercise his player option for the second season of the three-year, $80 million pact he signed to return to the Cubs last offseason.

Maybe next winter will be the time for Bellinger to opt-out to hit the market again after the 2025 season. Yet such wide variances in offensive performance on a year-to-year basis make him a hard player to project.

Jeff Hoffman: RHP, Philadelphia Phillies

A former first-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, Jeff Hoffman revived his career when he got a chance to pitch in the Phillies’ bullpen in 2023 after blowing away a rehabbing Bryce Harper in a live batting practice session.

Since being promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in May of 2023, Hoffman has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball, utilizing a mid-to-high-90s fastball and a nasty slider. He has pitched in save situations but has shown a willingness to take the ball whenever his name is called.

He even earned the nickname “the Garbage Man” from Harper in 2023 for his ability to come into dirty innings and escape unscathed.

Hoffman will likely receive and decline a qualifying offer from the Phillies, in search of a three or four-year deal that pays him like a closer.

Top 11 Impending MLB Free Agents in 2024-2025

No. 11: Matt Chapman – 3B, San Francisco Giants

Age in 2025: 32

Eligible for qualifying offer? No

In his first season with the Giants, Matt Chapman has proven to be what he often was for the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays: a tremendous defender with pop, but one who isn’t going to post gaudy marks in terms of batting average or on-base percentage.

It remains to be seen if Chapman will opt out of the final two seasons of the three-year, $54 million deal he signed in San Francisco last offseason. The guess here is that he will, though it’s unclear if his market will be much different than a year ago.

What Chapman does have going for him this time is that he isn’t he isn’t eligible for a qualifying offer after receiving one from the Blue Jays last year.

No. 10: Christian Walker – 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks

Age in 2025: 34

Eligible for qualifying offer? Yes

Christian Walker‘s value is hurt by the fact that he’ll likely have a qualifying offer attached to him, which means any team interested in his services (outside of the Diamondbacks) would need to surrender draft compensation to sign him.

That will scare off some teams, considering Walker will turn 34 during the first week of the 2025 season.

With all that acknowledged, Walker has thrived since the start of the 2022 campaign, homering 92 times, driving in 268 runs and posting an .816 OPS. His calling card is his glove work at first base, as he won consecutive Gold Glove Awards in 2022 and 2023.

Given his age, Walker will likely wind up with a three-year deal but will offer an interesting alternative to Pete Alonso for teams looking to upgrade at first base.

No. 9: Jack Flaherty – RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Age in 2025: 29

Eligible for qualifying offer? No

Given that he pitched just 258 2/3 innings between 2021 and 2023, there are going to be teams skeptical of making a long-term commitment to Jack Flaherty.

Heck, the New York Yankees reportedly backed out of an agreement in principle to acquire Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers because they had reservations about his medicals.

Still, Flaherty was ultimately traded to the Dodgers, which was a massive development for his free agency. Not only does being traded during the season mean Flaherty can’t be given a qualifying offer this offseason, but it preserves the possibility of his next team giving him one in the future.

Flaherty may wind up signing a multi-year deal with opt-outs, similar to what Bellinger and Chapman settled for last offseason.

But in this case, the team signing him (a) wouldn’t have to give up draft compensation and (b) could give him a qualifying offer if the 28-year-old opts out after a season or two and returns to free agency.

No. 8: Anthony Santander – RF, Baltimore Orioles

Age in 2025: 30

Eligible for qualifying offer? Yes

Outside of Hall of Fame-caliber talents like Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr., corner outfielders with pop are often seen as replaceable. But despite a seemingly never-ending pipeline of young outfielders, the Orioles will struggle to replace Santander if he departs in free agency this winter.

Santander averaged 31 home runs and 92 RBIs over the last two seasons, so it’s not as though he’s come out of nowhere in what’s been his first All-Star campaign. But he’s certainly peaking at the right time, having already set a new career-high with 35 home runs with more than six weeks remaining in his contract year.

