Earlier this week, CBS Sports released my annual rankings Major League Baseball’s 50 Best Free Agents. Today I’m participating in another post-publication tradition: explaining why I didn’t mention some famous players.
The dirty secret of list making is that after a certain point the names are pretty much interchangeable. There is no significant difference between the number 50 free agent and the number 51 free agent, other than one being mentioned in the article and the other not. That is, all players included here were considered for places at the bottom of the list; I just found that I preferred other players for one reason or another.
What exactly was “this or that reason”? Below I’ve outlined my opinions on five players in particular, including a pair of former All-Stars.
I’ve long been an admirer of Cobb’s game, and there’s no denying his competitiveness. He made his first All-Star Game in 2023, which means he still has a lot to offer the team. At the same time, I suspect he may have to agree to a non-roster deal this winter. Why? He is a 37-year-old player coming off a season in which injury limited him to just three appearances. Cobb’s three-pitch combination (sink, splitter, curveball) produces good results, so it’s possible he’ll end up making the rotation next spring. I just couldn’t justify giving him a spot without feeling like he had a better chance of getting a guaranteed deal.
Means, a 2019 All-Star, has always been a very effective transition artist when healthy. Unfortunately, in recent years he has not often been cheerful and cheerful. He has made 10 combined starts since the end of the 2021 season and underwent his second Tommy John surgery over the summer. Even if you’re optimistic about Means’ recovery, he probably won’t make much of a difference this season. An incentive one-year contract with the option to join the club seems to be his ceiling.
DeJong is having a surprisingly productive season, hitting 24 times and posting a 97 OPS+ while splitting the year between the White Sox and Royals. With few reliable players this winter, it makes sense that DeJong deserves a spot somewhere down the stretch—like, say, where I put Kevin Newman. I have a caveat to DeJong: I don’t buy his bat. He’s struck out more than 32% of the time this season (including more than 37% in subsequent games); he doesn’t walk much; and his home run stats hide the fact that he doesn’t hit the ball hard or carry it often. This is not the profile I see teams flocking to this winter.
There aren’t many attractive fishing options, but several factors made me decide not to include Jansen in the top 50. First of all, he is coming off a down season. His 87 OPS+ was the worst he’s posted since 2020, and he was distraught after being dealt to Boston midseason. Additionally, Jansen has always struggled with injuries, to the point where he has not played 350 games since 2019. I think teams would be more lenient on that aspect if he was confident that he would provide an above average offense, a la Mitch. Garver last offseason. Without this, what can we count on here?
Verdugo is a good defensive corner outfielder with a league-average track record. However, he’s coming off the worst season of his career, and it’s hard not to see the market offering a similar player (in Max Kepler). which seems to offer less drama. (And note that we didn’t evaluate Kepler either.) Verdugo will almost certainly find a job somewhere anyway; heck, it might even be a great addition for a low price.
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