Every offseason, at least a handful of free agents linger on the market well into spring training. At times, that’s been true even of the top names on the market. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado both signed their free agent contracts in February. Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Jordan Montgomery all signed contracts in March during the 2023-24 offseason.
Things are a bit different this winter. The very top names among this year’s crop of free agents have all come off the board. Framber Valdez and, to a lesser extent, Zac Gallen were the remaining big-ticket items on the market before signing in Detroit and Arizona, respectively.
Though there’s no marquee superstar left unsigned, there are still some good starters on the board. Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell and Max Scherzer top the remaining group. In Scherzer’s case, it’s not entirely clear whether he’ll sign prior to Opening Day. Scherzer is healthy and ready to sign at any time, but he told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal late last month that he’s being selective with his next home and would be content to wait to sign midseason if an opportunity on one of his preferred teams does not present itself. It stands to reason that Scherzer prefers a clear win-now club with realistic postseason aspirations. Any preferences beyond that — be they geographic, monetary or otherwise — are personal preferences that he has not divulged.
Giolito and Littell, however, are ready-made mid-rotation starters who, unlike their quadragenarian free agent counterpart, seemingly aren’t lingering as a means of personal preference. Each has his flaws, certainly, but there’s little doubt that either is a big league-caliber starter and that there are teams around the game who’d benefit from adding them to the rotation.
Let’s take a look at each pitcher and which teams might have the remaining budget space and/or rotation need to make a play.
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