Free agents up for All-MLB consideration

The list of nominees for the 2022 All-MLB Team provides a good look at just how loaded this year’s free-agent class is.

Of the players in consideration, representing the best baseball has to offer, 15 became free agents after the conclusion of the World Series (including Edwin Díaz, who signed a five-year, $102 million deal with the Mets shortly after reaching free agency).

These are the current free agents up for All-MLB recognition.

José Abreu, 1B
Although he posted a career-low 15 homers and .446 slugging percentage in 2022, Abreu still had a 133 OPS+ and 4.2 WAR (per Baseball-Reference) over 157 games for the White Sox, the only big league team he’s known. A career .292 hitter, the 35-year-old recorded an average north of .300 (.304) for the fourth time and notched his highest on-base percentage (.378) since his 2014 rookie year. He’s in the running for his second All-MLB nod after 2020, when he also won the AL MVP Award.

Tyler Anderson, SP
Pitching for his fifth team in four years after signing a one-year, $8 million contract with the Dodgers, Anderson authored one of the most surprising breakouts of 2022. In his age-32 season, the lefty earned his first All-Star selection and went 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP over 178 2/3 innings. His free-agent value is obviously much higher this time.

Xander Bogaerts, SS
A free agent after opting out of his contract with the Red Sox, Bogaerts last earned All-MLB honors in 2019, when he was named the inaugural All-MLB First Team shortstop. The 30-year-old just won his fifth career Silver Slugger Award after slashing .307/.377/.456 (131 OPS+) with 15 homers, 38 doubles and 73 RBIs over 150 games for Boston in 2022.

Willson Contreras, C
One of baseball’s top offensive backstops, Contreras finished 2022 with a career-high 128 OPS+, producing 22 homers and 55 RBIs over 113 games for the Cubs. The 30-year-old has recorded 8.0 WAR over the past two years, tied with the Royals’ Salvador Perez for second most among catchers behind the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto (10.0 WAR). This would be his first All-MLB selection.

Carlos Correa, SS
Correa hasn’t earned an all-MLB selection yet, but he’s a two-time All-Star who slashed .291/.366/.467 with 22 homers over 136 games in 2022, producing 5.4 WAR along the way. The 28-year-old is a free agent for the second straight offseason after opting out of his three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins. He joined Minnesota last March after seven seasons with the Astros.

Brandon Drury, 3B
One of the most surprising All-MLB nominees based on Opening Day expectations, Drury registered career highs in homers (28), RBIs (87), runs (87) and OPS (.813) over 138 games between the Reds and Padres on the heels of signing a Minor League contract with Cincinnati in March. There wasn’t much free-agent interest in the veteran last winter after he slashed .214/.261/.363 for the Yankees, Blue Jays and Mets from 2018-21, but he has significantly boosted his stock.

Kenley Jansen, RP
The uniform may have been different, but the results were largely similar for Jansen in 2022. Pitching for the Braves on a one-year, $16 million deal after 12 seasons with the Dodgers, Jansen led the NL with 41 saves and recorded a 3.38 ERA with a 12.0 K/9. The 35-year-old was one of the two All-MLB Second Team relievers a year ago.

Aaron Judge, OF
Judge had a season for the ages in his final year before free agency, launching an AL-record 62 homers and challenging for the Triple Crown. In addition to his historic home run total, the 6-foot-7 slugger led the Majors in RBIs (131, tied with Pete Alonso), runs (133), on-base percentage (.425), slugging (.686), OPS (1.111), total bases (391) and WAR (10.6). This would mark his second straight All-MLB nod after he earned First Team honors a year ago.

Brandon Nimmo, OF
The oft-injured Nimmo stayed on the field in 2022 and was one of the game’s most productive center fielders. Serving as the Mets’ regular leadoff hitter, Nimmo recorded 5.1 WAR with 16 homers, a .367 on-base percentage and a 130 OPS+ over a career-high 151 games.

Carlos Rodón, SP
After an out-of-nowhere breakout for the White Sox in 2021, Rodón tested free agency last offseason and signed a two-year, $44 million deal with the Giants that gave him the ability to opt out after 2022. The opt-out became a no-brainer when the left-hander posted an MLB-leading 2.25 FIP and 12.0 K/9 with a 2.88 ERA over a career-high 178 innings for San Francisco.

David Robertson, RP
A Tommy John surgery recipient in 2019, Robertson threw just 18 2/3 innings combined over the previous three seasons but resurrected his career after signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Cubs last March. The 37-year-old, who was dealt to the Phillies at the Trade Deadline, recorded a 2.40 ERA, 20 saves and an 11.5 K/9 over 63 2/3 innings between Chicago and Philadelphia in 2022.

Dansby Swanson, SS
Swanson’s final year before free agency saw the shortstop impress in all facets of the game. An All-Star for the first time in 2022, Swanson played all 162 games and produced a .277 average with 25 homers, 18 steals and a 115 OPS+. He also won his first Gold Glove Award after leading shortstops in outs above average. This would mark the first All-MLB selection for the former No. 1 overall Draft pick.

Trea Turner, SS
One of four free-agent shortstops up for consideration, Turner has a chance to notch back-to-back All-MLB nods after landing on the Second Team a year ago. The 29-year-old was the only MLB player to record at least 20 homers, 20 steals, 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored this past season, and he added a .298 batting average to boot.

Justin Verlander, SP
After missing all of 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander re-signed with the Astros for $25 million on a one-year deal. The 39-year-old not only made a healthy return in 2022 but had one of the best seasons of his illustrious career, leading MLB with a 1.75 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP while racking up 185 K’s over 175 innings. He last made the All-MLB Team in 2019.