The 2015 Ultimate Free-Agent Tracker

Here is the free-agent class of 2015-16, ranked from Nos. 1 to 191. The rankings are based on a number of variables, including each player's history, age and potential, and are as much about predicted performance as market value, providing a general outline as free agency unfolds between now and spring training.

Bookmark this page in your browser or like it on Twitter – and return frequently. As the offseason progresses, Yahoo Sports will update it with news of signings and their impact on the other free agents.

 

1. David Price, SP: SIGNED Last time a pitcher of David Price’s ilk hit free agency, he was guaranteed $210 million. That was Max Scherzer last season, and by almost every measure Price has been a better pitcher. He’s one of seven with a sub-3.00 ERA since 2010. He has thrown the fourth-most innings in that span. He’s among the top 25 in strikeouts, walks and homers per nine. Price, 30, is as complete as it comes, left-handed and still powerful, with the sort of devastating changeup that ages well and the pitching know-how that should make a seven-year deal tolerable, if not palatable. That’s the going rate for elite these days, and Boston jumped headlong into the silly season and paid Price $217 million.

 

2. Zack Greinke, SP: SIGNED Here’s how to play free agency perfectly. Sign a deal for $147 million. Front-load $76 million into the first three years. Put up one of the most spectacular seasons ever, in which your ERA, compared to the rest of the league, is the 14th best in history. Use an opt-out clause savvily negotiated by your agent to hit free agency immediately after that historic season. And fall into a marketplace frothing to pay elite pitchers, particularly ones whose skill sets make another six- or even a seven-year deal a reality at age 32. This is Zack Greinke’s world - a world that will take him to Arizona in a surprise six-year deal.

 

3. Chris Davis, 1B/OF: The entirety of Davis’ free agency comes down to one question: Which team will ignore 2014? Forget the Adderall suspension. Davis hit .196 and had a below-league-average OPS. In the two seasons sandwiched around it, he led the American League in home runs, hitting a combined 100. And that’s why despite the 200 strikeouts a year, the OK-but-not-great glove, the frightening prospect of him tumbling downhill as his 30th birthday beckons, Davis will get capital-P paid. Power is baseball’s opiate of the masses.

 

4. Jason Heyward, OF: Let’s be honest: The best thing Heyward has going for him is his age. He is a free agent at 26 years old, and 26-year-old free agents come around as often as Halley’s Comet. Getting four years of a player in his 20s is a coup when the biggest concern involves free agents ripening. That said, other factors exist for Heyward. He’s a mountain of a man at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, and generally that size – even the in-shape sorts like Heyward – don’t age well. His most elite skill is his glove, and corner-outfield spots are, what, the sixth most-important on the field? Heyward’s second half was exciting – he hit .318/.397/.469 with 32 walks against 33 strikeouts – but even then came only four home runs in 274 plate appearances. The power exists. We’ve seen it. But maybe, at this point, that’s just who Heyward is: A younger Alex Gordon – great, yes, but not $200 million great.

 

5. Justin Upton, OF: At the end of every season, Upton finds himself in about the same place. His OBP somewhere near .350. His slugging percentage in the vicinity of .450. Between 25 and 30 home runs. About 20 stolen bases. For someone so consistent year-over-year, he is maddeningly inconsistent during the season, looking like one of the game’s best hitters one month (May 2015: .343/.418/.546) and then spending the next two months as one of the worst (June and July 2015: .182/.277/.309). With Upton, you are buying a designed-on-the-fly roller coaster with a fixed endpoint. It will be the most frustrating .800-or-so OPS season imaginable, and yet it’ll be there, and enough comfort in that exists for someone to give the 28-year-old well over $100 million.

 

6. Alex Gordon, OF: Back before four Gold Gloves adorned his trophy case, Gordon was a near-bust third baseman shifting to the outfield. It didn’t prevent him from uttering words that at the time looked fanciful at best, goofy at worst: “I’m going to dominate next season.” And out he came in 2011 and did just that, not looking back since. Gordon’s glove in left field is peerless. His work ethic is close behind. Wherever he ends up, he’ll be the most diesel guy in the room, and while a six-pack doesn’t guarantee the success of a long-term deal, he’s 31 going on 21. Gordon gets on base, hits for gap power and runs the bases well and intelligently. Whoever wants Heyward but not at that price can get Gordon and gamble the age gap is just a number.

 

7. Johnny Cueto, SP: He’s not this high because he retired 19 straight Astros in the division series or turned the Mets into mush with a two-hit complete game in the World Series. Over the last five years, Cueto has a 2.71 ERA that has belied his peripherals because balls in play simply don’t fall for hits against him. And for those who believe batting average on balls in play is pure luck, Cueto would argue that inducing bad contact is a skill, one at which he’s particularly adept. His free agency might be the most fascinating in the game because the range of what he could conceivably get. If his elbow checks out – it had a couple dodgy moments in 2015 – the answer will skew far higher.

