There is no box score attached to this one, only a long winter board beginning to take shape. Tarik Skubal heads the projected 2026-27 free-agent class after posting 11.9 FanGraphs WAR across the 2025 and 2026 seasons, while Randy Arozarena, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Seiya Suzuki and George Springer lead the position-player market at their respective spots.
The figures below rank players by their combined FanGraphs WAR from 2025-26. Ages refer to the 2027 season. Players with contractual decisions still pending are marked with their relevant option or opt-out status.
The infield market
Catchers
- Ryan Jeffers (30): 4.7 WAR; Carson Kelly (32): 4.3 WAR, mutual option; Tyler Stephenson (30): 2.6; Austin Hedges (34): 2.1; Kyle Higashioka (37): 1.4, mutual option.
- James McCann (37): 1.2; Gary Sánchez (34): 0.7, mutual option; Reese McGuire (32): 0.5; Jake Rogers (32): 0.4; Christian Vázquez (36): 0.4.
- Luke Maile (36): 0.3; Mitch Garver (36): 0.1; Travis d’Arnaud (38): minus-0.7; Jonah Heim (32): minus-1.0.
First basemen
- Ty France (32): 4.5 WAR; Jake Bauers (31): 4.4; Paul Goldschmidt (39): 2.3; Andrew Vaughn (29): 2.2.
- Rhys Hoskins (34): 0.5; Nathaniel Lowe (31): 0.1; Rowdy Tellez (32): 0.1; Dominic Smith (32): minus-0.1.
- Carlos Santana (41): minus-0.2, mutual option; Ryan Mountcastle (30): minus-0.3; Christopher Morel (28): minus-1.1.
Second basemen
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (29): 7.8 WAR; Brandon Lowe (32): 6.6; Luis Arraez (30): 5.0; Gleyber Torres (30): 3.5.
- Ozzie Albies (30): 2.5, club option; Jeff McNeil (35): 2.1, club option; Isiah Kiner-Falefa (32): 1.7; Adam Frazier (35): 0.9.
- Lenyn Sosa (27): 0.7; Ildemaro Vargas (35): 0.7; Gavin Lux (29): 0.5; Nick Madrigal (30): 0.3; Luis Urías (30): 0.2.
- Cavan Biggio (32): minus-0.2; Jonathan India (30): minus-0.2; Dylan Moore (34): minus-0.3; Brendan Rodgers (30): minus-0.3; Kyle Farmer (36): minus-1.1.
Third basemen
- Bo Bichette (29): 5.7 WAR, opt-out; Eugenio Suárez (35): 4.2; Edmundo Sosa (31): 2.4; Alec Bohm (30): 1.8.
- Ramón Urías (33): 0.7, mutual option; Yoán Moncada (32): 0.5; Luis Rengifo (30): 0.2, mutual option; Amed Rosario (31): 0.2.
- Santiago Espinal (32): minus-0.1; Kiké Hernández (35): minus-0.3; Jeimer Candelario (33): minus-1.1; Leo Jiménez (26): minus-1.2; Josh Rojas (33): minus-1.5.
Shortstops
- Mauricio Dubón (32): 4.6 WAR; J.P. Crawford (32): 4.0; Paul DeJong (33): 0.1; Zack Short (32): minus-0.2.
- Kevin Newman (33): minus-0.6; Orlando Arcia (32): minus-0.7; Jorge Mateo (32): minus-0.7; Ha-Seong Kim (31): minus-0.9.
Outfield and designated hitter board
Left fielders
- Randy Arozarena (32): 8.4 WAR; Ian Happ (32): 5.4; Taylor Ward (33): 4.1; Ramón Laureano (32): 3.2.
- Randal Grichuk (35): 1.3; Austin Hays (31): 1.3; JJ Bleday (29): 0.9; Michael Conforto (34): 0.2; Sam Haggerty (33): 0.0.
- Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (33): minus-0.2, club option; Tommy Pham (39): minus-0.2; Dylan Carlson (28): minus-0.5; Alex Verdugo (31): minus-0.9.
Center fielders
- Trent Grisham (30): 3.8 WAR; Daulton Varsho (30): 3.0; Myles Straw (32): 2.5, club option; TJ Friedl (31): 2.4.
- Cedric Mullins (32): 2.4, mutual option; Tyrone Taylor (33): 2.2; Luis Robert Jr. (29): 1.8, club option; Lane Thomas (31): 0.2.
Right fielders
- Seiya Suzuki (32): 7.2 WAR; Ronald Acuña Jr. (29): 5.3, club option; Mike Tauchman (36): 1.5; Adolis García (34): 0.8.
- Jake Fraley (32): 0.4; Victor Robles (30): 0.3, club option; Starling Marte (38): 0.1; Austin Slater (34): 0.0; Nick Castellanos (35): minus-1.6.
