Here is the second part in our miniseries discussing potential free agents in what figures to be a tumultuous offseason, to say the least. Perhaps not as deep as the American League side of the class, the National League has more than a few names who are likely to get a lot of attention once they hit the open market. Here is our list:
Down below we have a tier with the top 25 NL free agents, and much like Ben Solow wrote on his AL part, the rankings here reflect individual preferences, also trying to consider current form, at least to a certain extent. In no way do these reflect a prediction of the top 25 contracts that will be handed out in the offseason.
*Accurate stats as of July 29th.
1. Freddy Peralta (SP)
Offseason age: 30
2026 fWAR: 1.2; PLV: 4.99
113.2 IP, 5-9, 4.99 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 112 K
If there was a most likely to be dealt at the deadline poll, Freddy Peralta would certainly be in the running as a prime trade candidate. The failures of the Mets this season go beyond any single individual, which doesn’t mean that Freddy Peralta’s underwhelming production hasn’t contributed negatively to an atrocious record that has one of baseball’s biggest payrolls selling at the deadline.
This down year comes at the worst possible time for Peralta. The fact that he has proven his health, on pace for a fourth straight season of 30+ starts, is mitigated by the possibility he might opt for a short-term deal to prove himself again before returning to the market.
Not to be overly harsh regarding our understanding of the player, one might argue that Peralta’s outstanding 2025 campaign is just as much of an outlier as his poor 2026. Since the start of 2022, we’re talking about a 3.97 FIP. Should we really be surprised that Professor Chaos leans on the chaotic side?
2. – Ian Happ (OF)
Offseason age: 32
2026 fWAR: 2.1
.221/.334/.426, 18 HR, 47 RBI
Every sports fan remembers that famous Dennis Green speech: They are who we thought they were. Well, it makes me think of Ian Happ, simply because you’ll struggle to find a more predictably productive yet unspectacular player in Major League Baseball right now. At the same time, after seeing Taylor Ward dramatically change his profile only to produce a similar value after his trade to the Orioles, one would be forgiven for wondering if we’d see a different Happ away from the Cubs.
Happ’s batting average is down this year courtesy of a peaking strikeout rate, currently above 30 percent. While a bit more power makes up for it to a certain extent, with the switch-hitter pulling the ball in the air more often than we’re accustomed to seeing, the production overall falls below expectations for Happ. A Gold Glove winner in the National League in each of the past four seasons, Happ isn’t a one-dimensional athlete, and despite underperforming in 2026, several teams should line up for his services.
Since you’re only allowed one qualifying offer, the Cubs are incentivized to re-sign either Happ or Suzuki before free agency, leaving the other with a qualifying offer sure to be declined. Technically, Chicago can give the qualifying offer to one of the two options they’re less likely to bring back, but the moment they do that, the other outfielder becomes all the more appealing with no compensation tied to his signing.
3. Michael King (SP)
Offseason age: 31
2026 fWAR: 2.0; PLV: 4.93
6-7, 125.1 IP, 3.38 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 109 K
Health concerns? What health concerns? The primary factor that prevented Michael King from getting a long-term deal without an opt-out following the first season was his availability coming off a season in which he only pitched 73.1 innings. Repeating a very similar level of production in 2026, although with stark differences in the path to get there—striking out fewer hitters, but also limiting the long ball in outstanding fashion—King has virtually assured his presence back on the market next offseason, likely to exercise the opt-out in his three-year deal worth $75 million.
Once a rotation with several outstanding performers, the Padres’ one has been thinned out in recent years with the Dylan Cease departure, Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish’s injury woes, all to the point that King’s presence is now invaluable to the Friars. With a lot of money committed to star hitters, if the Padres have any realistic thoughts of contending in the near future, retaining King is an absolute must. The decision is for a shorter deal for King, who only recently turned 31.
