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TOP REMAINING FREE AGENTS/TRADE TARGETS
Tucker, Valdez, Suarez among remaining standouts

By MLB.com staff
02/15/2026

1. Kyle Tucker

Tucker is just one of three remaining players with a qualifying offer attached to them, joining pitchers Ranger Suarez and Framber Valdez who are only a little further down this list. With the Blue Jays now signing Alex Bregman to man third base, there likely isn't room for Tucker unless the Blue Jays and the star right fielder can come to an agreement that would be below market value. That leaves the Mets as the most likely destination, with the Orioles, Dodgers, and Tigers also on the periphery. Tucker is a much superior defender in right field over Juan Soto, so Soto would likely slide over to the other corner or take most of the AB's as the DH.

2. Framber Valdez

It's been a strange offseason for Valdez, who was a top-10 free agent to begin the offseason, but his market didn't really pick up until pitchers such as Michael King, Tatsuya Imai, and Zac Gallen went off the board to the Padres, Astros, and Rangers, respectively. Since then, the Mets, Braves, and Tigers have all been the main suitors for Valdez. A return to the Astros wasn't ruled out up until recently, when Dana Brown said that talks between the two sides were 'completely cut off', and then a few days later announced the signing of Aaron Civale, followed closely by the trade for righty Mike Burrows in the three-team deal with the Pirates and Rays that also saw Brandon Lowe switch jerseys. Also, the September incident with catcher Cesar Salazar is still presumably fresh in the minds of the Astros' front office, along with most of the players and coaching staff.

3. Ranger Suarez

Much like Valdez, Suarez has had a relatively slow market, but he has never thrown a full slate of starts in a season since becoming a full-time starter in 2022, and doesn't have the swing-and-miss stuff you'd like out of a frontline or number-two kind of starter that is going to likely command an AAV of $25 million or more. A reunion with the Phillies is in the cards, but I think if the Mets weren't in the picture as well, they'd likely be less aggressive in retaining him to get the draft pick compensation. Atlanta, Detroit, and Baltimore are also considered solid fits for the lefty, although it remains to be seen how much capital that Mike Elias and the Orioles have left to spend. Houston could also be a destination, but they have a pretty messy salary situation that isn't likely to be resolved soon.

4. Reynaldo Lopez/Joe Jimenez

These are both listed here as it is likely that they both will be moved, especially if they manage to land one of Suarez or Valdez. Lopez made just one start before going down with an ____ injury, while Jimenez didn't even pitch at all in 2025. Both have relatively friendly contracts, with Lopez being paid $14 million for 2026 with an attractive team option for 2027 valued at just $8 million. Jimenez on the other hand has a $9 million salary hit for 2026, but given that pitchers like Brad Keller, Robert Suarez, and Kyle Finnegan have landed high seven-figure to low eight-figure salaries for the upcoming season, if healthy, Jimenez could be a bargain for a team looking for late-innings help without a long-term commitment.

5. Nolan Arenado

With the aforementioned Bregman now off the market to the Blue Jays, third base-needy teams will likely have to pivot to the trade market. After missing out on Eugenio Suarez, Kazuma Okamoto, and Munetaka Murakami in addition to Bregman, Detroit seems like a good fit for the future HOF-er in Arenado, but the Tigers getting either of Valdez or Suarez could complicate matters money-wise. If the Tigers don't want to give up what would likely be heavy prospect capital, other cheaper free agent options could be Yoan Moncada, Luis Urias, or a potential reunion with Jeimer Candelario on a one-year 'prove-it' deal. He spent the bulk of his career with the Tigers, but had a poor 2022 prior to the team letting him walk into free agency. They could also link up with the Blue Jays on players such as Addison Barger or Davis Schneider (more on them later), with Bregman now in the fold there.

6. Luis Severino

It will likely take eating some cash, which John Fisher isn't keen on doing, but Severino has been quite open on his disdain for pitching in such a poor environment for pitching success. His underlying numbers mostly support that, with xFIP and SIERA numbers of 4.06 and 4.22, respectively, over his inflated 4.98 ERA. When healthy, Severino at this stage of his career is a number-three type of pitcher, but his $25 million 2026 salary, plus a $22 million player option for 2027 that will be prohibitive for most teams that could otherwise use him in their rotation.

