Tarik Skubal is being framed as the lone true superstar in the Mlb Free Agents 2027 market, a class that could open under a cloud of uncertainty because of the expiring CBA and an expected lockout. Bleacher Report’s team-by-team look at the next wave of free agents puts the spotlight on a market that may be thin, but still carries enough pitching to change contender plans.
That matters now because clubs are already being sorted into likely keepers and likely departures for the 2026-27 MLB offseason, and the top name at the center of it all is the one arm that can change the temperature of the market. Skubal stands alone at the top, but he is not the only pitcher drawing attention. Trevor Rogers is the Baltimore Orioles’ top upcoming free agent after a season with a 4.03 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 157 strikeouts in 169.2 innings, and the club is said not to be able to afford losing him because of its need for starting pitching.
Gray is also viewed as a near-certain departure after the end of a $30 million mutual option that could turn into a $10 million buyout. He went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 149 strikeouts in 169.0 innings, production that makes the option decision feel more like a formality than a debate. David Bednar is the New York Yankees’ top upcoming free agent after appearing in 64 games, finishing with 35 saves, a 2.47 ERA and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings, while Nick Martinez is the Tampa Bay Rays’ top free agent after going 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and 109 strikeouts in 180.0 innings; both ends of his $20 million mutual option could be declined.
The thin-market label holds only until the names start to stack up. Shane Bieber is the Toronto Blue Jays’ top free agent, but his season was interrupted by forearm fatigue until June 23 and then ended at the end of August because of shoulder inflammation. He made 11 starts and finished with a 2.59 ERA over 24.1 innings in his final four outings before hitting the shelf, and that kind of stop-start year is what makes his next contract harder to price. Sean Newcomb is the Chicago White Sox’s top upcoming free agent after posting a 3.09 ERA in 90.1 innings and getting more than three outs in 39 of his 60 appearances, while Foster Griffin is the Cleveland Guardians’ top upcoming free agent despite a 5.19 ERA in nine starts after joining Cleveland at the deadline in exchange for four prospects.
That is the real shape of this market: one clear headliner, a handful of useful arms and several teams deciding whether to act early or let the offseason sort itself out. If Skubal is the anchor, Bieber may be the one whose health most directly decides how much guaranteed money he can ask for, and whether his next team treats him as a frontline bet or a carefully managed risk.