What may appeal to potential suitors to King more than anything else is that even in a season in which things haven’t clicked as naturally for him as in 2024, for instance, the right-hander has put up productive numbers. The sinker, a staple of his arsenal, is getting hit around more than we’re accustomed to seeing, but the four-seamer has fared significantly better, with a decrease in usage from 24 percent in each of the past two seasons to just 19 percent this season.
4. Seiya Suzuki (OF)
Offseason age: 32
2026 fWAR: 2.6
.269/.359/.477, 18 HR, 60 RBI
Happ isn’t the only Cubs position player of note on this list, also featuring Seiya Suzuki, who has done nothing but hit since the Cubs handed him a five-year deal worth $85 million that’s turned out to be a bargain. Playing for a team with a deep outfield in recent campaigns, Suzuki has been the logical choice to often move to the DH position, which has negatively impacted his WAR, but shouldn’t be used against him, perfectly capable of playing on the field on a regular basis under a different context. Although that’d naturally add questions to his availability.
Finally able to play over 150 games last season, always dealing with little knocks that had him kept out at one point or another, Suzuki had a 30+ homer campaign. While he may not reach that again this season, the batting average and subsequently the on-base percentage are back up for a hitter with an OPS over .800 in each of the last four seasons.
If you’re looking for a stable bat for the middle of your order without having to swim at the absolute deep end of the pool where the superstars normally are, it doesn’t get much better than Suzuki. The quality of his defensive work this season might even justify a team being more aggressive with his positioning, assuming the Cubs don’t bring him back. Given the team’s outfield depth and starting pitching needs, it figures to be a one-or-the-other kind of deal for Suzuki and Happ.
5. Brandon Lowe (2B)
Offseason age: 32
2026 fWAR: 3.0
.253/.321/.487, 22 HR, 69 RBI
Sometimes a gamble pays off. Everyone knew the Pirates were getting a good hitter in a position in which those are few and far between when they acquired Brandon Lowe. The question was always one of health for the power-hitting second baseman, who had missed significant time in three of the past four seasons.
Lowe adapted to an environment change smoothly, always a plus for teams when assessing a player hitting the open market, and so far, the lefty hitter hasn’t had any injury problems to speak of, providing a rock to a Pirates lineup that has this team in Wild Card contention for the first time in several years.
Showing improved defensive work on top of everything else, Lowe is well on his way to putting up his best fWAR since that 39-home-run season in 2021. Nothing we’ve seen from the Pirates in recent seasons would lead us to believe they’ll outbid the market to retain this talented hitter, but surely the product on the field speaks for itself, does it not?
6. Luis Arraez (2B)
Offseason age: 30
2026 fWAR: 3.6
.325/.361/.447, 4 HR, 41 RBI
Luis Arraez is very difficult to strike out. That is the case this season, and it has been so since he first got called up to the bigs. Unfortunately for him, this isn’t 1973, and a baseball hitter has to do a lot more things in order to be considered truly valuable than simply preventing a specific form of out at a high level.
One of the bright spots in the Giants’ season, Arraez has experienced an unusual and incredibly productive campaign, adding layers to his impact, the most notable one a complete 180 in his defensive work. With an OAA of 11, Arraez is in the 98th percentile as one of the best fielders in all of baseball.
Offensively, the .328 batting average comes in with more impact than usual considering his .447 SLG, his second-highest mark since a call-up in 2019. Playing for a team completely out of contention and in need of getting younger, Arraez will net the Giants a return at the deadline far more appealing than what one might’ve originally assumed when they signed him to a one-year, 12 million deal this offseason.
7. Shota Imanaga (SP)
Offseason age: 33
2026 fWAR: 1.4; PLV: 5.06
121 IP, 7-8, 3.72 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 113 K
If it were possible, one might not even doubt that Shota Imanaga would once again accept the Cubs’ qualifying offer, with the Cubs unwilling to risk a long-term deal and the veteran southpaw satisfied with the high sum on a one-year deal. Moving further away from that brilliant 2024 rookie campaign, Imanaga has established himself as a reliable presence in a Cubs rotation that lacks the household names of other National League contenders.
