Sports
All-Free-Agent Team: Closers and corner outfielders aplenty, harder to fill up the middle
The offseason is built for free-agent rankings. Our resident scout Keith Law compiled his top 50 free agents, and our resident GM Jim Bowden ranked his own top 45. A handful of our writers worked together to develop a collective Big Board of the market’s top 40 free agents.
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MLB Top 40 Free Agent Big Board: Welcome to the Juan Soto sweepstakes
But while rankings give a sense of the top talent available, we have to rearrange those lists to better understand where the market is deep and especially thin. Here, then, is a 26-man roster made entirely of free agents, illustrating the ample options for a needy rotation, bullpen or outfield corner, and the relative lack of options for almost any position up the middle.
Lineup
- Willy Adames, SS
- Juan Soto, RF
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Anthony Santander, DH
- Teoscar Hernández, LF
- Alex Bregman, 3B
- Gleyber Torres, 2B
- Travis d’Arnaud, C
- Harrison Bader, CF
Power in the middle
If you’re in the market for a slugger, this offseason has some options. Five of the 18 players who hit over 30 home runs this season are now free agents (Soto, Santander, Alonso, Hernández, Adames). Bregman also has some pop, and d’Arnaud was top 10 among catchers in slugging percentage. Among the free agents who didn’t make our starting lineup, Randal Grichuk, Joc Pederson, Tyler O’Neill and Kyle Higashioka each slugged at least .475 this year.
Depth at the corners
Our Big Board has enough corner outfielders near the top that we had to stick one of them at designated hitter just to fit them all in our lineup. Even then, there are enough everyday options that a second string could have plenty of impact, with Jurickson Profar (.839 OPS in 2024), Tyler O’Neill (.847) and Joc Pederson (.908) also ranking among our top 26 free agents. Another corner bat, first baseman Christian Walker (.803 OPS, three Gold Gloves), is No. 15 on our list.
Point of weakness
When Cody Bellinger chose to stay with the Chicago Cubs, the free-agent market lost its best center-field option. No other center fielder came particularly close to making our Big Board. For our Free Agents Team we chose Bader (coming off a 1.3 fWAR with the Mets) over other glove-first options Michael A. Taylor and Kiké Hernández. Center field is the market’s thinnest and weakest position, though the market isn’t particularly deep anywhere up the middle.
Jurickson Profar, ranked 17th on our Free Agent Big Board, was a first-time All-Star in 2024. (Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images)
Bench
- Christian Walker, 1B
- Ha-Seong Kim, SS/2B
- Jurickson Profar, OF
- Danny Jansen, C
Thin in the infield
Positionally, this is not a great way to build a big-league bench. There’s no backup third baseman, no backup center fielder, and we’re not sure when our utility man is going to be ready (or how much his shoulder surgery will impact his ability to play shortstop). But the options — especially in the infield — are limited. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt ranks No. 29, but our Big Board includes no other infielders who aren’t listed here. The ones that came closest are Carlos Santana, José Iglesias, Yoán Moncada and Korean infielder Hye-seong Kim, and there are reasons to wonder about each of those in an everyday role. Second baseman Jorge Polanco could be interesting as a bounce-back candidate, and shortstop Paul DeJong has hit his way back onto the map after a good season.
Options behind the plate
There are no catchers on our Big Board, but d’Arnaud and Jansen did generate some bottom-of-the-list consideration, and the free-agent market also has Higashioka, Carson Kelly, Gary Sánchez, Elías Díaz, Jacob Stallings and others who have been solid big-league catchers in recent years. This market doesn’t necessarily have a standout everyday catcher, but those are few and far between in today’s game. For teams trying to build a catching duo, free agency might offer a few solutions.
Lefty bats
For our backup outfielder, we just went with the highest name remaining from the Big Board (Profar), but the market notably has a decent number of left-handed options that could be useful in a platoon. Joc Pederson (No. 26), Max Kepler (34), Alex Verdugo (38) and Michael Conforto (40) made our Big Board, and Jesse Winker just missed. Jason Heyward is also a free agent after providing some left-handed balance for a few contenders (the Dodgers and Astros) this past season.
