Many teams (and their fans) have already turned their attention to the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is an important part of preparation, so it’s worth paying attention to the players available at each position.
We’re moving toward center, a position that has been thin on the free agent market the past few years. That’s the case again this winter as a handful of potential regulars face questions about their offensive consistency and/or how long they can play in the midfield. Ages listed are for the 2026 season.
Previous entry in this series: Catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop
everyday player
Trent Grisham (29)
Grisham went from the fourth outfielder to the best center fielder in the class in six months. He picked a great moment to have the best season of his career. Grisham hit 34 home runs, double his previous season high. He increased his already strong walk rate to a career-high 14.1% while cutting his strikeout rate (23.6%) to its lowest level in four years. The end result was a .235/.348/.464 slash line in 581 plate appearances. He played most of the season in the Yankees lineup Aaron Judge.
It’s not entirely fair to say this came out of nowhere. Grisham is a former top prospect who spent several outstanding seasons with the Padres early in his career. However, few would have seen a season like this coming as he hit just .191/.298/.353 in nearly 1,300 at-bats from 2022-24.
This breakout was neither a product of batting luck nor Yankee Stadium. Grisham was well above average in slugging percentage, barrel count, and average exit velocity. Statcast’s expected batting average and slugging percentage (based on his plate discipline, exit velocity and launch angle) were even better than his actual performance. That doesn’t necessarily mean these numbers are sustainable. Even if this year’s results are “earned,” there’s no guarantee he’ll continue to swing the bat like he once did.
While it was a career year offensively, Grisham’s defensive results were the opposite. Statcast and Defective Runs Saved both rated him as an average or better defender in each of his previous seasons. That hasn’t been the case this year, and DRS (-11) has been particularly disappointed with his work. Grisham’s velocity has trended downward over the past few seasons, and he is now one of the slower center fielders in Major League Baseball.
This creates a difficult assessment for the team. Will Grisham continue to be the top hitter in the lineup? How long can he last in midfield? He’s one of the most changed players in the entire free agent class. The Yankees should make him a qualifying offer, but he’ll almost certainly turn it down. This would entitle them to compensatory draft picks after the fourth round, while spending the signing team draft (and potentially the international bonus pool) compensation. A four- or five-year deal could be on the table.
Cody Bellinger (30)
Bellinger opted out of the final year of his contract with the Yankees. New York can’t make him a qualifying offer because he already has an offer from the Cubs after the 2023 season. Bellinger will have no draft compensation attached and should sign a larger contract than Grisham, possibly nine figures.
It’s unclear whether any team would be willing to offer Bellinger such an offer to play midfield every day. He hasn’t reached 500 innings at the position the past two years. In 2024, the Cubs split him between center and right field. The Yankees gave him 38 starts and more than 300 innings in center field while using him more in the corners. Bellinger still runs the ball well and is a strong cornerback, though if a team plays him in center, hopefully his glove might be league-average.
Bellinger hit 29 home runs in 656 games while slashing .272/.334/.480. His left-handed swing seemed tailor-made for Yankee Stadium, as he hit .302/.365/.544 on 18 long balls at home. His walk numbers (.241/.301/.414) may give some teams pause, and Bellinger’s middling exit velocity has been a talking point the past few years. He rarely strikes out, though, and this is his second well-above-average offensive season in the last three years.
Harrison Bader (32)
Bud will decline his $10MM mutual option in favor of a $1.5MM buyout. He’s on the market for the third straight offseason. His past two trips were on one-year deals. Bader should find himself on a multi-year deal this time around, and there’s a chance he could sign a three-year deal.
Bader is a great runner with great range and a strong arm and has been a standout defender throughout his career. Even at 32 years old, he’s still the best defensive center fielder on the open market (assuming the White Sox select Luis Robert). Budd is almost evenly split between left and center in the 2025 season, but that’s only because he spent the first half playing in the same outfield in Minnesota. Byron Buxton. After being traded to the Phillies at the deadline, he became a full-time center fielder.
The question is how much of this year’s best personal offensive output is sustainable. Budd hit a career-high 17 home runs in 501 games and batted .277/.347/.449. He set new highs in batting average and on-base percentage. His hard-hit output is the second-highest of his career, behind only his 2021 season in St. Louis.
Bader’s underlying offensive metrics aren’t that encouraging. His strikeout rate was 27.1 percent, his highest rate in five seasons. He’s slugging more than he had in previous years, but Statcast evaluators rated his batting average and slugging percentage well above his expectations. It’s unlikely he’ll hit .359 in a game again. Teams will expect him to take a step back offensively. His production should fall somewhere between this year’s production and the .239/.284/.360 he produced over his first three seasons.
Low-end regular/fourth outfielder
Cedric Mullins (31)
Mullins had an outside chance at a nine-figure deal a few months ago. He’s off to a hot start this year, hitting .278/.412/.515 with six home runs through the end of April. He’s on pace for his best season since becoming a top-10 MVP finisher four years ago.
Things fell apart. Mullins had an OPS below .650 in four of the last five months. Since May 1, he’s hitting .198/.263/.355 in 379 games. The deadline trade to the Mets didn’t turn out to be the turning point they had hoped for. Mullins hit .182/.284/.281 in 42 games with Queens. He was essentially relegated to the fourth outfield job as the team squandered a playoff spot.
Mullins still logged over 1,000 innings in center field. Defensive metrics have been mixed throughout his career. Statcast rates him as a generally deep defender but rates his arm as one of the worst in the league. He may find a team willing to play him every day, but he may consider a one-year deal.
Ryan Thomas (30)
While Thomas might be better suited in right field, the Guardians primarily use him in center field. Cleveland paid a decent prospect price to acquire Thomas from Washington before the 2024 deadline. Didn’t make it (postseason home run Tarik Skubal side), he hit .189/.258/.340 in 329 games with the Guardians. That includes slashing .160/.246/.272 in 39 games this season. Thomas dealt with a right wrist injury early in the season and is trying to overcome plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He has been on the injured list a total of three times.
He was just two seasons removed from hitting 28 home runs and stealing 20 bases for the Nationals. He is an above-average regular who pitches left-handed. After things were so bad in Cleveland, he needed to sign a one-year deal.
Team options
louis robert jr. (28)
Robert is unlikely to enter the market. The White Sox hold $20MM in club options with a $2MM buyout fee. For a hitter who has had several below-average seasons in a row, the $18MM difference is huge. However, the White Sox are keeping their asking price high for Robert in trade talks, and general manager Chris Gates has hinted they will exercise that option. There’s another $20MM option in 2027, so there’s still some upside in the long run if Robert rediscovers the form he showed early in his career.
Minor League Trade Candidates
