Top 2026 MLB Free Agents Rumors, Predictions amid ALCS, NLCS Bracket

The MLB offseason is very much on for 26 of the league's 30 teams.

It has been for quite a while now for the non-playoff participants.

While this offseason carries less certainty than most (with looming CBA negotiations pointing toward a likely lockout), it should have the same intrigue as always. There are, after all, a number of interesting free agents on the market, including perhaps the best pitcher on the planet.

So, while before the Championship Series get going again, let's dive into the latest free-agency buzz and use it to shape some predictions for the players involved.

Had free agency came one year earlier for Jazz Chisholm Jr., he might have been fielding blank-check offers. In 2025, he appeared as one of the most dynamic hitters in the sport, garnering both All-Star and Silver Slugger honors while tallying 31 homers and 31 stolen bases.

But he wasn't a free agent then. He is now, and his stock isn't nearly as high after struggling with consistency and managing just 19 homers this time around. Even worse, this market seems rich with second-base alternatives, as Chisholm will be joined on the open market by Brandon Lowe, Luis Arraez, Gleyber Torres and Mauricio Dubón.

For these reasons and more, Chisholm's tenure with the New York Yankees could be finished. As MLB.com's Mark Feinsand relayed, "it feels like the Yankees are ready to move on with one of their other options at second base."

It's not all doom and gloom for Chisholm, though. His talent can still appear electric, and he's only 28 years old. He'll have interest from other teams, and he should still command a good deal of respect—even if it's not what it would have been last winter.

Prediction: Chisholm signs with the Los Angeles Angels.

Padres To Factor in Tarik Skubal Sweepstakes?

The list of teams likely to have interest in two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal might go 30-teams deep. The list of clubs who can actually afford the 29-year-old potential record-setter is a lot smaller.

While so much of that process still needs to play out, it's already fair to wonder whether this might be a two-team race between the deep-pocketed Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. It could absolutely play out that way, but that's not a reflection of the current market.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel recently surveyed a batch of league insiders about Skubal's free agency, and the San Diego Padres were brought up as sleeper suitors. Moreover, they "seemed to be the consensus pick for the most serious bidder" in the sleeper group, which also included the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox.

The Padres won 91 games and a playoff series this season, but they had trouble generating quality from their injury-riddled rotation outside of ace Michael King (who's also a free agent). The need for San Diego is obvious. It still might be enough to convince the Padres to fork over the kind of cash needed to get a deal done.

Prediction: Skubal re-signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Brandon Lowe Priced Himself Out of Pittsburgh?

Give the Pittsburgh Pirates a chance to redo their 2025 offseason trade for Brandon Lowe, and they wouldn't change a thing. Well, other than maybe the contract he brought with him.

He arrived with a single season left on his deal and promptly delivered the kind of contract-year campaign impending free agents all dream about. He belted 35 homers, tallied 190 combined runs and RBI and posted a career-best 5.4 wins above replacement .

He was, frankly, perhaps too good for Pittsburgh, since it might balk at the contract terms likely needed to bring him back.

"He'll hit the open market as one of the most highly coveted position players available," MLB.com's Aiden Stepansky wrote. "(Pirates general manager Ben) Cherington described the return of Lowe as a 'great outcome if he's a Pirate next year.' But it will cost a pretty penny, likely a sizable increase from the $11.5 million he earned in 2026, and Lowe, at 32 years old, could find interest in a longer-term deal."

Maybe the Pirates' 82 wins, their most since 2018, will embolden them to spend, though Lowe's contract could feature both a big annual salary and a good amount of years. That combination might be more than Pittsburgh's front office can stomach, which would be music to the ears of a certain major-market big-spender with question marks at Lowe's second base position.

Prediction: Lowe signs with the New York Yankees.

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