Rotation
- Corbin Burnes, RHP
- Max Fried, LHP
- Blake Snell, RHP
- Jack Flaherty, RHP
- Sean Manaea, LHP
Impact starters
Our Big Board’s top 12 includes six starting pitchers, but we didn’t include No. 3 Roki Sasaki in our All-Free Agent rotation because his situation is unique and some of his value is tied to his youth (23 years old) and the fact he’ll have to sign relatively cheap. Among proven big-league starters, this free-agent market includes four of the top 20 in ERA this past season. Burnes is unmistakably the top arm in the class, and the depth of No. 1 starters depends on whether teams believe the recent performances of Flaherty and Manaea are sustainable.
Next tier
Almost half of our top 25 free agents are mid-rotation-or-better arms — Nathan Eovaldi (No. 13 on the Big Board), Yusei Kikuchi (14), Shane Bieber (20), Walker Buehler (21), Luis Severino (23), and Nick Martinez (25) — but they come with a vast array of questions ranging from age to health to recent inconsistency. Bieber, in particular, is interesting given that he’s a Cy Young winner returning from Tommy John surgery and doesn’t turn 30 until the end of May. Martinez is 34, but he’s coming off a career year that saw him pitch well down the stretch as a full-time starter.
A question of age
The bottom of our Big Board is loaded with successful but uncertain starting pitchers. Tomoyuki Sugano, Matthew Boyd, José Quintana and Max Scherzer each rank between 35 and 39 on our list, and all will be aged between 34 and 40 next season. The first player who missed the cut for our Big Board was Charlie Morton, another stater who turns 41 later this month. A few spots below Morton was Justin Verlander, who’s almost 42. Sugano has never pitched in the majors. Boyd’s made 23 starts the past three years combined. Scherzer made just nine starts this season. Which can be trusted to carry a starter’s workload next year?
Bullpen
- Tanner Scott, LHP
- Jeff Hoffman, RHP
- Clay Holmes, RHP
- Carlos Estévez, RHP
- Blake Treinen, RHP
- Kirby Yates, RHP
- Kenley Jansen, RHP
- David Robertson, RHP
Impact at the top
Six of these eight relievers have been All-Stars within the past two seasons. The only exceptions are Treinen (who’s been an All-Star in the past and most recently was the top arm in the Dodgers’ postseason bullpen) and Robertson (another former All-Star who along with Yates, Scott, Jansen, Hoffman and Estévez ranked in the top 20 in Win Probability Added this season). Four other free agents — Chris Martin, Hector Neris, Paul Sewald and Lucas Sims — were top 10 in Win Probability Added in 2023. There’s potential for impact here.
Closers for hire
This free-agent class is especially deep in pitchers with extensive closer experience. Eleven free agents — Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman, Robertson, Will Smith, Neris, Yates, Sewald, Estévez, Treinen and Holmes — rank top 25 in saves among active players, and that list doesn’t include Scott, who’s had double-digit saves the past three years and made the All-Star team last year. Ninth-inning experience is readily available this winter.
From the left side
We chose our bullpen by picking every reliever on our Big Board, plus the two who came closest to making the cut. If we wanted a second lefty, though, Chapman and Danny Coulombe — surprisingly let go by the Orioles — would warrant some consideration. A.J. Minter, Tim Hill and Jalen Beeks are among the other free-agent lefties who could help balance a bullpen.
(Top photo of Pete Alonso: Harry How / Getty Images)
Sports
It’s Game 7, and we have a bet locked in as the Cavaliers and legacies are on the line against the Pistons
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The NBA takes a lot of flak for having meaningless games, and I can definitely understand it, watching on a random Wednesday in January. However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.
This will be the fourth Game 7 of the playoffs. Three series have been sweeps, and the other three have been six games. That shows competitive hoops. Now, how do we bet this Game 7 in the Eastern Conference?
