Under-the-radar MLB free agents to keep an eye on

Right-handed slugger C.J. Cron is certainly not the flashiest offensive player available via free agency, but he sure offers significant power potential and upside. The veteran first baseman just endured an injury-plagued 2023 season split between the Rockies and Angels, but prior to that he'd belted 28 or more homers and driven in 92 or more runs for Colorado in back-to-back campaigns. Teams in need of a first baseman or a DH should undoubtedly monitor the market for Cron. 

Right-handed swinging Mitch Garver has never played in more than 102 games in a single season, but this winter, it's a fair bet that someone will hand him a lucrative free-agent contract to be their starting catcher. Garver has blasted 75 home runs in his last 325 games, and there just are not many backstops that can provide that type of offensive power. 

Righty Seth Lugo spent the first seven seasons of his career working primarily out of the Mets bullpen, but he consistently expressed a desire to get a chance to start. The Padres gave him the opportunity he craved when they signed him to a one-year free-agent contract last winter, and he thrived in his preferred role. In 26 starts for San Diego, Lugo pitched to a 3.57 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP, while striking out 140 hitters in 146.1 innings and earning eight victories. That performance should help him land a multi-year deal to join a team's starting five this time around. 

Right-handed swinging Hunter Dozier was selected in the first round by the Royals in 2013 and has spent his entire career to date in Kansas City, as a solid role player. Injuries have been a problem for the veteran, and in fact he participated in only 29 games a year ago, but when healthy he can flat-out hit. Dozier is just a few years removed from a season where he slashed .279/.348/.522 with 26 homers, 29 doubles, 10 triples, and 84 RBI, and he represents an intriguing buy-low option for a bat-needy team. 

There may not be a better low-risk potentially high-reward hitter in this winter's free-agent class than outfielder Austin Meadows. Drafted 9th overall by Pittsburgh in the 2013 draft, Meadows looked like a budding star early in his career. He has seasons of 27 and 33 home runs on his ledger, and twice has knocked in more than 89 runs. He was with the Tigers the last two seasons but played very minimally, missing most of 2022 due to injury, and sitting out the majority of last season to focus on his mental health. Meadows realizes he likely will need to sign a one-year contract to reestablish his status as a productive run producer, and some team will definitely give him an opportunity. 

First baseman Rhys Hoskins has been a critical part of Philadelphia's offensive attack since 2017, but circumstances outside of his control will all likelihood have him playing elsewhere in 2024. Hoskins tore his ACL in spring training last February and missed the entire 2023 campaign. Meanwhile, Phillies' star Bryce Harper's injured elbow limited his ability to throw from the outfield, so Philly began utilizing him at first base, something they've committed to full-time moving forward. Thus, a now healthy Hoskins, who boasts a .242/.353/.492 lifetime slash line to go along with 148 career home runs in 667 games finds himself one of the more desirable free-agent bats. 

Adam Duvall has already played for five different teams during his decade-long career, and after a productive season in Boston in 2023 he should have suitors lining up to be his 6th. Despite missing nearly half the season with a broken wrist, the veteran crushed 21 homers and drove in 58 runs for Boston, while bringing consistency and leadership to the clubhouse. Duvall is a former World Series winner and a sneaky good defender in the outfield, and while his addition might not be a splashy one, whichever team signs him will be happy it did. 

One of the wild cards of this winter's free-agent class is 25-year-old Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who is expected to be posted by the Kiwoom Heroes. In seven seasons in Korea Lee has been dynamic, slashing .340/.407/.491 in 884 career games. He's never hit more than 23 home runs, but he's a doubles machine and has driven in 100 or more runs twice. Lee's elite bat-to-ball skills make him an ideal number-two hitter in a good big-league line-up, and the list of interested teams here will be lengthy. 

