Bleacher Report’s rundown of the top 100 players available in the 2016-17 MLB offseason now moves to the mound.
Up first are the top 25 starting pitchers who are either free agents or trade candidates pulled from rumors and/or plausible speculation. With very little starting talent available in free agency this winter, be warned that this list is especially heavy with trade candidates.
The players are ranked according to how they fared in the following scoring system:
- Talent Outlook: Out of 70. The idea is to look at how each pitcher has performed and how his performance will or won’t change in the future. Think of a score of 35 out of 70 as a league-average pitcher, with 70 out of 70 essentially being Clayton Kershaw.
- Durability Outlook: Out of 20. This is a look at how durable guys are going to be based on their past workloads and injury histories. Think of 20 out of 20 as no concern whatsoever, whereas 10 out of 20 says a healthy future is a toss-up. Also, we’ll keep things fair by only allowing pitchers who will require short-term commitments a maximum of 15 points.
- Value Outlook: Out of 10. This is a discussion about the contracts or trade packages guys are going to command and about whether they could justify it. Think of five out of 10 as a fair deal, with zero out of 10 being a megabust and 10 out of 10 being a megasteal.
In the event of ties, the nod goes to the player we’d rather sign or trade for.
Along the way, you’ll find plenty of links to relevant data at Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Savant.
Now then, let’s take it away.