It’s that time of the year again boys and girls! Sound the alarms, wake your neighbors and run down the street screaming at the top of your lungs because the first day to sign free agents is finally here. This is the special time at the end of a Major League Baseball season when teams assess their needs and spend top dollar on the missing pieces which will hopefully allow them to make a serious run at the playoffs in the upcoming year.
To put it in words that everyone will understand, it’s kind of like when you’re a kid and your parents are franticly trying to buy you the missing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to help bring balance to your collection. For some it’s Donatello, for others it’s Shredder. But everyone knows that if the Technodrome is waiting under the tree come Christmas day, you’ll be the coolest kid on the block. So get out your pencils and a sheet of paper because there’s roughly 100 days to go until teams are made up and headed for Spring Training and these are the top-10 free agent starting pitchers on the market and the best places to suit their talent.
10. Josh Johnson
It’s no surprise that the Toronto Blue Jays were more than happy to allow 29-year-old Josh Johnson to file for free agency after the 2-8, 6.20 ERA injury-plagued season he displayed at the cost of $13.75 million. Some would even say it’s hard to believe he’ll ever play in the Majors again; however, even the darkest sky has a silver lining. In this case, Johnson’s stats against the National League are his redeeming quality. Prior to his move to the Blue Jays Johnson had some great years with the Florida/Miami Marlins, going 56-37 with a 3.15 ERA and 832 strikeouts in eight years to be exact. In 2013 Johnson went 0-2 against the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers, but only allowed six earned runs while striking out 23 in those games. If Johnson has any chance to salvage this bump in his career, he’ll most likely have to do it back in the NL on a minimal two-year contract for quite a bit less than he made in 2013. The Dodgers, Giants, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals or New York Mets might be the best options.
9. Ricky Nolasco
Ricky Nolasco was a wits end in Miami, but was given a resurgent boost when he was traded to the Dodgers in early July. Fans quickly saw his 5-8 start turn to 8-3 which sadly also came with a three-earned run loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series. Nonethless, Nolasco is looking to capitalize anywhere away from Miami and fully become the pitcher that he once was in 2008-2010. The 30-year-olds last year cost teams $11.5 million and may be able gain close to the same amount over a five-to-seven-year deal from the likes of the New York Yankees, Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves or even the Giants.
8. Roy Halladay
It’s weird to see Roy Halladay’s name next to the tag “free agent,” but it was bound to happen eventually. Halladay’s greatest years are behind him, especially after his rough 2013 due to serious arm fatigue and bone spurs which forced him to go under the knife. When the former-Cy Young winner came back in late August to finish off the season, a bit of rust still clung to him, but his numbers improved dramatically in his last two starts. There is little doubt that he’ll be able to get anywhere close to the $20 million he made last season, but two teams may shell out a sizable amount of cash on Doc this offseason: the Yankees because it’s, well, the Yankees and the Blue Jays in an attempt to bring their old hero back home at 37-years-old.
7. A.J. Burnett 
A.J. Burnett has found a bit of a career restoration in Pittsburgh, but the soon-to-be 37-year-old may still try to fetch a high price this offseason despite the fact the Yankees paid the majority of his salary over the last two seasons to keep him out of pinstripes.
Burnett went 26-21 with a 3.41 ERA and a mind blowing 389 strikeouts with the Pirates during his tenure. Both seasons coming with missed time due to injuries as well.
Burnett appears to still be in decent form; however, his final appearance of 2013, a seven-earned run loss to the Cardinals in the NLDS, is not exactly going to work in his favor this offseason. One thing that should happen is that Burnett will hopefully be smart enough to stay in the NL with a team where very little pressure will be put on him. If the Pirates can re-sign him, perfect. If not, expect the Mets, Reds and possibly the Cardinals to seek his services.