Left-handed slugger Joey Gallo certainly looks like the most recent example from a player who just needed to get away from the microscope of playing in the media capital of the world. After essentially being run out of town in the Bronx, the veteran rebounded in a big way with the Twins last season, crushing 21 home runs in only 332 at-bats, and slugging more than 100 points higher than he did with the Yankees in 2022. Gallo will never be a high-average hitter, in fact his lifetime batting average is under .200, but he possesses light tower power, and can always break a game open with one swing. 

Outfielder Jesse Winker was an all-star with Cincinnati in 2021, but unfortunately for him he's experienced a steady regression since then. After a disappointing '22 with the Mariners he landed in Milwaukee last season, where he slashed just .199/.320/.247 with only six extra-base hits in 61 games. This winter Winker is in search of a team that will give him a chance to earn regular playing time in hopes of rebuilding his value, and he could represent a low cost option for teams willing to gamble on his ability to bounce back. 

One of the real feel-good stories of the 2023 season was Andrew McCutchen returning to Pittsburgh, the city in which he began his career, blossomed into a star, and ultimately won a NL MVP award. In his age 36 season the veteran was a strong role player for the Pirates, slashing .256/.378/.397 with 31 extra-base hits and 43 RBI, while reaching the impressive milestone of 2,000 career hits. McCutchen has vocalized that he does not plan to retire and wants to return to Pittsburgh, though how this ultimately transpires will be dependent upon what the rebuilding Bucs choose to do. 

Edmond, OK native Brian Anderson is a useful and versatile player that can adequately handle both third base and right field, while providing a dangerous right-handed bat in the middle of the line-up. Injuries have unfortunately dramatically limited his production in recent years, but in his last full campaign Anderson hit .261 and crushed 20 home runs for Miami. Bringing him in would not necessarily swing the balance of power in the league, but teams are always looking for consistent offensive players, and when healthy, Anderson has always hit. 

Last winter infielder Jean Segura signed a two-year contract with the Marlins in a deal that just never really worked out. After spending his entire career in the middle infield, Miami moved Segura to third base where he was never really comfortable, and offensively he looked like a shell of his former self. In 85 games the veteran slashed just .219/.277/.279 before being traded to Cleveland and subsequently released. This winter he's in search of a club that will see what happened last year as an aberration. 

Outfielder Tommy Pham has bounced around the league quite a bit the last few years, which is somewhat surprising given how much offensive talent he possesses. Splitting last season between the Mets and Diamondbacks, the veteran right-handed hitter slashed .256/.328/.446 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI. Down the stretch he played a leading role in Arizona's run to the playoffs and ultimately the World Series, and you'd have to imagine some team will bring Pham in to play a starting corner outfield position this winter. 

Even in today's game where so much emphasis is put on offensive statistics, defense still matters, especially behind the plate. Which is why players like Martin Maldonado will always be in high demand. Last season the veteran slashed just .191/.258/.348 for the Astros, but he did crush 15 home runs at the bottom of the line-up, so he was far from an automatic out. That said, Maldonado will always bring more value behind the plate, where he is an elite defender that pitchers crave working with. If he can hit even a little bit, he should again be able to land a starting job in 2024. 

Scrappy second baseman Tony Kemp's lifetime .238/.325/.352 lifetime slash line with very little power does not exactly scream difference-making starting caliber player, but the numbers don't tell the whole story. Kemp is a talented defender and stolen base threat, and while he might have been miscast as an everyday player in Oakland, he could easily be a productive utility man on a good team. 

For the first eight seasons of his career right-hander Zach Davies was a productive middle-of-the-rotation starter and a valuable part of four different team's pitching staffs. The 2023 campaign, however, was one he'd like to forget. Slowed by an oblique injury early and a back problem in midsummer, Davies ultimately made only 18 highly disappointing starts for the Diamondbacks. The 7.00 ERA he posted was by far the worst number of his career, and Arizona actually ended up releasing him in September. This winter he finds himself in search of a team willing to make a calculated gamble on him being a solid bounce-back candidate. 

