Juan Soto is the kind of player Scott Boras, his agent, will call "generational" and not be exaggerating. That's why this year's class was highlighted at the top by Soto, who on Sunday landed the biggest deal in pro sports history, a 15-year, $765 million contract to join the New York Mets.
But with the Winter Meetings now underway, Soto won't be the only impact talent coming off the board. Teams looking for an ace can pursue Corbin Burnes and Japanese star Roki Sasaki. Teams hunting power can shop for Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández. Teams wanting late-game certainty can look at the likes of Tanner Scott.
Follow along as the pieces come off the board. This is your landing page for the 2024-25 MLB offseason. It's The Athletic's MLB Free Agent Big Board, made up of our top 40 rankings (a composite of individual rankings by Jim Bowden, Tim Britton, Aaron Gleeman, Chad Jennings and Keith Law), stats breakdowns, contract projections, best fits and more. And whenever any player signs, check back here for instant analysis -- how the fit works for the player and the team -- all offseason long.
Of our top 40 players, 12 have come off the board, though more megadeals will be handed out during the Winter Meetings. As much as you'll hear about how everyone here shouldn't make so much money, how spending in free agency never works, check out the last two World Series champions. The Texas Rangers rode World Series MVP Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Nathan Eovaldi to a title in 2023. The Los Angeles Dodgers were lifted by World Series MVP Freddie Freeman and NL MVP Shohei Ohtani to a trophy in 2024. (No team signed more of our top 40 free agents last year than the Dodgers.) Winning in free agency often means winning next season.
Some bookkeeping: The player's listed age is how old he'll be on June 30 of next season (and thus what age he's considered for the full season), the stats are from the 2024 season, the WAR is from FanGraphs, the best fits are alphabetical and you can filter through by position or search by name. Yes, yes, big spenders are listed as a fit for pretty much every free agent. We're just being realistic here.
Bookmark, star, Ctrl/Cmd+D depending on your preference, and check back in all winter. In the offseason, this page is always on.
* Bowden's rankings published Oct. 24, prior to contract option decisions.
* Law's rankings published Nov. 1; updated Nov. 4.