6. Bartolo Colon
At 40-years-old and coming off of a previous season in which he was suspended for taking performance enhancing drugs, Bartolo Colon made a strong case for the American League Cy Young Award for the Oakland Athletics at the sale price of a one-year $3 million deal. He went 18-6 with a career-low 2.65 ERA while only using a two-seamer, four-seamer and a sinker. He doesn’t strike many out, but his groundball/flyout percentages in 2013 were out of this world. It would behoove the Athletics to give it one more go if the price is right, but the Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers and Mariners may see it fit to go in for the steal.
5. Jason Vargas
Even though his 9-8 record, 4.02 ERA and 109 strikeouts weren’t the best of his career, 30-year-old Jason Vargas still showed a great deal of poise on the mound for the Angels which critics and analysts had been cataloging throughout his four-year stint with the Mariners. Vargas isn’t an overpowering pitcher, but he works intelligently kind of like Colon did for the Athletics. He is reliant in forcing outs by getting batter to chase and ground out and would make for an excellent third or fourth man in any rotation as long as he can get run support. His 2013 season came at the price of $8.5 million so expect a three or four-year deal coming. He also doesn’t have terribly impressive numbers against the NL (7-7 with a 4.32 ERA) so expect AL teams like the Yankees, Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays or even a return trip to the Mariners to pick him up.
4. Scott Kazmir
Despite being two years removed from the game, the soon-to-be 30-year-old Scott Kazmir had a respectable 2013 campaign with the Cleveland Indians to the tune of a 10-9 record, a 4.04 ERA and 162 strikeouts. The former All-Star is one of the key reasons the Indians were able to make the postseason for the first time since 2007. Kazmir unfortunately didn’t see any action in the playoffs due to the Indians’ swift Wild Card Game exit via the Rays; however, his newfound confidence in his game in a worry-free market might be what the doctor ordered for a few teams on the hunt. It would be great to see him stick with the Indians, but the Pirates, Athletics, Kansas City Royals or the Detroit Tigers might seek to sign him if the price is right.
3. Matt Garza 
The Texas Rangers were hoping that Matt Garza was the missing piece to their 2013 playoff run, but his 4-5 record with a 4.38 ERA and a hot-headed attitude proved this was not the case.
Garza made $10.2 million this last season and may fetch a decent sum from a NL suitor as his first half performance with the Chicago Cubs at 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA proved to be the bait that the Rangers latched onto.
At 29-years-old Garza has a lot of good baseball left in him as long as he can keep his emotions in check. The Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Nationals or possibly even a crazy enough Chicago White Sox may pull the trigger on him.
2. Ervin Santana
His $13 million price tag in 2013 was a bit excessive; however, 30-year-old Ervin Santana is a diamond in the rough waiting to shine. The biggest moment for him clearly came in 2011 with his afternoon no-hitter against the Indians, but his 9-10 record this last season with the Royals doesn’t truly reflect his performance. Santana maintained a career-low 3.24 ERA and struck out 161 batters as the Royals finished above .500 for the first time since 2003. While the Royals have already decided to bring James Shields back in 2014, they should really consider Santana as well, otherwise he may slip to the rival Tigers, White Sox or Indians. The Yankees might even be in the market as well.
1. Ubaldo Jimenez
Ubaldo Jimenez probably isn’t going to be as high on many other analysts’ top-10 lists this offseason, but he really should be. Jimenez may prove to be quite the steal after going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA and 194 strikeouts, a definite turnaround from his dismal 9-17 performance in 2012. Jimenez only made $5.75 million with the Indians this last season and will clearly make a lot more, but hopefully not at the expense of an AL team. Jimenez will be turning 30-years-old in January and already proved himself to be more dominant in the NL with a third place finish for the Cy Young in 2010 including a no-hitter with the Rockies. Jimenez is the one guy in the free agent bunch who could make for a terrific ace as long as he has the supporting cast to help him win. It’s not likely that the Mets will be crazy enough to make a deal happen, but don’t count them out with the absence of Matt Harvey in 2014. If anything, the Rockies should pursue bringing him home if the Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers or Padres don’t go after him first.