Way more susceptible to the long ball than the Cubs would like, Imanaga teeters on the line of genuine productivity despite an HR/9 well above Major League average. The veteran left-hander has already had to cut back on the fastball usage, relying on it more above the plate, unable to get away with as much as he previously did.
Sometimes, though, you have to be more malleable in your analysis of a player and his fit with a specific team. Yes, the offense carries the Cubs, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you’re left with very little pitching if you remove him from this rotation, not only this season, but ever since he was first signed ahead of the 2024 campaign.
8. Clay Holmes (SP)
Offseason age: 34
2026 fWAR: 1.2; PLV: 5.02
52.2 IP, 4-4, 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 45 K
Add to the list of things that have gone wrong for the Mets this season: Clay Holmes’ injury. When healthy, the former closer pitched like his team’s ace this season, overshadowing more exciting names such as Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean. The problem is that he hasn’t featured in a Major League game since the middle of May with a fracture in his right fibula, all but ready to return, though, having recently made a rehab start with the trade deadline looming around the corner.
The Mets took a chance on Holmes to transition his way into a starter role when they signed him to a 2-year, $26 million deal a couple of seasons ago, and it could not have turned out any better. Even if Holmes didn’t throw another pitch this season, he’d be a lock to exercise the opt-out in his contract and test the open market. Nearing his return, Holmes will likely get to make one big-league start before the Mets ship him off to the highest bidder.
Holmes’ sinker-heavy approach has translated well as a starter, relying on an outstanding ground ball rate to make up for the strikeouts taking a nosedive once the former Yankee and Pirate left the bullpen.
9. Foster Griffin (SP)
Offseason age: 31
2026 fWAR: 2.0; PLV: 5.00
12-2, 124 IP, 2.76 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 113 K
Pound for pound, no free agent acquisition from last offseason has matched the impact of Foster Griffin to the Nationals. Excelling in Japan after an unsuccessful first stint in the bigs with the Royals, Griffin returned stateside carrying the skepticism around him that any player following this career path brings, only to answer it in the best way. Individual quality doesn’t always translate into team success, but in this case it lined up for Griffin’s performance to be one of the primary driving forces behind the Nationals’ return to All-Star contention. Possessing a 2.72 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, Griffin has an 12-2 record, one of the best in all of baseball; without him, there is a good chance this Nationals team would be below .500.
Extremely Seth Lugo-like in his approach, Griffin relies on his ability to basically throw any pitch at any count in any situation against any batter. Beyond the natural long-term concerns this approach brings, without many dominant core attributes to hang your hat on, it is rather clear that Griffin’s success carries an element of luck, with an unsustainably high ability to strand baserunners and a lower BABIP than one could hope to sustain consistently.
The one-year deal approach likely insisted on by the Nationals has now backfired, putting them in a corner of either fully committing to Griffin or risking losing their ace. Fulfilling their promise to both buy and sell at the deadline, the Nats recently shipped Curtis Mead for starter Connerly Early, perhaps already looking to bolster a rotation that could very well lose its ace. As far as the deadline itself, although the Nationals would never fully shut the door on it, given his impending free agency and slight concerns over the sustainability of his performance, it’s extremely unlikely a team offers the Nationals a package to make them blink.
10. Michael Soroka (SP)
Offseason age: 29
2026 fWAR: 2.2; PLV: 4.95
8-3, 82 IP, 3.07 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 79 K
After a long journey through many injury setbacks and different teams, Michael Soroka is finally back at a high level. Currently out with a strained glute, Michael Soroka is expected back in August with a couple of key months ahead of him, building up his value, proving he can handle the grind of 162, only 7.2 innings short of his season high since throwing 174.2 innings in his rookie campaign, back in 2019.
