MLB Free Agency: Bets fits for Tucker, Schwarber, and who fits the Chicago Cubs

Two winters ago, Shohei Ohtani shattered the record for the largest contract in Major League Baseball history when he signed a (heavily-deferred) $700 million deal with the Dodgers. That record lasted just one year after Juan Soto inked a $765 million contract with the Mets last December. 

But don’t expect that trend to continue. No one in this year’s free-agent class will command the same attention as Ohtani or Soto, but there are still plenty of valuable pieces who could change the direction of a franchise. 

Teams have already started negotiating with their players and making decisions on options, but players had to wait at least five days after the World Series to join new teams. 

That day has arrived. Here are the top 20 free agents of the 2025-26 class and five potential landing spots for each. 

(Note: Players' ages listed below are what they will be for the 2026 season, not necessarily what they are right now.)

1. Kyle Tucker, Outfielder, age 29 

Last winter, we were wondering if the total value of Soto’s deal might start with a 5 or a 6. Instead, it was a 7 ($765 million, to be exact). We’re not looking at that kind of bidding war for this year’s top free agent. It's also possible Tucker doesn’t command the $500 million number that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got with his Toronto extension earlier this year, either. Soto and Guerrero, after all, were 26, while Tucker will be entering his age-29 season. But after five straight seasons in which he was worth more than 4 WAR — even as injuries limited him to 214 of a possible 324 games played the last two years — he could at least approach Guerrero’s mark. It wouldn’t be all that surprising to see him get somewhere in the $400-500 million range. 

Possible fits: Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, Giants, Phillies

2. Kyle Schwarber, Designated Hitter, age 33

He’ll be approaching his mid-30s, and his age and defensive limitations will curtail his earnings, so it’s understandable if you’d put him a little lower. But Schwarber is also an MVP finalist alongside Ohtani and Soto, is the most feared hitter on the market and a revered clubhouse presence coming off his best year in which he led the National League with 56 home runs and all of MLB with 132 RBIs. Schwarber, who has more home runs than any player other than Aaron Judge over the last four years, would represent a DH upgrade for arguably any team outside of Los Angeles.

Possible fits: Phillies, Cubs, Rangers, Mets, Reds

3. Alex Bregman, Third Baseman, age 32

Like Tucker, Bregman missed a large chunk of the 2025 season to injury. Prior to his quad strain in late May, though, he electrified Boston, a city that would certainly like to see him back after he opted out of his three-year, $120 million deal, clearly hoping to ink a longer pact. He had a .938 OPS before the injury and was an All-Star despite missing all of June. Even after struggling to slug after his return from injury, he finished the year ranked seventh among MLB third basemen in fWAR. Bregman doesn’t pack the pop he once did, but his swing decisions remain elite, and he offers a plus glove at the hot corner. He could be a great fit as a veteran presence on a younger roster or a final piece for a contender. 

Possible fits: Red Sox, Tigers, Mariners, Phillies, Mets

4. Bo Bichette, Shortstop, age 28 

He’s the best middle infielder on the market and is coming off a bounceback season that not only lifted his stock in a contract year — he hit .311 with an .840 OPS, both of which ranked in the top three among all qualified shortstops — but also nearly helped lift the Blue Jays to a World Series title. Bichette’s defensive shortcomings limit his overall value, but perhaps he winds up moving off shortstop after cashing in. Regardless, this is one of the most talented infield bats in baseball, and he’s in his prime. 

Possible fits: Blue Jays, Braves, Yankees, Tigers, Rays

5. Pete Alonso, First Baseman, age 31

Last offseason, it only seemed right that Alonso ended up back with the Mets, even if it took a bit of an awkward path to get back there. Alonso didn’t get the multi-year offer he expected after his batting average and on-base percentage dipped while his strikeout rate rose in 2023 and 2024, but he bounced back this year with a career-high .272 batting average while launching 38 homers and hitting the ball harder on average than ever before in his seven-year career. Will he now get something closer to the offer he was hoping for last year, or will his limitations elsewhere lead to another disappointing winter? 