7. Most of the Astros' roster

It's not quite a fire sale, but Astros GM Dana Brown hasn't been shy in saying they're looking to shop some of the poor contracts they currently have on the books. They have several highly-paid, struggling pitchers in Lance McCullers Jr and Cristian Javier, along with first baseman Christian Walker and outfielder Chas McCormick that could still garner some interest at this stage. But the players that would get the most interest would be infielder Isaac Paredes, outfielder Taylor Trammell, and shortstop Jeremy Pena, given they are cheaper and under team control for multiple seasons. It has also been floated by multiple reporters that cash-richer franchises like the Mets or Dodgers would be willing to eat bad money for a prospect or controllable player payoff. The Dodgers have done this a few times, most notably in 2018 when they acquired Homer Bailey from the Reds, who had a $23 million salary for that upcoming season, plus a $5 million buyout. Los Angeles basically paid him not to pitch for them, releasing him and paying him the full $28 million while also getting Josiah Gray and Jeter Downs, both Top 100 prospects at the time.

8. Teoscar Hernandez

Much of Hernandez's value is tied up in his bat, and with the Dodgers wanting to give more opportunities in the outfield to younger players like Andy Pages and Alex Call (along with Shohei being the primary DH), Teo could be on the outside looking in. With a shade over $30 million still owed to him over the next two seasons, the Dodgers could actually be in a position to shed payroll. At one point, Kansas City was thought to be interested in the aging slugger, but then trades for Brendan Donovan and Isaac Collins filled a few holes in their lineup, so they moved on. Another AL Central team, however, could be in the mix for him as the White Sox currently have guys like Corey Julks, Jason Martin, Angels castoff Gustavo Campero, and former Giants Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol as a few that could fill the RF slot. Hernandez would be pricey, but with a young core of players like Kyle Teel, Luis Robert Jr., Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, and Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, the Southsiders' lineup is fairly potent even without Hernandez.

9. Addison Barger/Davis Schneider

In full disclosure -- it's pretty unlikely that either Barger or Schneider are moved due to their ample years of team control and ability to play multiple positions, but that's also what makes them attractive to other teams. Even before losing out on the Bregman sweepstakes, the Tigers showed interest in Barger since he would also upgrade the outfield depth as well as third or second base, but Toronto may be more amenable to moving him now with Bregman on board. Schneider has a few more holes in his offensive game, but gives the same positional versatility that Barger does, only from the right side of the plate. Detroit could even pivot to Ernie Clement, who doesn't have the extra-base power that the other two do, but consistently makes hard, line-drive contact and is leaps-and-bounds better as a defender at multiple positions, being named a Gold Glove finalist as a utility player the last two years running. Clement also has multiple years of control remaining, but he's now firmly in arbitration territory for the next three seasons.

10. Luis Robert Jr

Robert has battled injuries the past few seasons, but an August and September surge are giving teams hope that he could return to his 2023 form in which he hit thirty-eight bombs and was an All-Star that season. Unless there was another team willing to swap bad contract-for-bad contract, Jerry Reinsdorf is probably going to have to swallow a pretty sizeable chunk of his $20 million salary for this season. Robert also holds a 2027 team option for $20 million that is unlikely to be exercised, so it's at most a one-year commitment for any trade partner. He still plays a solid center defensively, but could so fit on a team that has a bigger need in the corners. The Dodgers could be a match as a team that is currently slated to start Tommy Edman in center, and have the financial wherewithal to take on even the full $20 million. The Mets could also be a player here with their outfield need; especially if they don't land Kyle Tucker, which appears to be the linchpin to much of what's still at stake this offseason.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (PITCHERS): Chris Paddack, Jakob Junis, Michael Lorenzen, Joey Lucchesi, Max Kranick, Colin Rea, Ariel Jurado
HONORABLE MENTIONS (HITTERS): Ryan Jeffers (trade), Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Victor Caratini, Wilmer Flores, Luis Urias, Yoan Moncada, Miguel Andujar, Jonah Heim