Kyle Tucker, Dylan Cease and Alex Bregman are among the most sought-after free agents this offseason, though the potential of a 2027 lockout looms large in decision making.
MLB free agency is officially underway, with qualifying offers to impending free agents now in the books as teams look to shore up their rosters heading into the 2026 season.
Though this offseason won’t feature the madness of the 2023-24 offseason that was dominated by the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, or last year’s offseason which saw Juan Soto sign the most valuable contract in professional sports history, fans can still expect several nine-figure deals to be made in the coming months.
Leading this year’s class of free agents is to-be 29-year-old outfielder Kyle Tucker, who spent the past season with the Chicago Cubs after a blockbuster trade away from the Houston Astros last offseason. Among other top offensive targets include first baseman Pete Alonso, third baseman Alex Bregman and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
While there will almost certainly be major trades this offseason, especially with rumors swirling over a potential Tarik Skubal deal with his free agency looming after the 2026 season, I’ll solely focus on some of the biggest free agents in this piece and won’t be offering any trade proposals.
With that said, there are certainly some clubs whose free agency decisions will be heavily impacted by trade opportunities, as well as clubs that may see trades as their best opportunity to improve their roster.
As for the big free agents, the usual big-market suspects in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and New York Yankees are expected to be suitors for many of this offseason’s most coveted free agents.
Here’s a look at my landing spot predictions for five of the most sought-after free agents this offseason, along with a rough estimate of the contract I think they’ll be in line for.
1. Kyle Tucker, RF
If we were having this conversation back in late June, it would be about how Tucker had the ability to command more money than anyone in baseball history not named Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani on the free agent market, as the lefty slugger was off to a terrific start in his lone campaign on Chicago’s North Side.
Through the first half of the season, Tucker compiled an excellent .280/.384/.499/.882 slash line with 17 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 60 walks to 60 strikeouts. His first half was helped by a monstrous June, which saw Tucker hit for a .311 average with a .982 OPS.
While Cubs fans (myself included) were clamoring for the front office to extend a blank check offer to Tucker, his second half changed the minds of many around baseball. Hampered by a calf injury in the latter half of the season, Tucker hit just .231 with a .738 OPS in the second half, managing just five home runs in 174 trips to the plate, well below what one would want out of a top-dollar slugger.
The Dodgers have unsurprisingly expressed interest in Tucker’s services, while the Phillies and Giants also emerge as obvious fits with needs in the outfield. The Cubs will likely do their due diligence and would certainly be willing to extend Tucker a contract beyond their franchise record of eight years and $184 million, but it’s hard to see Chicago more than doubling that sum, which is what it would take to sign Tucker.
While Tucker’s injuries have lowered his production in the last two years, the team that signs him will be hoping for the 2021-23 player the Astros had, which saw Tucker post a 139 OPS+ with 89 home runs and 69 stolen bases in 447 games during that span.
With Tucker being the big fish in this offseason’s pond and the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers showing no signs of slowing down, it’s hard to see him going anywhere else.
Prediction: Los Angeles Dodgers, 10 years, $405 million
2. Kyle Schwarber, DH
Typically designated hitters in their 30s aren’t among the most coveted free agents in any given offseason, but NL MVP finalist Kyle Schwarber is certainly putting that hypothesis to the test.
Entering his age-33 season, Schwarber has been among the game’s best power bats for the past four years in Philadelphia, reaching new heights in 2025 with a career-high and NL-best 56 home runs.
After inking a four-year pact with the Phillies ahead of the 2022 season, Schwarber has hit an incredible 187 home runs over the past four seasons, slashing .226/.349/.507/.856. While Schwarber will never be mistaken for a contact bat, his elite ability to get on-base greatly offsets the inevitability of strikeouts, with Schwarber striking out at least 197 times each season in Philadelphia.
The appeal also extends to his October resume. While Schwarber has greatly struggled over the past two postseasons for the Phillies, his 23 playoff home runs are tied with George Springer for the third-most of all-time.
Schwarber will almost certainly be limited to a DH role, with an ability to play left field in emergencies. The slugger spent his first two seasons with the Phillies as an everyday left fielder, posting -4.8 defensive WAR across 2022-23.
Both Schwarber and the Phillies themselves have expressed interest in a reunion, and the fit is obvious – though a successful Philadelphia pursuit of Kyle Tucker would almost guarantee that Schwarber will be wearing different colors next year.
Every team can use a bat like Schwarber’s, and it’s easy to see the Red Sox or Mets express interest, with more surprise teams such as the Diamondbacks also serving as fits. The Cubs could also look to bring Schwarber back, assuming they are unable to bring back Tucker.
