Gabe Lacques, USA TODAYSun, November 30, 2025 at 10:57 AM UTC·6 min readHow big a contract will Kyle Tucker sign?
Major League Baseball's top free agent could fetch a deal pushing $400 million this winter, not quite the $765 million that Juan Soto got a year ago or Shohei Ohtani's $700 million in the 2023-24 offseason, but Tucker should ink one of the biggest free agent deals in history.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOther top hitters on the market heading into 2026 are Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Cody Bellinger and Kyle Schwarber. Bregman and Alonso are free agents for the second year in a row after opting out of their short-term deals.
Here's a look at 20 of the top hitters available this winter:
Since 2000, future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols' 101.3 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) leads all players, with Alex Rodriguez tied for second ways back at 89.7 WAR. See the rest of the top 25.
2. Alex Rodriguez - 89.7
3. Adrian Beltre - 89.7
4. Mike Trout - 87.5
5. Justin Verlander - 82.2
6. Clayton Kershaw - 78.1
7. Mookie Betts - 75.2
8. Max Scherzer - 74.7
9. Zack Greinke - 72.4
10. Robinson Cano - 68.7
11. Miguel Cabrera - 67.2
12. Carlos Beltran - 65.1
13. Chase Utley - 64.6
14. Freddie Freeman - 64.2
15. Paul Goldschmidt - 63.8
16. Joey Votto - 63.6
17. Roy Halladay - 62.4
18. Aaron Judge - 62.3
19. CC Sabathia - 61.8
20. Manny Machado - 61.7
21. Ichiro Suzuki - 60
22. Mark Buehrle - 60
23. Barry Bonds - 59.1
24. Evan Longoria - 58.9
25. Chipper Jones - 58.31 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
Since 2000, future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols' 101.3 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) leads all players, with Alex Rodriguez tied for second ways back at 89.7 WAR. See the rest of the top 25.1 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
Since 2000, future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols' 101.3 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) leads all players, with Alex Rodriguez tied for second ways back at 89.7 WAR. See the rest of the top 25.2 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
2. Alex Rodriguez - 89.73 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
3. Adrian Beltre - 89.74 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
4. Mike Trout - 87.55 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
5. Justin Verlander - 82.26 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
6. Clayton Kershaw - 78.17 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
7. Mookie Betts - 75.28 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
8. Max Scherzer - 74.79 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
9. Zack Greinke - 72.410 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
10. Robinson Cano - 68.711 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
11. Miguel Cabrera - 67.212 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
12. Carlos Beltran - 65.113 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
13. Chase Utley - 64.614 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
14. Freddie Freeman - 64.215 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
15. Paul Goldschmidt - 63.816 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
16. Joey Votto - 63.617 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
17. Roy Halladay - 62.418 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
18. Aaron Judge - 62.319 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
19. CC Sabathia - 61.820 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
20. Manny Machado - 61.721 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
21. Ichiro Suzuki - 6022 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
22. Mark Buehrle - 6023 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
23. Barry Bonds - 59.124 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
24. Evan Longoria - 58.925 / 25Top 25 MLB players from 2000-2025 ranked by Wins Above Replacement
25. Chipper Jones - 58.3MLB free agent rankings: Best hitters available for 2026
1. Kyle Tucker (29, OF, Cubs)
He brings not the international superstar vibes that top free agents Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani took to the market in previous winters. He’s also never hit more than 30 homers in a season (he did it twice) and was limited to 78 and 136 games by injury the past two seasons. Yet he’s the one legitimate aircraft carrier in this class, and will benefit from a likely bicoastal bidding war.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement2. Bo Bichette (28, SS, Blue Jays)
Bichette’s sterling World Series performance on, essentially, one leg spoke to both his grit and significant skill set. Posted a .311/.357/.483 line before getting hurt. And if he’s better suited to second base in the future, consider that he’s hitting the market two years earlier than Marcus Semien, and that worked out OK for Texas.
3. Alex Bregman (31, 3B, Red Sox)
Run free, child, unencumbered by all qualifying offers. It’s no coincidence the Red Sox made the playoffs for the first time in four years with Bregman aboard, and he can take that “winner” brand along with an .821 OPS back to the market. Will suitors be mildly scared off by his 114 games played? Or intrigued by the 3.5 WAR he racked up in that time?
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement4. Pete Alonso (31, 1B/DH, Mets)
Stop us if you’ve seen these next two guys on the market before. Alonso lacks the positional value of his Scott Boras Rerun Prizes, but he’s missed just eight games the past four seasons and has posted home run totals of 34 to 53 in his six full seasons.
