The wait is almost over. The time for pitchers and catchers is on the horizon.
Some teams will have their batteries in camp within the next 10 days. We’ll be enjoying Spring Training games in less than three weeks. The 2026 MLB season is indeed nigh.
However, a different kind of wait continues to drag on for many players. There are a lot of notable free agents who, after three months on the open market, still don’t know where they will be reporting this spring or playing this summer.
Here’s a quick rundown of the best players still available at each position group.
Santana and France were below-league-average hitters last season as they finished with a 77 and a 90 OPS+, respectively. But each veteran was a Gold Glove finalist at first base. France won the honor — after Santana won it in 2024.
Goldschmidt had a strong first couple of months last year with the Yankees before slashing .226/.277/.333 over his final 89 games and ultimately losing his starting spot. However, Goldy’s time with the Yanks may not be done yet, even if it is only as a part-time player.
Here is the deepest position in terms of quality and quantity. Four of these starters are among MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand’s top 30 free agents, with Valdez leading that quartet. The two-time All-Star has no shortage of possible suitors, but his market has been relatively slow to develop, perhaps because he is tied to Draft pick compensation after declining the qualifying offer from the Astros. Gallen also declined the qualifying offer, but he might end up back with Arizona, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman (subscription required). Gallen has also been linked to the Orioles, Cubs, Padres and Angels.
The teams that miss out on both of the top two starters remaining can pivot quickly to a serviceable collection of mid-tier rotation options. Littell and Bassitt each tossed at least 170 innings and finished with a sub-4.00 ERA last year. Giolito, in his return from elbow surgery that cost him all of 2024, posted a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings.
It feels a little odd to label future Hall of Famers such as Verlander and Scherzer as mid-tier options, but even so, the former had a 2.60 ERA and 70 strikeouts over his final 72 2/3 innings (13 starts) with the Giants, while the latter had some standout moments in the postseason for the Blue Jays. They are both in their 40s, but they still have something to give.
We’ll see what Montgomery has left to give after he pitched to a 6.23 ERA with the 2024 D-backs and then underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2025. The 33-year-old southpaw was a reliable starter from 2021-23 and was sensational in the 2023 postseason for the World Series champion Rangers.
There aren’t any worthwhile center fielders remaining in free agency, but there are myriad corner outfielders still out there. Andujar may be the best of the bunch after producing a 125 OPS+ over 94 games split between the A’s and the Reds. Andujar also owns a .990 OPS over the past two seasons against left-handed pitching.
Grichuk and Marte are two more right-handed bats who could be useful in a platoon role. Grichuk is one year removed from producing an .875 OPS across 106 games for Arizona. Marte, who has played in fewer than 100 games for three consecutive seasons, put up a 111 OPS+ with the Mets last season. The left-handed-hitting Tauchman has been an above-average hitter for the past three seasons and is capable of filling in at every outfield spot.
You could throw veterans Andrew McCutchen and Marcell Ozuna in this section as well, but the large majority of their playing time will come at designated hitter.
If your favorite team is still searching for an impact reliever, it better hurry up because the shelves are just about empty on this aisle of the free-agent market. Many of the top bullpen arms signed new deals before the end of 2025, while one of the best unsigned relievers, David Robertson, announced his retirement on Friday.
Coulombe had a few rough outings with the Rangers after Texas acquired him before the 2025 Trade Deadline, but over two-plus seasons and 112 innings before that trade, the left-hander recorded a 2.17 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and held hitters to a .528 OPS.
Phillips, who was spectacular in 2023 (2.05 ERA, 0.83 WHIP in 61 2/3 innings), should be able to contribute during the season’s second half after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June. His former Dodgers teammate Kopech pitched just 14 innings last year due to knee and shoulder ailments, but when he was on the mound, the flamethrower registered a .103 opponents’ batting average.
The crop of free-agent catchers was pretty thin to begin with, and this winter’s clear No. 1 option — J.T. Realmuto — has re-upped with the Phillies. Díaz and Vázquez can provide some value defensively, while Heim and Sánchez can help out a little bit more in the batter’s box. Heim, a 2023 All-Star, has bopped double-digit home runs in five consecutive years. Sánchez still makes a lot of solid contact (57.8% hard-hit rate in only 91 at-bats with the Orioles last season) and is 11 homers shy of 200 for his career.