Prediction: Philadelphia Phillies, 4 years, $120 million
3. Dylan Cease, SP
The top starting pitcher available on the market, Cease enters his age-30 season looking to cash in after a 2025 campaign filled with mixed results.
After finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting on the heels of an excellent 2024 season, Cease appeared to take a step back in 2025, compiling 1.1 WAR and a 4.55 ERA over 168 innings of work.
While both control and command emerged as issues as Cease surrendered 71 walks and a career-high 21 home runs, it wasn’t all bad news for the veteran right-hander. Despite pitching his fewest innings in a season since 2021, Cease still managed 215 strikeouts, good enough for an MLB-best 11.5 strikeouts-per-nine innings ratio.
Though Cease has yet to emerge as a perennial Cy Young Award contender, the skillset is absolutely there when it comes to having one of the game’s most talented pitchers. Cease best exemplified this during his incredible 2022 season with the Chicago White Sox, which saw him lead all AL pitchers with 6.4 WAR alongside a 2.20 ERA and 227 strikeouts.
With his status as the top arm on the market this offseason, it’s reasonable to believe that a team will overpay for Cease’s services, especially with the need of a top-of-rotation arm readily apparent for many clubs.
The Boston Red Sox figure to be a possible landing spot, especially with the expected loss of fellow former White Sox starter Lucas Giolito. Other usual big-market suspects can’t be ruled out, while the Braves, Orioles and Astros are among the other clubs that may express interest.
Prediction: Baltimore Orioles, 7 years, $170 million
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
It’s been a whirlwind couple of years for Pete Alonso, who appeared destined to leave the Mets last offseason before a heroic home run in the NL Wild Card Round against the Milwaukee Brewers sparked a surprise NLCS run for New York.
Alonso returned to the Mets on a short-term deal, but was welcomed with no such magic in 2025 despite the addition of Juan Soto. The Mets went 83-79 and missed out on the postseason entirely, with Alonso opting out of the remaining year of his contract to once again become a free agent.
This appears to be Alonso’s best opportunity to cash in long-term. Entering his age-31 season, Alonso has been one of baseball’s elite sluggers since his record-setting rookie season in 2019 that saw him hit 53 home runs.
While Alonso has unsurprisingly been unable to match the output from the year of the juiced ball, he proved his power was the furthest thing from a fluke. Alonso has hit 40, 46, 34 and 38 home runs in the past four seasons respectively, while also leading the senior circuit in doubles this year with 41.
You’d also be paying for durability – though a relatively poor defender at first base, Alonso hasn’t missed a game since 2023 and has only missed 10 games since the start of the 2022 season. It’s also fair to assume Alonso could see some time as a DH the longer his career goes on.
The Mets could certainly look for a reunion, but the interest in Alonso’s services will likely be widespread. While big market clubs like the Phillies, Dodgers and Blue Jays are all set at first base, it’s certainly easy to see the Red Sox, Yankees and Giants making focused efforts to snag Alonso.
Prediction: Boston Red Sox, 6 years, $180 million
5. Alex Bregman, 3B
Hitting the free agent market for the second consecutive year, Bregman turned down offers from the Cubs and Tigers last offseason to ink a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox that included an opt-out after the first season.
Bregman has chosen to test his luck on the market entering his age-32 season after a great year with the Red Sox that was interrupted by injury. The veteran third baseman put up 3.5 WAR with a .273/.360/.462/.821 slash line, nearly in line with his career mark of .272/.365/.481/.846.
While no one would mistake him for prime Nolan Arenado defensively, Bregman remained a plus defender at third base for Boston and has been solid defensively at the position throughout his career, amassing 6.9 defensive WAR.
It’d be tough to see Bregman returning to the likes of his 8.9 WAR season in 2019 that saw him post a 1.015 OPS, but the version of Bregman the Red Sox got last year is still an immensely valuable player when healthy.
The Red Sox could certainly look to ink another deal with Bregman, though I think it’s more likely they allocate their energy to first base as the health and future of Triston Casas remains an unknown. Both the Cubs and Tigers could also take another shot at acquiring Bregman, though that would likely come with a trade if it were to be the Cubs.
With a young Matt Shaw having taken over at third base for the Cubs in 2025, the North Siders could explore a trade of the promising infielder in search of more guaranteed production, particularly on the power end, from Bregman.
For Detroit however, the approach and fit seems much more straightforward, with Bregman adding more power to a lineup already stacked with Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson. Adding in the fact that A.J. Hinch remains at the helm in Detroit, Bregman’s fit simply makes sense in the Motor City.
Prediction: Detroit Tigers, 5 years, $175 million
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