8. Yoenis Cespedes, OF: Certainly Cespedes’ excellence after his trade to the Mets isn’t to be denied, but let’s be real about what he is: Someone who, since his rookie season, has gotten on base 31 percent of the time. In the depressed run-scoring environment, Cespedes’ power plays, but to give $150 million to a .319 OBP guy at 30 years old is asking for a disaster. He’s not a center fielder, unless you like Cristiano Ronaldo roaming there, and better corner-outfielder options exist. At his best, he is thrilling. Paying someone for his best is the most dangerous thing a baseball team can do.

9. Ben Zobrist, UT: One of the team-friendliest contracts of this generation finally comes off the books, and Zobrist, at 34, wants to get paid. He deserves it. His versatility remains his hallmark, and between that and his glove and his OBP and his gap power and his baserunning, it is safe to say this: Ben Zobrist is good at everything. Greatness, of course, or the potential for, is what gets free agents paid, and the market for Zobrist, ripe though it may be, will come down to whether any team goes a fourth year. Detroit did last year with Victor Martinez, and his $68 million deal could be the range in which Zobrist lands.

 

10. Matt Wieters, C:SIGNED Never did Wieters develop into the deity once predicted – his teammates at Georgia Tech called him “God” – but he is still this: 29 years old, with power, tremendous game-calling acumen and an arm coming off Tommy John surgery that looked better as the year went on. He's going to pull an Adrian Beltre by opting for a one-year, make-good contract, playing the season out at Baltimore's $15.8 million qualifying offer and putting himself in a better position to fetch the nine-figure deal that probably isn’t there right now. Three-quarters of it probably is out there somewhere, though, and the allure should be strong enough to find Wieters elsewhere in 2016 and beyond.

 

11. Jordan Zimmermann, SP: SIGNED Never before has a pitcher with a Tommy John scar adorning his elbow signed a $100 million deal. Zimmermann didn’t exactly stump for his cause with a 3.66 ERA fueled by a home-run spike. Still, he has been the paragon of consistency in the five years since his surgery, a 200-inning workhorse capable of command-based dominance. And some team will ignore that the lifespan on new elbow ligaments averages out somewhere around seven years and give Zimmermann a big-money deal hoping he’s atypical. That team was Detroit, who gave Zimmermann a $110 million deal.

 

12. Ian Desmond, SS: It’s nice to be a shortstop. Desmond was a mess in 2015, hitting .211/.255/.334 in the first half and .195/.261/.320 on the road. His second-half and home splits counterbalanced those numbers enough to make his season at least tolerable, good enough that a team will give him $75 million because of his positional value. While nobody is weeping for the 30-year-old Desmond’s misfortune of making millions, a good season might’ve earned him twice that.

 

13. Mike Leake, SP: Getting around 200 innings of slightly above-average baseball is a massive asset, the sort that gets guys like Leake five-year deals. He’ll play all of 2016 at 28 years old, which puts him above others on this list, as does a 50-plus percent groundball rate that makes up for his low strikeouts. Leake’s five-pitch mix is the sort that forced him to get crafty at a young age, and he’ll take that skill into his 30s when he calls upon it even more.

 

14. Dexter Fowler, CF: Here’s the list of center fielders the last five years with OBPs above .365: Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Dexter Fowler. That’s it. And at least one team will buy into the idea that Fowler can stay in center long-term – a dubious proposition – which is all he needs to get a deal that doesn’t quite reach nine figures but shouldn’t be far behind.

 

15. Wei-Yin Chen, SP: Quick: Who has started more games in the AL East the last four years than anyone? Yup. And the 30-year-old’s 3.72 ERA, for pitching as much as he does in the division and its ballparks, is even more impressive. Chen is a left-hander whose fastball sits at 92 and tops 95, and if he can cut back on the home runs, he’ll be worth more than the $15 million-plus a year he should command.

 

16. John Lackey, SP: SIGNED Getting Lackey for $507,500 last season was a classic Cardinals coup. He is going to cost a lot more this year. No team in their right mind will give a 37-year-old with a Tommy John surgery on his ledger more than three years. The proper number is two years, and if Lackey asks $20 million a year for each, it’s not far-fetched. He didn't get that, however, settling for $16 million a year from the Chicago Cubs.

 

17. Howie Kendrick, 2B: The epitome of he is what he is: A slightly above-average hitter who plays a desirable position well enough to stay there. He’ll bat .290, get on base 33 percent of the time and slug about .420. And even at 32 years old, that’s worth a lot in free agency.

18. Jeff Samardzija, SP: SIGNED There is no sugarcoating the fact that Samardzija’s 2015 season was a pile of fetid garbage. And yet like the previous two seasons, he exceeded 210 innings – something only Scherzer and R.A. Dickey did – and that alone warrants a big payday. The fact that Samardzija’s previous season was as good as it was should help matters. He may not be the hundred-something-million-dollar guy he looked like after 2014, but he did get $90 million from the San Francisco Giants.

19. Denard Span, CF: His health will dictate where he goes and how much a team gives him. Because, when right, Span can be a force at the top of the lineup and solid enough in center to add value. Hip surgery is finicky, though, and locking in Span long-term comes with perils. The fact that the Nationals didn’t extend him a qualifying offer – usually a good thing for a player – says they have their questions, too.

