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The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers may have just finished their 2025 campaigns, but most MLB teams have been in evaluation and planning mode for weeks or months as they try to improve for 2026.
The most direct, if expensive, way to find needed upgrades is the free-agent market, and this year, there have been a few convertible bits. It’s hard to imagine where the top of the Blue Jays’ lineup would be without George Springer or a Dodgers group without Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman — and other clubs will be looking for that kind of impact.
It’s an impossible bar to clear, but there are some big names. Below are the best position players money can buy this offseason:
Outlook: Tucker is an absolute powerhouse in his prime who is extremely consistent on a year-to-year basis. Since 2021, he has produced between 4.2 and 4.9 fWAR per season, with his home run total never exceeding 30 or falling below 23.
The four-time All-Star is a plus defender and base runner who marries his power with above-average contact rates and the ability to run at an impressive clip. The potential concern is that Tucker will cost millions of dollars and has never produced anything close to an MVP-caliber season like other mega-contract recipients Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
He has occasionally shown flashes of finding another level, though. He played in just 78 games in 2024, plagued by injuries, but still managed 4.2 fWAR thanks to his impressive .289/.404/.585 line – good for a 179 wRC+. Tucker’s game is more complete than spectacular, and at times he may not ‘feel’ like the type of star he’s been paid to be, but a peek under the hood shows that he continues to provide excellent value for his team.
Outlook: Schwarber is about to turn 33, and his overall defensive or baserunning value means he might not be the most efficient dollar-per-year investment.
Still, for teams more interested in winning than payroll performance, he’s a pretty appealing prospect. Schwarber is coming off a career year where he hit an NL-best 56 home runs, and since he joined the Phillies in 2022, only Aaron Judge has topped his 187 goaltenders. He also tops the playoff home run chart during that time (14), and only two hitters have more postseason home runs than Schwarber all-time (Manny Ramirez and Jose Altea).
Schwarber signs whatever contract ends up being difficult, but he’s also a lineup changer of the highest order — and a Jim Thome-esque third act isn’t out of the question for the powerful left-handed hitter who has been durable in recent years, missing just 21 games over his past four seasons.
Bo Bachet
Age in 2026: 28
position: SS with other field prospects in the game
2025 fWAR: 3.8
Outlook: Bichette’s free agency can be extremely simple or horribly complicated. Following a World Series run, the Blue Jays may decide that keeping Bechette around — even at a potentially uncomfortable price point — is the obvious way forward. This could result in a contract that keeps him in Toronto for his entire career being signed not long after you read this.
If he hits the market, he will be an interesting case. With Bechette’s youth and year-to-year stability, the Hitters (Milligan beyond 2024) are at least available in free agency, and there’s no doubt he could add to the top of a playoff-caliber team’s lineup for a full window of contention.
He’s also a player some teams look to as a second baseman or third baseman and want to pay accordingly, and he’s suffered some notable lower-body injuries in recent years. Some clubs will probably rule him out early in the process, but that shouldn’t stop a handsome contract from coming his way.
Pat Alonso
Age in 2026: 31
position: 1B/DH
2025 fWAR: 3.6
Outlook: Just like Schwarber, all the value here is the bat. He will spend more time in the field than a Philadelphia Phillies slugger, but he grades out poorly at non-premium positions, raising the bar for his offensive production.
He cleared the bar handily in 2025 with his best season since 2022, with a 141 wRC+ and 38 home runs. Alonso is the most reliable source of right-handed power in the game, he’s never hit fewer than 34 home runs in a full season, and his versatility and consistency on that count make him an interesting addition for teams without 1B/DH logjams.
While Alonso’s market was surprisingly cold last off-season, his bounce-back 2025 should encourage more suitors this time around.
Outlook: Bellinger’s career has had an odd trajectory, but it seems to have stabilized in recent years and his 11.4 fWAR since 2023 ranks 31st among all position players.
