Top 30 MLB free agents heading into 2018

Neshek was simply incredible in 2017, finishing with a 1.59 ERA in 71 appearances between Philadelphia and Colorado. He had less than one walk per nine innings, and it wasn't his first flash of great success. Even at age 37, Neshek should become much richer this offseason.

One of the riskiest free agents of the offseason, Gonzalez had a sub-optimal .762 OPS last season despite playing his home games at Coors Field. He is a three-time All-Star, just one year removed from the honor, but his offensive numbers are inflated by his home ballpark.

Kintzler was a solid closer in Minnesota before getting traded to Washington at the trade deadline. His closing experience should get him a long look for another high-leverage job, along with his career 3.26 ERA and extreme ground ball rate.

Another breakout first baseman flooding the market, Alonso hit 28 home runs between Oakland and Seattle after hitting only 39 over his previous seven seasons combined. Someone will certainly take the risk with Alonso turning 31 in April.

There seems to be no stopping Cabrera, who had another solid year hitting .285-17-85 between the White Sox and Royals. His defensive contribution isn't great now that he's been shifted to a corner outfield, but Cabrera is awfully reliable.

Reed spent much of his time with the Mets as a closer last season and was solid as a setup man after getting traded to Boston. He has 125 career saves and will likely get another shot to closer somewhere if he chooses.

The former Cy Young winner is quite a story, overcoming alcohol issues to post a sub-4.00 ERA in consecutive seasons with the Yankees. Sabathia isn't the most durable pitcher, but he can certainly still pitch as he moves toward his late 30s.

Morrow will be one of the most interesting offseason cases. Long an injury nightmare, he stayed healthy all season and was the setup man for the NL champs. He showed increased velocity and posted a 2.06 ERA in 45 appearances, and Morrow also has closing experience.

The often underappreciated Duda hit 30 home runs for the second time in his career, doing so in only 127 games. He's been nothing but productive since 2014 when he's been healthy and had an .867 OPS against right-handed pitching in 2017.

Still a strong power hitter, Frazier's home run total went from 40 in 2016 to only 27 in 2017 while hitting just .213. His solid defense and clubhouse presence still help, but Frazier isn't deserving of a monumental deal now past his prime.

Morrison was at his best in his walk year, hitting a whopping 38 home runs with an .868 OPS. The former top prospect with the Marlins is just 30, so it will be for MLB teams to decide if his breakout was for real.

Gomez looked like he could be finished in Houston, but he found himself with the Rangers since getting traded in 2016. While he played only 105 games in 2017 due to injury, Gomez had an .802 OPS with 17 home runs and 13 stolen bases.

Staying on the field has been a major issue for Walker over the last two years, but he's still the best player available at a thin position. Walker had an OPS above .800 for the third time in four seasons, finishing 2017 with Milwaukee.

Bruce has been with three teams over the last two seasons, but he's rehabilitated his career during that time. The power hitter has more than 30 homers in consecutive years, launching a career-high 36 home runs between the Mets and Cleveland this past season.

Castillo was more than adequate replacing Matt Wieters in Baltimore, hitting 20 home runs for the first time. His .813 OPS was the best of his career, and he also did a solid job defensively, throwing out attempted base stealers 49 percent of the time, the best in the AL.

Nunez has solidified himself as a regular over the last two seasons, hitting .313-12-58 with 24 steals between San Francisco and Boston in 2017. He has a combined .778 OPS over the last two years and the versatility to play almost anywhere defensively.

The durable and reliable Santana hit .259/.363/.455 for the Indians this past season. He wasn't able to reach 30 home runs for the second straight season, but he did continue to be an on-base machine while playing first base regularly.

Holland built up his value in Colorado as he returned from Tommy John surgery, posting a 3.61 ERA with an NL-leading 41 saves. He made his third All-Star appearance and should earn a long-term contract this offseason.

Cobb returned from Tommy John surgery late in 2016 and proved healthy in 2017. He had a 3.66 ERA over 29 starts, throwing a career-high 179.1 innings. He has a 3.50 ERA for his career as he approaches his age 30 season.

Long an elite defensive shortstop, Cozart had a career year offensively hitting .297-24-63 with a .933 OPS in only 122 games. He hasn't been the most durable player during his career but is just entering his age 32 season.

An elite catcher before last season, Lucroy had a .635 OPS in 77 games played with Texas before getting shipped to Colorado. Predictably, he hit much better with the help of Coors Field, finishing his year with a .716 OPS overall. There are still concerns Lucroy has hit a wall in his early 30s, but the two-time All-Star should still get plenty of offers.

Returning from Tommy John surgery, Lynn had a strong year for the Cardinals. He went 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 33 starts, marking the fourth time he's made at least 31 starts in his career.

Like teammate Mike Moustakas, Hosmer is coming off a career year and is in his prime. He hit .318-25-94 with a career-best .882 OPS.

Moustakas had a career year at the right time, hitting .272-38-85 as he returned from a knee injury in 2017. The third baseman is still in his prime, approaching his age 29 season.

The prize of Japan, Otani has a career 2.52 ERA in 543 innings in Japan and is just 23 years old. He's also a capable hitter, posting an OPS above .900 in consecutive years. He has a chance to be the greatest Japanese-born baseball player ever.

With several teams in need of a closer and a high precedent set with Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen last offseason, Davis is set for a huge payday. He rebounded from elbow issues to post a 2.30 ERA and convert 32 saves for the Cubs. Over the last four years, he's 23-6 with a 1.45 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.

A staple as K.C.'s center fielder, Cain finished third in the AL MVP balloting in 2015 and is coming off a very good year, hitting .300-15-49 with 26 steals. While his defense has dropped off slightly in his early 30s, Cain is still an elite defender.

The 2015 NL Cy Young winner, Arrieta has shown inconsistent velocity over the last two seasons but still has 3.30 ERA over 61 starts over that time. The fact that the Cubs didn't make a greater effort to extend Arrieta could be telling as he approaches his age 32 season.

Martinez isn't the best defensive outfielder, but he added to his value by hitting .302-29-65 in only 62 games with the Diamondbacks after being traded. He had a mammoth year with 45 home runs and a 1.066 OPS and is still just 30.

Despite an awful World Series showing with the Dodgers, Darvish is the top free agent prize this offseason. The ace has a career 3.42 ERA in 131 starts and is still just 31 with four All-Star appearances in five seasons.