It will be interesting to see whether the Orioles extend the qualifying offer to Santander or not, but he would likely decline it in search of three or four years on the open market.

No. 7: Willy Adames – SS, Milwaukee Brewers

Age in 2025: 29

Eligible for qualifying offer? Yes

It’s long been assumed that the Brewers won’t retain Willy Adames beyond this season, with the possibility that Joey Ortiz will shift from third base to shortstop in 2025.

But Adames is making quite the closing argument before free agency, whether it’s for the Brewers to keep him or someone else to sign him.

At the time of publication, Adames has a .782 OPS with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs, with just under two months remaining in the regular season. Defensive metrics are a bit divided on him this year, as Adames has -6 defensive runs saved but four outs above average.

However, he’s generally seen as an excellent fielder, with 14 DRS and 19 OAA in his career.

Adames has a relatively similar profile to that of Dansby Swanson when he became a free agent prior to the 2023 season following an excellent run with the Atlanta Braves.

Before his age-29 season, Swanson earned a seven-year, $177 million deal from the Cubs, a pact that includes a full no-trade clause. Adames’s suitors will likely need to at least match that deal this offseason.

No. 6: Alex Bregman – 3B, Houston Astros

Age in 2025: 31

Eligible for qualifying offer? Yes

Alex Bregman is going to be a difficult free agent to evaluate, because he was one of the top five players in baseball from 2018-2019. He was an All-Star level player from 2022-2023, but not able to recapture what he did in his two finest seasons.

In 2024, Bregman got off to an ice-cold start, hitting .219 with a .652 OPS through May, though he has been better since then.

Further complicating matters is that Bregman is one of the players most associated with the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal. That could mean that teams who otherwise might be good fits for the third baseman — such as the Yankees and Dodgers — might shy away from pursuing him.

Bregman still seems overqualified to just accept a qualifying offer and try again next year, but a return to the Astros in 2025 in some form might be more likely than it once appeared.

No. 5: Max Fried – LHP, Atlanta Braves

Age in 2025: 31

Eligible for qualifying offer? Yes

Max Fried has a 2.79 ERA, two top-five NL Cy Young finishes and three Gold Glove Awards on his resume since the start of the 2020 season, and he is still relatively young. Normally someone with that type of profile would be even higher on a list like this.

The problem for Fried has been durability. A left forearm strain and a blister on his left index finger limited Fried to 77 2/3 innings pitched in 2023.

This year, he recently returned from a brief IL stint with left forearm neuritis. He logged a career-high 185 1/3 innings pitched in 2022, when he was runner-up in NL Cy Young Award voting. But Fried doesn’t have another season on his resume where he’s topped 170 frames.

Fried will receive and almost certainly decline a qualifying offer from the Braves, as he has quietly been one of the better pitchers in the franchise’s long history.

It will be interesting to see how much of a commitment Atlanta and/or any suitors in free agency are willing to make to the talented lefty. A big postseason could help him.

No. 4: Blake Snell – LHP, San Francisco Giants

Age in 2025: 32

Eligible for qualifying offer? No

Six weeks ago, the idea of Blake Snell opting out of $38.5 million in 2025 would have been laughable. But Snell has allowed just two earned runs over his last five starts, with the two-time Cy Young Award winner tossing a no-hitter for the Giants on Aug. 2.

Many of the same concerns that existed about Snell’s durability will still be there this offseason, particularly since he’s been on the injured list twice this year, dealing with both left adductor and left groin strains.

The difference this offseason is Snell won’t have a qualifying offer attached to him if he opts out, because a player can only be saddled with a QO once in their career.

Snell may not top the $38.5 million he’s due next year in the final year of his Giants contract — although $15 million of that won’t actually be paid until 2027 — but he almost certainly could get more total guaranteed money over multiple seasons.

One thing to watch: Snell may instruct agent Scott Boras to be more aggressive in free agency this offseason, because waiting out the market didn’t work last year and put him behind the eight ball once he did ultimately sign.

