Baltimore Orioles: RHP Zach Eflin
Eflin had a disastrous walk year from a health standpoint, making three separate trips to the IL, including missing the final two months following a “lumbar microdiscectomy procedure.” He’s only 31, though, and he was pretty darn good for them down the stretch in 2024. Might be able to bring him back at a discounted rate and have him be a big part of a bounce-back season.
Boston Red Sox: 3B Alex Bregman
It won’t be cheap, but surely they have the money to make it happen, given their top-five annual revenue and the fact that the four-man outfield of Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu is going to make a combined sum of $13.7 million in 2026. Like Eflin, Bregman is only 31 and ought to have at least another four or five good years left in the tank. And if he does sign elsewhere, Boston’s hot corner could be the hot mess that keeps them out of the 2026 postseason.
New York Yankees: CF Cody Bellinger
See: Bregman, Alex. Bellinger’s Spotrac market value is six years, $183 million—but the Yankees, of all teams, could certainly afford it. As things stand, their only outfielders signed for next season are Aaron Judge and Jasson Domínguez. (And, I suppose, technically, Giancarlo Stanton can still play some corner outfield here and there.) So, if they don’t re-sign Bellinger (or Trent Grisham), they better have a nice big offer lined up for Kyle Tucker.
Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Adrian Houser
Excluding the three players for whom the Rays hold club options (Brandon Lowe, Pete Fairbanks and Yandy Díaz), Houser appears to be the only free agent who ended the 2025 season on Tampa Bay’s roster. So, not a tough pick for us here. But if they do re-sign him, they’ll be hoping to get the guy who had a 2.10 ERA in his 11 starts with the White Sox and not the one who gave the Rays a 4.79 ERA in 10 starts after the trade deadline.
Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Shane Bieber
Shortstop Bo Bichette is the bigger name and may well be the one they prioritize this winter. However, if we learned anything from Toronto’s first two postseason series, it’s that this offense still packs one heck of a punch even without him. Meanwhile, if that rotation loses all of Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and Bieber this winter, whether they have the arms to run it back again as AL East champions becomes questionable, at best. And unlike the Red Sox and Yankees with their big free agents, Toronto might not be able to afford Bichette if his eight-year, $186 million market value is legit. (Though, if Bieber’s six-year, $146 million market value is also legit, that’s also probably too much. That projection feels way too high, though, at least in number of years.)
