As Brewers manager Pat Murphy walked to the stage at Tropicana Field after winning the World Series, he turned to his head of baseball operations to deliver a message. 

"Hey, I have some thoughts for spring training in ‘27,’" Matt Arnold recalled Murphy telling him. "I’m like, ‘Not right now. Now’s not the time.’"

Amid the revelry, Arnold wanted to take a moment to absorb the present before considering the future. But that time has come now, especially with one of the Brewers’ top sluggers already set to wear a new uniform in 2027. 

This week’s GM meetings laid the groundwork for what could be a flurry of activity before the collective bargaining agreement ends on the night of Dec. 1. As Major League executives departed Las Vegas on Thursday, the Braves struck a three-year deal for longtime Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips, who returns to the team that drafted him in 2015. Less than 24 hours later, the Red Sox made the biggest move in free agency to this point, signing NLCS MVP Jake Bauers.

Boston found the power bat in Bauers, who declined his qualifying offer in Milwaukee and agreed to a four-year, $58 million deal with the Red Sox. Perhaps that catalyzes the market. As of now, nearly every free agent in our Top 50 is still available. 

Here are 10 of the top players on the market, along with potential landing spots for each. 

1. Tarik Skubal, LHP

Why He's Ranked Here: Skubal is in a clear tier by himself in this year’s otherwise light free-agent class.

His agent, Scott Boras, will look to make him the highest-paid pitcher in the sport’s history, which would require a team surpassing the 12-year, $325 million contract the Dodgers gave to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

It’s no surprise, then, why the New York Mets are considered the favorites to land him. While there will only be a handful of teams willing to shop at this level of the market, it does sound like one of them might pounce before a potential lockout. 

2. Michael King, RHP 

Why He's Ranked Here: King opted out after the first year of his three-year, $75 million contract with the Padres to become a free agent. Clearly, the former reliever would like another multi-year offer after producing a 3.15 ERA over three seasons as a full-time starter in San Diego. His strikeout rate dipped, and his walk rate climbed last year while throwing a career-high 185 innings, but he no longer has a qualifying offer attached to him the way he did last winter. That should make him an especially appealing target on the open market and could yield him a bigger deal than he received last winter. 

Still, a return to San Diego remains a possibility. His impact on the Padres in October was immeasurable. King allowed one run in 14 postseason innings and was fearless, picking up a save in Game 3 of the NLDS with two scoreless innings of relief just two days after starting Game 2. 

3. Randy Arozarena, OF 

Why He's Ranked Here: Arozarena has produced at least 20 homers and 20 steals in six straight seasons, an especially noteworthy feat considering his last 2 ½ years have been spent in Seattle. As Boras put it: "He’s a model of consistency, and he’s done it in a market where right-handed hitters go to die." 

Indeed, Arozarena was one of the only bright spots in the Mariners’ disappointing lineup, producing an .865 OPS that represented his highest mark over the course of a full season in his eight-year career. In a market with few right-handed offensive threats, it’ll be interesting to see whether teams value Arozarena or Seiya Suzuki as the better option as both outfield sluggers enter their age-32 seasons. Each player has a qualifying offer attached. 

4. Seiya Suzuki, OF 

Why He's Ranked Here: Overshadowed by MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong in the Cubs’ outfield, Suzuki just put together the most valuable season of his career (5.1 bWAR). It was also his fourth straight season with at least 20 home runs and an OPS over .800. Since joining the Cubs in 2022, Suzuki ranks 12th in MLB in both OPS and wRC+ among all qualified right-handed hitters. 

For teams seeking a right-handed slugger who won’t hurt them defensively in a corner, he might be the most alluring outfielder on the market. Suzuki’s five outs above average and 14 defensive runs saved last season both represented career highs. Can he replicate that level of defense as he gets deeper into his 30s? 

5. Teruaki Sato, 3B/OF

Why He's Ranked Here: Sato’s aggressiveness at the plate and questions defensively bring risk, but we’re also talking about a 27-year-old who might be the best bat on the market. He launched 40 home runs in 2025 and another 39 in 2026 for NPB’s Hanshin Tigers. His 79 homers over the last two seasons were 15 more than the next-closest NPB player, and he also won the Triple Crown last season. 

