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AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
While Aaron Judge is surely going to be signing a contract worth a quarter of a billion dollars, 11 free agents can be counted in the “maybe on a long enough contract” $100 million club. In alphabetical order by last name, they are:
Chris Bassitt, RHP, New York Mets: With a 3.13 ERA since the start of 2020, Bassitt should be headed for a deal in excess of $20 million per year. But he turns 34 in February, and 2022 was the first time in his career that he even reached 160 innings pitched in a season. A five-year deal for him would be mighty risky.
Josh Bell, 1B, San Diego Padres: The 30-year-old had a rough second half of the season after getting traded from Washington to San Diego and is probably headed for a four-year, $75 million type of deal. But it’s not a banner year for first baseman free agents, so maybe he gets a six-year, $102 million sort of contract.
Andrew Benintendi, OF, New York Yankees: One of the hottest commodities at the trade deadline, Benintendi is a career .279 hitter with a fine outfield glove who is only 28 years old. He does have a nasty habit of missing at least 20 games seemingly every season, but he’s young enough and good enough to get a six-year, $105 million type of deal.
Michael Conforto, OF, “New York Mets”: Conforto sat out the 2022 campaign after suffering an injury in January as a free agent. The expectation heading into last offseason was that he could get something in the vicinity of a six-year, $120 million deal. Could that still be the case after a year away from baseball?
Willson Contreras, C, Chicago Cubs: With limited exceptions (Buster Posey and Joe Mauer are the two that spring to mind), catchers don’t receive contracts for six or more years, simply because they tend to break down faster than other position players. However, Contreras could get a five-year or six-year, $100 million deal.
Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers: We’re not even sure yet if Kershaw wants to come back in 2023, let alone on a three- or four-year deal. But he has to be worth at least $30 million per year for however many years he and his potential new employer think are left in his left arm.
Trey Mancini, 1B/RF, Houston Astros: Like Bell, Mancini laid a big egg after the trade deadline, batting just .176 in 51 regular-season games with the Astros. But since the start of 2017, the 30-year-old has batted .265 with 122 home runs despite missing all of 2020 while recovering from colon cancer. He might be worth close to $20 million per year, but would the number of years be enough to reach nine figures?
Anthony Rizzo, 1B, New York Yankees: Rizzo has a $16 million player option for 2023, but he is expected to opt out for more years and a higher salary. It probably won’t be a $25 million salary, though, and it probably won’t be a five-year deal since he’s already 33. But you never know.
Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies: Thor signed a one-year, $21 million deal after missing all of 2020 and basically all of 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he didn’t have a single IL stint this season. He also wasn’t particularly dominant, posting a 3.94 ERA and 6.3 K/9 for the season, but he’s going to at least get a multiyear deal. Probably for less than $21 million annually, though.
Justin Verlander, RHP, Houston Astros: The average annual salary will be quite high, but will anyone be willing to go three years on a pitcher who turns 40 in February? Maybe Verlander takes the place of Carlos Correa as Minnesota’s $35 million man on a two-year deal with a club option for a third.
Taijuan Walker, RHP, New York Mets: Walker was an All-Star in 2021 before imploding in the second half of that season. He was better in 2022, finishing the year with a 3.49 ERA. And he just turned 30 in August. Could be a sneaky candidate for a six-year, $100 million deal, though it would probably need to include some “must pitch X innings” incentives in order to protect the team a bit.