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew it. After not winning a road game all postseason, they took Game 5 in surprising fashion. It looked like they were going to win in six games. After all, they hadn’t lost a game at home in the postseason.
Instead, Detroit came out and blitzed the Cavs, never giving them a chance to get their footing. They lost in an ugly fashion and now have to figure out a way to win a game on the road.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of Game 5 in the second-round NBA playoffs in Detroit on May 13, 2026. (Duane Burleson/AP)
It isn’t just the Cavs’ fate that rests in this game. It is also the legacy of James Harden and, to a lesser extent, Donovan Mitchell.
We know that Mitchell is a very good player, but he isn’t regarded as one of the best players ever. Harden is. Unfortunately, Harden has struggled in Game 7s. He’s averaged 19.1 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds. That’s not terrible, but looking at his shooting percentages, he is at 35.3% and 22.2% in those games. He actually is 4-4 overall in the games, but in his past three, he has scored a combined 34 points over 113 minutes.
The Detroit Pistons seem to like playing with their backs against the wall. They are a gritty team, so I suppose it makes sense.
Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren reacts after allowing a pass to go out of bounds in the second half of Game 4 of the second-round NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on May 11, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Cade Cunningham continues to deliver for the team, and he finally got some help in Game 6 from Jalen Duren. This was never going to be an easy series for Duren, but it feels like he is taking more time to mature than others. He definitely improved this year, but the consistency they need from him just isn’t there yet.
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Now as the team goes home they will need Duren to be a beast on the glass. If he can keep the Pistons in the rebounding battle, they should win this game with ease. They won Game 6 by just three rebounds, but that takes away a big dimension of what Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley do for the Cavs. It isn’t everything, though, as the Pistons won the rebounding battle in both losses in Cleveland.
I don’t see this being a runaway game for the Pistons. Mitchell and Cunningham likely will cancel each other out with scoring. Harden needs to establish himself as the third-best player on the floor. I haven’t seen him do that in the postseason, yet.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden talk during Game 2 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs vs. the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio. (David Dermer/Imagn Images)
This is the second Game 7 of the playoffs for both of the clubs, so it isn’t like either will be caught off guard about what this entails.
If I look at it objectively, I think the Cavs have the better players. However, the Pistons have looked significantly better this season, and definitely in the playoffs overall. Both are prone to issues and slipping. The Cavs shouldn’t be as they are a veteran team.
This game has to be won by Cleveland, though. There is too much riding on the franchise and legacies of guys for them to not prepare properly for it. Maybe that’s weak analysis, but I’m taking the Cavs with the points and I do think they win outright. I expect a monster game from Mitchell, and Harden should get 10+ assists.
Either way, whoever wins will lose to the New York Knicks.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
FIRST ROUND
DIVISION 1
Murrieta Mesa 10, Valley View 0
Orange Lutheran 10, Millikan 0
Chino Hills 2, El Modena 1
Etiwanda 14, Agoura 13
Palos Verdes 3, Riverside King 2
Cypress 4, Fullerton 2
Ayala 11, Charter Oak 1
Riverside Poly 7, California 3
Norco 2, Marina 1
DIVISION 3
Rancho Cucamonga 9, Paloma Valley 1
Great Oak 5, West Torrance 2
Edison 8, El Segundo 5
El Toro 9, Colton 0
Murrieta Valley 9, Redondo Union 8
North Torrance 5, Beaumont 0
West Ranch 7, Trabuco Hills 6
San Juan Hills 8, Riverside North 7
Oak Park 10, Cerritos Valley Christian 4
Highland 7, Northview 2
La Serna 4, Carter 0
Dos Pueblos 5, Crescenta Valley 0
Liberty 10, Arcadia 3
DIVISION 5
Anaheim 11, Flintridge Sacred Heart 0
Patriot 11, Arrowhead Christian 9
Temple City 9, Rancho Christian 6
Grace 11, Buena Park 0
Crean Lutheran 3, Alemany 2
Shadow Hills 8, Cerritos 3
San Marcos 10, Leuzinger 0
South El Monte 7, Long Beach Wilson 5
Covina 11, Garden Grove Santiago 1
Muir 8, Rio Hondo Prep 7
Santa Monica 6, Katella 5
Ontario 6, Norwalk 2
Northwood 18, Duarte 11
DIVISION 7
Bloomington 9, Fillmore 8
Miller 11, Savanna 3
Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 11, Riverside Springs Magnolia 4
Faith Baptist 18, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 4
Twentynine Palms 16, Rancho Alamitos 15
Riverside Notre Dame 12, Costa Mesa 2
Firebaugh 9, Pioneer 8
Chadwick 6, Desert Christian Academy 1
Cathedral City 2, Artesia 1
Orange 9, Bellflower 3
Santa Ana 10, Hawthorne 0
Culver City 9, Temecula Prep 8
DIVISION 8
Banning 20, Redlands Adventist 3
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)
SECOND ROUND
DIVISION 1
La Habra at Murrieta Mesa, noon
Chino Hills at Orange Lutheran
Etiwanda at Westlake
La Mirada at Palos Verdes, noon
Garden Grove Pacifica at Cypress, noon
Ayala at JSerra
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Oaks Christian, 1 p.m.
