Let the bidding begin

Major League Baseball free agency begins at 5:01 p.m. ET on Monday and dozens of players will hit the open market. However, if history is a guide, there won’t be many quicks strikes by teams.

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent heavily in free agency last winter, giving over $1 billion worth of contracts to Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernandez. The moves paid off as the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games to win the World Series for the second time in five years.

Will a team use free agency as a springboard to a championship in 2025? We’ll eventually find out.

Here is a look at the top 25 free agents with predictions on where they will land.

1. Juan Soto, RF

Soto played a pivotal role in getting the Yankees to the World Series after being acquired from the San Diego Padres in an offseason trade. He hit .288/.419/.569 in 576 at-bats with 41 home runs and an American League-leading 128 runs scored. And he just turned 26 during the Fall Classic. Soto will command a contract of at least $500 million and maybe $600 million. He was a perfect fit with the Yankees and that’s where he will stay.

2. Corbin Burnes, RHP

The Orioles acquired Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason, and he helped Baltimore reach the postseason, setting a career-high in wins while going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts. The 30-year-old Burnes, who won the 2021 National League Cy Young Award, will be the most highly coveted pitcher in free agency and look for the big-spending New York Mets to land him, giving them a much-needed No. 1 starter.

3. Alex Bregman, 3B

The 30-year-old third baseman has long been a consistent force in the Houston Astros’ lineup, though he had a slightly down season by his standards. In 581 at-bats, he batted .260/.315/.543 with 26 homers. Bregman should draw quite a bit of interest but it’s hard to imagine the Astros letting him get away.

4. Max Fried, LHP

The Atlanta Braves had no interest in signing Fried to a contract extension, which was a bit strange because he has long been one of baseball’s most consistent starters. The 30-year-old was 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts this year and should get plenty of offers. Look for the Orioles to sign him as a somewhat cheaper alternative to Burnes at the top of the rotation.

5. Willy Adames, SS

The 29-year-old goes into free agency after a standout season in helping the Brewers win the NL Central. He blasted 32 home runs, stole 21 bases and had a slash line of .251/.331/.462 in 610 at-bat. Adames is extremely popular in Milwaukee but the small-market Brewers will be easily outbid by the Dodgers, who need an upgrade at shortstop over Miguel Rojas.

6. Blake Snell, LHP

Snell had an uneven season with the San Francisco Giants after signing late in spring training and then battling injuries He was just 5-3 in 20 starts but with a 3.12 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 104 innings. Giants manager Bob Melvin and Snell were also together with the Padres in 2021 and 2022. Look for that marriage to continue with the Giants re-signing the 31-year-old.

7. Pete Alonso, 1B

The 29-year-old is extremely popular with Mets’ fans after hitting 226 home runs in his first six big-league seasons. He didn’t have a great 2024 as he slashed .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs. Alonso could help a lot of teams but, in the end, it’s hard to imagine Mets owner Steve Cohen letting a huge fan favorite get away.

8. Jack Flaherty, RHP

Flaherty got his career back on track following some rough seasons that were marred by injury. He had a 13-7 combined record and a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts for the Detroit Tigers and Dodgers. Manager Dave Roberts thought enough of Flaherty to have him start Games 1 of the World Series. The 29-year-old is a Los Angeles native, and he’ll stay at home by re-signing with the Dodgers.

9. Teoscar Hernandez, OF

The corner outfielder bet on himself last winter when he eschewed multi-year offers to sign a one-year, $23.5-million contract with the Dodgers. It paid off for Hernandez as he played a big role in the Dodgers’ championship by hitting .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs in 589 at-bats. Look for the Dodgers to sign the 32-year-old to a longer deal this winter.

10. Anthony Santander, RF

Santander might have had the quietest 44-home run season ever as he was overshadowed by Orioles teammates Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Santander’s slash line was .235/.308/.506 over 595 at-bats. The Washington Nationals have had a lot of big contracts come off the books in recent season and want to contend in 2025. Look for them to steal the 30-year-old from their Beltway rivals.

11. Christian Walker, 1B

Walker has quietly turned into one of the top power hitters in the NL. This past season in 479 at-bats for Arizona Diamondbacks, the 32-year-old belted 26 homers with a .251/.335/.468 slash line. Look for the Astros to sign Walker to fill their big hole at first base.

