Top three ranked MLB free agent pitchers remaining
Unsurprisingly, the Atlanta Braves have not pursued any big-name free agents.
We released our 2023 MLB free agent rankings at the start of the offseason. Here’s the updated look at the top three pitchers that are still available.
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japan
Yamamoto seems to be trending toward the New York Yankees or the New York Mets, based on the latest rumors.
Here’s our bio on the young pitcher:
Probably the best pitcher on the planet to not yet be in Major League Baseball, the 25 year-old Yamamoto won the NPB’s equivalent of both the Cy Young and MVP last season. He’s a five-time All Star, three-time ERA champion, and twice won the Triple Crown. The previous record for a player signing from Japan is 5 years & $155M, by Masahiro Tanaka in 2014, and it’s about to get obliterated.
LHP Blake Snell, Padres
There’s belief that the Seattle Mariners are the team to beat for our sixth-ranked free agent entering the offseason, but many teams are in on the two-time Cy Young winner.
Here’s our bio on Snell (written before the Cy Young award was given):
Snell might win the NL Cy Young this season, which certainly would help his free agent case, but he’s not a slam dunk top-tier pitching option. He leads all of baseball in ERA (2.25) and ERA+ (182), but also walks (99) and walk rate (5.8). The 30 year-old ran an expected ERA (3.77) and Fielding Independent Pitching (3.44) both significantly above his ERA, so regression is undoubtedly coming.
LHP Jordan Montgomery, Cardinals/Rangers
There’s reportedly a push from the Texas Rangers to sign Montgomery, and the Yankees are believed to view reuniting with Montgomery as the fallback plan if they can’t sign Yamomoto.
Here’s our bio on Montgomery:
Montgomery, who was dealt at the deadline by the Yankees in 2022 because they “didn’t see him making the playoff rotation”, has absolutely DEALT during the postseason for the undefeated Texas Rangers. He has two scoreless outings in his first three starts, holding the Rays and Astros scoreless across 13.1 innings with eleven hits and one walk versus eleven strikeouts. If he continues this sort of dominance through the rest of the postseason, assuming Texas advances to the World Series, he could catapult himself into the top two or three of coveted free agents this offseason and cash in BIG.
