Ranking the top 10 MLB free agents for the 2026-27 offseason, plus potential landing spots

Tarik Skubal leads the class as a clear-cut ace, but behind him, teams looking for a franchise cornerstone may be out of luck this winter Sep 8, 2026 at 10:00 am ET • 8 min read Four weeks from Tuesday, the four Wild Card Series will begin and the postseason will be underway. The various divisional and wild-card races will be settled between now and then. As the games on the field intensify, is there a better time to look ahead to the upcoming offseason? Well, yes, probably, but that won't stop us. The hot stove never fully cools.On paper, the upcoming free agent class is one of the weakest in recent memory. There is a legitimate star and capital-A ace atop the rankings, then a bunch of pitchers who fit best as No. 3s in a contender's rotation and position players who fit best as the third-best player in a contender's lineup. This is a bad offseason to want a new building block for your franchise.There's also a cloud hanging over free agency and the offseason in general: labor talks and the looming lockout. How aggressive will teams be in free agency before the lockout begins, likely on Dec. 2, without knowing what the new collective bargaining agreement will look like? I honestly don't know. Some teams could be active in November. Others could sit out free agency entirely.Here is a super-early look at the top 10 players set to become free agents after the World Series. Keep in mind that free agency is not a "what have you done in the past?" business these days. Teams value free agents based on what they expect them to do in the future. These rankings are intended to reflect that. 1. Tarik Skubal, SP, Dodgers2027 Opening Day age: 30 Qualifying offer eligible? No (traded in-season) Skubal is the clear-cut, inarguable No. 1 free agent. Excluding Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a special case as a Japanese star who lacked an MLB track record, Skubal will be the best starting pitcher to hit the open market since Gerrit Cole in 2019. Skubal has had some hiccups since returning from the NanoScope surgery on his pitching elbow in May, though he remains a bona fide ace who misses bats and limits hard contact at elite levels. He's also excelled in the postseason and is at an age that suggests he still has several peak years remaining. That's just about everything you could want in a big-money free agent starter. Super early possible landing spots: Blue Jays, Dodgers2. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Yankees2027 Opening Day age: 29Qualifying offer eligible? Yes It has been a down year offensively -- there is no denying that -- but Chisholm will still go 20-45 or so and finish the season north of 3 WAR. His baserunning and defense at an up-the-middle position give him a very high floor. The bad version of Chisholm is still a very good player, albeit one with a casual style that isn't for everyone. The upcoming free agent class is light on impact middle infielders and position players with a chance to go to the All-Star Game next season. Chisholm is both of those things, and he will play the entire 2027 season at age 29. Prime-aged middle infielders who can hit for power, steal bases, and defend at a high level are in short supply. Chisholm is the only one who meets the criteria in the free agent class. Super early possible landing spots: Padres, Rangers3. Adrian Morejon, RP, Padres2027 Opening Day age: 28Qualifying offer eligible? Yes Morejon has been on the very short list of the game's best relievers the last three seasons, and I think it is more likely than not that the team that signs him in the offseason will move him into its rotation. He has an excellent four-pitch package (four-seamer, sinker, slider, changeup) and more than enough velocity to give some back in longer outings and still have plenty in the tank to throw fastballs by hitters. Morejon misses bats, keeps the ball on the ground, and limits hard contact all at elite levels as a reliever. Doing so at an above-average rate across the board after a move into the rotation would make him a very good starter. And if starting doesn't work out, he can go back to being a lockdown reliever. Add in his age and Morejon will be one of the most in-demand free agents this winter, maybe even the most in-demand. Super early possible landing spots: Mets, Tigers4. Seiya Suzuki, OF, Cubs2027 Opening Day age: 32Qualifying offer eligible? Yes Is it possible for a Cubs player to be underrated? Suzuki has been a metronomic 130-ish OPS+ hitter over the last four years with underlying ball-tracking data (exit velocity, etc.) to support that performance. He's also a sneaky good defender thanks to reliably above-average jumps and a strong arm. At age 32, Suzuki's defensive decline is right around the corner, but he's starting from a high enough baseline that it should be a few years before he has to be relegated to DH. There