Major League Baseball

Who should sign Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso? Best fits for 10 notable free agents

Updated Jan. 16, 2025 1:36 p.m. ET

With Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried having already made their decisions in free agency, the top pitcher remaining on the market presents an unconventional case.

Money won't play much of a factor in the decision for Rōki Sasaki, who has reportedly narrowed down his destination to three contenders — the Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays — but can't take anything more than a team's international bonus pool money. Beyond Sasaki, though, there are plenty of more standard free agents left on the board for teams to fill their needs, pitching or otherwise.

Three of the top sluggers on the market, Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso and Anthony Santander, remain unsigned. Tanner Scott, the top closer in free agency, has also yet to sign and could ignite a slow relief market once he makes his decision. In addition, helpful depth pieces remain available both on the mound and in the field.

Certainly, money will play a factor in every player's decision. But as far as team fits go, Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar identify the best landing spots for 10 of the most intriguing free agents still on the board.

10. Max Scherzer, SP: Washington Nationals

Not one starting pitcher in the Nationals' projected rotation is older than 27, and while MacKenzie Gore has shown promising swing-and-miss stuff, the staff is green and largely unproven. Those arms could really use some veteran leadership to take them to the next level. So, why not welcome a reunion with Scherzer, who spent the bulk of his prime with the Nationals?

The market for starters has been incredibly expensive this winter, and Washington was never expected to be competitive for top-end arms. Scherzer's age and myriad injuries last year (back surgery, shoulder pain, hamstring injury) should bring his price down to a range the Nationals are comfortable spending. And even if he needs to spend some time on the injured list again, his insight and experience in the game are invaluable, particularly for a Nationals team that should be competitive enough to push for a wild-card berth given their exciting young offensive core. Don't forget, Scherzer can still pitch. He had a sub-4.00 ERA and low walk rate when he was healthy enough to be on the mound for the Rangers last year — and the Nationals would happily take that kind of performance.

If 2025 is Scherzer's swan song before Cooperstown, a homecoming with the Nationals could be something that works wonders for both sides. They could even retire his jersey while he's on the mound. — Thosar

9. Nick Pivetta, SP: Atlanta Braves

A year after the Chris Sale renaissance, could the Braves get the best out of another former Red Sox starter? Max Fried and Charlie Morton are gone. Spencer Strider will be back, but unlikely by Opening Day. Sale was the best pitcher in the National League last year, but the 2024 season was the first time he logged more than 20 starts since 2019. It was also the first time Reynaldo López was a full-time starter in four years, and his body started to wear down late in a terrific return to the rotation. The Braves should be excited about the follow-up campaign for Spencer Schwellenbach, and it's more than reasonable to expect AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep or one of their young arms to take a leap forward. Still, this is a team that has done nothing of note this offseason and could use more depth to complete a thinned-out rotation.

If the Braves want to keep the honor of the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the majors, Pivetta would help. He pitched much better in 2024 than his 6-12 record or 4.14 ERA would indicate (his expected ERA was 3.51), putting together the 10th-best K/BB ratio among all starters with at least 100 innings. The qualifying offer he rejected could be a hold-up in finding a new team, but perhaps the Braves — who will be getting a compensation pick after Fried went to the Yankees — would be a willing suitor. — Kavner

8. Carlos Estévez, RP: Arizona Diamondbacks

After shocking the industry with the Corbin Burnes signing, the D-backs need to shore up their bullpen depth before spring training rolls around. Their relievers recorded a 4.41 bullpen ERA that ranked 25th in baseball last year and now that they lost Paul Sewald to free agency, the need to supplement the relief corps with a top closer or setup man is pretty apparent. Lucky for them, Estévez is flying a bit under the radar while Tanner Scott remains unsigned. But the former Angels and Phillies closer could be a steal for the cost-conscious D-backs.

A two- or three-year deal with the 32-year-old Estévez should only cost the D-backs around $9-10 million per year, whereas Scott is likely looking for a deal with an AAV upwards of $10 million. Estévez's 57 saves and 3.22 ERA since 2023 indicate that he'll provide the back-end reliability they need to contend in 2025. Arizona has solid internal bullpen options like southpaw A.J. Puk and right-handers Justin Martinez and Kevin Ginkel, but general manager Mike Hazen indicated at December's winter meetings that he'd like to add someone else to the mix. Estévez's hard-throwing, high-leverage experience should be the answer. — Thosar

7. Ha-Seong Kim, INF: New York Yankees

Despite the flurry of needle-moving additions the Yankees made after they lost Juan Soto to the Mets, they still have a major hole in the infield following the departure of longtime second baseman Gleyber Torres. The Bronx Bombers need more guys who can get on base and create runs, and that's where Kim can come in and put his savvy baserunning to use. Plus, his excellent plate discipline (18.6% chase rate in the 98th percentile, per Baseball Savant) will do wonders if he's batting alongside Aaron Judge.

Kim's high baseball IQ and defensive versatility and prowess would be a breath of fresh air for a Yankees team that ranked 30th in FanGraphs' baserunning metrics in 2024 and routinely suffered from defensive miscues, poor fundamentals, and mental lapses in the infield (see: the World Series). The Yankees don't need more flashy free-agent signings now; they need a dynamic jack-of-all-trades Gold Glover like Kim who can quietly transform their offensive production. — Thosar

6. Jurickson Profar, OF: Kansas City Royals

A more traditional slugger in the middle of the order wouldn't hurt, but in the cavernous domain of Kauffman Stadium, a player who can get on base at a high clip and lengthen the lineup might be more important to help jump-start the Royals offense. Adding Jonathan India was a start, but more needs to be done for a team that last year ranked 19th in on-base percentage and had the second-lowest OPS out of the leadoff spot. More specifically, they need more pop in an outfield that ranked in the bottom two in every slash-line category last season. Profar should provide a boost in every regard.