Managing an 8-3 record on the season, Soroka has been the ace of the Diamondbacks staff this season, with a sub-3.00 FIP, nearly single-handedly carrying this staff into a campaign that has them fighting for a Wild Card spot in the extremely competitive National League. His absence over the last month-plus has been a big blow for Arizona.
Almost regardless of what he does in the second half of the season, it is nearly a given that the player’s side will decline a mutual option worth $10 million for the 2027 campaign, which doesn’t necessarily rule out a return to Arizona, given how well he has adjusted to pitching there and the significant need for quality arms for the D-backs.
11. Robbie Ray (SP)
Offseason age: 35
2026 fWAR: 0.8; PLV: 4.79
9-6, 116.2 IP, 3.61 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 101 K
Contrary to the natural progression of most notable free agents, Robbie Ray reserved his best form for the backend of his long-term contract. The former Cy Young Award winner has produced with the Giants a lot more than he did in his first two seasons with the Mariners before being traded, as Seattle kept developing talented starters with incredible ease.
Much like Arraez, Ray is about as much of a lock to be traded as you’ll find in this deadline, responsible for a low 3.00s ERA in a second consecutive solid campaign, this one overcoming a decrease in the strikeout rate.
Usually with pitchers of this caliber or above, we tend to minimize the impact of a ballpark fit, but Ray’s is a unique case. The left-hander who had previously suffered with the long ball in his worst moments has seen his HR/9 go down since joining the Giants. Perhaps steer clear of Great American Park, if you can, Ray.
12. Adrian Morejón (RP)
Offseason age: 28
2026 fWAR: 1.8; PLV: 5.30
57.1 IP, 2-1, 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 64 K
All of the support that Mason Miller has received to make the Padres’ bullpen one of the better ones in baseball over the last few years might not be there in 2027. Alongside the currently sidelined Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon is also set to enter the market as perhaps its best available left-handed reliever.
Originally a starter, Morejón broke out as a reliever in 2024 and hasn’t looked back since. Although his 2026 numbers might leave something to be desired in comparison with last season, when he made the All-Star team, the stuff is just as dominant. In fact, Morejón’s strikeout rate has gone way up, with the 27.0% mark representing a career high.
One key factor in the strikeout surge is the changeup he’s featured far more often. Morejón tripled the usage, going from 7% in 2025 to 21% this season, with a whiff rate north of 50 percent. Still, very much so, feeling his way into an optimized arsenal, Morejón may very well go through certain adjustments on another team if the Friars don’t retain him.
13. Pete Fairbanks (RP)
Offseason age: 33
2026 fWAR: -0.2; PLV: 4.89
3-4, 32.1 IP, 6.96 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 44 K
And just like that, the Marlins have validation never to spend money again, like they needed any. Justifiably believing it was a fine idea to hand Pete Fairbanks a lucrative one-year deal to be their closer, Miami has been let down in an unfathomable way by the former Tampa Bay Ray. In terms of what they can currently deliver and the numbers they are putting up, the case is rather clear that Fairbanks has been the worst free agent signing of the past offseason.
More surprisingly, the bulk of these struggles have come on the road. No one would confuse Fairbanks’ home ERA of 3.22 as the height of his powers, but it has allowed him to earn 13 saves, while on the road he has let through 20 runs in just 11 innings. The numbers under the hood don’t justify such a steep decline, and it’s likely another team will take a chance that this was an outlier, giving him another one-year deal next offseason, although likely with a smaller salary than the $13 million he’s making this season.
14. Matthew Boyd (SP)
Offseason age: 36
2026 fWAR: 1.2; PLV: 4.95
6-1, 59 IP, 3.81 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 55 K
Matthew Boyd has a mutual option in his contract worth $15 million for 2027. In case it doesn’t get picked up, the Cubs will owe their veteran lefty $2 million. As far as mutual options go, this actually has a minor chance of getting picked up considering how Boyd’s 2026 campaign has gone, the Cubs’ rotation needs, and Boyd’s age ruling out the possibility of a long-term deal. That being said, if the left-hander can maintain his improved form down the stretch, he may very well opt for the open market.
