After the Kansas City Royals claimed this year's World Series title over the New York Mets in five games, every MLB club can officially gear up for the offseason and the all-important free-agency period therein.
The MLBPA released the list of all 139 players who will be available on the open market Monday. Players can start negotiations and sign beginning this Saturday, Nov. 7.
Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet outlined how front offices need to start reshaping rosters before that period commences:
Notable players who stand out include starting pitchers David Price and Mark Buehrle. Both played for the Toronto Blue Jays and helped the club to the American League Championship Series this past year, with Price arriving in a deal just before the trade deadline on an expiring contract.
Even at age 36, Buehrle proved he still has something in the tank in 2015, managing to post a 15-8 record with a decent 3.82 ERA. Price went 9-1 in 11 starts for the Jays, is a past Cy Young Award winner and will thus command a ton of money as he seeks a long-term MLB home.
The reigning Fall Classic champion Royals have key pieces to prioritize as well. Starting pitchers Johnny Cueto and Chris Young are free agents, along with bullpen arms Ryan Madson and Franklin Morale. Second baseman Ben Zobrist batted .303 in the postseason and is certainly worthy of retaining.
Meanwhile, there isn't much time for the Mets to digest their World Series loss before going to work on their numerous free agents. Yoenis Cespedes is the most important player New York must work to retain, though he is "highly likely" to sign elsewhere, per ESPN's Adam Rubin.
If Cespedes is gone, perhaps the Mets will reconsider their reported unwillingness to bring back infielder Daniel Murphy, the National League Championship Series MVP who hit a home run in six consecutive playoff games.
Then there's the Washington Nationals, a team thought to be a contender for the World Series before the 2015 campaign began. Instead, they imploded and have to convince ace pitcher Jordan Zimmermann that things will turn around in the nation's capital; otherwise the 29-year-old free agent could flee Washington for greener pastures and a huge contract.
For all the premier pitching talent available, which also includes Chicago White Sox standout Jeff Samardzija, one slugger who's going to make headlines is Baltimore Orioles star Chris Davis.
Coming off a monster year that featured 47 homers and 117 RBI (and 208 strikeouts), numerous suitors will covet Davis' power at the plate. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the Orioles are already making a push to re-sign Davis, but he'll likely listen to what other teams have to say before committing to Baltimore for the long haul.
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