The Top 8 Free-Agent Starting Pitchers Available This Offseason

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Everyone is aware of Tarik Skubal's free agency, but there are several starters behind him that any team would be comfortable slotting into the upper half of their 2027 rotation. Guys like Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez, and Kevin Gausman went deep into the postseason in either 2025 or 2026, and others like Michael King and Sonny Gray have plenty of postseason experience. While most of these starters are likely looking at a 3+ year contract, older veterans such as Gausman may settle for a shorter deal as they enter their late 30s.

To see the entire free agent rankings, click the link.

Tarik Skubal

LHP

Age: 30 2026 bWAR: 4.6 Career bWAR: 22.7

The best pitcher available bar none. Skubal is in a tier of his own. Just absurdly, absurdly good with an arsenal built mainly around his four-seamer and changeup, working in a sinker and occasionally a slider. Despite an early-season trip to the injured list, the 2018 ninth-round draft pick made 26 starts, posting a 2.72 ERA with 186 K/27 BB. Impressive as that sounds, it was actually a step down from his 2024 and 2025 seasons, during which Skubal won two American League Cy Young Awards. His 2.51 FIP is actually pretty much on par with his FIPs from those two seasons (2.49 and 2.45). He’s pretty much the same pitcher he’s always been, just a year older. The only real risk is injury, but what pitcher is this not the case with?

G: 26 GS: 26 IP: 158.2 SV: 0 HR: 14 BB: 27 SO: 186 ERA: 2.72 FIP: 2.51

Freddy Peralta

RHP

Age: 31 2026 bWAR: 0.7 Career bWAR: 15

After a terrific 2025, Peralta was traded to the Mets. Like many of their players in 2026, he struggled until a deadline trade. In his case, it was to the Tampa Bay Rays. When he got there, he had a 4.99 ERA and -0.5 bWAR. Following the trade, he looked a lot more like the 2025 version of himself. The one that won 17 games and posted a 5.5 bWAR for the Brewers. Over 55.1 innings (10 starts), the two-time All-Star had a 3.25 ERA with 43 K/15 BB. He went off in the postseason, taking home the ALCS MVP. His average velocity dropped from 94.8 to 94.3, but his pitch usage and selection were pretty much identical. Not sure what the Mets tried to do with him, but it clearly didn’t work.

G: 32 GS: 32 IP: 169.0 SV: 0 HR: 23 BB: 63 SO: 156 ERA: 4.42 FIP: 4.28

Michael King

RHP

Age: 32 2026 bWAR: 4.3 Career bWAR: 15.1

Stayed healthy and put together an excellent season, posting his highest innings total (185) and a low ERA (3.21). Used his changeup more and his four-seam fastball less, though when he did throw his four-seamer, it ticked up a little bit on average. On the flip side, strikeouts were down, walks were up, and his FIP (4.13) suggests some luck contributed. Did a good job limiting hard contact and inducing groundballs. With a good defense behind him, there’s no reason to think he can’t do something similar in 2027 if healthy.

G: 32 GS: 32 IP: 185.0 SV: 0 HR: 20 BB: 70 SO: 159 ERA: 3.21 FIP: 4.13

Sonny Gray

RHP

Age: 37 2026 bWAR: 4.3 Career bWAR: 37.6

Led MLB with 18 wins and put together one of the finest seasons of his career (2.72 ERA, 149 K/46 BB, 1.148 WHIP, 169 IP) despite a lack of velocity. Gray is a crafty veteran who simply knows how to pitch. Has talked about potentially retiring but seems like way too much money on the table and gas left in the tank to assume that's what he ends up doing.

G: 29 GS: 29 IP: 169.0 SV: 0 HR: 16 BB: 46 SO: 149 ERA: 2.72 FIP: 3.47

Trevor Rogers

LHP

Age: 29 2026 bWAR: 2.2 Career bWAR: 11.1

Rough first half, really picked it up in the second half and ended up putting together a nice little season for a disappointing Orioles club; 169.2 IP, 4.03 ERA, 157 K/39 BB. The under-the-hood numbers were encouraging, particularly his fastball run and chase rate. His fastball velocity was actually up from 93 MPH to 93.8 MPH, and he doubled his sweeper use from 2025 while using his cutter a little less. Not nearly as good as his exceptional 2025 season, but his 3.45 FIP is a reasonable expectation moving forward.

G: 30 GS: 30 IP: 169.2 SV: 0 HR: 19 BB: 39 SO: 157 ERA: 4.03 FIP: 3.45

Nick Martinez

RHP

Age: 36 2026 bWAR: 3.9 Career bWAR: 15.0

Posted a career season at the tender age of 35, sporting a 3.10 ERA over 180 innings. His 1.3 BB/9 was the best in MLB. While he doesn't strike out a huge number of batters, he makes up for it by not walking anyone (109 K/26 BB). Pitch selection seems to have played a part in his improved results and potential sustainability. Upped his sinker and changeup use while lessening his cutter and fastball.

G: 31 GS: 31 IP: 180.0 SV: 0 HR: 22 BB: 26 SO: 109 ERA: 3.10 FIP: 3.96

Foster Griffin

LHP

Age: 31 2026 bWAR: 3.2 Career bWAR: 3.3

Came back from Asia to little fanfare and put together one of the best seasons in the league. Doesn’t throw the ball particularly hard, topping out in the low-nineties. His primary pitch is his cutter, which he throws about a third of the time, and he mixes in a sweeper, four-seamer, changeup, and sinker at similar rates to keep batters uncomfortable. He commands the ball very well, which helps limit hard contact. Did quite a bit worse after a trade from the cellar-dwelling Nationals to the pitching-savvy Guardians, though this may have been a product of bad luck; his FIP in DC was 4.10 to his 3.06 ERA while in Cleveland it dropped to 3.54 to a 5.19 ERA. So good luck followed by bad luck. Which one is the real Foster Griffin? Stay tuned.

G: 31 GS: 31 IP: 172.2 SV: 0 HR: 23 BB: 45 SO: 158 ERA: 3.60 FIP: 3.96

Kevin Gausman

RHP

Age: 36 2026 bWAR: 1.1 Career bWAR: 29.2

The veteran and his splitter continue to eat innings at a nice rate, but age is starting to catch up. His 177.2 IP was nice, but his lowest since 2022, and his 4.51 ERA was his worst since 2019. A 3.74 FIP says there was some bad luck, and he's still striking out plenty of batters without sacrificing command (184 K/47 BB), so there's reason to think he can still be good in the middle of the rotation. Just can't plan on him remaining the frontline workhorse he was for half a decade in Toronto.