Having missed significant time due to knee surgery, Boyd only has 12 starts this season, receiving outstanding run support to generate that 6-1 record even before getting hot, having just tossed back-to-back seven-inning starts allowing no more than one earned run. The injury problems aren’t a surprise, as last season was Boyd’s first 30+ starts campaign since 2019. Speaking of surprises, realizing Boyd was already 36 was one of them—for some reason, he doesn’t feel that old.
15. Eugenio Suárez (3B)
Offseason age: 35
2026 fWAR: -0.7
.204/.276/.396, 14 HR, 39 RBI
Just because the market is smarter doesn’t mean teams still don’t take risks. Raise your hand if you were surprised at the contract Eugenio Suárez received coming off a 49-homer campaign. You can’t see me, but I stopped typing for a second to raise mine. All of the caveats about Suárez’s profile were there to be highlighted, and he did fall off significantly following the trade to the Mariners. Forty-nine home runs are still forty-nine home runs, though, and no one seemed to care.
Well, the “re-return” to Cincinnati has not gone according to expectations, and Suárez’s disappointing campaign is one of the key reasons why the Reds lineup has failed to capitalize on some early-season excitement. That 35 percent strikeout rate isn’t worth it if your ISO is going to be under .200. So the inevitable scenario is that the Reds decline Suárez’s mutual option barring a massive turnaround. This turnaround could very well come with a different uniform, given that Cincinnati, out of contention, has the incentive to try and move this likely free agent.
16. Alex Vesia (RP)
Offseason age: 31
2026 fWAR: 0.8; PLV: 5.08
1-3, 36 IP, 2.75 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 52 K
Anyone else get the feeling that Alex Vesia has been with the Dodgers for far longer than the minimum six-year period of control before reaching free agency? Well, maybe it’s just all of those postseason appearances and the lasting impact, but Vesia is only in his sixth year with the Dodgers, now as important as ever for a bullpen that has had to deal with the absence of big-time offseason acquisition Edwin Díaz. In many ways, as much as the superstars, Vesia is the embodiment of what has made the Dodgers the standout club in baseball over the last five-plus seasons, acquired for next to nothing and developed into a real asset right off the bat.
Control issues have plagued Vesia in 2026, with a walk rate over 15 percent, but the left-hander has managed to limit the negative impact of this issue by keeping the ball in the yard far more effectively than he’s been known to throughout his career. Diversifying his arsenal a bit more, now using a changeup roughly 25 percent of the time against righties, Vesia is maintaining a strikeout rate of at least 33 percent for the third year in a row.
As important as he has been to the Dodgers since his call-up, it’s a likely scenario that Vesia will pitch elsewhere in 2027, taking into account all of the money the Dodgers already have committed to members of this bullpen in Tanner Scott and Edwin Díaz—not to mention this team’s innate ability to develop options in-house.
17. Brooks Raley (RP)
Offseason age: 38
2026 fWAR: 0.7; PLV: 5.05
4-5, 38.2 IP, 2.09 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 39 K
While not dominant, the Mets bullpen has held its own far better than the team’s starting staff and lineup, even with Devin Williams not living up to expectations of a bounce-back campaign. No player has been more integral to this relief group than the veteran Brooks Raley. Acquired in a trade with the Rays back in December 2022, Raley’s only obstacle to being one of the more effective relievers in the National League during this period has been his own health, with a 2.32 ERA in over 100 innings of work since then.
After missing significant time in each of the past two seasons, Raley is fully healthy and as productive as ever, even at 38 years of age. A unique reliever in that he attacks batters with a four-pitch mix including a sweeper with an incredibly high zone rate, Raley has held opponents to a 2.01 ERA, stranding base runners at a near 80 percent clip.
