With roughly a month left before the end of the regular season, players heading toward free agency don’t have much time left to make a final impression on potential suitors.
While the total body of work obviously carries a lot of weight, how a player performs right before hitting the open market can also have a major impact on their value, especially for those who have had forgettable walk years.
With that in mind, here are 10 stars who have a lot riding on what they do the rest of the way.
All stats below are through Tuesday.
Framber Valdez, SP, Astros
Valdez could enter free agency as the top arm in a class lacking a clear-cut No. 1 starter. No other pitcher headed to market can match his track record, with a 3.16 ERA over 148 games (147 starts) since the outset of 2020. Still, if his August struggles (7.33 ERA) carry over into September, it could give clubs reason to hesitate once he hits free agency, especially considering he’ll turn 32 in November.
Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays
Bichette has done well to put last year’s extensive struggles behind him, returning to form with a .306/.350/.471 slash, 16 homers and 84 RBIs over 130 games for a Blue Jays club that’s trying to go from worst to first in the American League East. His rebound has put him back in line for a nine-figure deal in free agency, but how he finishes this season could determine whether he lands closer to $150 million or pushes north of $200 million — a mark only a handful of free-agent shortstops have reached.
Shane Bieber, SP, Blue Jays
Bieber has a $12 million decision looming this offseason — he can opt in for a $16 million salary with the Blue Jays next season or take a $4 million buyout and try his luck in free agency for the second straight year. The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner seems likely to take the latter route, though that could change if he runs into complications in his return from Tommy John surgery. There were no issues in his first start back from the IL last Friday, when he struck out nine batters over six innings of one-run ball.
Kyle Tucker, OF, Cubs
Nothing Tucker does the rest of this season is going to change his status as the best player in the upcoming free-agent class. But the 28-year-old could use a strong finish to the regular season — and a signature October showing, something his résumé is lacking — to maximize his chances of securing a deal north of $400 million. After ranking among the game’s top hitters through the first three months of 2025, his bat has cooled since late June as he has played through a hairline fracture in his right hand. Over his past 44 games, he has slashed .205/.332/.314 with four homers.
Zac Gallen, SP, D-backs
Gallen was positioned to be one of the top free-agent starters on the market at the end of 2025, having recorded a 3.29 ERA with a 9.8 K/9 over his first six seasons. However, things have gone awry for the right-hander this year. His performance has dropped off dramatically (5.13 ERA, 8.1 K/9), to the point where Arizona wasn’t even able to find a team willing to meet its asking price — the equivalent of the compensatory Draft pick attached to the qualifying offer — in trade talks prior to the Deadline. Gallen, though, has pitched better in August, posting a 3.10 ERA over five starts. If he keeps it up, we could see him reject the D-backs’ QO and try to land a multiyear contract on the open market.
Dylan Cease, SP, Padres
Similar to Gallen, Cease’s stock has taken a hit after he entered his walk year seemingly set up to be one of the headliners in the upcoming free-agent class. Cease has excellent stuff, but his performance has fluctuated wildly during his career, a product of his consistently high walk rates. The right-hander logged a second-place finish in the AL Cy Young voting as a member of the White Sox in 2022 and placed fourth in the NL voting last year, but he had a 4.58 ERA in ’23 and sits at 4.82 through 27 starts in ’25. At the same time, the durable 30-year-old is on pace for his fifth straight 200-strikeout season, and he has a chance to remind suitors of his ace potential with a strong final month.
Ranger Suárez, SP, Phillies
With Gallen and Cease falling off and Michael King dealing with injuries this season, Suárez could end up having a more robust market than initially anticipated, with clubs favoring the southpaw’s steady production over the volatility of those other arms. One possible hang-up? Suárez has faded in the second half in each of the past three years. Ending the season on a high note could go a long way toward easing those concerns, and his past two outings (1.32 ERA, 13.8 K/9) are an encouraging start toward that goal.
Jack Flaherty, SP, Tigers
Speaking of volatile starters, that’s Flaherty in a nutshell. After posting a 4.99 ERA for the Cardinals and Orioles in 2023, the right-hander rebounded with a superb ’24 season (3.17 ERA, 5.11 K/BB) for the Tigers and Dodgers, though he struggled in the playoffs and wasn’t in high demand in free agency last offseason. He ultimately opted to return to Detroit on a two-year, $35 million deal with an opt-out after 2025, but his uneven performance this season (4.87 ERA) could make that a tough call. He’ll be more likely to opt out if he pitches well down the stretch and into October for Detroit.
Cody Bellinger, OF, Yankees
The last time Bellinger reached free agency, after a stellar rebound season with the Cubs in 2023, there were still some lingering doubts about him stemming from his immense struggles across ’21-22 (.611 OPS). He ended up returning to the Cubs after the start of Spring Training, signing a three-year, $80 million deal with a pair of opt-outs. Two years later, he is expected to make another run at free agency by declining his 2026 player option. His chances of eclipsing his last deal will be much greater if he avoids a season-ending slump like the one he had to start off 2025, slashing .198/.270/.340 over his first 30 games for the Yankees. He’s put together an outstanding stretch since that point, hitting .297 with 21 homers and an .881 OPS in his past 92 games while providing strong defense at multiple positions.
Devin Williams, RP, Yankees
Given his success while pitching for the Brewers, it once seemed likely that Williams would challenge Edwin Díaz’s $102 million deal for the richest signed by a reliever in MLB history. His high-profile struggles with the Yankees this season have spoiled his walk year, but there will surely be multiple clubs willing to sign the 30-year-old to be their closer next year — even more so if he shows out during the final month of the year and re-emerges as a trusted member of manager Aaron Boone’s bullpen during the playoffs.
