Top 2026 MLB Free Agents Rumors and Predictions on Landing Spots

The 2026 iteration of MLB free agency is here, and it could move with an urgency unseen in most offseasons.

That doesn't mean it will, obviously, but players and front offices may have incentive to get their deals done early with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire on Dec. 1.

The market hasn't moved much yet in terms of finalized transactions, but talks are clearly happening. Let's dig into what the latest baseball buzz is all about and use it to help form predictions around the players involved.

After back-to-back losses in the ALDS, the New York Yankees could be busy trying to get their roster into World Series-contending shape. While it's too early to say what kind of additions they can make, it does seem like a few subtractions are already surfacing.

As ESPN's Jorge Castillo put it, "Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Trent Grisham are as good as gone."

This stops well short of qualifying as a jaw-dropping surprise, but it does represent a fairly big pivot. Both Chisholm and Grisham were top-eight on the team in at-bats during both the regular season and the playoffs. Splitting from them would mean needing to find new starters at both second base and center field.

Maybe the Yankees will trot out internal replacements, but if they're aiming for improvements, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see them target at least one external addition. As for Chisholm and Grisham, both have rich enough track records to anticipate soft landings in free agency.

Prediction: Chisholm signs with the Detroit Tigers, and Grisham joins the Cincinnati Reds.

Cubs Dreaming Big Ahead of Tarik Skubal Sweepstakes?

Save for the unknowns of the labor negotiations, free agency couldn't have timed out much better for Tarik Skubal. He is clearly the cream of this year's crop, and his ability to navigate around midseason elbow surgery and still deliver elite results suggests teams should be comfortable and confident in projecting similarly elite production moving forward.

He is, in short, the one obvious name-your-price free agent in this class. And because that price could be record-setting, his market figures to be limited to only the biggest spenders in baseball. That might mean this is headed toward a Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Mets staredown, but there are some other hopefuls wishing that won't be the case.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan , the Chicago Cubs "badly want Skubal." Passan also mentioned the San Diego Padres as possible suitors, given their "need [for] a rotation anchor."

That being said, Passan also mentioned skepticism from the Cubs "that they will be willing to compete at the sort of dollars Skubal is expected to get." And Passan noted the Padres have coveted free agent pitchers of their own in Michael King and Nick Pivetta. So, this very well might be a Dodgers vs. Mets showdown in the end.

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

Any fans unfamiliar with the name Teruaki Sato should plan on getting familiar with it pretty quickly. He is, at least according to The Athletic's Keith Law , the best position player on the market and the No. 2 free agent overall, trailing only Skubal.

Sato won the NPB's Triple Crown this past season, hitting .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBI. The 27-year-old has experience at third base and in the outfield, but he could also be a candidate to man second base or first base if his glove doesn't play up.

The way Law sees it, Sato "should blow away" the salaries that Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami inked last offseason. Law projects a four- or five-year deal for Sato with "at least $25 million" annually. For reference, Okamoto got four years and $60 million from the Toronto Blue Jays, and Murakami cost the Chicago White Sox just $34 million over two seasons.

It certainly doesn't hurt Sato that both Okamoto (33 homers, 92 RBI) and Murakami (35 homers) fared well in their debut MLB campaigns. It probably helps even more that this free agent class looks light on difference-making bats, as suitors could share Law's opinion that Sato is the best on the board.

Prediction: Sato signs with the Los Angeles Angels.