Correa, Freeman, Scherzer among baseball's top free agents

With a possible lockout on the horizon, it's been mostly business as usual on the free agent market — so far.

Detroit signed left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez. Houston retained star righty Justin Verlander. Noah Syndergaard went from the Mets to the Angels on an expensive one-year deal.

The deadline to accept qualifying offers came and went last week, further clarifying who was heading to the open market.

It remains to be seen whether the uncertainty about the next labor agreement will affect offseason moves for the top players available, but it's clear there are plenty of good options for teams looking to upgrade.

Here's a look at baseball's top free agents by position. Players' current ages are in parentheses:

LEFT-HANDED STARTER

Carlos Rodón, White Sox (28)

It's a toss-up between Rodón and Robbie Ray. Rodón didn't really threaten Ray in the Cy Young vote, but his ERA was about a half a run lower and he's also younger. And Ray received a qualifying offer while Rodón did not, so that may make Rodón a more enticing target.

Other options: Ray rebounded impressively from a poor 2020, but he isn't some one-year wonder. He was very good in 2017 as well. Clayton Kershaw has never pitched for anyone but the Dodgers, but he's available now and at age 33 can still be effective if healthy.

LEFT-HANDED RELIEVER

Aaron Loup, Mets (33)

Loup went 6-0 with a 0.95 ERA in 65 appearances. Opponents hit .192 off him.

Other options: Andrew Chafin was impressive last season for both the Cubs and Athletics. Tony Watson cut down on the walks after being traded from the Angels to the Giants.

RIGHT-HANDED STARTER

Max Scherzer, Dodgers (37)

No signs yet of any major decline for Scherzer despite his age. He's had an ERA at 3.15 or lower in eight of...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Correa-Freeman-Scherzer-among-baseball-s-top-16640607.php