Ideal Landing Spots for the Top 10 Remaining MLB Free Agents

With Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both signing massive deals in free agency, the two biggest dominoes in the 2023-24 MLB free-agent class have already fallen.

Other top names such as Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Eduardo Rodriguez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Lucas Giolito, Michael Wacha, Jeimer Candelario, Seth Lugo, Jung Hoo Lee and Kenta Maeda have also put pen to paper on new contracts.

That said, there are still some impact players searching for a new home as the calendar flips to 2024, led by 2023 NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and former NL MVP Cody Bellinger, who's fresh off a bounce-back season.

Ahead we've taken a closer look at the top 10 remaining free agents and paired them with an ideal landing spot, complete with a contract prediction.

Landing Spot: Miami Marlins
Contract: One year, $18 million

The Miami Marlins ranked near the bottom of the league in home runs (166, 22nd) and runs per game (4.11, 26th) in 2023, and they have yet to do anything of significance to replace Jorge Soler, who opted out of the final year of his contract after leading the team with 36 home runs and 75 RBI.

Rhys Hoskins is one of the more intriguing buy-low bats on the market coming off a contract year that was lost to a torn ACL suffered during spring training.

The 30-year-old posted a 123 OPS+ and 30 home runs while helping the Philadelphia Phillies reach the World Series in 2022, and he would be a massive middle-of-the-order upgrade for the Marlins.

Landing Spot: New York Mets
Contract: Two years, $30 million

The one-year, $10 million deal that J.D. Martinez signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last winter ended up being one of the best bargains of the offseason.

After a middling 16-homer, 62-RBI final year with the Boston Red Sox, the six-time All-Star bounced back to hit .271/.321/.572 for a 134 OPS+ with 33 home runs and 103 RBI in 113 games.

Beneath those surface-level numbers, he ranked among the MLB leaders in average exit velocity (98th percentile), hard-hit rate (98th percentile) and expected slugging (96th percentile), making it easier to believe he can replicate his 2023 production.

The New York Mets are "eyeing" Martinez, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, and he would fill a clear void at designated hitter after Dan Vogelbach was non-tendered early in the offseason.

Landing Spot: New York Yankees
Contract: Five years, $100 million

The Yokohama DeNA BayStars posted Shota Imanaga on Nov. 28, and with a 45-day window for posted players to negotiate, the deadline for him to sign a contract with an MLB team is fast approaching on Jan. 11.

The left-hander has a 2.96 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 1,183 strikeouts in 1,129.2 innings over eight seasons in the Japanese League, including a 2.66 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 159 innings during the 2023 season. He was also the winning pitcher in the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game against the United States.

An undersized 5'10", 176-pound frame raises some questions about his ability to pitch every fifth day, but a long track record of success has made him one of the top starting pitching targets on the market.

The Yankees are among the teams that have been tied to him all offseason, and while others on that list have plugged holes in their starting rotation, the Yankees have yet to make a major addition to the starting staff. In fact, they subtracted three potential depth pieces in Randy Vásquez, Jhony Brito and top prospect Drew Thorpe as part of the Juan Soto trade.

Landing Spot: Seattle Mariners
Contract: Four years, $80 million

The list of viable starting outfield options has steadily dwindled this offseason, and the Seattle Mariners have yet to make a move to address two glaring holes on either side of center fielder Julio Rodríguez.

The unproven tandem of Cade Marlowe and Dominic Canzone are currently projected for starting spots, while Taylor Trammell, Dylan Moore and Sam Haggerty are also outfield options with MLB experience.

That makes re-signing Teoscar Hernández a realistic possibility after he posted a 106 OPS+ with 29 doubles, 26 home runs and 93 RBI in a 2.1-WAR season.

The 31-year-old started slowly in his first season in Seattle but caught fire in August when he hit .365/.396/.654 with nine doubles, seven home runs and 22 RBI in 26 games.

Landing Spot: Baltimore Orioles
Contract: Three years, $70 million

Even with Kyle Bradish emerging as the ace of the staff, Grayson Rodriguez taking a significant step forward during the second half and John Means back at full strength after missing the bulk of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Baltimore Orioles still need to address the starting rotation.

For a franchise that rarely dives into the deep end of the free-agency pool, shelling out a nine-figure deal for someone like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery or Shota Imanaga is probably not in the cards.

