Once the Lock Out ends, there will be a frenzy for MLB GMs to complete their team’s rosters. It might be a good idea to know what is available. I list the top FA available sorted by hitters, starting pitchers, and relief pitchers. They are ranked by projected WAR. A chart is below to suggest how good a player is based on his WAR number. WAR is wins over replacement. It is a simple stat that allows comparisons from player to player by year and by career. Replacement is equal to a call-up player. He is the substitute if that player was not on the field. Callup players are similar to what you would expect from a AAA player.
Here is the list of remaining FA position players or hitters.
There are 3 All-Star caliber players remaining which makes it difficult to do team projections as these are definitely players that could change the future of the team they land on. Those 3 are SS Carlos Correa, 1B Freddie Freeman, and SS Trevor Story. Kyle Schwarber slides into the Good Player category and there are 5 others that fit the SOlid Starter classification. All said, there are roughly 10 players that will make an impact on a team once they are signed.
Here is the starting pitcher list.
This list is not as deep as the position player list. There are only 2 pitchers that rate Solid Starter or Good Player. They are Carlos Rodon and Clayton Kershaw. After those two, the remaining players are role players. This just tells us that we several guys either getting ready to leave the game or we have lots of number 3 starters or worse available to be had.
Here is the list of relief pitchers. Keep in mind that the best relief pitchers will have a WAR of over 1.0 and the good ones will be above 0.5. For example, CHW Liam Hendricks is 1.5 WAR and Josh Hader is 1.4 WAR.
This list is much more difficult to maneuver because there is quantity not so much quality. There is no top-of-league relief pitcher available and no one is even close to being above 0.5. We see Andrew Chafin at 0.5. There are many at 0.1 but those are needed to fill out a bullpen which is why it is hard to maneuver. The idea here is that most of these guys are the same guy in terms of performance. Maybe there is a need for right or left-handedness or arm slot, which could make one a fit to a specific team more than another.