It’s unfair to expect him to be a superstar right now, but he’s still the youngest of most free agents and brings a rare combination of power, contact ability, and athleticism. His game is not entirely different from Toker’s recent years, with a little less patience, power and juice.
No logical team would prefer Bellinger, but whoever loses the class’ top free agent could find a solid outfield corner solution for a very reasonable price. His power comes more from consistently hitting fly balls than pure contact quality, so a team targeting the veteran should think carefully about how their ballpark treats left-handed hitters.
Alex Bregman
Age in 2026: 32
position: 3B
2025 fWAR: 3.5
Outlook: Much like Bellinger, Bregman has gone from one of the most dominant players of the late 2010s to a guy who contributes in many ways without MVP consideration.
Bregman remains an elite defensive third baseman who avoids strikeouts and averages home runs in the 20s if healthy. He missed some time in 2025, but he was outstanding on a per-game basis and earned marks for his clubhouse impact.
The veteran may be more of a great starter than a true star at this point in his career, but he has never posted a WRC+ below 114 or an fWAR total below 4.2 in any full season.
Outlook: Sozers is the oldest player on this list, one of the top hitters in the majors, and his defensive metrics have been all over the place in recent years.
For all his struggles, he has been one of MLB’s most consistent sources of power in recent seasons, and seems to provide value for his team every year. Since 2017, he has produced between 3.5 and 4.5 fWAR in seven of nine seasons, with one exception being the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign.
In that time, he has hit at least 30 home runs six times and reached the career high of 49 twice, including last season. Suarez’s power stroke shows no signs of slowing down. He managed the hardest hit ball of his career (113.8 mph) in 2025, and his average bat velocity (72.3 mph) was exactly the same as it was in 2023.
Suárez should be on the radar of any contending team that could use a power injection.
Josh Naylor
Age in 2026: 29
position: 1B
2025 fWAR: 3.1
Outlook: Naylor does a lot of things well that you might not expect based on his lanky frame. He covers his position well, has well above average contact ability, and can be a dangerous base stealer.
At the same time, he lacks some of the qualities you might expect from a middle-order first baseman. His raw power can be impressive, but he hits significantly more doubles than home runs, and his walk rate is minimal, which is rare for a player with the ability to hurt pitchers in the strike zone.
The overall package is amazing. His wRC+ has sat between 118 and 128 in each of the past four years, and he’s averaging 22 home runs per season. Those are solid numbers, but not elite for the bat-first position.
Naylor is shorter than the average free agent, and he’ll help whoever joins the lineup, but it’s hard for a first baseman without elite power numbers to break the bank.
Monitaka Murakami
Age in 2026: 26
position: 1B/3B
2025 Statistics (NBP): 69 games, .286/392/.659 with 24 home runs in 263 plate appearances.
Outlook: The flash has come a little from Murakami when he produced 56 home runs and a 1.168 OPS in NPB as a 22-year-old, but he remains an intriguing power threat who was impressive last year when healthy.
There are questions about whether Murakami’s struggles to make consistent contact in Japan will worsen against the tougher pitching MLB offers, but there aren’t many humans walking the planet who can mash the ball like he can.
Murakami’s range of results is significant, and his limited defensive ability puts a lot of pressure on his bat to stand up. It certainly is in Japan, and it will be interesting to see if it translates into the majors.
Trent Grisham
Age in 2026: 29
position: off
2025 fWAR: 3.2
Outlook: There will be some valid doubt as to whether Grisham can replicate his breakout 2025 campaign in the years to come, but he’s also a smaller than average free agent and has only hit 34 home runs with a 129 wRC+ and the expected numbers are better than his already strong results.
Gresham’s defensive work in center field didn’t pan out well in 2025, but despite questionable speed for his position, he was above average in each of his other MLB seasons. He could soon be a corner outfielder, which would take some of the shine off him, but he would still retain some defensive value in that case.
While there is some risk associated with working with Gresham, he has elite plate discipline, above-average power, and remains in his prime. It’s not the easiest package to find in free agency.
