Despite all the money being spent before Major League Baseball went into a lockout, there is still a large amount of free agents on the market. Whenever the lockout is finally lifted, there will be another big spending spree. Guys like Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, Nick Castellanos, Kris Bryant, and others will receive major paydays. However, there is a lower tier of free agents where teams can find some value. This tier of players will not cost as much as the top tier, but they can still provide impact to various teams. These value free agents could prove to be good investments.
OF Corey Dickerson
It’s somewhat surprising that Corey Dickerson has bounced around in his Major League Career the way he has. The veteran has been on six teams in his nine-year career, but he has always hit. Dickerson has a .283/.327/.488 slashline in his career. He averages 37 doubles and 22 home runs over 162 games throughout his career. The biggest knock on Dickerson is his health. Through nine seasons, he has played over 130 games four times and he hasn’t done it since 2018. Dickerson will be turning 33 years old this year, so age isn’t on his side. With his injury history, his price tag won’t be too high. If he stays healthy and hits like he has his whole career, Dickerson could be one of the steals of the offseason.
OF Tommy Pham
Tommy Pham is one of the more interesting, and cheaper options on the free agent market. The veteran does a lot of things that teams like. His career 12.5% walk percentage is well above average and he has a nice power-speed combination that makes him a versatile offensive player. He has also recently stated that he would be willing to play first base, which he has not played previously in MLB. However, he is coming off two seasons with the San Diego Padres where he slashed an unimpressive .226/.335/.370. Pham will be 34 by Opening Day. With as many things as he does well, there are a lot of question marks around him. He is the perfect candidate to give a small, one-year deal that could potentially have a big pay-off.
RP Alex Colome
The best way to sum up Alex Colome’s 2021 season is disappointing. After posting a sub-1.00 ERA in a shortened 2020 season, Colome had a 4.15 ERA and lost his closer job at the beginning of the season. However, his second half provided hope for the future. Colome regained his closer role in the second half, pitching to a 3.51 ERA with 15 saves. He isn’t a big strikeout guy like most closers in the league, averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings in his career. However, 2021 was the first time in his nine-year career that he had an ERA over four. Overall, he has a 3.11 ERA with 155 saves in his career. Colome is now 33 years old, so it is possible that he could continue to regress. However, he has an impressive track record and he could be worth taking a flier on.
In today’s game, teams are always looking for value in the free agent market. While these value free agents have some questions around them, they could bring some big impact. At the price that these free agents can be signed, adding them could be very worth it.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, Nick Castellanos, Kris Bryant, Corey Dickerson, Tommy Pham, Alex Colome
