MLBTR published our updated recap of the Free Agency Power Rankings on Monday. That includes a full breakdown of our top ten in the class. Darragh McDonald and Steve Adams also spent much of this week’s podcast breaking down the process and debates about the back end of that list.
It’s certainly the weakest class in recent memory. That’s pretty high up in the back Tarik Skubal again Freddy Peralta. There may not be a third nine-figure player in the class. While that makes it a less exciting team overall, it also leaves the mid-ranges very confused. Some players currently in the 11-20 category could jump into the top five. Some who have been close to the top of the class for the past few months (eg Bo Bichette, Trevor Rogers) decreased very quickly.
As we did after our first version in April, we’ll run through the next five players who weren’t far off the list. They are ordered here alphabetically, but it also applies that the first name of the player was our consensus #11.
Kevin GausmanSP, Blue Jays
Gausman will rank among the top 10 in the class in terms of average for the year. There is an argument that he is the second best player in 2027 alone behind Skubal. His numbers in three-plus seasons are at least comparable to Peralta’s. The only hangup is age.
The two-time All-Star will play the rest of next season at age 36. Max Scherzer the only first-time free agent 36 or older to sign for three years starting in 2017; Scherzer’s $130MM deal with the Mets began at age 37. Nathan Eovaldi he was entering his age-35 season when he re-signed with Texas for three years and $75MM. Merrill Kelly signed for two years and $40MM last season 37.
Gausman has shown no signs of slowing down. He owns a 3.60 ERA in 80 innings. He is averaging less than six innings per start and has been able to make quality starts in half of his outings. He has an above-average strikeout and whiff rate while rarely giving up free passes. He is no longer a Cy Young candidate like Scherzer once was Justin Verlander they were still in their 30s, but he may have been a step further than Kelly once was Chris Bassitt.
The veteran should be in the $25-30MM range annually, which would put him in the Eovaldi bucket. If he reaches three years, he will likely end up with one of the 10 biggest contracts in the class. That would be difficult to accomplish with a two-year contract, even for a young team. Gausman is not eligible for a qualifying offer after receiving one from the Giants in 2020, so he will not be covered in draft compensation.
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