The Post’s top 30 looming MLB free agents

Nypost · Sep 24, 2026 · 206 words · By Jon Heyman

MLB Free Agency Player Valuation

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What to know about MLB Free Agency

Contrary to popular opinion, the free agent market doesn’t consist of only one player.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Contrary to popular opinion, the free agent market doesn’t consist of only one player.

Why it matters

Yes, superstar starter Tarik Skubal will grab headlines since there’s nobody close.

Common ground

But while it may be seen as a one-man show, there are some other decent starters and useful position players.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this MLB Free Agency story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Gerrit Cole’s $325M pitching record?
How does this story connect MLB Free Agency with Player Valuation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/09/24/sports/the-posts-top-30-looming-mlb-free-agents/

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

verified Verified 1

info Single Source 1

cancel Disputed 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified

Claim 1: “Gerrit Cole’s $325M pitching record”

VERIFIED

CBS Sports reports Gerrit Cole's deal as a historic $324 million deal with the highest AAV in baseball. While the claim says $325M and the source says $324M, this is a negligible rounding difference in sports reporting, and the 'pitching record' status is confirmed.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the Univer…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Major_League_Baseball_dra…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 World Series (branded as the 2024 World Series presented by Capital One) was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2024 season. The 120th edition of the World Series, it wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_World_Series

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gerrit Alan Cole (born September 8, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_Cole

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “the Phillies reportedly offered $200M over seven years last winter.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent reports (Bob Nightengale/USA Today and other news sources) confirm the Phillies offered Bo Bichette a seven-year deal worth $200 million.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 World Series (branded as the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One) was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2025 season. The 121st edition of the World Series, it wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_World_Series

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Paul Crawford (born January 11, 1995) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). Growing up in Lakewood, California, Crawford attended…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._P._Crawford

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — McKenzie Matthew Moniak (born May 13, 1998) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Moniak

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Tarik Skubal will grab headlines since there’s nobody close.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report via web search) explicitly state that Tarik Skubal is the No. 1 ranked MLB free agent pitcher.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Major League Baseball postseason is the ongoing playoff tournament of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 2026 season. The winners of the Wild Card Series will face the two best division winn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Major_League_Baseball_pos…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tarik Daniel Skubal (born November 20, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Ti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarik_Skubal

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 2025 season. In each of the two leagues—National and American—the three division winners and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Major_League_Baseball_pos…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Bo Bichette... opt out of $84M over two years (minus the unique $5M bonus for opting out)”

CORROBORATED

Both Jeff Passan (via ESPN) and Wikipedia confirm Bo Bichette's contract with the Mets includes an opt-out of $84 million over two years with a $5 million buyout/bonus.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bo Joseph Bichette (; born March 5, 1998) is an American professional baseball infielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Bichette

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alphonse Dante Bichette Sr. (; born November 18, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the California Angels (1988–199…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Bichette

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Luis Arraez and Alec Bohm also free agents.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including NBC and PhillyVoice, confirm that both Alec Bohm and Luis Arraez are heading to the free agent market.

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web search NEUTRAL — Bohm was one of the team's most reliable hitters in September in perhaps the final month of his tumultuous Phillies tenure. After six full seasons with the Phils (and 44 games during the COVID-shorten…
https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/story/sports/mlb/phill…

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web search NEUTRAL — Alec Bohm, Luis Arraez, Edmundo Sosa and José Alvarado headline a group of seven Phillies set to reach free agency this winter.
https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/mlb/philadelphia-phill…

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web search NEUTRAL — Bohm played hard, overcame off-field adversity and always bounced back from his frequent slumps. He played first base, too, and was a mainstay of the Phillies batting lineup for every playoff team ove…
https://www.phillyvoice.com/phillies-stay-or-go-first-base-t…

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Claim 6: “joining AL MVP Yordan Alvarez as the only players to post a 125 wRC+ every month, via MLB Network.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence confirms Randy Arozarena has a career 125 wRC+, there is no evidence in the provided results confirming that he and Yordan Alvarez were the ONLY players to post a 125 wRC+ every single month.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Mariners are banking on Arozarena maintaining his recent performance, which aligns with his career numbers — a .787 OPS, 125 wRC+, and 86 home runs over 586 games across four seasons. Arozarena, t…
https://www.allaroundworlds.com/mariners-acquire-arozarena-i…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena, a fellow Cuban, met Montes for the first time this offseason, and they got to know each other over the course of several training sessions together in Miami. It …
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/feb/27/randy-arozaren…

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web search NEUTRAL — In the process, Arozarena became only the second player in the majors this season with 10 or more home runs over a 14-game stretch. Designated hitter Mitch Garver doubled the Mariners’ lead in the sev…
https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/5042448-arozaren…

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Claim 7: “He’s maintained his stuff following arthroscopic elbow surgery (“Skubal scope”) with a 2.95 L.A. ERA.”

DISPUTED

While multiple sources confirm Skubal had elbow surgery and a strong return, the specific ERA cited in the claim (2.95) is contradicted by multiple web search results stating he had a 2.70 ERA before the procedure.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christopher Allen Sale (born March 30, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Sale

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jacob Walter Misiorowski ( miz-ə-ROW-skee; born April 3, 2002), nicknamed "the Miz", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Misiorowski

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “whose clutch gene surfaced in the 2020 postseason.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and Baseball-Reference confirm Randy Arozarena's presence and standout performance in the 2020 MLB postseason.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The 2020 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2020 season.116th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. This article is about baseball's World Series; no…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_World_Series

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How many seasons has Randy Arozarena played? Randy Arozarena is in his 8th season.Randy Arozarena has played for 3 teams; the Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays. How many World S…
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arozara01.shtml

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web search NEUTRAL — Explore Randy Arozarena's standout moments during the 2020 MLB postseason.Randy Arozarena, home run robbery, autograph signing, baseball, MLB, exciting play, sportsmanship, fan interaction, memorable …
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/randy-arozarena-vs-rays

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.