Christmas is around the corner, but don’t expect an impact outfielder under the tree from your favorite baseball team.
Unless Nelson Cruz is the apple of your eye, the outfield market is close to bone-dry before 2014 begins due to a flurry of activity at the top of the market.
With Shin-Soo Choo‘s arrival in Texas, the top outfielders, including New York Yankees imports Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, are off the board.
According to Yahoo! Sports’ free-agent tracker, Choo, Ellsbury and Beltran, respectively, were the third-, fifth- and sixth-best free agents available this winter. When factoring in Marlon Byrd’s signing in Philadelphia, Curtis Granderson with the New York Mets and Corey Hart’s relocation to Seattle, the outfield market has taken shape quickly.
The following is a look at what is left for needy teams, an outfielder with potential to once again profile as an impact player and the best of the rest.
*All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.