Hot Stove Preview: Top MLB Free Agents: Outfielders

Outfielders

1. Yasmani Tomas (Cuba): 6 HR, 36 RBI, .286 AVG, 6 SB (Cuban stats). 2015 age: 24.

First it was Yoenis Cespedes, then Yasiel Puig, then Jorge Soler. Next up in a line of star Cuban outfielders is Yasmani Tomas. Unlike Cespedes, Puig, and Soler, the five-tool stars, Tomas is average in most tools, except for his bat. Yasmani can absolutely rake. His big time power sets him apart from the other Cuban outfielders and apart from the other free agent outfielders. Some reports have him looking for a deal of over $100 million, helped by the successes of Cespedes, Puig, and Jose Abreu. Tomas is major league ready and will contribute immediately to whichever team signs him. His best season in Cuba came in the 2011-2012 season, when he hit 20 home runs, drove in 50, and batted .298 in just 83 games at the age of 21.

2. Melky Cabrera (Blue Jays): 16 HR, 73 RBI, .301 AVG, 6 SB. 2015 age: 30.

Cabrera put his old PED issues behind him with a strong 2014. The Dominican native bounced back with 16 home runs, a .301 average, and 35 doubles for the Blue Jays. His age makes him an attractive option, as he won’t turn 31 until August. Cabrera is an above average player in all facets of the game, providing decent power and speed with a high average and a solid glove and arm. Back in 2012, he hit .346 with eleven home runs over 113 games before his suspension ended his season in August. That had built off a breakout 2011, where he batted .305 with 18 home runs, 102 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases for the Royals. For his career, Melky has 88 home runs, 520 RBI, a .286 average, and 92 stolen bases in 1211 games.

3. Nelson Cruz (Orioles): 40 HR, 108 RBI, .271 AVG, 4 SB. 2015 age: 34-35.

One thing is for sure; Cruz won’t be signing another one year, $8 million deal like last year. Much like Cabrera, The 2014 MLB Home Run Champion bounced back from his PED suspension by setting or tying career bests in across the board. His bat will surely draw a lot of attention, as he can slot in at the four or five hole in almost any lineup. While Cruz isn’t a liability on defense, he won’t be showing off any web gems. He’s not a speed demon by any means, and he is already 34. That said, Cruz can profile at many AL teams as a DH or at AL or NL teams as an outfielder, and he should get a multi-year deal worth a fair amount of money. For his career, Cruz has 197 home runs, 597 RBI, a .268 average, and 69 stolen bases in 963 games.

4. Nick Markakis (Orioles): 14 HR, 50 RBI, .276 AVG, 4 SB. 2015 age: 31.

Although Markakis has never been a superstar, he’s been extremely consistent throughout his career with only a slight downward trend. In each of his nine major league seasons, he’s had a minimum of 104 games, 420 at bats, 59 runs, 125 hits, 24 doubles, 10 home runs, 50 RBI, and a batting average of at least .271. He was a Gold Glove Award winner in 2011, as he has one of the better arms in baseball. His best season came in 2007, when he was just 23, as he batted .300 with 23 home runs, 112 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 161 games for the Orioles. He knocked another 20 home runs in 2008 while batting .306, and he drove in 101 in 2009. Nowadays, he usually bats around .280 with double digit home runs in well over 600 at bats. For his career, he has 141 home runs, 658 RBI, a .290 average, and 61 stolen bases in 1365 games.

5. Alex Rios (Rangers): 4 HR, 54 RBI, .280 AVG, 17 SB. 2015 age: 34.

Rios, who will turn 34 just before spring training, is continuing to play well all-around. He’s batted at least .278 in seven of the past nine seasons, and from 2005-2013, he put up nine straight seasons of double digit home runs. However, last year, his power seemed to disappear, as his four home runs were his lowest total since he hit just one in his rookie 2004 season. All hope is not lost for his power, though, as he did hit 30 doubles for the third consecutive season and tied a career high with eight triples. Hopefully, those doubles and triples can translate back into home runs for him next season. He did bat .280 with 17 stolen bases in 2014, too. The 6’5” right fielder had his best season recently, batting .304 with 25 home runs, 91 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 157 games for the White Sox in 2012. For his career, Rios has 165 home runs, 762 RBI, a .278 average, and 244 stolen bases over 1586 major league games.

6. Nori Aoki (Royals): 1 HR, 43 RBI, .285 AVG, 17 SB. 2015 age: 33.

Though he has seen diminishing power over his three major league seasons, Aoki has been one of the more consistent hitters in baseball. His batting averages over the last three seasons have been .288, .286, and .285, while his on-base percentages have been .355, .356, and .349. Though 2014 may have been his worst season, he still batted .285 with 17 stolen bases and a career high six triples. His best year came in his rookie 2012, when he batted .288 with 10 home runs and 30 stolen bases for the Brewers. He’ll be a good fit in any lineup as a consistent on-base guy. For his career, he has 19 home runs, 130 RBI, a .287 average, and 67 stolen bases over 438 games.