Although the numbers versus lefties are superior, Raley has shown enough not only this year, but throughout his whole career to be treated as a traditional setup man more than a lefty specialist. Due to his age, there aren’t going to be many better options on the market for a team looking to acquire a southpaw reliever on a one-year deal.
18. Jonathan Loáisiga (RP)
Offseason age: 32
2026 fWAR: 0.6; PLV: 5.23
2-3, 42 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 31 K
The flood of former Yankee relievers now playing in the National League West is one of those phenomena only a baseball rat might notice. The Padres may have the bulk of them, but the more effective one is playing in the desert as a key cog in the Diamondbacks bullpen on his way to the best season he’s put up since that 2021 breakout campaign.
Normally, we see pitchers improve following adjustments made with the Yankees, who are one of the best in the business at developing relievers. This time around, a move away from New York benefited Loáisiga. The hard-throwing right-hander started to have a more even split on sinkers and changeups, something that helps explain the batting average on his sinker going down from .300 in 2025 to just .214 this season, giving batters fewer looks at his primary pitch. It doesn’t hurt that the velocity is nearly a full tick up, going from 96.8 to 97.7 MPH.
At 31 years of age and with a significant track record of injuries, not to mention the inconsistent nature of his career, Loáisiga’s free agent outlook is a little murky—one might believe so, but not be certain that a team will choose to go all-in on the right-hander’s raw ability, believing some version of what we’re seeing in 2026 is sustainable.
19. Paul Sewald (RP)
Offseason age: 37
2026 fWAR: -0.5; PLV: 5.11
2-5, 37.2 IP, 5.26 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 43 K
An effective pitcher without the results to show for it. There is no doubting the ability of Sewald this season. However, his continued failure to strand any runners and an absurd number of fly balls have meant that despite a WHIP well under 1.00 and a BABIP under .200, the right-hander’s ERA has been noncompetitive for a pitcher of his caliber.
The numbers under the hood are all encouraging, and depending on how Sewald wraps up his 2026 campaign, one could foresee him earning his first multiyear deal in a while. Although the likelier scenario is that he signs yet another deal, for about as much money as the $7 million he got from Arizona this season.
20. Jason Adam (RP)
Offseason age: 36
2026 fWAR: -0.1; PLV: 4.82
2-2, 32.1 IP, 2.51 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 22 K
Aging like fine wine, Jason Adam established himself as one of the premier setup men in all of baseball several years ago with the Tampa Bay Rays. In a rare phenomenon, he’s managed to maintain and follow up on the success he had in the Tampa organization once he was dealt to a new club, currently in the middle of his second full season with the Padres. Despite being on the injured list right now with a strained shoulder, Adam expects to return to the mound at the end of August.
Adam’s 2026 campaign with the Padres is one of great success, but also worrying signs for any team looking at acquiring him this offseason. The veteran righty has lost a tick in velocity on his four-seam fastball in each of the past two seasons, having to rely more and more on the breaking ball to retire batters consistently.
The strikeout rate has gone down dramatically for Adam, and the only reason why he’s been able to sustain an ERA in the mid-3.00s is because of an absurdly high LOB% of 93.9%. Expect any team that signs Adam to be looking at a one-year deal, concerned with all we just mentioned.
21. Zac Gallen (SP)
Offseason age: 34
2026 fWAR: -0.1; PLV: 5.13
3-9, 98 IP, 6.34 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 61 K
Currently out with elbow inflammation, but that doesn’t appear to require surgery. Zac Gallen had been struggling to regain his value after signing a one-year deal to return to the Diamondbacks last season. The right-hander has been one of the worst qualified pitchers in the National League this season. Needing all the help they can get in this close Wild Card race in the National League, the D-back received absolutely no support from their most experienced pitcher.
Not only was Gallen getting hit all over the place, but the strikeout numbers have plummeted with a curveball that can no longer generate whiffs consistently. Prior to this season, Gallen’s curve consistently induced whiffs at or near a 40 percent clip, but it is down in the low 20’s percentage this season, well below league average.