No. 3: Pete Alonso – 1B, New York Mets

Age in 2025: 30

Eligible for qualifying offer? Yes

There are always going to be questions about how power hitters will age, and some teams will be skeptical of meeting Pete Alonso‘s asking price this winter after megadeals with first basemen like Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Chris Davis aged horribly.

Still, since entering the league in 2019, Alonso is second only to Aaron Judge with 215 home runs, while leading the entire sport with 557 RBIs. Few hitters in the league can produce runs the way Alonso does, so he will have interest even if his 2024 season has been somewhat underwhelming.

Alonso, per Joel Sherman of The New York Post, declined a seven-year, $158 million offer from the Mets last June, a deal that would have included the 2024 season. Given that he is making $20.5 million in his final year of arbitration, he has not lost much in the short term.

But a lot has changed since that offer: David Stearns is now in charge of baseball operations for the Mets, and Alonso has switched from being represented by Apex Baseball to Boras.

The slugger may do better than the $22.6 AAV he would have had under the proposed extension. But color us skeptical that Alonso will get seven guaranteed years on the open market. Six isn’t even a certainty.

No. 2: Corbin Burnes – RHP, Baltimore Orioles

Age in 2025: 30

Eligible for qualifying offer? Yes

The Orioles acquired Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers in spring training rather than waiting until the trade deadline, which is crucial because it allows them to extend him a qualifying offer before free agency.

He will decline it, but it assures that the O’s won’t be left empty-handed if new owner David Rubenstein doesn’t authorize general manager Mike Elias to spend whatever it takes to re-sign Burnes.

In the meantime, Burnes was an All-Star for the fourth time in his career this season, even starting the game for the junior circuit. He will give the Orioles a better chance to compete in the postseason this year because they have a bona fide ace.

Come November, though, Burnes will be the top pitcher to reach free agency since Gerrit Cole during the 2019-20 offseason.

Cole had an insane final season with the Astros before getting to the open market, and he was a year younger than Burnes will be. But Burnes is definitely more accomplished than Cole was at the time he hit free agency.

Consider their numbers over their final four seasons before free agency (while remembering Burnes is still finishing off his 2024 campaign):

Cole (2016-2019): 54-32, 3.31 ERA, 130 ERA+, 3.17 FIP, 1.118 WHIP, 896 strikeouts, 19.3 fWAR, 731 2/3 innings pitched

Burnes (2021-2024): 45-25, 2.88 ERA, 143 ERA+, 3.05 FIP, 1.007 WHIP, 809 strikeouts, 18.5 fWAR, 706 1/3 innings pitched

If Cole received a nine-year, $324 million commitment — with an opt-out after year five that forces the Yankees to either commit to a 10th season at $36 million or let him return to the open market — why shouldn’t Burnes get a similar contract?

No. 1: Juan Soto – RF/LF, New York Yankees

Age in 2025: 26

Eligible for qualifying offer? Yes

Few players in MLB history have reached free agency in their mid-20s and been anywhere near as accomplished as Juan Soto will be this winter. The only comparable players are Alex Rodriguez, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. That trio all received record-shattering deals, and Soto likely will as well.

Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal last offseason threw everything off kilter, but with deferrals, the present-day value of his pact with the Dodgers is around $460.8 million.

Expect Soto to surpass that total on his deal. Not only will he likely get more than $46 million per season, but because he’s younger and doesn’t carry the same injury risk as Ohtani, Soto may be able to push toward the 13 years Harper received in free agency.

It seems hard to fathom the Yankees letting Soto leave, but it’s the worst-kept secret in the sport that the crosstown-rival Mets are also eyeing the four-time All-Star.

And don’t rule out a team like the Giants — who have been spurned in their pursuits of other superstars in recent years — being involved.

It is not often that teams get the chance to sign a future Hall of Famer that still has most of his prime left ahead of him. With that said, all eyes will be on Juan Soto this winter as the clear top free agent of the 2024-2025 class.