MLB.com transactions reporter Mark Feinsand released his ranking of the top 10 free agents heading into the 2026–27 offseason, and the name at the top isn’t a surprise — but the price tag might be. Tarik Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, leads a free-agent class that could be the most expensive in baseball history. Three Latin players — Arozarena, Chisholm, and Arraez — land inside the top 10, and all of this plays out with the Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on December 1.
Skubal First — and It’s Not Close
Skubal is pitching on a one-year, $32 million deal with Detroit in 2026 — a single-cycle bet that makes him an unrestricted free agent after the season. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 2 carrying a 7-5 record and a 2.79 ERA over 16 starts, though the contract remains on Detroit’s books. When he hits the open market, he arrives as the best pitcher on the planet.
Projections peg him as the first pitcher to crack $400 million, surpassing the record Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers (10 years, $325 million). His agent is Scott Boras — and Boras doesn’t do discount negotiations.
The timing adds another layer. If there’s no new CBA by December 1, the market could fracture into two waves: players who sign before a work stoppage and those who wait it out. That puts Skubal and Boras in a race against the calendar, not just against other teams.
The Three Latin Players Who Shape This List
Randy Arozarena 🇨🇺🇲🇽 (Seattle Mariners) checks in at No. 3 with a season that doesn’t need much explaining: .275/.369/.467, 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 58 RBI in 123 games. That’s his sixth straight 20-20 campaign — the kind of consistency only the most complete players sustain year after year. His accumulated bWAR ranks him among the top 10 hitters in the American League. He’s on a one-year, $15.65 million deal with Seattle and will be a free agent this winter.
Behind the numbers, Statcast paints an even fuller picture of what Arozarena brings to the table in 2026:
- 544 plate appearances
- 20 home runs, 58 RBI
- AVG: .272 | OPS: .829
- xwOBA: .348 — 80th percentile in MLB
- Average exit velocity: 90.7 mph — 77th percentile
- Barrel rate: 7.6%
- Hard-hit rate: 42.3%
- Average bat speed: 70.9 mph
Those are the numbers his representatives will put on the table first when the winter market opens.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. 🇧🇸 (New York Yankees) lands at No. 4. In 2026 he has 18 home runs and 34 stolen bases, backed by elite defense: 9 Outs Above Average, 96th percentile league-wide. In 2025 he posted his first 30-30 season (31 HR, 31 SB, .813 OPS). He’s one of the most complete players on this list — and the youngest.
Luis Arraez 🇻🇪 (Philadelphia Phillies, acquired at the trade deadline) rounds out the top 10 leading all of MLB with a .321 batting average and 160 hits in 124 games. His defensive OAA of 11 sits at the 98th percentile. Arraez doesn’t hit home runs or steal bases — he just hits everything. And in free agency, that has a price.
The Rest of the List: King, Suzuki, and the Unknowns
Michael King (San Diego Padres) sits at No. 2, but his free agency isn’t guaranteed. He signed a three-year, $75 million deal with San Diego that includes opt-outs after 2026 and 2027. Feinsand assumes King exercises his opt-out — but that’s still an assumption.
Seiya Suzuki (Chicago Cubs) is posting an OPS of .830 and a wRC+ of 130 in 2026 — meaning he’s 30% better than the average MLB hitter — with solid defense (7 DRS, 2 OAA). His five MLB seasons add up to a 128 OPS+.
The rest of the list: Clay Holmes (converted from starter to elite reliever), Casey Mize (a surprising return from Tommy John surgery), Nick Martinez (a versatile veteran arm), and Brandon Lowe (a power second baseman whose injury history is a real factor).
The Real Story Behind This Ranking
The headline isn’t who’s No. 1 — it’s when and under what conditions these players actually reach the market. With the CBA expiring December 1, agents and front offices are going to move fast. A class headlined by Skubal, three elite Latin players, and a pair of wild cards in King and Mize already has enough drama to make this the most interesting offseason in years.