 

20. Scott Kazmir, SP: Though the midseason trade to Houston did Kazmir no favors, he’ll start next season at just 32, meaning a four-year deal is well within the realm of possibilities.

 

21. Kenta Maeda, SP: Consistently the best pitcher in Japan since Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka left, Maeda is unlike his two predecessors in stuff. He is more precision than power. The bigger question than whether Maeda is more a No. 2, No. 4 or somewhere in between is whether his team, the Hiroshima Carp, will post him this season. If they do, major league teams will gladly pay the $20 million posting fee and plenty more on top of that.

 

22. Brett Anderson, SP: SIGNED Last year was Anderson's first healthy season since 2009. But damn if a 66.3 percent groundball rate from a 27-year-old left-hander isn’t worth a substantial risk, because if Anderson turns into even a reliable 180-inning guy, they’re a tremendous 180 innings. Teams won't be able to make that risk until next offseason as Anderson accepted a qualifying offer from the Dodgers.

 

23. Daniel Murphy, 2B: The quandary with Murphy is whether a team is willing to eat his shortcomings at second base to reap the benefits of his bat there. It’s a good one, certainly, and his strikeout rate of 7.1 percent in this era is as incredible as his early playoff run. Some team will pony up four years, maybe more, because that’s what free agency does.

 

24. Byung-ho Park, 1B/DH: SIGNED One scout’s take on the giant 29-year-old Korean with second-to-none bat-flip skills: “A poor man’s Jose Abreu.” That will play, and the $12.85 million posting fee proffered by the Minnesota Twins – with multiple bids in the $11 million range – before his contract shows teams are betting on it as well.

 

25. Colby Rasmus, CF: SIGNED Let him play shirtless and you just may have the second coming of Ruth. Clothed, he would have been in line for a three-year deal after a .475-slugging season, but Rasmus made history by becoming the first player to accept a $15.8 million qualifying offer and will remain in Houston.

 

26. Hisashi Iwakuma, SP: Another qualifying-offer candidate, Iwakuma’s stuff was off early in the season before a push toward the end left him looking similar to seasons past. If he wants three years and $45 million, he should be able to get it.

 

27. Darren O’Day, RP: SIGNED The best reliever on the market is a sidewinding right-hander whose fastball lives around 86 mph – 88 on a good day. Forget those numbers and focus on this one: 1.92. That’s O’Day’s ERA over the last four years, in which he has struck out more than a batter an inning with fewer than one baserunner per. Setup man, closer, whatever. In the end, O'Day decided to stay with the O's.

 

28. Ian Kennedy, SP: While his stuff ticked back up last year, giving up a draft pick for a pitcher coming off three straight seasons in San Diego with adjusted ERAs below league average is a difficult prospect. Still, he’ll be just 31, and his strikeout rate is among the best in the Class of 2015.

 

29. Dae-ho Lee, 1B/DH: A giant human being – like, 6-foot-4, 300-pounds "giant" – whose power is without question. He hit 31 home runs in Japan this season, his fourth year there after a decade as a Korean fixture. Teams will get past the body and the age (33) and delight in his no-posting-system free agency enough to get him multiple years.

 

30. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS: Positional scarcity is a real thing. And a 30-year-old shortstop like Cabrera who hits something like .250/.310/.400 is worth multiple years at $10 million-plus per.

 

31. Yovani Gallardo, SP: Someone is going to fall in love with the ERA, and that’s all well and good. Here are the more important numbers: 9.0, 7.2, 6.8, 5.9. Those are his strikeout rates the past four years, and they portend a troublesome future for the 29-year-old Gallardo.

 

32. Yaisel Sierra, SP: Scouts who have seen the right-hander rave about his stuff, though he started just a quarter of the games he threw in Cuba. Because he’s 24, Sierra won’t count against teams’ international signing bonus pools, which means the money on him could get big.

 

33. Gerardo Parra, OF: Before his trade to Baltimore, Parra had been one of the best outfielders in the NL, a three-position defensive stalwart with surprising pop in his bat. With the Orioles, he was this. He’ll get paid for the former, though not quite as much as he would’ve.

 

34. Ryan Madson, RP: SIGNED One of the great stories of 2015, Madson more than made up for his $850,000 salary last season by cashing in with a $22 million deal from Oakland.

 

35. J.A. Happ, SP: SIGNED Happ went through Ray Searage and Jim Benedict’s Magic Pitching Revitalization Machine and came out a hot commodity. Sneaky old – he’s 33 – Happ got three years from Toronto after throwing 63 1/3 innings of 1.85 ERA ball with peripherals to match down the stretch for the Pirates.

 

36. Joakim Soria, RP: Often track record matters more than the previous season for relievers because of such variation in year-to-year performance, and Soria’s history – even with two Tommy John surgeries on his résumé – should be enough for the biggest deal of his career.

 

37. Marco Estrada, SP: SIGNED How much will teams pay for a guy with the single lowest BABIP among starters last season (.216) by a 13-point margin? If “too much” is not a good answer, “a lot” unsatisfactorily suffices. Regression is imminent, but it didn't prevent Toronto from signing Estrada to a two-year, $26 million deal.

