Best MLB FA Fits

The Major League Baseball season has concluded, ending with a new champion in Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves. Now, free agency is upon us. MLB free agency moves at a painfully slow pace and it could be drawn out even longer with pending negotiations over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Alas, players will sign with teams, whether it's in November or February. In this article, I identified seven free agent players that would fit well with seven MLB teams. These pairings are quite subjective and don't necessarily indicate where the players will actually go, these are just my opinions.

2B/OF Chris Taylor → Phillies

Kicking us off, Taylor has been a swiss army knife during his tenure in Los Angeles. A return to LA shouldn't be ruled out, but should he leave Southern California, the Philadelphia Phillies would be a perfect fit. In 2021, Chris Taylor slashed .254/.344/.438 with a 113 wRC+. Throughout the season, CT3 played 61 games in CF, 46 at 2B, 30 in LF, 23 at SS, 11 at 3B, and 8 in RF. Jean Segura has been productive at 2B for the Phillies, posting a 109 wRC+ in 2021, but that shouldn't stop Philadelphia from going after Taylor. He could play the OF, as Andrew McCutchen hits free agency and Odubel Herrera shouldn't be an every day player. Taylor could also man SS, which is a question mark in Philadelphia after an abysmal year from Didi Gregorious. In total, Chris Taylor's versatility makes him a perfect fit for the Phillies.

SS Carlos Correa → Tigers

Carlos Correa, who I consider the best player on the free agent market, is almost guaranteed to be leaving the Houston Astros. After a monstrous 2021, where he hit .279/.366/.485 with a 134 wRC+ and also posted a whopping +21 DRS, Correa is in line to cash in on a major payday. So you may be wondering, why would he go from a World Series contender to the Detroit Tigers? Well, while the Tigers weren't contenders in 2021, they pulled out a 77-85 record despite 60 win expectations. They had players such as Jeimer Candelario, Jonathan Schoop, Robbie Grossman, Akil Baddoo, and Eric Haase show themselves as quality bats, while Casey Mize, Matt Boyd, and Tyler Alexander headlined an up-and-coming pitching staff under 1st year manager A.J. Hinch. Speaking of Hinch, he was Carlos' manager in Houston before he was fired as a fallout from the 2017 sign stealing scandal. To top things off, the Tigers have signaled they intend to be aggressive this offseason, already trading for backstop Tucker Barnhart. It's not a perfect comparison, but Correa becoming a Tiger would be another version of when Manny Machado signed with the Padres, a superstar player ready to lead a young team forward.

RF Michael Conforto → Padres

I thoroughly expected Conforto to accept the Qualifying Offer from the New York Mets, but now that he's on the open market, San Diego seems like a great landing spot for him. Michael Conforto had a disappointing 2021, but still managed to produce a slightly-above-average 106 wRC+. I tend to believe his career numbers, .255/.356/.468 w/ 124 wRC+, likely indicates what type of player he truly is. The Padres need an outfielder and a left-handed power bat, which, assuming his power numbers return closer to his career mark, makes Conforto a fit. As a team, San Diego ranked 21st in slugging and that's with 30+ HRs from Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis. Swapping out impending free agent LF Tommy Pham for Conforto would likely boost both power and balance for the Friars offense, as Trent Grisham and Jake Cronenworth are the only lefties who are regularly in the lineup (provided Eric Hosmer is moved as he's expected to be).

CF Starling Marte → Mets

This may be my favorite match, as the Mets are starving for another outfielder and Marte is one of the best on the market. Starling Marte is coming off possibly the best year of his career, slashing .308/.381/.456 with a 133 wRC+, as well as 47 SBs. With Michael Conforto likely gone, coupled with the struggles of Dom Smith and Jeff McNeil, Marte seems like a logical replacement in one of the corner spots, or possibly in center. Even if he regresses closer to a 110-115 wRC+ mark, Starling Marte would be a stable and speedy presence at the top of the New York lineup.

RHP Max Scherzer → Angels

Possibly baseball's best big game pitcher, even still at the age of 38, Max Scherzer teaming up with Mike Trout in Anaheim makes too much sense. Scherzer has shown little to no signs of regression posting a 2.46 ERA/2,89 xERA/2.97 FIP in 179.1 IP in 2021, good enough to be recognized as a Cy Young finalist. The Angels rotation ranked 22nd in team ERA in 2021 at 4.78, signaling they still have to address pitching yet another offseason. Although last season went sour for the Halos, they still have Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon leading the offense, they have young pitching talent in Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, and Jose Suarez, and of course the unicorn himself Shohei Ohtani. With Scherzer as the bonafide ace and workhorse of the staff, he could help lead the Angels to their first postseason appearance in years.

RHP Anthony DeSclafani → Mariners

Despite their improbable run that fell just short of the playoffs, the Seattle Mariners rotation was very questionable, ranking 19th in baseball with a 4.61 combined ERA. Anthony DeSclafani had shown promise throughout his career, but couldn't consistently put it together. In 2021, Disco DeSclafani put it all together, pitching to a 3.17 ERA/3.92 xERA/3.62 FIP over 167.2 IP. I tend to believe the Giants opt to bring back Kevin Gausman over DeSclafani, in which case the Mariners should swoop in and grab the 31 year old starter. He'll cost some money, but not nearly as much as the likes of Gausman, Ray, and Scherzer. Seattle has signaled they're willing to spend, I think Anthony DeSclafani would be a good start to help shore up the rotation.

BONUS: 1B Freddie Freeman → Braves

My first six picks excluded players returning to their current team, but I felt that I had to include Freddie Freeman's return to the Atlanta Braves as a bonus. Coming up on age 32, Freeman is still hitting as well as he did when he was 25, slashing .300/.393/.503 with a 135 wRC+ in 2021, coming off of an MVP campaign in 2020 and before a ridiculous .304/.420/.625 w/ 160 wRC+ in the 2021 postseason. Freddie is the heart and soul of the defending champion Braves, the team he's spent his entire career with. Atlanta would be a significantly worse team without Freeman, it would be a disservice to their organization and to Freddie Freeman if they didn't do everything they can to bring him back home. Send him over a blank check and see him in Florida in February, it's as easy as that, Alex Anthopoulos! The Atlanta sports curse has been broken, there is no better fit than Freddie Freeman remaining as an Atlanta Brave.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! Do you agree with my picks? Let me know in the comments below!

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