Following the conclusion of the 2015 MLB Winter Meetings, which free agent pitchers are the best remaining options on the market?
By Patrick Brewer
Quite a few of the top free agents have signed, and numerous big time trades have been made. Despite David Price, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto and others being off the pitching market, there are still several serviceable options remaining to fill that void. While the top tier pitchers are all gone, the next tier is readily available.
Here are five players that represent the best free agent pitchers left on the market.
Honorable Mention: Kenta Maeda
One of the more intriguing players left to be signed is Japanese right hander Kenta Maeda.
Maeda is coming off the best season of his career in Japan, while winning the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young award, and figures to be in high demand once the posting process is complete. Maeda represents a cheaper option than most of the other upper echelon talents on the free agent market, and could be had for a fair price, projected for somewhere in the five-year, $60 million range, not including the likely $20 million posting fee.
Despite this potential upside, the inherent risk with a transition from Japan to America makes Maeda a potentially risky signing for any team in need of pitching help. Given this uncertainty, and the fact that he is not technically a free agent just yet, Maeda falls just outside the top five free agent pitchers still available.
5. Ian Kennedy
At the bottom of the list of the five best remaining free agent pitchers is former San Diego Padre right-hander Ian Kennedy.
Kennedy is coming off quite an up and down season, one in which he had a horrific first half but an overall solid second half. Although Kennedy had his share of struggles, he still has some good potential upside in the right situation, and could be due for a bounce back. It’s unclear how much money Kennedy will get, and if his deal with be a more short term “show me” deal or a more longer term commitment, but Kennedy figures to make at least the $15 million qualifying offer that he denied from San Diego after the season, despite the attached draft pick compensation. At this point, even with the attached draft pick compensation, Kennedy should still be able to get an annual value of $12-13 million on at least a three year deal.
That draft pick hurts his overall value, so Kennedy will come a lot cheaper than some other options, and a change of scenery may be good for him.
4. Yovani Gallardo
Next on the list is former Texas Ranger Yovani Gallardo.
While many assumed the Rangers would trade Gallardo at last year’s trade deadline, the Rangers decided to keep him instead. That decision definitely payed off, as Gallardo was definitely a big part of the Rangers playoff run.
However, with Cole Hamels now in the fold and Yu Darvish returning from injury in 2016, Gallardo may not be as much of a priority as he once was. Gallardo does have draft pick compensation attached, which could hurt his overall value, but he is still projected to reach an annual value of $12-14 million in a three to four year contract.
Gallardo is a reliable arm, and could settle in as a strong three starter on a number of teams.
3. Scott Kazmir
Staying in the American League West, former Houston Astros Scott Kazmir is one of the better options left on the market.
Following a strong start to the season with the Oakland Athletics, Kazmir struggled mightily in the second half with the Astros and finished the season on quite a down note. Still even with those late season struggles, Kazmir comes without a draft pick attached and also maintains strong value given the fact that he is a left handed starter.
While Kazmir is not quite in the ballpark of the remaining players on this list, he is still a strong option that could command a three year contract in the $40 million range.
2. Mike Leake
Yet another player who played for two different teams last season, former Red and Giant Mike Leake, is arguably the best right handed pitcher still available on the market.
It seemed likely that the Giants would pursue Leake, that is until the team went out and signed both Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. The Diamondbacks also were reportedly interested prior to the signing of Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller. While Leake has made it clear he would love to play for his hometown Diamondbacks, and do so at a discount, it seems unlikely the D’backs would want to pay out another big contract.
With that being said, Leake still holds quite a bit of value, and should get enough attention to net him a contract in the 5 year $70-80 million range.
1. Wei-Yin Chen
Finally, the best pitcher who is still available on the free agent market is former Baltimore Orioles southpaw Wei-Yin Chen.
Chen does come with a qualifying offer attached, but has positioned himself as the best of the bunch in the tier right below Greinke, Cueto, Price, etc. Chen is a southpaw, which certainly helps his value, and has been one of the most consistent starters in all of baseball during his first four seasons in Baltimore. Chen’s consistency puts his value rather high, and he should have no trouble getting a contract in the neighborhood of five years and $80-90 million, even with draft pick compensation attached.
Chen is hands down the best pitcher left on the market, and may just be the next pitcher to sign.
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