 

38. John Jaso, DH/OF: Even if he’s not a catcher anymore because of concussion issues, Jaso can hit. He kills right-handers in particular, and his high on-base and low-strikeout skills play well in today’s game.

 

39. Austin Jackson, CF: Negligible bat. OK glove. His saving graces are his position and his age at the beginning of the season, 29, which gives him time to rekindle his past success. A one-year, value-building deal may be best.

 

40. David Freese, 3B: League-average isn’t a slur, and it’s about what Freese is. At 32, he’s no longer a spring chicken, and he never burgeoned into the star that his 2011 postseason turn foretold. You could do better. You could do worse. And that’s worth about $10 million a year in this market.

 

41. Marlon Byrd, OF: : As unsightly as his near-.300 OBP may be, Byrd hits for power and plenty of it, even at 38. The strong corner-outfield market may limit him to one year.

 

42. Seung-hwan Oh, RP: The Mariano Rivera of Korea conquered Japan the last two seasons and now has his sights set on MLB. Could be a sly signing for a team in need of bullpen help.

 

43. Justin Morneau, 1B: The return of his concussion problems was an awful turn for the former MVP who had won a batting title the year before. He’ll never be the monster he was during his prime in Minnesota, but if his head cooperates, he can still hit.

44. Tim Lincecum, SP: The degenerative hip injury that prompted season-ending surgery this year is alarming enough to limit Lincecum’s market to one-year deals. He could wind up a bargain, especially if it turns out the hip was impinging his stuff.

45. Doug Fister, SP: Started 2015 thinking a good season could mean a $100 million deal. Ended it in the Nationals’ bullpen. Nobody could use a value-building one-year deal more than Fister.

46. Chris Young, SP: Criminally underpaid the last two seasons, the 36-year-old Young should cash in with a base that triples the combined $1.9 million he received in 2014-15.

 

47. Chris Young, OF: SIGNED At 32, he is younger. But is he Chriser? This CY destroys left-handed pitching and can play all three outfield positions. He’s not the linchpin evaluators once thought he’d be. The Red Sox see value in Young, signing him to a two-year, $13 million contract.

 

48. Tony Sipp, RP: Back-to-back strong seasons with the Astros put him in prime position to grab one of those three-year deals gifted to left-handed relievers every season.

 

49. Franklin Gutierrez, OF: SIGNED His return from debilitating cases of irritable bowel syndrome and spinal inflammation made for one of the best stories of the season, and after slugging .620, the Mariners decided to bring Gutierrez back on a one-year deal.

 

50. Rich Hill, SP/RP: SIGNED What is four good starts worth? In the eyes of the Athletics, it's worth a one-year, $6 million deal. Less than a month after Boston brought Hill on from the Atlantic League, the 35-year-old left-hander was in their rotation and dominating. In 29 innings, he struck out 36 and walked five and put up a 1.55 ERA.

 

51. Nori Aoki, OF: SIGNED Gets on base, doesn’t strike out, swipes some bags and plays, uh, interesting defense. Tough to give him an everyday job because the power just isn’t there, but he can try play himself into one with the Mariners.

 

52. Domonic Brown, OF: At 25, he hit .273/.320/.535 with 23 home runs in the first half. At 28, he’s a free agent. The ultimate change-of-scenery candidate looking for a make-good deal.

 

53. Antonio Bastardo, RP: The definition of effectively wild. Walks more than four per nine, manages to get away with it as one of the game’s most consistent lefty relievers.

 

54. Mark Buehrle, SP: The bastion of consistency may well retire after his 16th season. If not, he’ll be in plenty demand, even at 36.

 

55. Will Venable, OF: After escaping the horror house that is Petco Park, Venable didn’t do much in limited playing time with Texas. He may have to win a starting job wherever he does end up.

 

56. Bartolo Colon, SP: M, 42, pleasantly plump. Good for 200 innings. Will accept salary in GrubHub credit.

 

57. Alexei Ramirez, SS: A miserable offensive season sent him careening down the list. At 34, there isn’t much time to turn it around, either.

 

58. Colby Lewis, SP: At that point on the list where guys who log 200 innings appear out of their sheer ability to log 200 innings.

59. Mike Pelfrey, SP: Hell, even 165-inning guys are getting some love.

 

60. Trevor Cahill, RP: SIGNED After years of somnambulance in varying rotations, Cahill’s arm woke up with a trip to the bullpen, and scouts extolled the quality of his stuff with the Cubs. Signed with Cubs.

 

61. Rajai Davis, OF: Career-best 11 triples led to career-best .440 slugging percentage. He’s the perfect fourth outfielder, well capable of patrolling center field and ready to jump into the top of the order when called upon.

62. Chase Utley, 2B: SIGNED A precipitous downturn last season for a player who was so good for so long he’ll get a shot to redeem himself with the Dodgers next season.

63. Mike Napoli, 1B: Use him the right way – against left-handed pitchers, as the Rangers did – and he’s a perfectly useful piece.

