You won’t find the likes of Ian Desmond, Dexter Fowler or Howie Kendrick on the pages that follow. For while they all might ultimately sign contracts for salaries far less than they earned in 2015, all three have draft pick compensation attached to them, the result of their decision to turn down a qualifying offer.
There’s no bargain to be had when a team has to surrender a few million dollars—and a draft pick—to sign a player.
But there are a number of veteran free agents that remain unsigned and don’t come with the added cost of a draft pick, and it’s from that pool of players that we’ve cherry picked those that stand out as the biggest bargains still on the market.
From sluggers to solid, unspectacular infielders and former All-Stars on the mound, there’s a plethora of talent available for the taking—all at prices nobody would have thought possible a year or two ago.