Norco at Riverside Poly
DIVISION 2
Bonita at Ganesha, 11 a.m.
Whittier Christian at Warren
Simi Valley at St. Paul
Moorpark at Lakewood St. Joseph, 11 a.m.
Temescal Canyon at San Clemente, 12:30 p.m.
Huntington Beach at Camarillo, Monday
Saugus at Vista Murrieta, 12:30 p.m.
Mater Dei at Gahr, noon
DIVISION 3
Great Oak at Rancho Cucamonga
Edison at El Toro, Monday
Murrieta Valley at North Torrance
West Ranch at San Juan Hills
Riverside Prep at Oak Park, 12:30 p.m.
La Serna at Highland
Dos Pueblos at La Salle, Monday
Villa Park at Liberty, 1 p.m.
DIVISION 4
St. Bonaventure at Harvard-Westlake, 11 a.m.
Apple Valley at Oxnard
Don Lugo at Monrovia, 1:30 p.m.
La Quinta at Mira Costa
Rio Mesa at Mission Viejo, 10 a.m.
Oak Hills at Sunny Hills
Ramona at Paramount
Burbank Burroughs at Rosary, Monday
DIVISION 5
Anaheim vs. Santa Clara at Beck Park
Temple City at Patriot
Crean Lutheran at Grace
Viewpoint at Shadow Hills
San Marcos at Irvine University, noon
South El Monte at Covina
Santa Monica at Muir, 10:30 a.m.
Northwood at Ontario, 1 p.m.
DIVISION 6
Irvine at Lakeside
Alhambra at Heritage
Eastside at Granite Hills, noon
El Monte at St. Genevieve
Sierra Vista vs. Southlands Christian at Brea Canyon Cutoff Rd
Hesperia Christian vs. St. Monica Prep at Memorial Park, 2 p.m.
Arroyo at Lancaster
San Jacinto at Jurupa Valley
DIVISION 7
Bloomington at Ramona Convent
Miller at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel
Faith Baptist at Twentynine Palms, Monday
Firebaugh vs. Riverside Notre Dame at Ramona
Chadwick at Cathedral City
Orange at Victor Valley, 11 a.m.
Santa Ana at Culver City, Monday
Windward at Edgewood, Monday at 3:30 p.m.
DIVISION 8
ACE at Avalon
Bolsa Grande vs. San Bernardino, Monday at San Bernardino College
Workman at Glendale
Cobalt at Santa Rosa Academy
Bell Gardens vs. Brentwood at John Anson Ford Park
Pomona Catholic vs. Capistrano Valley Christian at Laguna Hills, 2 p.m.
Fontana at Banning
Hawthorne MSA at Arroyo Valley, 1 p.m.
Note: Quarterfinals May 20; Semifinals May 23; Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
GARRICK HIGGO SHARES BAFFLING COMMENTS WHILE REACTING TO TWO-SHOT PENALTY AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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