 

64. Tyler Clippard, RP: He has carved himself a place among baseball’s relief elite, though Clippard’s peripherals do not portend well, and his 21.2 percent groundball rate is straight unsightly. His deception remains his best trait, one that’s not likely to abandon him even as velocity does.

 

65. David Murphy, OF: Classic platoon guy who thrives in the hands of a manager capable of understanding how to deploy a left-handed bat.

 

66. Mark Lowe, RP: Ten-year veteran’s breakout season came at the right time. Heading into free agency with a 1.96 ERA should get him a two-year deal at well more than double, maybe even triple, his highest previous salary of $1.7 million.

 

67. Jerry Blevins, RP: Coming off the single greatest perfect season ever. Seriously: No one in history before Blevins finished a year with at least five innings and without allowing a baserunner. Granted, Blevins spent almost the entirety of it injured. He’ll have plenty of suitors nonetheless.

 

68. Joe Blanton, RP: First with Kansas City, then Pittsburgh, Blanton made a seamless transition to the bullpen. He struck out more than a batter an inning. His velocity ticked up. A career reborn.

 

69. Steve Pearce, 1B/OF: Brutal average on balls in play (.232) led to a down year after 2014 breakout. Potentially cheap right-handed power should entice plenty of teams.

 

70. Mat Latos, SP: Perfect for Boston, not only as a comeback candidate but to reunite with the T he has been missing all these years.

 

71. Dioner Navarro, C: SIGNED Well capable of catching effectively full-time, Navarro was pushed out of his job last year by Russell Martin. Found a 120-game-a-year gig with the Chicago White Sox.

 

72. Alfredo Simon, SP: Thrown more than 383 innings the last two years. More than Chris Sale, Lance Lynn, Chen, Gallardo, Lewis, Kazmir and Kennedy, among others.

 

73. Chris Iannetta, C: SIGNED Vastly improved pitch-framing skills last season, still knows how to draw a walk. Could be a cost-effective upgrade at a difficult position to fill.

 

74. Ryan Raburn, OF: OPS’d over 1.000 last year against lefties. With the right manager and the right platoon, a very savvy buy.

 

75. Juan Uribe, 3B: Still can hit, still can acquit himself on the hot corner, still is awesome.

 

76. Alejandro De Aza, OF: Hit .262/.333/.422 while spending parts of last season with three teams.

 

77. Shawn Kelley, RP: Valhalla for a relief pitcher is Petco Park. And Kelley’s 2.45 ERA with 11 strikeouts per nine left a very good impression for teams seeking right-handed relief.

 

78. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C: Hit .251/.332/.474 after joining Arizona midseason. And, even better, he gets to double up on his salary this year. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who loves paying people to not work for him, still owes Saltalamacchia $8 million for this season.

 

79. Mark Reynolds, 1B/3B: Could land with his seventh team in seven years this offseason. At 32, plenty of time to reach Octavio Dotel’s record of 13.

 

80. Alex Rios, OF: For someone 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Rios plays like a slap hitter. In 932 plate appearances the last two years, he has eight home runs. Cespedes hit that many over 10 days this fall.

 

81. Brayan Pena, C: SIGNED Switch-hitting catcher with excellent contact skills and an even better clubhouse presence? He’ll be in high demand with good reason.

 

82. Travis Snider, OF: Nothing more than a bet that it’ll finally click, though this is going to be Snider’s ninth season in the major leagues, so it’s probably a bad bet, too.

 

83. Geovany Soto, C: SIGNED Three teams and seven years ago, he was NL Rookie of the Year. Now, he is 83rd in the Ultimate Free-Agent Tracker. Take that, Rookie of the Year.

 

84. Ross Ohlendorf, RP: Perpetual low-90s scraper showed up this season throwing 98 for the Rangers. Finally, we can stop calling him the smartest baseball player in the world and instead go with smartest baseball player in the world who gained 6 mph on his fastball.

 

85. Jason Motte, RP: Still not back to his pre-Tommy John form, though his command did sharpen last year, and his stuff could well join it more than two years removed from the surgery.

 

86. Matt Thornton, RP: When Matt Williams wasn’t getting him warmed up without using him, Thornton proved a plenty effective left-hander with the ability to pitch at least a couple outs an outing, even as he closes in on 40.

 

87. Kelly Johnson, UT: Plays just about everywhere. Bats left-handed. Plenty to like in a utility guy.

 

88. Matt Albers, RP: Peripherals didn’t exactly match the ERA (1.21 in 37 1/3 innings), but when he’s healthy, he gets outs, and his health wasn’t a question in the second half.

89. Fernando Rodney, RP: One season removed from leading the AL in saves, Rodney imploded with Seattle. His mojo returned with the Cubs, where he slung a few arrows and established himself worthy of a one-year deal.

90. Chad Qualls, RP: He’s a baseball Honda. Never great. Never flashy. Reliable as can be, though, and his 60 percent groundball rate and 5-to-1 strikeout ratio are solid indicators that he can be expected to improve upon his 4.38 ERA.

