Once completed, Suárez’s five-year, $130 million deal will make him the fourth free agent to exceed $50 million in guaranteed money this offseason, joining Dylan Cease with the Blue Jays (seven years, $210 million), Michael King with the Padres (three years, $75 million) and Tatsuya Imai (5 years, $210 million). the Ages).
However, many notable pitchers are still waiting for deals. Here’s a breakdown of the rest of the landscape for free agent starting pitchers.
While this free agent class doesn’t have the consensus No. 1 first, the clearly defined quintet remained at the top of the market at the beginning of the offseason. Of that group, Cease, King, Imai and Suárez all reached agreements, leaving Valdez as the last man standing.
Valdez has a longer history of success than anyone else on that team, having earned American League Cy Young votes in four of the last six years, with a pair of All-Star selections, a 3.23 ERA and 951 K’s over 973 innings (fifth most in MLB) during that time. But given his age (32), he is likely to get a deal closer to Suárez’s contract than Cease’s.
Gallen’s career with the D-backs in 2020-24 was on par with other top starters in this free agency class. He posted a 3.34 ERA and 3.43 FIP with 789 strikeouts over 735 1/3 innings in that span — culminating in consecutive top-five finishes at the National League Cy Young Award in ’22-23.
But the righty’s breakout year in 2025 was a departure from his previous performance, as he saw career-worst ERA (4.83), FIP (4.50) and strikeout rate (21.5%). Gallen also has draft compensation attached to him after turning down Arizona’s offer, which increases the cost for any team looking to gamble on a return.
With 17 All-Star selections, six Cy Youngs and more than 7,000 hits between them, Verlander and Scherzer will both likely be enshrined in Cooperstown one day. But these legendary pitchers have complicated free-agent cases as they enter their age-43 and age-41 seasons, respectively.
Verlander made significant changes to the Giants’ tight end this past season, but he was still close to league average (103 ERA+) after posting a 5.48 ERA for Houston in 2024. Scherzer, on the other hand, was a useful member of Toronto’s playoff rotation in 2025, but he had 5 injuries due to a significant injury during the first 91 career. for the second straight year.
Despite their uneven recent results, both may have a narrower list of options, more limited to competitors. And they won’t come cheap, given their CV. (Verlander got $15 million in 2025, and Scherzer got $15.5 million).
Work over flash is a theme with this class, and few embody it better than Bassitt. Paired with one of MLB’s most versatile arms, the 36-year-old has made at least 30 starts over the past four years with a 3.77 ERA and 110 ERA+ in that span.
Giolito is often one of the game’s top hitters, ranking sixth among hitters with a 30.7% K-rate from 2019-21. He was a tight end in his return from Tommy John surgery last year but worked nonetheless, posting a 3.41 ERA (despite a 5.06 expected ERA) over 26 starts for the Red Sox.
Speaking of contact, Littell had the sixth-lowest strikeout rate (19.2%) among relievers in 2024-25. But the righty still posted a solid 3.73 ERA over 61 starts, thanks in part to a minuscule 4.5% walk rate.
Martinez has made 131 relief appearances since returning from Japan four years ago, enjoying great success in that role (2.94 ERA/3.58 FIP). But his solid performance over 61 starts in that span (4.10 ERA/4.19 FIP) speaks to his versatility.
All three of these pitchers recently had Tommy John surgery – Buehler in 2022, Márquez in ’23 and Montgomery in ’25 – who have struggled recently but still offer clubs looking to fill out their rotations.
Of the three, Montgomery, 33, is the oldest and most recent to undergo surgery, but he’s also the closest to peak form. In 2023, the lefty had a 3.20 ERA over 32 starts in the regular season and was the star performer on the Rangers’ road to a World Series title. He spent the last two seasons with the D-backs, earning $47.5 million but throwing just 117 innings with a 6.23 ERA.
Buehler, once considered the best player with the Dodgers, has an 84 ERA+ over 54 appearances since 2022. The Red Sox took a chance on him last season, signing him to a one-year, $21.05 million contract, but he posted a 5.45 ERA before being released. He stayed with the Phillies three times late in the season.
Márquez has been similarly inconsistent, registering an 84 ERA+ over 62 starts since 2022, down from a 116 ERA+ during his prime as the Rockies’ top starter from ’17-21.
Neither of these pitchers will please the fans, but in the fifth position of the rotation, you could do a lot worse than one of these experienced arms. Take Corbin, for example.
The lefty appears to be on his way out of baseball after recording a 5.62 ERA over the final five years of his six-year, $140 million deal with the Nationals. But the Rangers signed him to a one-year, $1.1 million guaranteed deal last March after losing Jon Gray and Cody Bradford to injuries.
Corbin ended up pitching Texas in 155 1/3 innings of 4.40 ERA ball, providing stability after the club’s turnaround during the year saw Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle also sidelined for significant time.
