MLB Free Agents Who Could Become Superstars on New Teams in 2025
Players can walk through any number of doors once they reach MLB free agency. And for some, the only wrong choice is the one they just walked out of.
As an example, consider Teoscar Hernández.
He entered the market last winter off a down year with the Seattle Mariners, but there was a clear reason for it. Hernández and T-Mobile Park simply didn’t get along, as he had a .643 OPS there compared to an .830 OPS on the road.
After joining the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year deal, Hernández hit 33 home runs, won the Home Run Derby and is now in the World Series. A potential nine-figure payday awaits him in his next trip to the open market this offseason.
So, which of this winter’s potential free agents are candidates to pull a Hernández?
There are many pending free agents whose upside goes beyond what their past results indicate, but not all would be best served by leaving home. To name just a couple, Yusei Kikuchi fits well with the Houston Astros and Gleyber Torres leaving the New York Yankees would mean fewer hacks at Yankee Stadium’s short porch.
As for guys who should want to seek better results elsewhere, let’s dive into the details on seven of them. We’ll proceed in alphabetical order.
RHP Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers
Walker BuehlerRobert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Age: 30
2024 Stats: 16 GS, 75.1 IP, 89 H (16 HR), 64 K, 28 BB, 5.38 ERA
The Current State of His Career
His story isn’t finished yet, but the Walker Buehler of 2024 has thus far not resembled the Walker Buehler of 2018-2021.
The earlier version of Buehler put up a 2.82 ERA and earned Cy Young Award votes in 2019 and 2021. He also menaced the opposition in the playoffs, posting a 2.94 ERA and striking out 101 batters in 79.2 innings.
It isn’t just the 5.38 ERA that Buehler put up this season that suggests he’s not the same since undergoing his second Tommy John surgery in 2022. The quality of his stuff has has degraded, with his average fastball notably sitting 1 mph below his career norm.
How Changing Scenery Could Help
Then again, what if Buehler simply stopped throwing his four-seam fastball?
It is easily identifiable as the worst pitch (.342 AVG, -8 Run Value) in his repertoire. But while his usage of the four-seamer has indeed declined, it isn’t surprising that the Dodgers haven’t advised him to scrap it. They throw more four-seamers than any other National League team.
Buehler is not lacking for other pitches to fall back on. He also throws a cutter, sinker and curveball, as well as a nasty sweeper.
In his career, Walker Buehler has thrown 4 Sweepers in with over 2 Feet of Horizontal Break.
And, they were ALL last night. 😳 pic.twitter.com/0LebWSEKfu
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 17, 2024
Though he’ll be a reclamation project either way, it would be fascinating to see if a team other than the Dodgers could get Buehler to throw more sinkers and cutters. It’s not an especially common approach, but it sure works for Corbin Burnes.