 

91. Oliver Perez, RP: He was pretty dreadful with the Astros, but the number of left-handers with more than 11 strikeouts per nine over each of the past three seasons consists of two names: Aroldis Chapman and Perez. Get used to him being around. He’ll pitch until he’s 50 if he wants.

 

92. Franklin Morales, RP: Just don’t pitch him in the playoffs.

 

93. Jimmy Rollins, SS: It is sad when a former MVP shows up this low. Father Time, still the undisputed champion of the world.

 

94. Brandon Beachy, SP: The optimist: If he can stay healthy, the stuff is there for a mid-rotation starter. The pessimist: He can’t stay healthy. The realist: A smart team will take a gamble.

 

95. A.J. Pierzynski, C: SIGNED Mr. Congeniality ready for his 19th season in the big leagues, coming off one of his best: hit .300, slugged .430, barely struck out. Still a defensive black hole, the Braves ignored the blemishes and signed him to a one-year deal.

 

96. Ryan Webb, RP: Almost 60 percent groundballs with a turbosinker, slider and changeup is the recipe for a good relief pitcher.

 

97. Alexi Ogando, RP: Perfect reclamation project for a place like Pittsburgh, which takes traditionally difficult pitchers, isolates their issues and reshapes them. Ogando’s raw arm is some kind of special.

 

98. Kyle Lohse, SP: Put him in a big park, mitigate the home run proneness, let him eat innings and it’s a potential bargain.

 

99. Carlos Villanueva, RP: Doubled his slider usage to 37.2 percent and turned in the best season of his career. The rare reliever bred to go multiple innings, and for that reason alone his market should be robust.

 

100. Cliff Lee, SP: A healthy Lee is in the top 20. This position reflects the uncertainty of his left arm and how his entire career depends on it healing. For a couple million, he’d surely be worth the risk, especially for a team that needs to take risks or one in which a couple million is couch-cushion money.

 

101. Grady Sizemore, OF: The fact that he’s almost in the top 100, period, is a victory. The Rays rationed out playing time properly, kept him healthy and watched him turn in his best season since 2009, when he was a superstar-in-the-making.

 

102. Tommy Hunter, RP: Peripherals weren’t much different at all from his previous two seasons, and he’s still just 29 and sitting 96 with his fastball. He’ll be back.

 

103. Neal Cotts, RP: What would be the proper emoji for a reliever who allowed 12 home runs in 63 1/3 innings? The Home Alone? The lit-fuse bomb? Or just the shoulder-shrugging guy who realizes Cotts’ home run rate probably will regress and he’ll have a better year in 2016?

 

104. Burke Badenhop, RP: Tons of groundballs, next to no home runs, not many strikeouts. Put him in front of a good infield defense, and he’s a deal.

 

105. David DeJesus, OF: Always a steady, league-average, high-contact bat – until last season. He’s perfect as a fourth outfielder who in a pinch can start.

 

106. Matt Joyce, OF: Absolutely lost all season in Anaheim. Just 31, Joyce should be able to find himself a job somewhere hitting right-handers.

 

107. Matt Belisle, RP: Outside of the elbow issues that sidelined him half the season – which is baseball’s version of asking Mrs. Lincoln what she thought of the play – his stuff looked good and warrants another big league season.

 

108. Alex Avila, C: SIGNED Scary casualty of concussions as well as other nagging injuries that happen to catchers along the way. With playing time rationed properly, he could be effective once again.

 

109. Randy Choate, RP: Best LOOGY since Pumpkin blasted New York with the drive-by.

 

110. Justin De Fratus, RP: SIGNED Workhorse reliever who was excellent in one-inning stints and a mess when a taxed Phillies bullpen forced him to pitch a second inning.

 

111. Bud Norris, SP: SIGNED Someone will give him an American job.

 

112. Brandon Morrow, SP: At this point, it’s rather evident he can’t hold up for a season as a starter. So turn him into a power reliever, lard his contract with incentives for games pitched, unleash him and get what you can.

 

113. Mike Aviles, UT: Signed out of college for $1,000. Has made nearly $12 million. The face of versatility and clubhouse presence.

114. Stephen Drew, UT: We’re well past No. 100. A utilityman coming off a season in which he hit 17 home runs is pretty good. Stop throwing tomatoes at me, Yankees fans.

115. Jonathan Broxton, RP: Can’t think about him without thinking of this.

 

116. Jonny Gomes, OF: Look, you’re going to the playoffs if you sign him – five of his last six teams have played in the postseason – so just pony up the $2 million and get it over with.

 

117. Aaron Harang, SP: Testing the limits of just how low a guy capable of throwing 200 innings can go.

 

118. Joel Peralta, RP: The slowest man in baseball will try to do what just nine others did last season: Throw a pitch at 40 years old.

 

119. Chris Denorfia, OF: Solid fourth outfielder. And that’s meant as a compliment.

 

120. Gavin Floyd, SP: When he’s healthy, he pitches well. He’s pretty much never healthy. Thus, the quandary.

 

121. Sean Rodriguez, UT: Decent utility option. Fallback career? Fighting inanimate objects.

 

122. Joe Thatcher, RP: Choate 2.0.

 

123. Edwin Jackson, SP/RP: Reinvented as a fastball-slider reliever, Jackson showed some promise last season. He’s still just 32, and though his fastball velocity didn’t tick up with the move to the bullpen, his nascent relief career may still have some surprises in store.

