With only two weeks left until pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Spring Training for the 2021 MLB season, there are still a handful of big-name free agents that still haven’t signed a deal with a new team.
The market has changed throughout the winter, with teams having filled roster holes that might have been open back in November, and other possibilities for free agents opening up thanks to non-tenders and trades.
Let’s take a look at the three biggest free agent names still left unsigned, evaluate their markets, and choose a new home for them.
Trevor Bauer
The biggest name left on the market is 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner, who dazzled as arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball last season.
Bauer has long been an enigma, and has upped his status as a unique figure in the game by stating that he wants to start every fourth game with whatever club he signs for.
It’s clear that Bauer wants to go to a forward-thinking team, and there are plenty of franchises with money to spend and holes in their rotations where he could be a fit. Despite theoretically having enough starting pitching, the Dodgers have been reported to be getting in the fray as a potential destination for the California native.
We think that Bauer, however, will end up across town. We predict that he signs with the Los Angeles Angels on a five-year contract worth $175 million, a team that is so desperate for starting pitching that they might just consider his fourth-day proposal.
Marcell Ozuna
It’s hard for many to believe that Marcell Ozuna, one of the best consistent right-handed power bats in the league, still has not found a new home.
Despite the uncertainty related to the implementation (or not) of a universal DH in 2021, the 30-year-old star, should theoretically fit for any team with a hole in the middle of its lineup. Ozuna isn’t a great fielder, but he is passable in left field and doesn’t necessarily have to be a DH.
We think that Ozuna likely will not return to the Braves team where he thrived in 2020 thanks to their reticence to give out multi-year deals to free agents. Ozuna, we predict, will instead head to the Seattle Mariners for three years and $75 million as they look to compete with an exciting young core.
Justin Turner
The long-time Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman might be getting up there in age, but what is undeniable is that he provides consistent production at third base and would be a great addition to most lineups.
Will Turner stick around in Los Angeles, where he resurged as a player after a mediocre run with the Mets?
We find it difficult to imagine him playing anywhere else, even though there does seem to be a gap between the two sides, with Turner wanting a four-year deal and the Dodgers only offering two. How about they split the gap, with Turner heading back to the Dodgers on a three-year contract worth $60 million?