While his breakout season seemed to come out of nowhere at age 31, it wasn't just luck. Profar hit the ball harder than ever before and chased and whiffed less than ever before. Whether Profar can replicate his power numbers remains to be seen, but he has always been someone with a keen eye for the strike zone and would represent a difference-making upgrade from the pieces in place. — Kavner

5. Tanner Scott, RP: Chicago Cubs

All 30 teams could use a reliever of Scott's caliber at the back end of the bullpen. So, sure, the odds might be better that the most coveted closer on the market ends up with the Dodgers or Mets — who are both interested in Scott — than the Cubs, who finally got the superstar they've needed only to now be arguing over a couple million dollars in arbitration with Kyle Tucker. They've yet to open up the pocketbooks in a significant way this winter, but they're now off Cody Bellinger's contract and should have considerable room to add before they even approach their 2024 payroll or the first CBT threshold. It would be inexcusable to save all that money and end up with Matthew Boyd as their biggest pitching addition.

You could make the argument they'd be better off using the extra room to continue making depth moves rather than one big reliever splash, but given how uncertain the closer role was last season, Scott could help balance a righty-heavy bullpen that needs more proven commodities and help take the late-inning weight off 23-year-old Porter Hodge. If they only have Tucker for one season, it's especially important that they strike now as they seek to end their four-year playoff drought in a winnable division. — Kavner

4. Jack Flaherty, SP: Detroit Tigers

The emergence of Tarik Skubal as a Certified Ace™ (and of course, reigning AL Cy Young/triple crown winner) is a source of luxury for the Tigers rotation, but their magical postseason run was cut short, in part, because they severely lacked a dependable, experienced arm behind Skubal. Now, Detroit only has to look as far back as last summer to find a solution in Flaherty.

He thrived alongside Skubal in the four months he spent in Motown, posting a 2.95 ERA before being traded to the Dodgers. The Tigers need a more reliable 1-2 punch in their staff to make the most of their exciting, youth-driven window of contention. Flaherty is the only free-agent starting pitcher in his 20s outside of Sasaki, and he's coming off some really mixed results in the 2024 postseason. He was better for the Dodgers in the regular season and hurled a gem in the NLCS opener, so the upside is certainly there. The Tigers could point to his successful track record in Detroit and perhaps convince him to accept a short-term deal that would make sense for both sides. — Thosar

3. Anthony Santander, OF: Toronto Blue Jays

Santander is sort of the Alonso of the outfield market. It's not a perfect comparison — Santander doesn't barrel the ball as often and chases more (while whiffing less) than Alonso — but the two players both belt a ton of homers without providing much with their gloves or their legs. For the Blue Jays, though, Santander's power bat fills a clear need. Toronto's outfielders had the fifth-lowest slugging percentage in the majors last year, and only four teams hit fewer homers than the Blue Jays.

Toronto has been linked to several top free agents each of the past couple years and whiffed. This offseason, the Blue Jays have yet to extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or do anything to impact the power shortage that has held the offense back. They're running out of time to strike with this core, but adding Santander would represent a meaningful step forward toward relevance. Over the past three years, only five hitters — Alonso, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber and Matt Olson — have launched more home runs than Santander. — Kavner

2. Pete Alonso, 1B: New York Mets

The number of teams who need a first baseman with Alonso's skill set are dwindling. The Astros and Yankees signed their answers at the spot in Christian Walker and Paul Goldschmidt, respectively. The Diamondbacks filled the vacancy left by Walker by trading for Josh Naylor. The Nationals traded for Nate Lowe and signed Josh Bell.

The Giants and Mariners could both use the right-handed power at first base, but San Francisco already forfeited its second- and fifth-highest selections in the 2025 draft after signing Willy Adames, who had a qualifying offer attached. If the Giants signed Alonso, they'd also forfeit their third- and sixth-highest selections after exceeding the luxury-tax threshold last year at a time when their farm system could use an injection of talent. The Mariners seem unlikely to pay what would be required for Alonso, and if he signs a short-term deal to re-establish his value — say, a structure similar to Cody Bellinger's last year — it's unlikely that T-Mobile Park would be an attractive venue.

The Mets might be better off signing Alex Bregman and bumping Mark Vientos to first base, but as currently constructed, a return to Queens for Alonso seems like the logical fit. — Kavner

1. Alex Bregman, 3B: Boston Red Sox

Just like last year, when we all thought Juan Soto would flourish with Yankee Stadium's short porch, Bregman and the Green Monster have always seemed like a perfect match. Boston's lefty-heavy lineup needs a power-mashing righty to take advantage of that towering left field, and Bregman's penchant for crushing home runs over the Crawford Boxes should translate well at Fenway Park. He'd also represent a notable defensive upgrade at third base over Rafael Devers, who could slide over to first or DH. Moreover, he Red Sox would get the public-facing, face-of-the-franchise competitor they've been seeking long term.

Bregman is five years removed from his best season (41 home runs, 1.1015 OPS, 8.9 bWAR) in 2019, and has racked up a lot of mileage before entering free agency (he'll reach 5,000 career plate appearances sometime in May 2025). But he remains one of the top all-around players and one of the few remaining available difference-makers in baseball. The Red Sox have the capital — and perhaps even the desperation — to get this deal done. — Thosar

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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