The Bullpen Cart staff goes through our top 9 remaining free agents available and whether they will be changing jerseys by the end of this off season. So lets see what we got!
Trevor Bauer
The Reds have spoken publicly about Bauer and made it clear that they cannot afford him. With that being said Bauer will be wearing a new uniform come Spring Training. There are many teams in the running for Bauer this offseason and Bauer is going to have his fun taking his time on his decision. In the end, I believe the Angels are going to be the team to throw the bag at Trevor Bauer in hopes that he can get Mike Trout to the playoffs.
Prediction: Los Angeles Angels
George Springer
George Springer is one of the premier players featured in this year’s draft class. He’s an all star center fielder who will become an impact top of the lineup bat for any ball club. Right now the Mets and the Blue Jays seem to be the two teams heavily in the mix for the star. Both teams featuring two strong promising young cores, Springer could be walking into a very pretty situation for a new possible upcoming contender. At the end of the day I think the Mets organization with Steve Cohen’s deep pockets along with the chance to play in NYC makes a sweet deal for Springer. Even with the addition of Francisco Lindor the Mets look like they are still the front runners to land the star center fielder.
Prediction: New York Mets
JT Realmuto
Looking at premium backstops in this year’s somewhat messy free agency, J.T. Realmuto is obviously the most sought after impact catcher on the market. Omitting last year’s somewhat odd season, Realmuto was both an all-star and a silver slugger in the previous two seasons. Realmuto also showed his capabilities behind the dish by winning a gold glove in 2019, while also being consistently towards the top in catcher’s pop time and arm strength via Statcast. Almost every big league club out there would love to sign a player of Realmuto’s caliber, with that being said who is the most likely to land the big name free agent? According to reports, the Philadelphia Phillies are still in talks with Realmuto and trying to reach a deal. Because the Philadelphia Phillies have made it known that they would like to decrease payroll, and their inability to win with Realmuto on the roster last season, we can eliminate them from the sweepstake. After doing this, one team comes to mind in particular, the Washington Nationals. Although the Nats won the World Series in 2019, they faced a somewhat disappointing season in 2020. They finished 26-34, tied with the Mets for last place in the NL East. They head into the 2021 season with a stout pitching staff and an offense led by young superstar Juan Soto. With that being said, they have a glaring hole to fill at catcher. Yan Gomes and Tres Barrera are those who sit at the top of the depth chart for Washington behind the plate. Gomes is a solid defender and a very capable MLB back up, but should not be starting for a team with World Series aspirations. In my opinion, the addition of Realmuto would be a game changer for the Nats as they would have another superstar in their lineup. The Nationals have seen Realmuto play as he has been a member of an NL East team throughout his entire career with both the Marlins and the Phillies. To go along with that, the Nationals have had no problem spending substantial amounts of money on big name players over the past couple of years.
Prediction: Washington Nationals
DJ LeMahieu
Will the Yanks let their best player from the past two seasons actually walk? If you are Brian Cashman this is a no brainer, you pay the man. DJ LeMahieu has been the Yankees MVP the past two seasons and also finished 4th and 3rd respectively in 2019 and 2020 in AL MVP voting. DJ is the heart and soul of this Yankees team but he is demanding a lengthy contract for someone who is entering the 2021 season at age 32. According to many reports DJ is seeking a 5 year $125 million contract while the Yankees would prefer a 4 year deal closer to $125 million. The Yankees have been known to be big spenders in free agency but with massive contracts tied to Giancarlo Stanton and their most recent signing in 2019, Gerrit Cole. Not to mention they will soon have to make tough decisions on their young stars such as Judge, Torres, and Sanchez. If not the Yankees then where does DJ go? The Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and LA Dodgers have all been in talks with DJ’s agent. The Bluejays are an intriguing option as they have a young and rising team and DJ would bring leadership to that team and be a great mentor to their young core. The New York Mets have money to spend and they are looking to increase their talent in any way they can. If DJ loves New York why not move over to Queens and join that exciting team with great potential. The LA Dodgers have been the most recent team that has been linked to LeMahieu, after winning the world series and dominating baseball who wouldn't want to be a part of that dynasty in LA. This gives the Dodgers more flexibility as DJ has shown he can play all around the infield and gives them a dynamic bat to an already stacked lineup. In the end the Yankees and DJ will get a deal done. It is clear that LeMahieu is the Yankees top priority and Brian Cashman understands that in order to be a World Series contender they need their MVP back in pinstripes.
