David Price, Jordan Zimmermann and Johnny Cueto are among the nastiest starters in baseball. The trio is also slated to headline the stacked 2016 MLB free-agent class.
Aces dominate next’s years crop of big-money free agents, but there’s also a few big bats to be found like Price’s current teammate with the Detroit Tigers Yoenis Cespedes.
With major leaguers slowly working their way back into shape on diamonds across Arizona and Florida, now is the perfect time to jump ahead and forecast how next winter’s free-agent market could shake out.
What follows is a look at the early top fits for the most prominent names set to hit the free-agent front. In determining where these players could land next, factors such as age, career track records and the needs of the respective teams were all taken into consideration.
The 10 stars who crack this list are all on the verge of cashing in. In the top 10, they’re ranked in order of the predicted values of the paydays they’re expected to rake in. Price is the most famous name in the class, but the lefty doesn’t claim the No. 1 spot.