Designated hitters
- George Springer (37): 6.1 WAR; Miguel Andujar (32): 1.0; Josh Bell (34): 0.6, mutual option; Joc Pederson (35): 0.6, mutual option.
- Marcell Ozuna (36): 0.2, mutual option; Rob Refsnyder (36): 0.0, mutual option; Andrew McCutchen (40): minus-0.6; Jorge Soler (35): minus-0.9.
The rotation market
Skubal sits well clear of the pitching field at 11.9 WAR. Drew Rasmussen, whose club holds an option, is next at 7.5, followed by Trevor Rogers at 7.3 with a club option. Kevin Gausman and Sonny Gray round out the top five starters on the board.
| Starter | 2027 age | 2025-26 WAR | Contract status |
|---|---|---|---|
| LHP Tarik Skubal | 30 | 11.9 | Free agent |
| RHP Drew Rasmussen | 31 | 7.5 | Club option |
| LHP Trevor Rogers | 29 | 7.3 | Free agent |
| RHP Kevin Gausman | 36 | 7.2 | Free agent |
| RHP Sonny Gray | 37 | 7.0 | Mutual option |
| RHP Freddy Peralta | 31 | 5.5 | Free agent |
| LHP Matthew Boyd | 36 | 5.0 | Mutual option |
| RHP Nick Pivetta | 34 | 5.0 | Opt-out |
| RHP Sandy Alcantara | 31 | 4.9 | Club option |
| RHP Nick Martinez | 36 | 4.9 | Mutual option |
| LHP David Peterson | 31 | 4.8 | Free agent |
| RHP Casey Mize | 30 | 4.7 | Free agent |
| LHP Kris Bubic | 29 | 4.4 | Free agent |
| RHP Tyler Mahle | 32 | 4.0 | Free agent |
| RHP Jack Flaherty | 31 | 3.9 | Free agent |
| RHP Michael Soroka | 29 | 3.9 | Mutual option |
| RHP Clay Holmes | 34 | 3.7 | Opt-out |
| RHP Michael King | 32 | 3.6 | Opt-out |
| RHP Luis Severino | 33 | 3.6 | Player option |
| RHP Dustin May | 29 | 3.5 | Mutual option |
| RHP Chris Bassitt | 38 | 3.4 | Free agent |
| LHP Robbie Ray | 35 | 3.1 | Free agent |
| RHP Brady Singer | 30 | 2.9 | Free agent |
| RHP Brandon Woodruff | 34 | 2.9 | Free agent |
| LHP Shota Imanaga | 33 | 2.7 | Free agent |
| LHP Foster Griffin | 31 | 2.6 | Free agent |
| LHP Martín Pérez | 36 | 2.3 | Free agent |
| RHP Colin Rea | 36 | 2.3 | Club option |
| RHP Cal Quantrill | 32 | 1.9 | Free agent |
| RHP Aaron Civale | 32 | 1.7 | Free agent |
| RHP Lucas Giolito | 32 | 1.7 | Mutual option |
| LHP Jeffrey Springs | 34 | 1.7 | Club option |
| RHP Michael Lorenzen | 35 | 1.6 | Free agent |
| RHP José Berríos | 33 | 1.5 | Opt-out |
| RHP Trevor Williams | 35 | 1.4 | Free agent |
| LHP Patrick Sandoval | 30 | 1.3 | Free agent |
| RHP Walker Buehler | 32 | 1.1 | Free agent |
| RHP Griffin Canning | 31 | 1.1 | Mutual option |
| RHP Zac Gallen | 31 | 1.1 | Free agent |
| RHP Max Scherzer | 42 | 0.7 | Free agent |
| LHP Jose Quintana | 38 | 0.7 | Free agent |
| RHP Tatsuya Imai | 29 | 0.5 | Opt-out |
| RHP Tomoyuki Sugano | 37 | 0.5 | Free agent |
| RHP José Urquidy | 32 | 0.5 | Free agent |
| RHP Shane Bieber | 32 | 0.4 | Free agent |
| RHP Corbin Burnes | 32 | 0.4 | Opt-out |
| RHP Zack Littell | 31 | 0.4 | Mutual option |
| RHP Luis Garcia | 30 | 0.1 | Free agent |
| LHP Jordan Montgomery | 34 | 0.1 | Free agent |
| RHP Jameson Taillon | 35 | 0.1 | Free agent |
| RHP Taijuan Walker | 34 | 0.1 | Free agent |
| RHP Frankie Montas | 34 | 0.0 | Free agent |
| RHP Lance McCullers Jr. | 33 | minus-0.1 | Free agent |
| RHP Zach Eflin | 33 | minus-0.2 | Mutual option |
| RHP Tony Gonsolin | 33 | minus-0.2 | Club option |
| RHP Erick Fedde | 34 | minus-0.3 | Free agent |
| LHP Austin Gomber | 33 | minus-0.4 | Free agent |
| RHP Germán Márquez | 32 | minus-0.4 | Free agent |
| RHP Miles Mikolas | 38 | minus-0.6 | Free agent |
The bullpen board
Adrian Morejon, entering his age-28 season, owns the top relief-pitcher total at 5.1 WAR. Garrett Whitlock is next at 4.2 with a club option, followed by David Bednar at 4.0.
