Gammons Daily lists the current free agents by team. Going through the list, here are the ones to consider for a big contract, as opposed to just being a missing piece to a puzzle.
- Chris Davis
- Matt Wieters
- Dexter Fowler
- Jeff Samardzija*
- Scott Kazmir
- Johnny Cueto
- Ben Zobrist
- David Freese*
- Howie Kendrick*
- Yoenis Cespedes
- Daniel Murphy*
- Justin Upton
- Jason Heyward
- Yovani Gallardo
- Colby Lewis*
- Marco Estrada
- David Price
- Doug Fister*
- Denard Span*
- Jordan Zimmermann
*Could go either way.
With Zack Greinke opting out of his contract, he’ll join the list as well. One could build a good rotation with Greinke, Price, Cueto, Zimmermann, and Gallardo. You could also drop one of the those and hire Samardzija, Estrada, or Fister as the fifth starter. Justin Upton and Jason Heyward are the prizes on the batting side. Heyward is early in his prime, and that should bring him a nice premium. I’m sure we’ll see this list grow more as options are declined.
Update: Alex Gordon joins the list.