12. Sean Manaea, LHP

Manaea is a free agent for the third straight winter and is coming off a good season with the Mets. The 32-year-old had a 12-6 record and a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts. Manaea seemed to find a home in New York and seems likely to return to the Mets.

13. Nathan Eovaldi, RHP

After being a postseason hero for the World-Series winning Rangers in 2023, Eovaldi was solid for Texas in 2024. He went 12-8 with a 3.80 in 29 starts. Eovaldi is a Texas native, and it seems natural that the Rangers will re-sign the 34-year-old.

14. Ha-Seong Kim, SS

A shoulder injury kept him from appearing in the postseason for the Padres after he hit just .233/.330/.370 with 11 homers and 22 steals in 403 at-bats in the regular season. Kim was a Gold Glove winner in 2023, and the Brewers seem like a good fit to roll the dice and see if the 29-year-old can replace Adames.

15. Yusei Kikuchi, LHP

Kikuchi was a revelation for the Astros this year after they acquired him from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline, going 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He was 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA in 22 starts for Toronto. The 33-year-old has never quite lived up to the hype that surrounded his arrival from Japan but would be a good rotation addition for the Minnesota Twins following their late-season collapse this year.

16. Tanner Scott, LHRP

Scott has emerged as one of the premier left-handed relievers in baseball and had a combined 9-6 record with 22 saves and a 1.75 ERA in 72 games this past season with the Miami Marlins and Padres. The Orioles could use bullpen help and a reunion with the 30-year-old Scott, who spent the first five seasons of his career with Baltimore from 2017-21, makes sense.

17. Jurickson Profar, LF

Profar was one of the game’s best bargains this past season, being selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his 11-year career after signing a one-year, $1-million contract with the Padres. He hit .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 564 at-bats. The 31-year-old’s price tag with be higher but look for him to continue his marriage with the Padres.

18. Shane Bieber, RHP

Bieber made two starts for the Cleveland Guardians at the beginning of the season and won them both while pitching 12 scoreless innings. However, he injured his elbow and underwent season-ending surgery. Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner, likely won’t be able to pitch until later in the 2025 season but the Rangers have not been shy about signing rehabbing pitchers recently.

19. Luis Severino, RHP

Severino had a healthy and productive first season with the Mets after flaming out with the Yankees. The 30-year-old went 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA over 31 starts. Expect Severino to stay with the Mets as he and manager Carlos Mendoza are close from their days with the Yankees.

20. Gleyber Torres, 2B

Torres has been up and down over his last five seasons with the Yankees after being selected to the All-Star Game in 2018 and 2019 in his first two major-league seasons. Torres had an ordinary season this year, slashing .257/.330/.378 with 15 homers and 587 at-bats. The 27-year-old isn’t going to break the bank and is likely to stay with the Yankees, where he is comfortable, on a bargain contract and try to rebuild his value.

21. Walker Buehler, RHP

Buehler followed a miserable regular season with the Dodgers by pitching six scoreless innings in the World Series, including recording the final out. Coming off a second Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery, Buehler was 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts. The 30-year-old has been a careerlong Dodger and it’s hard to imagine him going anywhere else.

22. Tyler O’Neill, OF

The corner outfielder’s six-year run with the St. Louis Cardinals ended with him in manager Oliver Marmol’s doghouse in 2023. However, O’Neill belted 31 home runs in just 411 at-bats for the Boston Red Sox this year while hitting .241/.336/.511. The 29-year-old seems to have found peace in Boston and is likely to re-sign with the Red Sox.

23. Max Scherzer, RHP

The three-time Cy Young Award winner isn’t ready to retire yet despite being 40 years old and coming off a season in which he started just nine times for the Rangers because of injuries. Scherzer went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA. It’s hard to predict where Scherzer will land but a gut feeling has him signing with the Braves.

24. Nick Martinez, RHP

Martinez shined in his first season for the Reds. The 34-year-old was 10-7 with a 3.10 ERA while starting 16 times and making 26 relief appearances. The Reds showed they are ready to win now when they hired Terry Francona as manager last month and will do what it takes to bring Martinez back.

25. Joc Pederson, DH

Pederson had an outstanding season for the Diamondbacks despite being a part-time player with 367 at-bats. He slashed .275/.393/.515 with 23 homers. He doesn’t play much in the outfield anymore, which hurts his value, but the Diamondbacks seem like a good bet to re-sign the 32-year-old.