With the Major League Baseball offseason rapidly approaching, teams are beginning to formulate their free agency plans. Here are three players with the most to gain in September.
With the Major League Baseball postseason race rapidly heating up, that also means that free agency is getting closer.
The free agent conversations will be dominated by Shohei Ohtani, quite possibly the greatest player to ever hit the market despite a torn UCL. While Ohtani will not pitch again in 2023, he has continued to hit at a very high level, and it's considered probable that he will pitch again in the future. It's just unclear whether that will be in 2024 or 2025, as no one has commented on whether he will undergo Tommy John surgery.
But there are plenty of other free agents that will be available this winter. Here are three that would benefit from a strong final month of the regular season – and potentially the postseason.
MLB free agents with most to gain in September: Lucas Giolito, Cleveland Guardians
When he was with the Chicago White Sox, Lucas Giolito was having a bounce-back season and appeared to be setting himself up for a strong free agency. But he regressed after being traded to the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 6.89 ERA and a 34/15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in six starts.
So with the Angels free falling in the standings, the team placed Giolito on waivers. He was ultimately claimed by the Guardians, who have had tons of success working with young and veteran pitchers. While they are not currently in a postseason spot, they could be just the team for Giolito to get back on track ahead of free agency.
If he indeed does get back on track, Giolito will be firmly entrenched among the top starting pitchers in free agency this offseason.
MLB free agents with most to gain in September: Harrison Bader, Cincinnati Reds
Another player that was moved at the waiver deadline. Bader is an immensely talented player – he's a Gold Glove center fielder and hits left-handed pitchers at an elite level – but he's struggled to stay healthy and perform against right-handed pitching.
Bader is now in Cincinnati, where he will patrol center field and be a veteran leader in a very young and talented Reds clubhouse. The team is counting on him, and Hunter Renfroe, to help vault Cincinnati into the postseason. And if Bader is a key part in doing that, and can stay healthy the remainder of the season, he could position himself for a multi-year contract in free agency.
There figures to be no shortage of interest. The Arizona Diamondbacks attempted to claim Bader on waivers, according to sources familiar with the situation, but Cincinnati had a higher waiver priority. Another team that scouts viewed as a fit for Bader was the San Francisco Giants, though it's unknown whether they ultimately put in a claim for the 29-year-old outfielder.
MLB free agents with most to gain in September: Jordan Montgomery, Texas Rangers
Montgomery has positioned himself for a massive payday in free agency.
He showed signs of being a high-end, frontline pitcher after being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in the middle of the 2022 season when he posted a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts. He continued that strong play with a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts in St. Louis and has only gotten better after yet another midseason trade to the Rangers.
In five starts in Texas, Montgomery has a 2.30 ERA and a 30/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's one of the best arms on the market and is even under consideration to be THE best arm on the market, with Blake Snell being another strong candidate. But he can further stake his claim as the best arm with a strong final month of the season and postseason (should the struggling Rangers advance).
A contract north of nine figures is absolutely in the equation for Montgomery. Just how much more than $100 million he will receive could very well be determined in the next four-plus weeks.