Digging Through a Weak Free Agent Market

There’s still a bit more baseball to be played this year — the most important baseball, in fact. But after the Dodgers got eliminated Thursday night, swept out of the NLCS by the Brewers, there are now 27 teams looking primarily at the offseason. When they get there, they’ll find a rather thin free agent market, especially if they are not the one to sign Tarik Skubal to the largest contract for a pitcher not named Brita. But even in a weak free agent market, there are plenty of lower-key free agents who would be nice fits for some teams, and being that I find myself employed as a baseball writer, I thought it might be fun to talk about some of them.

For this exercise, we’re limiting our suitors to the nine teams that missed making the playoffs by eight or fewer games this season, meaning they went into October empty-handed but were close enough to a playoff spot that they could stand to gain a lot from the right offseason signing. In matching these clubs with a player, I’m looking at free agents who fill a real need for each team, rather than just giving them the most talented player available. I’ve also included a preliminary ZiPS projection for each player. (There’s still a lot more work to do before Real Officially Licensed 2027 ZiPS Projections© are in.)

Pittsburgh Pirates: Seiya Suzuki, OF/DH

The Pirates’ offense had nearly a 50-point OPS platoon split disadvantage against lefties in 2026. Pirates DHs combined for an 83 wRC+ this year. Bringing in Seiya Suzuki would help immensely for both problems. Whether they play Suzuki at DH or shift another outfielder there, the Pirates were so close to the playoffs that it makes no sense to stick to their normal DH plan of Let’s Find a Dude Who Fans Will Remember Being Really Good 10 Years Ago.

Texas Rangers: Tyler Stephenson, C

The days of Jonah Heim are now of yore, and the Rangers are thin behind the plate even with their acquisition of Danny Jansen last winter. Logan O’Hoppe was an interesting midseason trade pickup, and he looked to be one of the better young catchers in baseball a few years ago with some real power upside, but after a couple seasons of not hitting and a smorgasbord of injuries, he seems likely to be non-tendered. Texas catchers combined to hit .223/.291/.372 this season, and Elias Díaz and Kyle Higashioka are pending free agents. Tyler Stephenson would give Jansen a good tandem-mate, and one who is good enough offensively to play some DH. That second part could be crucial, because I think Justin Foscue will need to play second quite a bit with Ezequiel Duran still manning a superutility role. It would be even better if Stephenson were left-handed and could be a natural replacement for Joc Pederson, but you can’t do custom orders in free agency.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Gregory Soto, LHRP

The Diamondbacks went through the season with a bit of an odd bullpen, in that most of the time, they had just a single lefty. The average team had 172 appearances from southpaw relievers in 2026, while Arizona had a total of 67. The vast majority of those appearances were, fortunately, from the nearly unhittable Brandyn Garcia, but it would be helpful to have another solid lefty on the roster. Gregory Soto is unlikely to get fêted this winter the way Adrian Morejon will, but Soto is quite dependable and rarely gets hit all that hard.

Baltimore Orioles: Daulton Varsho, CF

Colton Cowser had surprisingly good defensive numbers in center field for the Orioles in 2026, but I suspect that he’s still a safer long-term bet in a corner. Daulton Varsho struggled offensively down the stretch, bombing his seasonal line with a really dreadful 48 wRC+ for the Astros after they acquired him at the deadline. But even when Varsho doesn’t hit, he can field, and his fly ball proclivities and B+ power are a good fit for Camden Yards, which tends to be friendly to left-handed hitters. He’s unlikely to command a large salary, but even if the O’s do show a willingness to spend this winter, they probably need to direct those resources toward pitching.

Seattle Mariners: Randy Arozarena, LF/DH

I wasn’t going to do any re-signs, but since I wrote the rules for the article, I’m allowed to break them. That’s how this works, right? Randy Arozarena isn’t likely to match his 2026 offensive line, but I’d argue that among players with sub-superstar projections, none is as important to his team as Arozarena is to the Mariners. Without him, left field looks like a gaping hole, and Seattle, a team that already struggles against southpaws, becomes even more vulnerable. I think the end of Arozarena’s contract isn’t going to look pretty, but if the M’s are going to crib from the Toronto Blue Jays 2024-2025 bounceback playbook, it’s going to be damned hard if they have to replace Arozarena. The projection looks even better if he’s open to playing mostly DH.

Toronto Blue Jays: Taylor Ward, OF

Toronto’s outfield is a rather unenthralling one, and could really use an upgrade like Seiya Suzuki, but I already gave him to the Pirates. Taylor Ward shouldn’t be the only player the Blue Jays sign, but he’s an interesting bounceback candidate, as it’s rare for even players in their 30s to lose power to the degree Ward did in 2026. I’m wondering if he just got too passive at the plate in 2026, and if a change in approach could be unusually helpful in his case.

Minnesota Twins: Bryan Abreu, RHRP

Minnesota’s bullpen combined for a 4.74 ERA this season, an unsurprising outcome for a team that traded away most of its relievers the year before. The Twins have multiple needs, but they were better than many expected in 2026 — though projection systems were bang-on with them by and large — and Bryan Abreu has the upside to provide a big boost to the relief corps. His numbers this season were inflated by a truly awful April, and he was a shutdown reliever over the second half, posting a 3.00 FIP and getting his walks down into manageable territory.

Detroit Tigers: Luis Arraez, 2B/1B

I like Hao-Yu Lee, but I think his 107 wRC+ for the Tigers this season is a little on the high side for a reasonable projection for him in 2027. Lee can still be very useful in a utility role, but Luis Arraez is better equipped to replace free-agent-to-be Gleyber Torres right now. If Arraez’s much-improved defense at second base holds up, he’ll remain a borderline star, albeit a bit of an overrated one in fandom because of his high batting average. Being able to consider Arraez a real second baseman is a huge shift in his outlook from a few years ago; of the 49 primary position second basemen with 1,000 plate appearances over last five years, Arraez ranks fifth in wRC+ and third in on-base percentage.

Miami Marlins: Kevin Gausman, RHSP

The Marlins were luckier in 2026 when it came to pitcher health than they usually are, with Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez giving them full seasons. Adding a veteran innings eater like Kevin Gausman, the pitcher with the second-most innings over the last decade, has some real value for a team that is a realistic contender in 2027. A two- or three-year deal for Gausman would also be nice insurance for Alcantara, who is a free agent after next season and the subject of endless trade rumors. And if the Marlins don’t want Gausman, hopefully the Orioles will seek a reunion.