Joey Bats picked a bad year to hit the free agent market, posting his worst OPS since his pre-breakout year in 2009, and his worst batting average since his Pittsburgh days. Even in a down year he managed 22 homers in 116 games, though, and his .366 on-base percentage put him 25th in MLB in that department. With the big guns off the board, Bautista represents the best offensive player left for needy clubs.
Of interest to teams may be news Saturday that Bautista is willing to take a one-year deal to re-establish some value. The drawback would be the draft pick compensation that a team would have to give up to sign the 36-year-old to a one-year deal, but a team with an eye on winning in 2017 might think the juice is worth the squeeze. Perhaps the team that makes the most sense is the one he has spent most of the past decade with, the Blue Jays, who have already lost Edwin Encarnacion's bat this winter.
2. Matt Wieters
Wieters wasn't extended a qualifying offer by the Orioles after hitting .243/.302/.409 in 124 games last season, and his market has been fairly quiet this winter. That's a little surprising, relatively -- Wilson Ramos was set to enter the offseason as the clear-cut best free agent at the position before suffering ACL and meniscus tears in his right knee in September, and guys like Brian McCann appear to be the best alternatives to Wieters via trade -- but Wieters hasn't put it all together for a full year since 2012.
Potential landing spots for the backstop include the Nationals -- the team with a vacancy at catcher following Ramos' departure -- and the Braves. Wieters' agent, Scott Boras, has said the 30-year-old might not sign until January.
3. Mark Trumbo
Some might look at Trumbo and say he belongs at the top of this list. It's not hard to see why after he slugged an MLB-best 47 home runs this past season, racking up 108 RBI and 94 runs scored in the process. But he's so atrocious in the field, and brings so little else to the table offensively besides the not-so-occasional home run, that he remains on the market in late December.
The Orioles, his 2016 club, have long been the strongest suitors for his services, but they reportedly got tired of waiting and withdrew their four-year offer earlier this month. That's not to say he won't end up in Baltimore, or that he won't even get a four-year deal when all is said and done, but nothing appears imminent.
4. Mike Napoli
Napoli's story reads a lot like Trumbo's -- Terrific 2016 season, unquestioned power, but very little else to get excited about. And when you're a knockoff version of the genuine article, and he's also unemployed at the moment, that doesn't bode well for you. Even so, nobody can take away the fact that Napoli tallied 34 homers, 101 RBI and 92 runs scored in 2016, all three of which are career bests.
All signs are presently pointing to a return to the Rangers, the team with which he spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons and also appeared in 35 games in 2015, as the most likely outcome. Globe Life Park in Arlington is a hitter's park and one with which Napoli is familiar, making it a good fit from a fantasy perspective as well.
5. Jason Hammel
Going into the offseason, it was almost an accepted fact that Hammel would be the best free agent starter that nobody really much cared for. And that's how it's played out despite the fact that he went 15-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 30 starts with the Cubs this past season. There's certainly context to those numbers that matters, too -- the 34-year-old faded badly down the stretch, and his 3.83 ERA comes with a less impressive 4.48 FIP -- but with pitching depth never going out of style, it's hard to believe Hammel is still out there to be had.
Not only that, but he's not moving the needle much as a free agent, either. A report in early December had 10 teams having contacted Hammel, but the only news since is that he's switching agents. The Cubs don't expect him back and given that almost every team could use a reliable veteran starter for the right price, it's hard to handicap where Hammel might be pitching in 2017.
6. Michael Saunders
It's fitting that Saunders has been sort of a forgotten man this winter after being an afterthought in a Blue Jays lineup that boasted several big names in 2016. Still, the 30-year-old hit .253/.338/.478 with a career high in homers (24) and near-highs in runs (70) and RBI (57). The Orioles could turn to Saunders if they miss on Trumbo and others, and a return to the Jays could be in the cards if they opt not to deal with Bautista.
7. Tyson Ross
Ross is why we have to call this list "intriguing" and not "best," because the 29-year-old is most certainly on the former but arguably not on the latter after he threw 5 1/3 innings in 2016. That aside, Ross is a year removed from a 3.26 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning over 33 starts in 2015, and his cost isn't expected to be outrageous. The Cubs, Rangers, Indians and Pirates, among many others, are all rumored to be in on Ross, who could be a fantastic lottery ticket for some team.
8. Greg Holland
Ross gets higher billing because he's a starter and his success was more recent, but Holland's star burned brighter than Ross's -- and most pitchers, for that matter -- when he was at the top of his game. In 2013 and 2014, Holland posted FIPs of 1.36 and 1.83, respectively, while saving a combined 93 games for the Royals. Since that time, he's thrown 44 2/3 innings and missed all of 2016 following Tommy John surgery. He's a complete unknown who may end up having to take a team-friendly multi-year deal that will allow him to re-establish himself as a dominant reliever, but there are worse darts to throw when rounding out a bullpen.
9. Brett Anderson
Anderson bet on himself after the 2015 season, accepting the Dodgers' one-year qualifying offer, and the bet failed to pay off as he was unable to stay healthy but for 11 1/3 innings last year. Health is always the sticking point with the 28-year-old, who went 10-9 with a 3.69 ERA in that 2015 season. There has been literally no buzz on Anderson this winter -- if there's even a peep from a reputable source, it makes it into a Rotoworld blurb, and our last writeup on Anderson was September 23 -- so it's hard to know where he might end up and what kind of deal he might have to settle for.
10. Santiago Casilla
The last time we saw Casilla he was getting emotional after a brutal NLDS Game 4 loss in which he wasn't even told to get warm despite a meltdown from the rest of the Giants' pen. The scene showed just how far the 36-year-old had fallen after serving as the team's primary closer for much of the year. His numbers don't reflect that, either -- he finished the regular season with a 3.57 ERA, 65 strikeouts in 58 innings and 31 successfully converted saves -- and it's not hard to see a scenario in which Casilla bounces back to be a potent late-inning reliever for a club once again. He could be a sneaky good signing as the calendar turns to 2017.
Quick Hits: According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, the Blue Jays have considered the idea of trading for Andrew McCutchen. He would certainly ease the sting of losing Encarnacion and potentially Bautista, but acquiring Cutch would also require giving up valuable prospects ... Angels signed OF Ben Revere to a one-year, $4 million contract. A speedy player with a career .295 batting average before a miserable 2016 season, Revere is a sneaky bounce-back candidate next season ... Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram reports that there's a "good chance" the Rangers re-sign Josh Hamilton to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He was part of some very high points for the Rangers in recent years, but Hamilton would need to have a very good spring to make any impact at the major league level in 2017 ... Reds claimed RHP Tyrell Jenkins off waivers from the Rangers. Jenkins isn't far removed from being considered a prospect and reached the majors in 2016, so the Reds will likely give him a look in what is expected to be a rebuilding year ... in the same way, former first-round pick Richie Shaffer, also claimed by the Reds off waivers on Friday, should be given a shot to stick with the big club during spring ... Athletics signed RHP Norge Ruiz to a minor league contract. Ranked by MLB.com as the No. 3 international prospect, Ruiz works in the low-90s and is a groundball pitcher who will turn 23 in March.
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