Contract Crowdsourcing 2025-26: Ballot 10 of 12
Free agency begins five days after the end of the World Series. As in other recent seasons, FanGraphs is once again facilitating a contract crowdsourcing project, with the idea being to harness the wisdom of the crowd to better understand and project the 2025-26 free agent market.
In recent years, we’ve added a few features to these ballots based on reader feedback. You now have the option to indicate that a player will only receive a minor league contract, or won’t receive one at all. If there is a player option, team option, or opt out in a player’s contract, you’ll be able to indicate whether you think he will remain with his current team or become a free agent. Numbers are prorated to full season where noted. Unless otherwise indicated, the projected WAR figures are from the first cut of the 2026 Steamer600 projections.
Below are ballots for eight of this year’s potential free agents — in this case, a group of pitchers who have options or opt outs associated with their current contracts. Not all of them will actually reach free agency, but in the event they do, we’re interested in gauging their next contract.
Meg is the editor-in-chief of FanGraphs and the co-host of Effectively Wild. Prior to joining FanGraphs, her work appeared at Baseball Prospectus, Lookout Landing, and Just A Bit Outside. You can follow her on Bluesky @megrowler.fangraphs.com.
Shota Imanaga I think the Cubs exercise the option if that’s the choice they have.
I’m going wild with the Cubs not exercising it, Shoto doesn’t either, but then Cubs offer QO and he takes it.