5. Cody Bellinger (30, OF/1B, Yankees)
Bellinger topped the 150-game mark for the first time since 2019 and had an excellent season his one year in the Bronx – producing 5.1 WAR, hitting 29 homers and playing typically sound defense. Given his health history, there will be some risk wagering on a hale Bellinger for the next five-plus years – but his overall skill set will be difficult to ignore.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement6. Kyle Schwarber (33, DH, Phillies)
Whither Schwarbs? He hit a career-best and NL-leading 56 homers and drove in a major league-high 132 runs, the glue for a superstar-studded team – and he’s now online for a big-time payday. What form that takes remains to be seen. The fit in Philly is obvious, but a longer-term deal might lock down the DH spot through a period they may want to ease other high-priced stars through there. A shorter-term, massive annual value deal makes sense, but this is likely his last big bite at the apple.
7. Eugenio Suarez (34, 3B, Mariners)
Forty-nine home runs at age 34: What kind of a price to you put on that? Suarez, a free agent for the first time in his career, is about to find out. Suitors know what they’re getting: Punishing power, a ton of strikeouts, suboptimal defense at third but off the charts on the clubhouse affability index.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement8. Ha-Seong Kim (30, SS, Braves)
Quite a journey for Kim, who began 2025 on a make-good deal with Tampa Bay after a shoulder injury, got jettisoned to Atlanta and then held down shortstop so well that he decided to decline a $16 million player option for ’26. He will be a starting shortstop for somebody, and probably a pretty good one.
9. JT Realmuto (35, C, Phillies)
What’s the going rate for a highly skilled glue guy these days? Realmuto has been integral to the Phillies’ success in recent years, but he’s now a decade into a career as a big league catcher. His OPS and adjusted OPS sagged to career-worst marks of .700 and 91 last season, even as he caught a major-league high 132 games. Seems likely player and team will find a price agreeable to both.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement10. Luis Arráez (28, INF/DH, Padres)
Let the Arráez Rorshach tests begin. Do you see a singles hitter with a league average OPS? Or a magician with elite bat-to-ball skills? A three-time batting champion with three teams? Or a guy who can never justify his lack of slug despite all those one-baggers. Be interesting to see what the market thinks.
11. Paul Goldschmidt (38, 1B, Yankees)
Until further notice, he remains a decent right-handed platoon option at first, the Yankees eminently pleased at the 1.2 WAR and clubhouse gravitas he provided.
12. Mike Yastrzemski (35, OF, Royals)
Kinda wild the Giants rehabbed his career and held onto him for nearly a full six-year term before dealing him to Kansas City. Still a nice piece: Power from the left side, relatively excellent defense.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement13. Harrison Bader (31, OF, Phillies)
The man simply seems to get better and more valuable with age. He received $6.25 million from Minnesota last winter, and after a July trade to Philadelphia was perhaps their most valuable player down the stretch.
14. Rhys Hoskins (33, 1B/DH, Brewers)
A bumpy couple of years in Milwaukee, where injuries and the emergence of Andrew Vaughn cut Hoskins out of the fun this past season. He struck out more than once per game as a Brewer but did salvage league-average OPS thanks to his power.
15. Jorge Polanco (32, INF, Mariners)
After posting an .821 OPS and 26 homers in 524 plate appearances, Polanco added 10 more hits and three more homers in a clutch postseason and declined his $6 million player option for 2026. The homer and OPS totals were his highest since 2021, leaving suitors to gamble on a repeat.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement16. Ryan O’Hearn (32, 1B/OF, Padres)
O’Hearn earned his first All-Star nod and then kept hitting after a trade from Baltimore to San Diego, racking up career highs in hits (133) and homers (17). A reliable platoon bat and positive clubhouse presence.
17. Adolis Garcia (33, OF, Rangers)
The 2023 ALCS MVP was non-tendered after posting a .665 OPS in 2025.
18. Michael Conforto (33, OF, Dodgers)
Will that beautiful left-handed swing again prove irresistible to a suitor? The Dodgers gambled $17 million that they could turn him into a weapon and he batted .199 and did not make the playoff rosters.
19. Marcell Ozuna (35, DH, Braves)
Last call for the full-time DH? The Braves couldn’t get rid of Ozuna at the trade deadline and now he’ll take his 21 homers to the market. Hit 40 and 39 homers in 2023-24, finishing fourth in NL MVP voting in ’24.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement20. Danny Jansen (30, C, Brewers)
A proven commodity: League-average production, roughly 15 homers and steady work behind the plate, which is why Milwaukee acquired him from Tampa Bay for its playoff run.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB free agent rankings, Kyle Tucker leads top 20 hitters for 2026
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