The offseason rumor mill is understandably focused on the top 15 free agents. About half that group will receive contracts of $100 million or greater -- and maybe five times that much in the case of Shohei Ohtani. The others in the top 15 could all top $50 million in total value. These are the players who will make the biggest headlines when they sign.
Sometimes, however, the offseason is won with the next tier of free agents. Just look at the Texas Rangers. Their most important signing proved not to be the $185 million they gave Jacob deGrom but the two-year, $34 million contract given to Nathan Eovaldi, who went 12-5 with a 3.63 ERA in the regular season and then went 5-0 in the postseason as the Rangers won all six of the games he started en route to a World Series title.
Using Kiley McDaniel's list of top 50 free agents as a guide, let's look at players ranked outside of the top 15 and pinpoint a few of my favorite under-the-radar free agents.
