Top MLB Free Agents Can't Find Teams

We're somehow just a few weeks away from the start of 2025 Major League Baseball spring training, and a number of star level players remain unsigned. 

Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Jack Flaherty were all widely considered to be among the top-10 free agents entering the offseason. All provided well above average production to their teams in 2024; Flaherty helped pitch the Los Angeles Dodgers to a World Series title, Bregman contributed his typical excellent defensive numbers and offense, and Alonso hit 34 home runs and was 22 percent better than league average on offense.

They all also have something else in common: they're unsigned just a few weeks before pitchers and catchers report in Arizona and Florida. How is that possible? 

Because most MLB teams have decided it's better to be mediocre on a budget than great with any amount of financial risk.

Houston Astros third base Alex Bregman. Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

MLB Free Agency Process Shows Problems With Current Ownership Groups

For his part, Flaherty recently expressed confusion as to the lack of interest coming off an excellent 2024 season.

"We’re waiting," Flaherty explained on the "Foul Territory" show Thursday. "I just want to play ball."

"You have a certain number of teams that want to win, they look at their rosters and they’re happy [enough] with it," he continued. "I think teams just want to get into the playoffs — [it’s] not World Series or bust, but ‘[Let’s] hope we get into the playoffs and see what happens.’"

That sums up the prevailing mindset across baseball in 2025. Why try to win the most games when the rewards for it are so minimal? 

There is one team actively trying to win as often as possible, trying to be aggressive with a "World Series or bust" mindset. It's the Dodgers, and they've been heavily criticized for it, with fans hoping for rule changes to protect the cheaper owners who don't care much for competition.

Teams have become so risk-averse that it's been widely reported that the Boston Red Sox, a huge market team with a devoted fanbase that sells out their home stadium every game, would not go to five years to sign Alex Bregman. Why? Because there's a chance that Bregman declines enough by the fifth season that he's overvalued relative to his salary. For the literal Boston Red Sox.

Even the Astros, who play in the massive Houston television market, are crying so poor that they're reportedly exploring deals to trade closer Ryan Pressly to free up salary to re-sign Bregman. Fans want to talk about bad for baseball. That is it.

Instead of reacting to this ridiculous delay in getting three top free agents signed by demanding owners actually try to compete, fans instead have focused their energies on trying to protect billionaire owners even more with a salary cap. Clearly, they don't deserve it.