Free agency is upon us. It technically started on October 28, the day after the World Series ended. However, players cannot sign with teams until five days after that, which has come and gone. And players still have until November 11 to accept or deny the qualifying offer ($18.9 million this year).
So with free agency underway, I asked others within BP to make their free agency predictions for the top 20 free agents. We did the same thing last year, and it’s safe to say we didn’t do too well (the most someone got correct was 3/14 – congrats Rohan).
Without further ado, here are the predictions for this offseason’s top free agents:
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| Name | J.T. Realmuto | Trevor Bauer | George Springer | Marcus Semien | Marcell Ozuna |
| Jeff Long | Boston Red Sox | Los Angeles Angels | Philadelphia Phillies | Minnesota Twins | Washington Nationals |
| Twitchy | New York Mets | New York Yankees | Boston Red Sox | Oakland Athletics | Atlanta Braves |
| Stephen Leonardi | Philadelphia Phillies | Texas Rangers | New York Mets | San Francisco Giants | Atlanta Braves |
| Rohan | Philadelphia Phillies | New York Mets | Houston Astros | Philadelphia Phillies | Atlanta Braves |
| Tiana | New York Mets | New York Yankees | New York Mets | Philadelphia Phillies | Atlanta Braves |
| Milan | Philadelphia Phillies | San Diego Padres | New York Mets | Oakland Athletics | Atlanta Braves |
| Drew | Philadelphia Phillies | San Diego Padres | Houston Astros | Cleveland Indians | Atlanta Braves |
| Michael Gwizdala | Chicago White Sox | Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia Phillies | New York Mets | Minnesota Twins |
| Name | DJ LeMahieu | Marcus Stroman | Didi Gregorius | Liam Hendriks | Alex Colomé |
| Jeff Long | New York Yankees | Boston Red Sox | Los Angeles Angels | Chicago Cubs | Los Angeles Angels |
| Twitchy | New York Yankees | New York Mets | Philadelphia Phillies | Chicago White Sox | Chicago White Sox |
| Stephen Leonardi | New York Yankees | Los Angeles Angels | Philadelphia Phillies | Chicago Cubs | Chicago White Sox |
| Rohan | New York Yankees | Minnesota Twins | New York Mets | San Diego Padres | Seattle Mariners |
| Tiana | New York Yankees | Los Angeles Angels | Philadelphia Phillies | Oakland Athletics | Boston Red Sox |
| Milan | New York Yankees | Los Angeles Angels | Philadelphia Phillies | Washington Nationals | Chicago White Sox |
| Drew | New York Yankees | St. Louis Cardinals | Texas Rangers | Philadelphia Phillies | Colorado Rockies |
| Michael Gwizdala | New York Yankees | New York Mets | Philadelphia Phillies | Miami Marlins | Houston Astros |
| Name | Shane Greene | Masahiro Tanaka | Nelson Cruz | Justin Turner | Michael Brantley |
| Jeff Long | Minnesota Twins | New York Yankees | Tampa Bay Rays | New York Mets | Houston Astros |
| Twitchy | Atlanta Braves | New York Yankees | Minnesota Twins | Los Angeles Dodgers | Miami Marlins |
| Stephen Leonardi | Houston Astros | Cincinnati Reds | Minnesota Twins | Los Angeles Dodgers | Houston Astros |
| Rohan | Atlanta Braves | New York Yankees | Minnesota Twins | Los Angeles Dodgers | San Diego Padres |
| Tiana | San Francisco Giants | New York Mets | Minnesota Twins | Los Angeles Dodgers | Houston Astros |
| Milan | Atlanta Braves | New York Yankees | Minnesota Twins | Los Angeles Dodgers | Houston Astros |
| Drew | Milwaukee Brewers | New York Yankees | Minnesota Twins | Los Angeles Dodgers | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Michael Gwizdala | Cincinnati Reds | Los Angeles Angels | Minnesota Twins | Los Angeles Dodgers | Toronto Blue Jays |
| Name | Jose Quintana | Andrelton Simmons | James Paxton | Joc Pederson | Tommy La Stella |
| Jeff Long | Baltimore Orioles | Philadelphia Phillies | Toronto Blue Jays | Los Angeles Dodgers | Oakland Athletics |
| Twitchy | Miami Marlins | Los Angeles Angels | St. Louis Cardinals | Miami Marlins | |
| Stephen Leonardi | New York Yankees | Detroit Tigers | New York Yankees | Atlanta Braves | Los Angeles Angels |
| Rohan | Detroit Tigers | Chicago White Sox | Los Angeles Dodgers | Houston Astros | |
| Tiana | Chicago White Sox | Los Angeles Angels | New York Yankees | Atlanta Braves | Chicago White Sox |
| Milan | Boston Red Sox | Los Angeles Angels | Toronto Blue Jays | Toronto Blue Jays | Washington Nationals |
| Drew | Baltimore Orioles | Oakland Athletics | Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers | Cincinnati Reds |
| Michael Gwizdala | Los Angeles Angels | Tampa Bay Rays | Toronto Blue Jays | Tampa Bay Rays | San Diego Padres |
Some themes:
- Everyone expects DJ LeMahieu to stay with the Yankees
- Most everyone expects Masahiro Tanaka to stay with the Yankees
- Other players some people predicted would end up in pinstripes: Trevor Bauer (2), Jose Quintana (1), and James Paxton (2)
- Many expect Marcell Ozuna, Didi Gregorius, Nelson Cruz, and Justin Turner to re-sign with their most recent teams
- Other than the aforementioned players, the results were a mixed bag
I will look back at the predictions before Spring Training, and hopefully we end up doing better this year.