- Adrian Morejon (28): 5.1 WAR; Garrett Whitlock (31): 4.2, club option; David Bednar (32): 4.0; Sean Newcomb (34): 3.5; Steven Okert (35): 2.8.
- Andrés Muñoz (28): 2.7, club option; Tyler Alexander (32): 2.4; Raisel Iglesias (37): 2.1; Alex Vesia (31): 2.1; Gregory Soto (32): 2.0.
- Bryan Abreu (30): 1.9; Emilio Pagán (36): 1.5, opt-out; Shawn Armstrong (36): 1.3, mutual option; Andrew Kittredge (37): 1.3; Brooks Raley (39): 1.3.
- Mark Leiter Jr. (36): 1.2; Jason Adam (35): 1.1; Emmanuel Clase (29): 1.1, club option; JoJo Romero (30): 1.1; José Alvarado (32): 1.0.
- Brock Burke (30): 1.0; Kevin Ginkel (33): 1.0; Jakob Junis (34): 1.0, mutual option; Paul Blackburn (33): 0.9; Taylor Clarke (34): 0.9.
- Carlos Estévez (34): 0.9, club option; Pete Fairbanks (33): 0.9; Hoby Milner (36): 0.9; Wandy Peralta (35): 0.9, player option; Dennis Santana (31): 0.9.
- Antonio Senzatela (32): 0.9, club option; Caleb Thielbar (40): 0.9, mutual option; Kenley Jansen (39): 0.8, club option; José Suarez (29): 0.8; Brent Suter (37): 0.8.
- Ryan Yarbrough (35): 0.8; Drew Anderson (33): 0.7, club option; Enyel De Los Santos (31): 0.7; Caleb Ferguson (30): 0.7; Kolby Allard (29): 0.6.
- Dietrich Enns (36): 0.6, club option; Jonathan Loáisiga (32): 0.6; Danny Coulombe (37): 0.5; Luis García (40): 0.5; Tyler Kinley (36): 0.5.
- Evan Phillips (32): 0.5; Ryan Thompson (35): 0.5; Justin Topa (36): 0.5; Jacob Webb (33): 0.5, club option; Andrew Chafin (37): 0.4.
- Kyle Hart (34): 0.4, club option; A.J. Minter (33): 0.4; Ryan Brasier (39): 0.3; Hunter Harvey (32): 0.3, mutual option; Chris Martin (41): 0.3.
- Taylor Rogers (36): 0.3; Matt Strahm (35): 0.3; Ryan Helsley (32): 0.2, opt-out; Pierce Johnson (36): 0.2, mutual option; Sam Moll (35): 0.2.
- John Schreiber (33): 0.2; Blake Treinen (39): 0.2; Yimi García (36): 0.1; Yuki Matsui (31): 0.1, opt-out; Rafael Montero (36): 0.1.
- Jordan Romano (34): 0.1; Ryne Stanek (35): 0.1, club option; Robert Stephenson (34): 0.1, club option; Matt Bowman (36): 0.0; Brusdar Graterol (28): 0.0.
- Joe Jiménez (32): 0.0; Drew Pomeranz (38): 0.0; A.J. Puk (32): 0.0; Tanner Rainey (34): 0.0; Drew Smith (33): 0.0.
- Trevor Stephan (31): 0.0, club option; Hunter Strickland (38): 0.0; Rowan Wick (34): 0.0, club option; Jake Woodford (30): 0.0; Jalen Beeks (33): minus-0.1.
- Ryan Borucki (33): minus-0.1; Lou Trivino III (35): minus-0.1; Dan Altavilla (34): minus-0.2; Chris Devenski (36): minus-0.2; Luke Jackson (35): minus-0.2.
- José Leclerc (33): minus-0.2; Tommy Kahnle (37): minus-0.3; Joe Ross (34): minus-0.3; Keegan Akin (32): minus-0.4; Jorge Alcala (31): minus-0.5.
- Scott Barlow (34): minus-0.5; Aaron Bummer (33): minus-0.5; Paul Sewald (37): minus-0.5; Ryan Weiss (30): minus-0.6, club option; Trent Thornton (33): minus-0.8.
- Génesis Cabrera (30): minus-0.9; Tim Hill (37): minus-1.1.
For clubs looking ahead, the board has its obvious headliners, but the decisions on options and opt-outs will shape the traffic behind them. The starting-pitching group runs deep into veteran territory, the outfield carries several potential impact bats, and the relief market has enough arms to change quickly once teams begin making those calls.