Possible fits: Mets, Mariners, Tigers, Red Sox, Nationals

6. Cody Bellinger, Outfielder/First Baseman, age 30 

For a while, Bellinger’s fluctuating offensive profile made it hard to know what to expect from him on a year-to-year basis. But he has now hit well above league average while running a strikeout rate under 16% for three straight seasons. This year, he posted career-best marks in both strikeout and whiff rates to go with his usual above-average defense at multiple spots. His more contact-oriented approach means he likely won't again approach the 47 homers he had in his MVP 2019 season, but he still had 73 homers over the last three years. It is worth noting, though, that he was a much better hitter at Yankee Stadium this year (.909 OPS) than on the road (.715). Could that lead to a longer-term stay in the Bronx? 

Possible fits: Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Royals, D-backs 

7. Framber Valdez, Starting Pitcher, age 32

After earning All-Star nods in 2022 and 2023 and finishing in the top 10 in Cy Young voting for a third straight season in 2024, Valdez’s contract year didn’t exactly go to plan. Following a typically terrific first half in which he went 10-4 with a 2.75 ERA, he was 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA after the break, and he had the weird cross-up controversy with catcher Cesar Salazar. In the end, his 3.66 ERA was his highest in a season since 2019. You can look at that and see more regression ahead, or you can look at that and see the kind of remarkable consistency required to consider a 3.66 ERA a down year. He’s the most established starter on the market, and the ground-ball extraordinaire could still thrive if he goes somewhere with a stout infield behind him. 

Possible fits: Astros, Cubs, Blue Jays, Mets, Giants

8. Ranger Suarez, Starting Pitcher, age 30

If we’re just going off last season, Suárez has a strong argument as the best pitcher in the class. He was an All-Star in 2024 and was even more valuable in 2025, registering a 3.20 ERA in a career-high 157.1 innings. Even if he’s not the prototypical postseason star, featuring a 90 mph fastball and relying on precision and soft contact, he can handle himself in October. He has a 1.48 career postseason ERA and held the Dodgers to one run in five innings in his lone playoff start in 2025. 

Possible fits: Phillies, Giants, Mets, Rangers, Braves 

9. Dylan Cease, Starting Pitcher, age 30

He had a 4.55 ERA in 2025 — his second time in the last three years with an ERA over 4.50 — but teams will take a chance when a pitcher has the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that Cease possesses. He has more than 200 strikeouts in each of the last five seasons; no other pitcher has reached the mark more than three times in the last five years. Plus, his expected ERA this year was 3.47, which is the exact ERA he had in 2024, when he finished fourth in Cy Young voting. 

Possible fits: Padres, Cubs, Orioles, Mets, Angels

10. Edwin Diaz, Reliever, age 32

Another year removed from his devastating patellar tendon injury, Díaz bounced back from a 3.52 ERA in 2024 to post a 1.63 mark with 28 saves in an All-Star season. While his strikeout rate hasn’t approached the ridiculous 50.2% mark he had in 2022, he remains elite at missing bats and is still among the most dominant relievers in the sport. Mason Miller was the only qualified reliever with a higher K% than Diaz this year. 

Possible fits: Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees, Dodgers, Rangers

11. Josh Naylor, First Baseman, age 29 

Eugenio Suarez understandably got most of the attention at the deadline for his power, but Naylor was the Mariners’ biggest deadline addition in a career year for the first baseman. He thrived in Arizona (123 OPS+) then did even better in the much tougher confines of T-Mobile Park (138 OPS+) while also somehow stealing 30 bases between the two stops in a 20-30 season. He had never before stolen more than 10 bases in a season. 

Possible fits: Mariners, Mets, Padres, Nationals, Rangers 

12. Munetaka Murakami, First/Third Baseman, age 26

Interest and intrigue abound when Murakami, who currently plays for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Japan.  He hit 56 homers in NPB as a 22-year-old in 2022, but he didn’t replicate that production in 2023 and 2024 – he still hit more than 30 dingers both seasons. This year, injuries limited him to 56 games…and he still hit 22 home runs. The power will make some teams salivate, and he’s not even 26 yet. But his high strikeout rate and limited defensive range at third base, which may require a move to first, lower the ceiling. 