Righty Dakota Hudson looked like a rising star with the Cardinals early in his career, but after having Tommy John surgery in late 2020, he hasn't really maintained the same level of effectiveness. The 29-year-old is coming off back-to-back seasons with an ERA well over four, and all of his peripheral numbers have been trending in the wrong direction as well. The Cardinals were one of baseball's most disappointing clubs a year ago and have a lot of questions to answer this winter, which could leave Hudson looking to turn his career around in a new city. 

Hammond, LA native Wade Miley has already logged over 300 starts in the Major Leagues, and for well over a decade the southpaw has quietly been one of the better and more durable starting pitchers in baseball. Miley has pitched for eight different teams during his career and has worked to a lifetime 4.06 ERA in 1,738.1 innings at the sport's highest level. He's not generally considered a star, but Miley has always been an integral piece in the middle of his team's rotation, and he'll be a sought-after commodity this winter. 

University of San Francisco product Adam Cimber's last two seasons could not be starker. In 2022 he led the Majors in appearances with 77, earned 10 wins in relief, and posted a tremendous 2.80 ERA. Last season, however, was a much different story. A rhomboid strain and then a right shoulder impingement limited him to only 22 appearances, in which he was not all that effective, working to a 7.40 ERA in 20.2 innings. Cimber had a fairly lengthy track record of success coming into last season, and whether it comes from the Blue Jays or a new team, his disappointing '23 shouldn't impact his ability to land a spot in a big-league bullpen. 

Left-handed swinging outfielder Kole Calhoun was once one of the core offensive players in some good Angels line-ups, but he's bounced around quite a bit the last few years. Since the COVID truncated 2020 campaign, Calhoun has played for the Diamondbacks, Rangers, and Guardians, and hasn't been able to recapture the form he had with the Halos for any of the three. At 36-years-old Calhoun's days of being a starting outfielder on a championship-caliber team are likely over, but that doesn't mean he can't be a productive contributor. 

Flamethrowing Alex Reyes appeared to be a rising star as a 21-year-old rookie with the Cardinals in 2016, but a myriad of arm injuries has seriously derailed his career since then. Tommy John surgery in '17 was just the beginning of his injury woes, and the Cardinals eventually gave up on rehabbing him as a starter. In 2021 he finally made it all the way back and became a dominant closer for St. Louis, notching 29 saves and striking out 95 hitters in 72.1 innings, but frustratingly, injuries have again stopped him in his tracks. Reyes has not thrown a Major League pitch since that '21 campaign, and while he still boasts high upside, he faces an uphill battle to shed his injury-prone label.  

Outfielder Kyle Lewis was the 11th overall pick in the 2016 draft and later won the American League Rookie of the Year award 2020. But the three years since then have not been nearly as enjoyable for the Mercer University product. A serious knee injury suffered in 2021 essentially cost him the better part of two seasons, and ultimately led to him being traded from the Mariners to the Diamondbacks. In his lone season in the desert Lewis participated in only 16 Major League games, but that's not to say his year was unfruitful. He spent the majority of his season in the minor leagues, where he slashed .371/.457/.641 with 17 home runs, 80 RBI, and 16 doubles. Now a free agent, he's in search of a club willing to give him an opportunity to reestablish himself as a starting outfielder at the sport's highest level. 

Right-handed slugger Wil Myers was a highly productive offensive player for the Padres for a half dozen or so years, but the end of his San Diego tenure came with very little fanfare. Injuries kept Myers sidelined for much of the campaign and played a role in the club trading for several offensive pieces that ultimately contributed to keeping him out of the line-up. He moved on to Cincinnati last season, but his Reds tenure never got off the ground. Kidney stones and a shoulder sprain led to him slashing just .189/.257/.283 in 37 games. Cincinnati ultimately released him in June, leaving Myers in search of a new team willing to give him a chance to get his career back on track.