There will be plenty of teams willing to live with an elevated strikeout rate if the lefty slugger can maintain that power in his move to MLB. Sato may ultimately have to bump from third base to first base or, more likely, a corner outfield spot. But don’t be surprised if he ends up the highest-paid position player in this year’s class. 

6. Brandon Lowe, 2B 

Lowe’s contract year in Pittsburgh couldn’t have gone much better. He led all MLB second basemen with 35 home runs, though the power was nothing new. He has hit at least 30 homers three times in his nine-year career, has hit at least 20 homers each of the last four seasons and has been an above-league-average hitter every season. The bigger changes were his defense and durability. 

Known as a bat-first infielder, Lowe is coming off the best defensive season of his career. He went from minus-14 defensive runs saved and outs above average with the Rays in 2025 to plus-13 and plus-15 in those categories, respectively, in his lone season with the Pirates in 2026. He also played in a career-high 150 games. Teams will have to weigh how much they believe in his improved health and defense as he enters his age-32 season. Either way, second basemen with this kind of power don’t become available often. 

7. Luis Arraez, 2B

Arraez has hit fewer than 10 home runs in seven of his first eight seasons, but his bat-to-ball skills have made him an above league-average hitter every year of his career and a four-time All-Star. Last year, he hit .310 — even after a disappointing finish to the season following a trade from San Francisco to Philadelphia — and came a point away from winning the NL batting crown. 

More surprisingly, though, he also produced the best defensive season of his career after shifting from first base back to second, where the 29-year-old graded out as a top-five defensive player at his position by outs above average. As teams weigh the sustainability of that dramatic defensive improvement, he at least provided reason to believe he could be more than just an elite contact hitter. 

8. Freddy Peralta, RHP 

For a while, Peralta’s walk year looked like a disaster. He had a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts with the Mets before finding refuge in Tampa Bay, where he made some tweaks, found his fastball again and gained his confidence back. Peralta had a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts for the Rays, including a 0.79 ERA over his final six starts of the regular season, before producing a 2.95 ERA over five playoff appearances. 

Overall, Peralta’s 21.4% strikeout rate last year was the lowest of his career, but his underlying numbers were better than his 4.42 ERA demonstrated, and his late-season uptick combined with a history of production could make the 30-year-old the most desirable starter on the market behind Skubal. 

9. Ryan Jeffers, C

Over the last four seasons, Jeffers’ .782 OPS and 119 wRC+ (19% better than league average) rank eighth among all primary catchers. Last year, his .814 OPS was the second-highest mark of his career and ranked fourth among all catchers with at least 300 plate appearances. 

You have to decrease the minimum because he only played in 92 games after fracturing his hamate bone. Staying on the field has been an issue for the 29-year-old, who has never played more than 122 games in a single season, and he’s an average defender at best. Still, his bat makes him the clear top catcher on the market and should generate plenty of interest. The Twins gave him the qualifying offer for a reason. 

Prediction: Minnesota Twins — They decided not to trade him at the deadline; best not to let him walk now, even if he declines the qualifying offer, considering the lack of depth behind him. 

10. Clay Holmes, RHP 

The veteran ground-ball extraordinaire looked like an All-Star through his first nine starts last year, producing a 2.39 ERA for the Mets before fracturing his fibula. He was traded to the Cubs at the deadline and looked terrific in August (1.55 ERA in five starts) before falling apart in September (8.24 ERA) with as many walks (15) as strikeouts (15) over his final four starts of the season. 

While Holmes was limited to 101.1 innings last season, the former All-Star closer has demonstrated his worthiness as a starter, producing a 3.44 ERA over the last two seasons after converting from the bullpen. His ability to pitch in either role should be enticing to any playoff contender. With the highest ground-ball rate of any starter in MLB last season (60.7%), Holmes is best suited somewhere with a good defensive infield behind him. 

Prediction: Chicago Cubs — It's fair to wonder if his late-season struggles in Chicago — and the fact that the Cubs didn’t pitch him in the wild-card series — might impact his willingness to return. Still, the Cubs’ elite defense and multiple needs in the rotation make Chicago a logical fit.