are shockingly few quality right-handed hitters in the game right now. Suzuki is a legitimate middle-of-the-order righty bat who provides secondary value with his glove. Super early possible landing spots: Cubs, Phillies5. Randy Arozarena, OF, Mariners2027 Opening Day age: 32Qualifying offer eligible? Yes Arozarena is having a better season than Suzuki, at least offensively, but free agency is forward-looking. The days of teams paying for what you've done in the past are (mostly) over. Arozarena and Suzuki are the same age and comparable hitters, but Suzuki is a better defender, making him the more appealing player. That isn't to say Arozarena is a grenade with the pin pulled. He's a thunderous hitter who has shown time and time again that he is unafraid of big moments. He's basically a DH at this point, though, so once the bat begins to slip, there's not much to keep him propped up. The defensive edge nudges Suzuki ahead for me, but Arozarena would be a heck of a consolation prize. Super early possible landing spots: Diamondbacks, Mariners6. Michael King, SP, Padres2027 Opening Day age: 31Qualifying offer eligible? No (received it last offseason) King's place in these rankings is based on the assumption he will decline his $28 million player option and re-enter free agency. The $5 million buyout makes it a $23 million decision, though King also has a $30 million player option for 2028, meaning there is a long-term component to his decision. For now, we'll assume King will go into the open market coming off a strong and healthy season. His five-pitch arsenal (sinker, four-seamer, sweeper, slider, changeup) and command suggest a graceful decline lies ahead, plus King is big-market and postseason battle-tested. He appeals to both old-school scouts and new-school analytic types. He also has a reputation for being an A+ clubhouse guy, which can only help. Super early possible landing spots: Astros, Cardinals7. Freddy Peralta, SP, Rays2027 Opening Day age: 30Qualifying offer eligible? No (traded in-season) Peralta is a difficult player to evaluate and rank, even in a free agent class this underwhelming. He's having a down season with worrisome under-the-hood markers in his arm angle (dropping), fastball shape (regressing) and breaking ball command (never great). That said, Peralta's track record is very strong and he's shown the aptitude for making adjustments. You can be sure several teams will see Fastball Freddy as a buy-low candidate who is a tweak or two away from rediscovering his pre-2026 form. Had we ranked the upcoming free agents back in March, Peralta would have been No. 2 behind Skubal. His stock is down, but he's still a top 10 free agent in this class. Super early possible landing spots: Angels, White Sox8. Brandon Lowe, 2B, Pirates2027 Opening Day age: 32Qualifying offer eligible? Yes One of only 16 players with a 100 OPS+ every season since 2018, Lowe is a middle infielder with 30-homer power, which makes it pretty easy to overlook his contact issues and potentially imminent decline phase. The team that signs Lowe will be the team that believes most in his defensive improvement this year. He's at +12 defensive runs saved this season. It was -14 just last year, and consistently negative before that. If he has to move off second base, Lowe's bat will play at first, but his swing-and-miss tendencies and defensive track record create some risk of collapse. Super early possible landing spots: Pirates, Yankees9. Casey Mize, SP, Padres2027 Opening Day age: 29Qualifying offer eligible? No (traded in-season) A nagging groin injury has sent Mize to the injured list three times this season and it might have cost him a significant payday. Not that he'll have trouble finding work as a free agent, but the injury forced several stops and starts during what looked like a long-awaited breakout season. Mize has pedigree (No. 1 overall pick in 2018), an out-pitch splitter, and the skill and willingness to pound the zone. At minimum, he's a solid No. 3 starter who can take the ball in the postseason, and there is upside for plenty more. Super early possible landing spots: Braves, Orioles 10. Ryan Jeffers, C, Twins2027 Opening Day age: 29Qualifying offer eligible? Yes Quality catchers rarely hit free agency, so Jeffers picked a great time to have a career year. He has a strong blend of contact skills and power, and his defense, while not amazing, is trending up. Jeffers has looked more like himself as he's gotten further away from his May hamate surgery, easing concerns about his health. There simply aren't many catchers who can hit in the middle of the order and not kill their team behind the plate, and Jeffers is still on the well-paying side of 30. He's a few years away from the age when most catchers turn into pumpkins. Super early possible landing spots: Reds, TwinsOther notable free agents: 2B Luis Arraez, CP David Bednar, SP Kevin Gausman, SP Sonny Gray, SP Clay Holmes, OF Daulton Varsho