Every team’s biggest pending free agent for 2024-25 

With the Trade Deadline behind us, many pending free agents have found themselves on new teams, as “rental players” for the stretch run. Others remained where they were, potentially for one last march toward the postseason.

Either way, though, the Hot Stove looms. So today, we take a look at the most significant player on each team who is slated to become a free agent over the offseason, while factoring in the likelihood of any options or opt-out clauses being exercised.

AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West

AL EAST

Blue Jays: LHP Ryan Yarbrough
2025 seasonal age: 33

A reliever acquired in a Deadline deal with the Dodgers for Kevin Kiermaier, Yarbrough is the only option here. The Blue Jays, in rather high-profile fashion, traded all of their impending free agents while hanging on to anyone who can help them win in 2025.

Orioles: RHP Corbin Burnes
2025 seasonal age: 30

Outfielder Anthony Santander also has an expiring contract, but the Orioles have a lot of their postseason hopes riding on Burnes, who was acquired from the Brewers last offseason despite the potential that he would be a one-year rental. It’s working out well so far, and Burnes will have a chance to make himself a lot more money this October.

Rays: 2B Brandon Lowe
2025 seasonal age: 30

Lowe is the only option remaining here after the Deadline, but the Rays have a $10.5 million club option on him for 2025 (plus an $11.5 million club option for 2026.) Even if that’s too much for the Rays, given Lowe’s injury history and the team’s budget, Tampa Bay could pick up the option and then look to trade him.

Red Sox: OF Tyler O’Neill
2025 seasonal age: 30

O’Neill was always a bet-on-himself candidate for his final contract year after being traded by the Cardinals, and that sure looks like a successful bet right now.

Yankees: OF Juan Soto
2025 seasonal age: 26

You might have heard a little bit about his pending free agency. If the Yankees don’t get him re-signed by the end of the year -- and there’s not much reason to think they will -- he’s going to be the single biggest story of the offseason, every day of the offseason.

AL CENTRAL

Guardians: RHP Shane Bieber
2025 seasonal age: 30

Imagine what the Guardians would have looked like with him all year, considering his first two starts (12 scoreless innings, 20 strikeouts). He had Tommy John surgery in April, however. Bieber will be a fascinating free-agent option for pitching-hungry teams, especially those who can afford to wait for him to make a bigger impact in 2026.

Royals: LHP Will Smith
2025 seasonal age: 35

Here is your reminder that Smith has played for the last three World Series-winning teams. The Royals would love for him to make it four. If he does, boy, someone’s really going to want him next year.

Tigers: INF Gio Urshela
2025 seasonal age: 33

That no one leaped to grab him at the Deadline might be a sign of what his market will look like this offseason, but a strong finish could help.

Twins: OF Max Kepler
2025 seasonal age: 32

The contract extension the Twins gave Kepler before the 2019 season expires this year, and it looks like he’s going to hit the market for the first time. Kepler has been in the Twins organization since signing out of Germany in 2009.

White Sox: 3B Yoán Moncada
2025 seasonal age: 30

The White Sox are highly unlikely to pick up his $25 million option for next year, which means the last slice of the Chris Sale trade may be on his way out of town.

AL WEST

Angels: OF Kevin Pillar
2025 seasonal age: 36

Released early this season by the White Sox, Pillar rebounded with the Angels and recently made it to a major milestone: 10 years of service time. He has said he’s likely to retire after this season.

Astros: 3B Alex Bregman
2025 seasonal age: 31

He will be one of the most fascinating free agents of the offseason, and he still has plenty of time to make a terrific case for himself. He may also (once again) have October.

A’s: RHP Ross Stripling
2025 seasonal age: 35

He has hardly been spectacular for the A’s, but when you look around baseball, it becomes clear that any team could use a Ross Stripling.

Mariners: INF/DH Justin Turner
2025 seasonal age: 40

It’s possible Turner may end up retiring, but there’s still some life in that bat of his. The Mariners will take every bit of it they can get down the stretch.

Rangers: RHP Max Scherzer
2025 seasonal age: 40

He’s not getting $43.3 million again, but if he decides to come back, some team will happily sign up a potential Hall of Famer who has remained effective when healthy.

NL EAST

Braves: LHP Max Fried
2025 seasonal age: 31

They never did end up figuring out a contract extension, and his health the rest of the way may determine how things land for him this offseason.

Marlins: None
The Marlins, smartly, shipped all their pending free agents out at the Deadline. In fact, no player currently under contract in Miami is slated to reach free agency before 2026-27.

Mets: 1B Pete Alonso
2025 seasonal age: 30

All that talk of an extension never came to anything, so any team looking for power this offseason will not have to look far.

Nationals: LHP Patrick Corbin
2025 seasonal age: 35

This finally marks the end of the six-year, $140 million contract Corbin signed as a free agent prior to the Nationals’ 2019 championship season.

Phillies: RHP Carlos Estévez
2025 seasonal age: 32

Most of the Phillies’ core is locked in place for quite a few years to come. However, Estévez (their biggest Deadline addition) is one of two key pending free agents in the bullpen, along with 2024 All-Star Jeff Hoffman.

NL CENTRAL

Brewers: SS Willy Adames
2025 seasonal age: 29

Assuming the Brewers pick up club options on Devin Williams and Freddy Peralta, their biggest free agent will be their shortstop. Adames, one of Milwaukee’s key contributors and perpetually one of the most underrated players in the game, could really cash in this offseason.

Cardinals: 1B Paul Goldschmidt
2025 seasonal age: 37

His big step back from his career numbers this year is a sign of why the Cardinals were smart not to offer him a big extension. Still, you’d think someone would want to pick up the 2022 NL MVP as a rebound candidate, assuming he wants to keep going.

Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks
2025 seasonal age: 35

The last guy left from the 2016 World Series-championship team is just barely hanging on at this point. (Cody Bellinger would appear unlikely to opt out of his $27.5 million salary for 2025.)

Pirates: LHP Aroldis Chapman
2025 seasonal age: 37

Andrew McCutchen may come back for another year, but Chapman is the sort of bullpen arm teams find difficult to resist in the offseason.

Reds: LHP Justin Wilson
2025 seasonal age: 37

The Reds are young and well constructed enough that the veteran lefty is one of the few expiring contracts they have. The goal is just for this team to grow.

NL WEST

D-backs: 1B Christian Walker
2025 seasonal age: 34

He has been massive for this team since taking over for Paul Goldschmidt all those years ago. Walker was enjoying a strong contract year until a recent oblique strain, but he is expected back this season.

Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler
2025 seasonal age: 37

Deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty has put himself in the best position for free agency, and the Dodgers also have several other candidates here, including Teoscar Hernández. But Buehler deserves mention, despite his rough return from Tommy John surgery. He has ace potential that some teams won’t be able to pass up, injuries or no.

Giants: LHP Blake Snell
2025 seasonal age: 32

Michael Conforto is the Giants’ biggest guaranteed free agent, but the prospect of Snell opting out of his $30 million salary for 2025 has gone from remote to perhaps even an obvious move over the past month. (Matt Chapman could join him in opting out, as well.)

Padres: OF Jurickson Profar
2025 seasonal age: 32

Talk about having a contract year! Profar has produced the best season of his career out of nowhere, and even if he has slowed down of late, this is still a guy voted in to start the All-Star Game.

Rockies: DH/OF Charlie Blackmon
2025 seasonal age: 38

It’s impossible to imagine him playing anywhere else after 14 seasons in Colorado. He’s had the exact same year for about five years now.