Possible fits: Mariners, Mets, D-backs, Rangers, Angels 

13. Eugenio Suárez, Third Baseman, age 34

Suárez’s return to Seattle didn’t go quite as planned, as he was a below league average hitter after the deadline, but he was the top slugger available at the deadline after hitting 36 home runs in 106 games for the Diamondbacks. He finished the year with 49 homers and a career-high 118 RBIs, both of which led all MLB third basemen. 

Possible fits: Angels, Red Sox, Brewers, Tigers, Cubs 

14. Trent Grisham, Outfielder, age 29 

Grisham took his tremendous feel for the zone and translated that into a career year in pinstripes. After three straight seasons in which he hit below league average, he hit 25% better than league average for the Yankees in 2025. He no longer grades out as the elite defender he once was, but his next team will take that tradeoff if he continues to be a 30-plus home run hitter, as he was for the first time in his career this year. The question now is if he can replicate that production. 

Possible fits: Yankees, Dodgers, Royals, Giants, Phillies 

15. Gleyber Torres, Second Baseman, age 29 

Torres signed a one-year deal with Detroit to re-establish his value after an unproductive walk year with the Yankees and enjoyed his first All-Star campaign since 2019, though he struggled after the break while battling through a hernia injury. Still, he exhibited much better swing decisions this year with the Tigers — his chase and whiff rates were both the lowest of his career — and a first half in which he registered an .812 OPS should have teams envisioning the offensive upgrade he can provide them in the infield. 

Possible fits: Tigers, Giants, Blue Jays, Athletics, Red Sox 

16. Michael King, Starting Pitcher, age 31 

When he’s healthy, King has now proven to be a reliable starter in the big leagues. The converted reliever had a 3.10 ERA over two seasons with the Padres with a 26.7% strikeout rate that ranked among the top 20 starters in MLB (min. 200 innings) over that stretch. But health is a question after injuries limited him to 15 starts in 2025. 

Possible fits: Padres, Orioles, Cubs, Braves, Astros

17. Tatsuya Imai, Starting Pitcher, age 28

Imai is coming off a career year in which he had a 1.92 ERA and led all NPB starters in WHIP (0.89), opponents’ average (.172) and strikeout rate (27.8%). That’s now four straight seasons for him with a sub-3.00 ERA. He’s not a particularly big guy, but teams who just watched Yoshinobu Yamamoto win World Series MVP honors might not be scared off by that. Imai continues to get better every year, seeing his strikeout rate rise and his walk rate decline precipitously. 

Possible fits: Mets, Giants, Padres, Red Sox, Yankees

18. Shota Imanaga, Starting Pitcher, age 32 

The Cubs declined their three-year, $57.75 million option, Imanaga declined his $15.25 million option, and suddenly the 2024 All-Star is a free agent. Imanaga took a step back in year two in the big leagues, but he’s just a year removed from a season in which he finished in the top five in both Cy Young and Rookie of the Year voting. 

Possible fits: Cubs, Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Angels

19. Zac Gallen, Starting Pitcher, age 30 

In 2023, he finished third in Cy Young voting. That is not the version of Gallen that showed up in a contract year. Gallen finished this season with career worsts in ERA (4.83) and strikeout rate (21.5%). He coughed up 31 homers, the fourth most in MLB. He was bad enough in a first half in which he posted a 5.40 ERA that no team traded for him at the deadline, but he had a much more respectable 3.97 ERA after the break. Will there be a team that feels it can help him tap back into his elite form?  

Possible fits: D-backs, Mets, Astros, Cardinals, Tigers 

20. J.T. Realmuto, Catcher, age 35 

Realmuto, who hit below league average this year, is no longer the force he was when he made three All-Star teams and won three Silver Slugger Awards, but he is clearly the best catcher on the market. His pop time and ability to throw out runners remain elite into his mid-30s. 

Possible fits: Phillies, Rangers, Rays, Pirates, Padres 

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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