However, they did look like a potential fit for Sonny Gray (3/$75M) and Lucas Giolito (2/$38.5M), who have since inked shorter deals this offseason, and Marcus Stroman falls into that same tier of the pitching market.

The 32-year-old was an All-Star and a bona fide NL Cy Young candidate in 2023 before injury struck and the wheels fell off during the second half, but he has a long track record of durability and quality results.

Landing Spot: Chicago Cubs
Contract: Six years, $156 million

Matt Chapman might never contend for a batting title, but he can still make a significant impact offensively as a 30-homer threat who has averaged 29 long balls per 162 games over the course of his career.

He also provides significant value defensively as one of baseball's elite third basemen, winning his fourth Gold Glove in seven seasons while logging a 4.4-WAR season for the Toronto Blue Jays.

His 17 home runs and 54 RBI in 2023 don't jump off the page, but he ranked among the MLB leaders in average exit velocity (98th percentile), hard-hit rate (100th percentile) and barrel rate (98th percentile).

The Cubs used a combination of Nick Madrigal (61 games), Patrick Wisdom (54 games), Miles Mastrobuoni (24 games), Jeimer Candelario (19 games) and Christopher Morel (4 games) at third base in 2023, and Chapman would bring stability to the position while giving them the best defensive left side of the infield in baseball alongside shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Landing Spot: New York Mets
Contract: Six years, $150 million

Jordan Montgomery is one of only 11 pitchers who have made at least 30 starts in each of the past three seasons, posting a 3.48 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 486 strikeouts in 524.1 innings during that span.

The 31-year-old further boosted his free-agency stock by pitching to a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts with the Texas Rangers after he was acquired at the trade deadline, and he continued to impress in October while helping to lead the club to a World Series title.

After missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the New York Mets could shift their attention to Montgomery as they look to upgrade a starting rotation that features Kodai Senga, José Quintana, Luis Severino and Adrian Houser.

With a reliance on command over pure stuff and a solid track record of durability, Montgomery is arguably a safer bet on a long-term contract than Blake Snell.

Landing Spot: Texas Rangers
Contract: Five years, $105 million

After pushing past the luxury-tax threshold for the first time in 2023 and with uncertainty surrounding their TV revenue stream, it's fair to wonder if the Texas Rangers are done spending this offseason after the modest additions of Tyler Mahle and Kirby Yates.

If they do still decide to make a splash in pursuit of defending their World Series crown, there is not a more obvious target than All-Star closer Josh Hader.

The Rangers bullpen finished 24th in the majors with a 4.77 ERA while converting just 30 of 63 save opportunities during the regular season, and trade-deadline pickup Aroldis Chapman is now a free agent, leaving Jose Leclerc, Josh Sborz and Yates as the team's current late-inning contingent.

Hader, 29, is expected to command a contract that exceeds the record-setting five-year, $102 million deal Edwin Díaz signed with the New York Mets last offseason to become the highest-paid reliever in MLB history.

Landing Spot: Toronto Blue Jays
Contract: Eight years, $200 million

A year after being non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers on the heels of three straight disappointing seasons, Cody Bellinger has rebuilt his stock to the point of being the best bat on the market this offseason outside of Shohei Ohtani.

The 28-year-old hit .307/.356/.525 with 29 doubles, 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 95 runs scored, 20 steals and 4.4 WAR in 130 games while again providing significant defensive value thanks to his ability to handle first base and center field.

The Toronto Blue Jays were ready to break the bank to sign Ohtani, and they have made it clear they are still searching for offensive upgrades at this point in the offseason.

Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier and Cavan Biggio are the only left-handed bats currently on the roster, so Bellinger would provide some much-needed balance to the offense while slotting in between Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the middle of the lineup.

Landing Spot: San Francisco Giants
Contract: Six years, $168 million

The San Francisco Giants are in danger of once again being shut out of the top-tier of free agency, whiffing in their pursuit of Shohei Ohtani in a situation that mirrors last offseason's disappointment in failing to land Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa.

However, there is still time to make a splash while also addressing a major hole on the roster.

The Giants have been linked to former division rival and 2023 NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell all offseason, and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle once again liked the Giants to Snell in the wake of Yoshinobu Yamamoto signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers a few weeks ago.

The Giants are currently slated to rely on some combination of Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn at the back of the rotation behind ace Logan Webb and veterans Anthony DeSclafani and Ross Stripling, who both underperformed in 2023.