Juan Soto. Roki Sasaki. Pete Alonso. Willy Adames. Alex Bregman. None of these big names will be on the list today. This list will consists of the most “under the radar” free agents of this year’s offseason. Understandably, there are many interpretations for the phrase “under the radar”. For the sake of this article, the definition of “under the radar” will be players who don’t usually stand out or have struggled recently, but can play solid roles on an affordable contract.
With that, let’s kick off the list, position group by position group.
Pitchers
Jakob Junis – (SP/RP) – 32 y/o
Junis is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, splitting time between Milwaukee and Cincinnati. In 24 appearances (6 starts), Junis posted a 2.69 ERA in 67 innings. His peripherals however, are all under league average as his statcast page certainly does not stand out. His one redeeming quality though, is his 99th percentile BB% (walk rate), standing at a minuscule 3.2%. A team looking for a long reliever/spot starter would benefit from Junis’ abilities.
Jose Ureña – (SP/RP) – 33 y/o
Ureña , who’s been a full time starter for the most part of his career, took on more of a reliever role with the Rangers in 2024 and promptly posted one of the best seasons of his career. In 33 appearances (9 starts), Ureña posted a 3.80 ERA, the lowest mark of his career. His statcast metrics however, are almost all under league average, including an xERA (expected ERA) of 4.34, indicating that he may have over performed his peripherals. However, he possesses a strong GB% of 50.6%, placing him in the 84 percentile.
Trevor Williams – (SP) – 32 y/o
Once a longtime struggling starter in Pittsburgh, Williams shined in his second season in the nations capital. Williams quietly dominated in 13 starts on a bad Nationals team, posting a 2.03 ERA in 66.2 innings. Despite his soft 88.6 average fastball velocity, it was one of the most effective ones in the league with a 93rd percentile fastball run value. His 3.13 xERA and .218 xBA both support his season success.
Buck Farmer – (RP) – 33 y/o
With an overall up and down 11 year career, Farmer has been relatively consistent throughout the past three years in Cincinnati. The righty posted a 3.04 ERA across 71 innings out of the bullpen, helped by his low opponent Hard-Hit % of 35.8% (74th percentile). While his 3.04 ERA is impressive, his xERA stood at 4.14, as he without a doubt outperformed his peripherals. Still, a high 3, low 4 ERA middle reliever is no slouch. He’s shown the ability to be a reliable option out of the bullpen, logging 45, 75, and 71 innings in the past three seasons.
Shelby Miller – (RP) – 34 y/o
The former All-Star starter has since transitioned to a full time reliever after years of struggling to regain his footing as a reliable starter. After joining the Dodgers pitching lab and dominating to the tune of a 1.71 ERA in 36 appearances (1 start), Miller made his way to the Tigers. He promptly regressed to a 4.53 ERA in 55.2 innings, all out of the bullpen. A deeper look at Miller’s 3.72 xERA and .225 xBA shows that his 4.53 ERA was a product of running into some bad luck, and that his true form most likely hovers at a high 3 to low 4 ERA. The dominating fastball from his prime is still here as he had a fastball run value of 9 in 2024 (85th percentile).
Catchers
Ali Sanchez – 27 y/o
Prior to his 31 game stint for the Marlins in the 2024 season, Sanchez had only 7 career MLB games played, with 5 in 2020 and 2 in 2021. Due to this tiny sample size, his true offensive abilities are hard to grasp. So far, he is a career 20 wRC+ hitter, but as we all know, offense isn’t the focal point of a backup catcher anyways. Sanchez’s defense behind the plate in 2024 was excellent, accumulating 6 blocks above average (86th percentile) in just 31 games. He is in the middle of the pack in pop time (1.96 seconds, 54th percentile), and ever so slightly below average in receiving with -1 framing runs. However, his overall strong defense makes him a viable backup catcher option.
Brian Serven – 29 y/o
Totaling just 101 career MLB games, Serven has never hit much with a career .540 OPS. As previously mentioned, offense is not as important when discussing a backup catcher’s production. In his short three year career so far, his defense has been impressive, especially in the receiving aspect. In 2024, he recorded 1 block above average, 1 caught stealing above average, and -1 framing runs, making him an above average defender behind the plate. However, his track record shows that his receiving abilities can be even better, with 1 framing run in 2023 and a whopping 6 in 2022 (86th percentile). He would likely garner some interest as a solid defensive minded backup catcher.
Tucker Barnhart – 34 y/o
The 34 year-old’s former Gold Glove defensive abilities are a thing of the past now, but he still hovers around league average. Unfortunately, he would provide next to zero offensive output as he is a career .669 OPS hitter (.554, .542, .497 OPS in the past three seasons). Despite this, he would be great for a one-year deal to mentor a young catcher while being a solid backup option.
Infield
Ildemaro Vargas – (3B/2B) – 33 y/o
Vargas is a career .257/.308/.364 hitter, which doesn’t jump off the page but has qualities to be a respectable bench piece. His contact rate is impressive, with a minuscule 10.2 K% and 12.6 Whiff%. Even more impressive, his in zone contact rate has been over 93% over the past three seasons, making him perfect for contact plays or hit and runs off of the bench. His defense is his strength, as he was in the 70th percentile in OAA in 2024. He has consistently been an average to above average fielder in his career, tallying around 0 to 1 DRS (defensive runs saved) every season. Vargas is not Ozzie Smith in the infield, but his strong, consistent defense plus contact skills makes him a viable depth piece.
Thiaro Estrada – (2B) – 29 y/o
Estrada was an above average hitter from 2021 to 2023 with a 119, 106, and 100 wRC+ respectively. Although he had a down year in 2024 where he posted a .590 OPS, it could be attributed to some back luck as his BABIP was just .249. Hopes are that regression to the mean can allow him to return to his 700 OPS form. His defense on the other hand, is somewhat questionable. DRS rates him poorly, with a career -17 DRS (-7 in 2024) but OAA grades him out decently (70th percentile in 2024). He has shown flashes of dominance defensively in his career with 1 DRS and 18 OAA in 2023.
Nicky Lopez – (2B/SS) – 29 y/o
While Lopez ins’t an unheard of player due to his multiple Gold Glove nominations, he has been flying under the radar as of late (likely due to playing in the dumpster fire that is the Chicago White Sox). He is a true glove-first player, as he has just seven career home runs in 2346 plate appearances. He does however, makes elite contact, with a 15.1 K% in 2024 (88th percentile), 19.4 Whiff% (79th percentile), and an in zone contact rate above 86% in every year of his career. In 2024, he shined defensively once again with 5 OAA (88th percentile), but it is worth noting that DRS rated him rather poorly with -1 DRS at second base and -9 DRS at short stop.
Outfield
Edward Olivares – (RF) – 28 y/o
After an impressive 2023 season where Olivares posted a .769 OPS in 107 games, he regressed to a .624 OPS in 55 games in 2024. However, his .280 xBA was far lower than his actual .224 BA, meaning regression to the mean should bring Olivares back to around a mid 700 OPS once again. Despite his lackluster defense (-6 OAA in 2024), his 93rd percentile arm strength is a positive defensively.
Garrett Hampson – (OF)- 30 y/o
Hampson is a career 75 wRC+ hitter, with most of his value coming from his speed and defense. He has significant experience in the infield and can make spot appearances there as well (career 5 DRS at SS), although he is a primary outfielder. In 2024, Hampson logged 27 innings in right field (4 DRS), 91.2 in left field (2 DRS), and 313.1 in center field (2 DRS). He is a truly versatile defender who will serve as a great bench piece, especially with his 98th percentile sprint speed.
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