 

124. Dale Thayer, RP: Three straight strong years at Petco Park gave way to a disappointing 2015 in which the mustachioed sidewinder stopped throwing strikes and striking hitters out.

 

125. Ross Detwiler, SP/RP: Only three years separated from a 3.40 ERA in the Nationals’ rotation, he’s got enough promise to dream on, first as a starter, then out of the 'pen as a fallback.

 

126. Joe Beimel, RP: Second year of comeback wasn’t as good as the first, but he can be a serviceable-enough lefty out of the bullpen.

 

127. Kyle Kendrick, SP: Probably would’ve preferred to have been traded to Japan than pitch in Colorado. Only once ever did a pitcher give up more home runs in as few innings as Kendrick’s 33 in 142 1/3 last year.

 

128. James Russell, RP: SIGNED Still has a better-than-average career ERA. Is left-handed. Only 29. He’ll be back in the big leagues sooner than later after signing a minor-league contract with the Phillies.

 

129. Kyle Blanks, 1B: One of those players teams still haven’t given up on, even at 29 years old. Surgery on both Achilles' ended his year, but if he heals well, he’ll get a crack somewhere.

 

130. Craig Breslow, RP: Joins Cotts on the 12-homers-allowed in 60-something innings team with Ogando, Josh Tomlin, Evan Scribner, Yohan Flande, Tyler Lyons and Matt Cain.

 

131. Jeff Francoeur, OF: Always pulls out a season just OK enough to paper over his sub-.300 OBP and buy himself another year or two in the big leagues. Vive la Francoeur!

 

132. Ryan Vogelsong, SP: In this century, only 24 pitchers have thrown 150-plus innings at 38 or older. Odds are against Vogelsong after a down season.

 

133. Chris Heisey, OF: Plate discipline drastically improved in 2015, making him a sleeper candidate for a fourth-outfield job somewhere.

 

134. Conor Gillaspie, 3B: White Sox brute-forced him into the lineup for three years, and it didn’t work. Just 28, he’ll get a few more cracks at a job.

 

135. Wesley Wright, RP: Won’t get a big league deal but will show up in the major leagues every year from now well through the 2020s if he wants. Lefties, man.

 

136. Drew Stubbs, CF: In 123 at-bats last season, struck out 60 times. Best fits in a state with a burgeoning wind-power industry.

 

137. Jean Machi, RP: Speaking of wind power.

 

138. Skip Schumaker, UT: If he ends up in Arizona with Tony La Russa, his walkup music needs to be this.

139. Gordon Beckham, 2B: SIGNED From a scout, on the 20-to-80 scale. Hit: 40. Power: 40. Run: 50. Arm: 50. Glove: 60. Hair: 80.  Signed with Atlanta Braves.

140. Blaine Boyer, RP: Strikeout rate of 4.57 per nine was the worst for full-time reliever with at least 50 innings.

 

141. Brian Duensing, RP: Strikeout rate was lower than Boyer’s. Threw 48 2/3 innings.

 

142. Edward Mujica, RP: Something says he’s not going to get a two-year deal or $9.5 million guaranteed this go-round.

 

143. Garrett Jones, 1B: He was logging fairly regular at-bats for the Yankees as late as July, and they still made the playoffs. Impressive.

 

144. Rickie Weeks, UT: Could potentially play himself onto a team strictly with his ability to hit left-handed pitching.

 

145. Tom Gorzelanny, RP: Looked like a different man as a lefty reliever until last year, when ol’ Gorzelanny returned to the tune of a 5.95 ERA.

 

146. Alberto Callaspo, 3B: Has eaten himself out of the middle infield, where his flexibility helped guarantee him jobs for years. Not anymore.

 

147. Emilio Bonifacio, UT: Pulled off the rare feat of all three triple-slash categories in the .100s. Boni does what Boni wants.

 

148. Clint Barmes, SS: Glove isn’t what it used to be. Bat is.

 

149. Casey Janssen, RP: Doesn’t walk anyone. Doesn’t strike out anyone anymore, either, and combine that with a 30 percent groundball rate and an 88-mph fastball, and doom beckons.

 

150. Travis Ishikawa, 1B: If he never has to buy a beer again in San Francisco, shouldn’t he just spend all day drinking beer?

 

151. Shane Victorino, OF: Don’t worry … about a thing … except the .292 slugging percentage and the forthcoming 35th birthday and all the other things that are going to make it difficult to win a job after a nice 12-year career.

 

152. Tim Stauffer, RP: Left San Diego, imploded. A story as old as Vin Scully.

 

153. Bronson Arroyo, SP: Still hasn’t thrown a competitive pitch after Tommy John surgery 16 months ago.

 

154. Casey McGehee, 3B: Last time he needed to revitalize his career, McGehee spent a season in Japan. A return trip is in order.

 

155. Hector Noesi, SP: Pitched well enough at Triple-A to get another big league sniff after bombing out of the White Sox’s rotation last season.

