As Saturday turned to Sunday last night, MLB’s free agency period officially kicked off.
It’s hot stove season and we’ll be digging up and dissecting rumors all winter long here on Hardball Talk.
In the meantime, HBT’s own Matthew Pouliot has ranked this offseason’s Top 111 Free Agents. A refresher:
And here’s the Top 10 with Rangers ace Cliff Lee leading the pack. He turned in a gorgeous 3.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 28 starts this season, striking out 185 batters in 212.1 innings and walking only 18. The Yankees are almost certain to try for him and Texas will try desperately to keep him. The Red Sox may get involved, too.
Carl Crawford is another impressive name on the free agent market this winter. He has speed, a great defensive glove, a fantastic swing built to make contact and even a little pop. The 29-year-old finished with a .307/.356/.495 batting line and 19 home runs over 154 games this year and is expected to draw interest from the Red Sox, Angels and other big spenders.