Contract Crowdsourcing 2025-26: Ballot 8 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 12 of this year’s free agents — in this case, a group of starters and relievers, some of whom have dealt with recent injury.
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.
I definitely think Stroman’s done. Doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to sign a MiLB contract at 35.
Yates probably is too. Signing with the Dodgers seemed like a “I want to maximize my chances of getting a ring right before I retire” deal.
The rest of these guys are on the border between Major and Minor League deal.
Stroman seems like the kind of guy who would not be interested in signing a $2M deal, so I think he’s probably done.
I would definitely take a chance on Yates if he wanted a job though. He’s #14 in swinging strike % among relievers with at least 40 innings last year. As long as hitters are still missing there’s a chance of bouncing back.
You could be right, but I think betting against “trying to hang on” is never the right move. Just about every major leaguer in history has had to have the “jersey ripped off his back.”
The guys who aren’t like that are typically players who (1) have already made a lot of money and (2) are likely to get offended by small contract offers. Marcus Stroman is definitely in category #1, and might be in #2.
I don’t know if he’s more likely to call it quits than grind through for $2M for a year or not, but I do think he’s more likely than the vast majority of players.