 

156. Jeremy Guthrie, SP: Homer-prone with a big ERA. Turns 37 shortly after opening day. Weird habit of taking pictures of sportswriters’ butts, posting them to Twitter.

 

157. Peter Moylan, RP: Got another chance with the Braves and made the most of it after Tommy John surgery. Stuff, not sentimentality, will buy him another shot at the big leagues.

 

158. Eric O’Flaherty, RP: Hasn’t been the same since his Tommy John. Minor league deal likelier than not at this point.

 

159. Bobby Parnell, RP: Ditto.

 

160. Cory Luebke, SP: Two Tommy John surgeries later, his arm still is problematic. If he gets back to the big leagues, it’s a huge success already.

 

161. Justin Maxwell, OF: Huge raw tools make him look like a big leaguer, and then you look up and he’s hitting .209/.275/.341 and you’re all, “Yeah, not a big leaguer.”

 

162. Jonathan Herrera, UT: Every team needs a utilityman. Herrera is a utilityman. Thus, every team needs Herrera. This false logic is the only explanation for Herrera spending seven years in the big leagues

 

163. Chris Parmelee, 1B: Remember when Chris Parmelee hit third for the Orioles four times in six games? Yeah, Baltimore doesn’t want to, either.

 

164. Vinnie Pestano, RP: Excellent numbers at Triple-A haven’t translated back into big league success since his first two seasons with Cleveland.

 

165. Dillon Gee, SP: He’s exactly who you want at Triple-A for when a pitcher goes down with an injury.

 

166. Roberto Hernandez, SP: Should petition to change his legal name to Fausto Carmona, because Roberto Hernandez is terrible.

 

167. Sergio Santos, RP: Lots of strikeouts. Lots of walks. Lots of hits. Lots of home runs. Lots of runs. A man of excess, which tends not to be the most desirable quality in a pitcher.

 

168. Eric Stults, SP: If his career as a starter is done, he’s still got another 10 years in his arm as a reliever.

 

169. Andrew Bailey, RP: Another victim of the arm. Oakland getting Josh Reddick for him is one of the better trades in recent years.

 

170. John Mayberry Jr., OF: He hit cleanup twice for the NL pennant winners, which says far more about the Mets than it does John Mayberry Jr.

 

171. Chris Capuano, SP/RP: Foray into the bullpen didn’t go particularly well. At 37, best hope is to sign with a team that loses a few pitchers to injury in the spring.

 

172. Manny Parra, RP: Partially torn ligament in his left elbow. Issues in his left shoulder. Tendinitis in his left biceps. Guess he should’ve been a righty.

 

173. Ernesto Frieri, RP: If he can’t find a big league job, he can moonlight annually as a pitcher in the Home Run Derby.

 

174. Joaquin Arias, UT: Two World Series rings? Check. Nearly $5 million in career earnings? Check. Never posted a league-average OPS? Check.

 

175. Randy Wolf, SP: Hasn’t posted an ERA under 5.00 since 2011. Has held a job in three of the four years since anyway. Enjoy this video tribute to Wolf.

 

176. Willie Bloomquist, UT: Willie retire? (Log off, Passan.)

 

177. Sean Marshall, RP: Less than 25 innings since 2012. Shame for a legitimate top reliever.

 

178. Jerome Williams, SP: Safe bet not to get a major league contract this season.

 

179. Corey Hart, OF: Can’t stay healthy enough for a guaranteed deal anymore.

 

180. Radhames Liz, RP: Cool name at least.

 

181. Cliff Pennington, UT: SIGNED Just make him a pitcher.

 

182. Maicer Izturis, UT: Izturis gonna get a minor league deal? Yes. Yes he is. God, just end this.

 

183. Nate McLouth, OF: For $10.75 million, Nationals got one home run and seven RBIs. Nationals offered preferred managerial choice $1.6 million for one year. Priorities in Washington aren’t just awful on Capitol Hill.

 

184. Chad Billingsley, SP: Precipitous fall for a really talented arm that just couldn’t stay healthy.

 

185. Joe Nathan, RP: He’s 100 spots higher if he isn’t coming off a second Tommy John surgery, plus a flexor-mass repair. That surgery takes 18 months of recovery, and considering Nathan’s surgery was in late April, the chances of him pitching in 2016 aren’t good, though a team could lock him in for 2017 in hopes he’s still pitching at age 42.

 

186. Dan Uggla, 2B: Had one good game last season.

 

187. Jeff Francis, RP: Has the two necessary requisites for a job in MLB: Lefty with a pulse.

 

188. Don Kelly, UT: For one, he’s coming off Tommy John surgery. For two, he’s Don Kelly.

189. Munenori Kawasaki, UT: Still drunk.

190. Josh Johnson, SP: The saddest case of a ruined arm since Mark Prior. A third Tommy John surgery and out for 2016, if not forever.

 

191. Jeff Mathis, C: The worst hitter in baseball always gets opportunities because his glove and arm play. His .560 career OPS in more than 2,000 plate appearances is the lowest of the last quarter-century by 35 points.