Prediction: New York Yankees
Marcell Ozuna
In 2019 Marcell Ozuna turned down a 3 year deal from the Reds and accepted a one year $18 million deal with the Braves. In 2020 Ozuna had a monster season hitting .338 with 18 HR and 56 RBI in 60 games. He also had a career high in SLG%, OBP, BA, and OPS. At the plate it is obvious that Ozuna has emerged as one of the best hitters in baseball. The one deficiency to his game is his defense. Ozuna is unable to defend which limits his value and market in free agency, if the universal DH is no longer in play this season. The long list of teams that have been linked to Ozuna include: the Atlanta Braves, White Sox, Rangers, Red Sox, Astros, Twins, and Padres. The Braves could definitely be in play for a reunion with Ozuna as he brought power to the middle of the lineup and made this team much more intimidating offensively. The White Sox showed interest in Ozuna last season and once again they have been linked to him. The problem with the White Sox is they already have Jose Abreu who seems to be an everyday DH at this point in his career and they have a great prospect who should be a part of their 2021 roster in Andrew Vaughn. The Rangers are an interesting team as their offense was near the bottom in every category this past season and they need to add a star to this team badly. Paring up Ozuna and Gallo’s power in that lineup could be a scary duo to face and he would have the ability to DH in Texas. The Red Sox could be in play for Ozuna as they recently traded away Mitch Moreland in 2020 to the Padres and can use another solid bat in this lineup to bring this team back to playoff contention. The Astros have two key players in free agency right now, George Springer, and Michael Brantley. Both of whom will most likely be in different uniforms in the 2021 season. The Astros have been one of the best teams in the league over the past few seasons and losing Springer and Brantley will hurt. Adding Ozuna instantly helps the loses but the question is do they trust Ozuna in the outfield? They have a young star in Yordan Alvarez who is certainly going to be there every day DH. The Twins could be in the market for Ozuna as Nelson Cruz is a free agent and both players are very similar as they both are great hitters and cannot play the field. Adding Ozuna will help in replacing Cruz at the DH spot and keeps this lineup as a top tier offense. The Padres made good strides in 2020 and were one of the most exciting teams to watch. They recently added Blake Snell, and Yu Darvish to an already stacked rotation which arguably makes this the best rotation in baseball. With already making their team a World Series contender they could make it even more dangerous by adding Ozuna to an already explosive offense and this signing would help the Padres as being one of the most dominant overall teams in baseball. The biggest question mark is if there will be a universal DH this upcoming season and it seems that is likely. In the end Ozuna will link a deal to return to Atlanta as he showed in the 2020 season how important his bat is to this lineup and their chances at a race for the World Series.
Prediction: Atlanta Braves
Marcus Semien
Marcus Semien was an MVP finalist not too long ago and is a top 10 shortstop in the game on a very good Athletics team. Unfortunately for Semien, as good as he is, the 2021 FA shortstop class is very, very talented and top teams that are looking for shortstops are more likely to wait and pay big money for players such as Lindor, Seager, and Story. I think Semien is going to end up with a one year deal and hit FA again next offseason in search of a long term deal.
Prediction: Oakland Athletics
Didi Gregorius
Didi Gregorius took a gamble on himself in 2020 signing a 1 year, $14,000,000 deal with the Phillies last season, and he showed up. He hit .284 with 10 home runs in the shortened season. Now he is lined up to get a multi year deal. While he isn’t the most sought after short-stop on the free agency/trade market he still is serviceable with good pop and provides a veteran anchor at short. Hard to imagine that Didi doesn’t go to a near contender where he’ll be able to have a major impact with that bat. Noted this prediction changes barring any movement elsewhere in the short-stop market. I’ve narrowed my predictions to two teams with ballparks that are quite favorable to left handed hitters: I can see him signing a 3-4 year deal with the Marlins or Reds. I think Didi takes it back to where his roots began with a team desperate for some offense.
Prediction: Cincinnati Reds
Justin Turner
With two big time trades by the Padres taking over the majority of the headlines, free agents like Justin Turner have flown under the radar in the slow developing MLB free agent market. Turner, 36, has been very consistent in his last 7 years with the Dodgers and remained a solid option at third base. LA has made it known that they would prefer to resign Turner rather than trade for 7-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado, but signing free agent DJ Lemahieu doesn’t seem to be out of the conversation. Turner hasn’t received much attention from around the league, however the Blue Jays, who seem to be in on everyone, have shown interest. Turner's leadership would help the Blue Jays young studs and the opportunity to surround a vet like Turner with young talent like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette is extremely appealing. But with Valdy Jr. expected to be the primary 3rd basemen next season, it could mean more of a back seat roll for Turner. Turner had a consistent 2020, batting .307 and hitting 4 home runs while driving in 23 runs. He was also a main part of the Dodgers championship run, putting together a 7 game hitting streak and recorded hits in 4 World Series games. Turner is looking for a 3 year deal, and his consistency throughout the past 7 years has earned him that kind of contract. Although the situation in Toronto could potentially be a good fit, the Dodgers’ deep pockets will likely keep Turner in LA, even if they are able to sign DJ.
Prediction: Dodgers
Liam Hendriks
Free agent reliever Liam Hendriks continues to draw interest from teams across the MLB. After being seen visiting a Toronto Blue Jays complex in Dunedin, Florida, the 32 year old right hander remains one of the top relievers on the market. An All-Star for the Oakland Athletic’s in 2019, Hendriks is coming off a dominant season where he posted a 1.71 ERA in 25 and ⅓ innings. Hendricks continued his dominance into the 2020 Postseason, which featured 3 shut-out innings where he struck out 4 in the ALDS against the Houston Astros. Hendriks has drawn interest from across the league, with the Dodgers, Blue Jays, and White Sox all making bids for the hard throwing closer. The Blue Jays are hoping for a reunion in Toronto with Hendriks, the Dodgers are looking to strengthen their bullpen after a championship year, and the White Sox give him an opportunity to pitch for an up and coming team. Hendriks, who finished 9th in the 2020 Cy Young race, would back up the arms of a strong White Sox starting rotation featuring Dallas Keuchel, Lucas Giolito, and Lance Lynn, who was signed by the White Sox earlier this year. While the Blue Jays have a similar situation and plenty of young talent of their own, the potential of the established White Sox starting rotation and their promising postseason run last year might just be enough to sway Hendriks to pack his bags and head to the south side of Chicago.
Prediction: White Sox
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