There’s no bigger payday than the one awaiting baseball players on the other side of free agency. We saw nine players this offseason take home contracts worth north of $100 million over the course of the deal. Nearly 20 free agents got deals worth $20 million annually or more. Some of those names who got paid big were top fantasy baseball assets in 2025, including Dylan Cease, Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger.
We all know money talks, so here are some of the most notable soon-to-be free agents in 2027, playing for their next contract, who are worth keeping an eye on going into the 2026 fantasy baseball season.
[Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season]
Note: We’re excluding players with opt-out clauses (Bo Bichette) and those with club options (Ozzie Albies, Luis Robert Jr., William Contreras), sticking to unrestricted free agents, per Sportrac.
Batters
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B/3B, Yankees
Jazz is a true UFA in 2027 and enters this season making just under $12 million. His market value should land him above $20 AAV, so long as he has another strong season in the Bronx. Last year, Chisholm finished with career highs in homers (31) and RBI (80) while stealing over 30 bags with an .813 OPS. The 28-year-old made his second All-Star appearance and ranked fourth in WAR among second basemen at 4.2.
Chisholm has solid placement in a Yankees lineup that should finish toward the top in terms of scoring. There’s no reason he can’t duplicate his numbers from last season and has even stated his lofty expectations for himself publicly going into free agency in 2027. Right now, Jazz is a consensus second-round pick at a weak 2B position, so you aren’t getting much value in terms of ADP. But if Chisholm wants that big payday, he should duplicate or exceed his numbers from 2025.
Randy Arozarena, OF, Mariners
The 2021 AL Rookie of the Year was dealt to the Mariners from Tampa Bay prior to the deadline back in 2024. We all remember his magical run during 2020 with 10 HRs in 20 games before the Rays lost to the Dodgers in the World Series. His career trajectory has been slowly on a downward angle since then, though he did set a career high with 27 HRs last season in Seattle.
Arozarena’s borderline 30-30 season may get fantasy managers and GMs a bit hype but his underlying numbers aren’t that great. He set another career high with 191 strikeouts in 160 games and is on the other side of 30 years old. Still, Arozarena has that next contract in mind, giving him plenty of motivation along with the M’s World Series hopes. As the OF24 on Yahoo, Arozarena isn’t the worst outfield target in the middle rounds of your draft.
Alec Bohm, 1B/3B, Phillies
Bohm once looked like the future at one of the corner infield positions for the Phillies. But after 2025, there’s a good chance this is his last chance to prove himself in Philly. Bohm only played 120 last season after a strong 2024 in which he had 15 HRs and 97 RBI. His power went down from a .168 ISO to .123 last season, when he missed time due to a fractured rib.
He has three homers in 10 games this spring and has a lot to prove to get paid this upcoming offseason. If Bohm can get his power back and hit 20+ dingers, there’s a good chance he becomes a strong sleeper pick late in your fantasy draft. His ADP right now on Yahoo is 196.4, meaning he’s going undrafted in plenty of leagues. Bohm isn’t a bad final pick given the depth at 1B and 3B this season.
Honorable mentions: Adolis García, Brandon Lowe, Gleyber Torres, Luis Arráez, Taylor Ward
Pitchers
Tarik Skubal, Tigers
As the SP1 overall on Yahoo, there’s not much that needs to be covered with Skubal’s pending free agency. There’s a good chance the Tigers opt to deal the ace prior to the deadline this season, before he could potentially walk in free agency before 2027. The two-time back-to-back AL Cy Young winner doesn’t have much else to prove but we also know he wants to get that big contract.
Skubal should set the market with the biggest SP contract in MLB history, which could be in the $45 million per season range. The highest-paid pitcher on an AAV basis is Phillies ace Zack Wheeler at $42 million per season. You could make a case for Paul Skenes or Garrett Crochet as the top pitching option in fantasy baseball. But if you need a tie-breaker of sorts, you could look at Skubal’s pending free agency.
Freddy Peralta, Mets
The Mets acquired Peralta from the Brewers this offseason to shore up the rotation. He should operate as New York’s ace, set to pitch on Opening Day vs. the Pirates against Skenes. Peralta will turn 30 years old this summer but has been one of the more consistent pitchers in baseball over the past three seasons. He’s coming off a career-high 17 wins for Milwaukee in 2025, finishing with a sub-3.00 ERA for the second time in his career.
If all goes well in his first season in Queens, Peralta should see over 170 innings, 200+ strikeouts and be in the NL Cy Young race. He’ll have one of the best offenses in baseball backing him up and has plenty of incentive to perform at a high level again. As the SP15 on average in Yahoo drafts, Peralta presents plenty of value if he can replicate last season’s effort for the Brewers.
David Bednar, Yankees
The 31-year-old pitched well in New York as the closer after being dealt by the Pirates prior to the deadline last season. He posted 10 saves with a 12.8 K/9 and sub-1.00 WHIP over 22 appearances for the Yanks. With Devin Williams and Luke Weaver across town in Queens this season, Bednar takes over as the no-doubt closer for a Yankees team that is the favorite to win the AL East.
Bednar is being drafted as the RP6 on Yahoo but would it surprise anyone if he led the American League in saves? He led the NL in saves with 39 back in 2023 for a Pirates team that won just 76 games. There’s also a good chance the Yanks cut Bednar loose after 2026 to make room for promising young prospect, Carlos Lagrange. Bednar is a great closer target in the mid-rounds of drafts this season playing for a new deal.
Honorable mentions: Trevor Rogers, Shane Bieber, Brady Singer, Pete Fairbanks, Bryan Abreu, Casey Mize