We’re at the point where we can officially call this is a slow MLB free agency. Pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training in a little more than a month, yet six of Yahoo Sports’ top 10 free agents have yet to sign.
There have been slower offseasons and greater pitfalls for top free agents, but it now seems safe to say that certain players just aren’t having their asking prices meant. And among the players who have signed, we’ve seen the most qualifying offers accepted in MLB history and some surprisingly small deals, such as the $34 million that Japanese star Munetaka Murakami got from the Chicago White Sox.
Advertisement
Here’s how the markets for those six top unsigned free agents seem to be shaping up and why teams might not be lining up to give them nine-figure deals.
Kyle Tucker
Red flags: Injury history, a ho-hum 2025
For the past few years, Tucker receiving MLB’s next eye-popping contract has been treated as an inevitability. However, judging from current reporting, no team save for the Toronto Blue Jays has emerged ready to give him that huge contract, and even the Jays — baseball’s biggest spenders so far this offseason — seem to be trying to keep the price down.
A month and a half ago, Toronto was reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan to be considered the favorite for Tucker’s services and to have hosted him at its Florida complex in December. However, the fact that no deal has been reported would imply the two sides still have ground to cover. If the Jays don’t want to give Tucker the long-term deal he seeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are reportedly looming as options.
Advertisement
However, the Dodgers and Mets are reportedly more interested in a short-term deal that would pay Tucker an extremely high average annual value and allow him to reenter the market while he still has star value. That has been done before (e.g. every major Scott Boras client in 2024) and would be a boon for either team’s lineup.
After losing the 2025 World Series in excruciating fashion, Toronto has committed a combined $337 million to the quartet of Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto, Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce. They do not appear to be finished and could make another major move with Tucker or …
Bo Bichette
Red flags: Injury history, defensive limitations, a miserable 2024
Advertisement
Had it not been for Miguel Rojas’ unlikely Game 7 home run, Bichette almost certainly would’ve entered free agency as an all-time hero for the Blue Jays, thanks to his go-ahead homer off Shohei Ohtani earlier in the game. He still presents an enticing package, but consider us skeptical that any team sees him as a long-term shortstop.
Second base is Bichette’s likely destination, especially after he played there in the World Series, and he has signaled to teams that he’s willing to move there, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The Jays are obviously interested in bringing him back, particularly in the event they miss on Tucker, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported last week that the Dodgers, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs have all checked in on Bichette.
On Thursday, The Athletic reported that the Philadelphia Phillies had entered the fray and scheduled a meeting with him. Adding Bichette would likely result in the Phillies moving on from J.T. Realmuto, a free agent, and Alec Bohm, a trade candidate.
Advertisement
Of course, if Heyman’s claim that Bichette is “thought” to be seeking a contract of around $300 million is true, that might be a tough sell for any team.
Alex Bregman
Red flags: Age, one All-Star season since the COVID-19 pandemic
This is a familiar position for the Boston Red Sox’s third baseman. He entered free agency last offseason and encountered a similarly frosty market. He ended up signing a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox that included two opt-outs, allowing him to reenter the market as soon as he posted a good season.
Did he do that in 2025? Well, he was definitely doing that until May 23, when he sustained a quad strain. Before that day, he was hitting .299/.355/.583. Then he came back in July and hit .250/.338/.386 for the rest of the season. That’s not exactly the final impression you want to make when you’re turning 32 at the start of the 2026 season. But Bregman still opted out.
Advertisement
The Red Sox are interested in a reunion, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, and could offer something in the range of the six years, $171.5 million the Detroit Tigers offered Bregman last offseason. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand suggests the Tigers are still interested, too, and mentions the Arizona Diamondbacks are also a major player. The Blue Jays were in there, too, until the Okamoto deal.
Bregman waited until February to sign the deal he just opted out of, and we seem on track for a similar wait this winter.
Cody Bellinger
Red flags: Perhaps the most inconsistent star in baseball
It’s really not an MLB offseason if we know what’s happening with Cody Bellinger. The Dodgers non-tendered him after 2022. The Chicago Cubs swooped in and signed him on a one-year deal for 2023, then brought him back in free agency. A down 2024 season led to a trade to the New York Yankees, with whom he enjoyed a resurgent 2025. And now Bellinger is a free agent again, still looking for the nine-figure deal that has eluded him.
Advertisement
The Yankees have made pretty clear they want him back, with multiple contract offers reportedly on the table. Among the other reported teams to check in on Bellinger are the Cubs, the Phillies (pre-Kyle Schwarber deal), the San Francisco Giants, the Mets, the Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels.
As with Bregman, there doesn’t seem to be much movement as of now. Bellinger presents an enormously risky profile, but he can play all three outfield positions and is a true middle-of-the-order presence when healthy. Most teams aren’t eager for that sort of mystery box, as his previous forays into free agency have shown.
Framber Valdez
Red flags: Age, a rough end to 2025, a bizarre catcher incident
Advertisement
Cease landing a $210 million deal at the start of free agency was seen as a good sign for both Valdez and the next guy on this list, but it hasn’t amounted to much yet. Valdez seemed on track for a huge deal midway through 2025, but a 6.05 ERA in his final 10 starts and a fateful pitch to catcher Cesar Salazar underlined the concerns around the 32-year-old.
The Mets, a rich team desperate for rotation help, have loomed as interested, according to The Athletic, as have the Baltimore Orioles. The Giants also met with Valdez in November, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
Ranger Suarez
Red flags: A 90 mph fastball
Advertisement
Suarez is coming off a career year and has a robust postseason track record, but his sinker going from an average of 92.3 mph in 2023 to 90.1 mph in 2025 could be limiting his market. Granted, that diminished velocity hasn’t stopped Suarez from getting outs, but it complicates the idea of signing him into his 30s.
The Orioles are in on him, according to the Baltimore Banner, as are the Astros and Cubs. A reunion with the Phillies could be in the cards, too, but it doesn’t look like we’re seeing a bidding war yet.
