Into the new year there’s still nearly an All-Star team of players who remain free agents.
Still free are NL Cy Young winner (Blake Snell), a former MVP who’s only 28 (Cody Bellinger), a 2023 October hero (Jordan Montgomery), the closer with the lowest batting average against ever (Josh Hader), another coveted Japanese pitcher (Shota Imanaga) and a multiple Gold Glove winner and top-10 MVP finisher (Matt Chapman).
Without further ado, here’s our team of the best available:
1B. Rhys Hoskins. A hero of Philly’s magical 2022 run, Hoskins is connected to the Cubs but is said to have seven teams interested. Other 1B: Brandon Belt, Carlos Santana, Donovan Solano, Garrett Cooper, Joey Votto.
2B. Whit Merrifield. One of the game’s most versatile players. Others: Elvis Andrus, Adam Frazier, Tony Kemp, Kolten Wong.
SS. Amed Rosario. Once a Mets wunderkind. Others: Tim Anderson, Kiké Hernandez.
3B. Matt Chapman. He was hampered by a hand injury after starting huge but still produced another 4 WAR season. Reunion in San Francisco with his former A’s manager Bob Melvin makes sense, but don’t his Jays still need a 3B? Others: Justin Turner, Gio Urshela, Evan Longoria, Eduardo Escobar, Brian Anderson, Josh Donaldson.
C. Gary Sanchez. He pulled himself up off the scrap heap to become a pleasant surprise for the Padres, and did such a terrific job catching Snell he put a dent in his rep as an offense-only catcher. Others: Mike Zunino, Andrew Knizner, Yasmani Grandal, Jacob Stallings.
LF. Teoscar Hernandez. He rallied to post close to his usual power numbers. Linked to the Angels and Red Sox. Others: Tommy Pham, Eddie Rosario, David Peralta, Michael Brantley, Joey Gallo, Robbie Grossman, Corey Dickerson.
CF. Cody Bellinger. The Cubs seemed like the logical fit although the sides still seemed apart on dollars. The Jays, Mariners and others (Phillies? Angels?) could work, too. Others: Michael A. Taylor, Adam Duvall, Aaron Hicks, Kevin Pillar.
RF. Joc Peterson. The talented veteran has been connected to the Blue Jays. Others: Randal Grichuk, Wil Myers.
DH. J.D. Martinez. His big year in LA could mean a multiyear deal. Linked to the Mets, Angels and D-Backs. Others: Jorge Soler, Daniel Vogelbach.
Rotation: Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Marcus Stroman, Shota Imanaga, Sean Manaea, Clayton Kershaw, Brandon Woodruff. Snell led the NL in ERA (2.25), batting average against (.181), OPS against (.579) and at 30 became the youngest two-time Cy Young winner to hit free agency. Others: Hyun-Jin Ryu, James Paxton, Michael Lorenzen, Alex Wood, Rich Hill, Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber.
Bullpen: Josh Hader, Robert Stephenson, Jordan Hicks, Phil Maton, Hector Neris, Matt Moore, David Robertson, Wandy Peralta, Adam Ottavino. Hader’s Brewers teammates were practically in tears when he was dealt. His .156 batting average against is the best ever, as are his 15 strikeouts per nine innings.