7. Michael Cuddyer (Rockies): 10 HR, 31 RBI, .332 AVG, 3 SB. 2015 age: 36.

In terms of value for next year, Cuddyer could easily rank higher than seventh. However, he is set to turn 36 during spring training, and it is unknown how long his career renaissance will last. What is known is that from 2013-2014, he hit .332 despite playing in his 13th and 14th. In 2013, he hit 20 home runs, drove in 84, and won the National League batting title with a .331 average. While playing in Coors Field obviously helped, we can look at his away splits to prove that he did indeed have a huge season. In 70 games away from Coors, he batted .311 with nine home runs and 39 RBI. Last year, he was limited to only 49 games due to injury, and he batted .332 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI. In his 29 games away from Coors, he still hit .282 with four home runs, so yes, Cuddyer is more than just a lucky recipient of Coors Field’s kindness. The Virginia native had his best season away from Colorado back in 2006, when he hit 24 home runs, drove in 109, and batted .284 with 41 doubles in 150 games for the Twins. Over his career, Cuddyer has 187 home runs, 753 RBI, a .279 average, 315 doubles, and 73 stolen bases in 1419 games. He’s also played every position but catcher and shortstop, but most of his time has been spent in right field.

8. Torii Hunter (Tigers): 17 HR, 83 RBI, .286 AVG, 4 SB. 2015 age: 39-40.

Hunter, like Cuddyer, would be ranked higher, but the 39 year old is very near to the end of his career and likely won’t sign more than a one or two year deal, if he signs at all. The 18 year veteran has made it public that he is considering retirement. However, at 39 years old, he’s still playing well. He just batted over .280 for the fifth time in the last six years, and his 17 home runs made it 14 straight seasons with at least 14 home runs. He hits for power, he hits for average, his glove is still above average (though his string of nine straight Gold Gloves ended in 2009), and he remains a great clubhouse presence and one of the most popular players in baseball. During his time with the Angels, Mike Trout credited Hunter for his success. Not bad. Hunter’s best season came way back in 2002, when he batted .289 with 29 home runs, 94 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 148 games for the Twins, but he did bat .313 as recently as 2012 and .304 as recently as 2013. Last year, during his age 38-39 season, he batted .286 with 17 home runs and 83 RBI while knocking 33 doubles. For his career, Hunter has 331 home runs, 1310 RBI, a .279 average, 476 doubles, and 193 stolen bases in 2233 games.

9. Colby Rasmus (Blue Jays): 18 HR, 40 RBI, .225 AVG, 4 SB. 2015 age: 28.

Colby Rasmus is one of those former top prospects who never quite got it going in the majors. Yeah, he averages 15-25 home runs per season with flashy defense, but he’s batted below .230 in three of the past four seasons while striking out much more than he should. That said, Rasmus is only 28, which is very young for a free agent, and when he’s on, he can be a big piece in a lineup. Back in 2010, the then-23 year old batted .276 with 23 home runs, 12 stolen bases, and 85 runs scored in 144 games for the Cardinals. More recently, in 2013, he batted .276 with 22 home runs and 66 RBI in just 118 games for the Blue Jays. However, sandwiched between those years were batting averages of .225, .223, and .225 (2011, 2012, and 2014, respectively). Much of this is due to the fact that he struggles to hit lefties, off whom he batted .195 in 2014 (versus .236 against righties). This could make him a solid platoon option on any team. For his career, Rasmus has 116 home runs, 352 RBI, a .246 average, and 28 stolen bases in 793 games.

10. Michael Morse (Giants): 16 HR, 61 RBI, .279 AVG, 0 SB. 2015 age: 33.

Morse has been inconsistent at times, but his power bat is hard to ignore, especially in this era of pitching. When healthy, he can profile as a five-hitter or even a four-hitter, assuming he’s hitting like he did with the Nationals. Last year, battling an oblique injury, he hit .279 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI in just 131 games. Whoever signs him will be hopeful that he returns to his 2011 form, when he smashed 31 home runs and drove in 95 while batting .303 in 146 games for the Nationals. Even if he doesn’t start due to possible nagging injuries, the 6’5”, 245 pound Florida native can be a clutch power bat off the bench when summoned. For his career, The Beast has 99 home runs, 333 RBI, a .281 average, and 6 stolen bases in 704 major league games.

11. Ichiro Suzuki (Yankees), 12. Delmon Young (Orioles), 13. Chris Young (Yankees), 14. Josh Willingham (Royals, may retire), 15. Chris Denorfia (Mariners).