22. Tyler Stephenson (C)
Offseason age: 29
2026 fWAR: 0.4
.248/.323/.398, 8 HR, 29 RBI
Selected by the Reds in the first round of the 2015 Draft, Tyler Stephenson has spent over a decade with a single organization, a story of success as a stable big league catcher. Not necessarily among the best defensively or offensively, Stephenson excels in one particular thing, especially this season: preventing wild pitches. Stephenson’s blocking is above average, with 11, which puts him in the 100th percentile.
While it is common to see many hitters selling out for a more power-heavy approach looking to put up big numbers ahead of free agency, Stephenson has gone the opposite route, reversing the changes he displayed last season, in which he presented or tied career highs in whiff rate and O-Sw% while setting career lows in Con%.
Although the numbers show he has been a little unlucky (.341 xwOBA), it is hardly a ringing endorsement that the Reds catcher is on his way to putting up his worst season since 2023. With the pool of exciting young catchers becoming bigger and bigger, Stephenson may find himself not guaranteed a starting role if he signs elsewhere, having faced little to no competition in a Reds uniform.
23. Alec Bohm (3B)
Offseason age: 30
2026 fWAR: -0.2
.225/.286/.369, 13 HR, 58 RBI
Alec Bohm chose the worst possible time to have a down year, delivering a slash line that only doesn’t have the Phillies lowering him in the lineup because of a lack of depth that has this offense at number 23 in OPS in all of baseball. The power numbers are ticking up; in fact, Bohm’s 13 home runs have already surpassed his season tally from 2025, but at the expense of an atrocious line otherwise, including a .225 batting average.
Never much of a standout option defensively, Bohm is also experiencing a down year on that side of the ball, with an Outs Above Average mark in the 4th percentile, the lowest of his career. Elected to the All-Star Game a couple of years ago, Bohm is playing his way into a short-term deal, as he’ll more than likely attempt to regain value before hitting the market again instead of settling for a much lower AAV than he would’ve gotten a year ago, for instance.
24. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (OF)
Offseason age: 34
2026 fWAR: -0.9
.207/.254/.287, 2 HR, 21 RBI
Signed by the Diamondbacks ahead of the 2023 season, Lourdes Gurriel played the final guaranteed year of his deal in 2026 and now has a team option tied to his contract for 2027, one that is worth $14 million and has a $5 million. Essentially, the Diamondbacks have to decide between paying Gurriel $9 million on a one-year deal or letting him walk away, and the fact that this is not a clear-cut decision tells you a lot about
Much like Gallen’s performance has negatively impacted the Diamondbacks pitching staff, Gurriel has been one of the worst hitters on the team with a slugging percentage that’s lower than his career BABIP, and an OPS well below .700 since the start of last year. The veteran hitter is currently sidelined with a strained groin.
Looking for Gurriel’s last truly productive season in the bigs, we have to go back to 2024, when the right-handed corner outfielder had a 108 OPS+ hitting .279 while appearing in 133 games with the Diamondbacks.
25. Adolis García (OF)
Offseason age: 34
2026 fWAR: 0.0
.195/.270/.329, 7 HR, 21 RBI
Speaking of disappointing right-handed Phillies hitters headed for the open market, Adolis García certainly didn’t prove to be an improvement over Nick Castellanos in the time he was out there before undergoing a lat surgery that ended his season abruptly. Garcia had already been in decline when he signed with the Phillies, which is partially why he only received a one-year deal, but the production, or lack thereof, was a disappointment even for those who didn’t expect much from him.
That Garcia’s profile would not age well was apparent early on in his major league career. With the bat speed trending downward ever since it started being measured back in 2023, the decrease in power has left the right-handed hitter with a sub-.400 slugging percentage in a sizeable period of 356 games over the last three seasons.
