The 2024 MLB season may now be into its second full week but, believe it or not, the free-agent market still hasn't been picked clean.

The idea right here and right now: Find homes for the eight best players still available.

What these guys have to offer is naturally an important part of equation. Nobody should be misled into thinking they're still star-caliber talents—or, at this point, likely to command any kind of substantial sum—but each has at least one useful ability.

Otherwise, this was about sussing out where they fit best. There was admittedly some wishful thinking involved in finding ideal fits. Because as much as moribund teams like the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics need all the help they can get, it was more fun to imagine these players joining with teams that are actually going places.

We'll go in alphabetical order by the player's last name.

1B/DH Brandon Belt: Milwaukee Brewers

What He Has to Offer

Even after 13 seasons with the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays, Brandon Belt still wants to play. So much so that he's annoyed that nobody has given him the chance.

"It's kind of baffled me a little bit," Belt said on Sportsnet's The JD Bunkis Podcast on March 29. "Honestly haven't had hardly any calls at all that have gone past the point of teams saying, 'Hey, we're interested."

Let's just say that the 35-year-old Belt has a gripe.

He's an All-Star and two-time World Series champion who was more than effective in a platoon role last year. In 365 plate appearances against right-handers, he had an .890 OPS with 19 home runs. He also posted strong metrics, including walk and barrel rates in the 97th and 91st percentiles, respectively.

Why the Brewers Make Sense

The Brewers offense has been one of the bigger surprises of the season so far, pacing the team's 6-3 start by way of a huge slugging improvement.

Milwaukee has nonetheless gotten only a .384 OPS from first base and has otherwise already used four different players at designated hitter. Belt would at least add stability at these spots, and potentially elevate this offense to still greater heights.

RHP Zack Greinke: Tampa Bay Rays

What He Has to Offer

A Hall of Fame-caliber resume, for one.

This is perhaps an unpopular opinion, but it strikes me as valid in context of Zack Greinke's accomplishments. He's a Cy Young Award winner and six-time All-Star who ranks higher on the Jaffe WAR Score system than Cooperstowners like Tom Glavine, Nolan Ryan and Roy Halladay.

Granted, Greinke's best days are well behind him by now. He's 40 years old and coming off a season in which he had a 2-15 record and a 5.06 ERA. His fastball velocity was in the 6th percentile.

Still, Greinke did eat up a not insignificant number of innings last season. He was good for 4.9 per start, or just barely south of the league-wide standard of 5.1.

Why the Rays Make Sense

If anything, the Rays are lucky to be off to a 5-6 start. They have five starting pitchers on the injured list, and the rotation they have lacks a viable fifth starter.

This is where Greinke would fit in. And while one never truly knows what matters to him, it would be cool to see the Apopka, Florida, native get his 3,000th career strikeout (he's 21 away) in his home state.

LHP Brad Hand: Boston Red Sox

What He Has to Offer

At his peak between 2016 and 2020, Brad Hand was a three-time All-Star who pitched to a 2.70 ERA and struck out 12.2 batters per nine innings.

Those days are over, and have been over for a while.

The 34-year-old lefty had it pretty rough over the last three seasons, with his ERA rising to 4.13 and his strikeout rate falling to 8.7 per nine innings. He was last seen having a brutal time with Atlanta in 2023, appearing in 20 games and giving up 15 runs.

Even throughout last season, however, Hand continued to silence left-handed batters to the tune of a .200 average and a .583 OPS. They couldn't handle his sweeper, batting .170 against it with 22 strikeouts in 47 at-bats.

Why the Red Sox Make Sense

For all the attention their starting rotation has gotten, Red Sox relievers are also off to an excellent start. They have a 1.45 ERA and have flashed some truly elite stuff.

Joely Rodríguez is the only southpaw in Boston's bullpen, however, and opposing batters are 4-for-13 with a walk and a home run against him. The Red Sox thus need to be considering additional options, including signing Hand.

LHP Rich Hill: Cleveland Guardians

What He Has to Offer

Rich Hill turned 44 years old on March 11, so he'd be venturing even further into Bartolo Colon territory if he pitches at all this year.

As it is, the southpaw indicated to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune in October that he might only pitch half of this season. If he does, he'll look to be an option for a contender.

"Every team needs pitching," Hill said. "I think as far as trying to be in what role or what capacity that is, I mean, that will be a wait and see."

Though Hill posted a 5.41 ERA last season, he averaged 5.0 innings per start and was still featuring one of baseball's top curveballs. He could at least be a good back-end option for a team in need.

Why the Guardians Make Sense

There's a case for Atlanta here after Spencer Strider's MRI revealed damage to the UCL in his right elbow. But as a team with obvious World Series aspirations, what they should be doing is considering ace options on the trade market.

To be sure, this is not to say the Guardians shouldn't also be doing that with Shane Bieber set to undergo Tommy John surgery. But they simply need to act sooner, as their rotation depth was thin even before Bieber went down. The call to Hill needs to happen yesterday.

3B Evan Longoria: Cincinnati Reds

What He Has to Offer

Evan Longoria isn't officially retired, but one might not know that from the role he played in the Arizona Diamondbacks' celebration of winning the National League pennant last year.

Flanked by his family, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Chase Field on March 29:

Despite the optics of that occasion, the 38-year-old Longoria was said last October to be leaning toward playing in 2024 and, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, was still weighing his options as recently as February.

Though Longoria is far removed from his peak as a three-time All-Star and Gold Glover, he was still capable of playing third base last year and was better offensively than his .717 OPS indicates. He hit the ball at an average of 92.2 mph, above the league norm of 89.0 mph.

Why the Reds Make Sense

Whereas the Reds had too many infielders not too long ago, that's no longer the case now. Matt McLain is facing a long absence after having shoulder surgery and top prospect Noelvi Marte was suspended for 80 games in March.

Beyond simply helping on the infield, Longoria could also see work in Cincinnati as a platoon partner for Nick Martini in the DH spot. And besides, it worked out the last time he took a chance on a burgeoning contender with a bunch of young talent.

OF Tommy Pham: San Diego Padres

What He Has to Offer

The 6.2-rWAR year that Tommy Pham had in 2017 accounts for 34 percent of the value he's accumulated in 10 seasons, yet last year was something of a resurgence.

He posted a solid .774 OPS in the regular season and was a difference-maker for the Diamondbacks during their World Series run. When the postseason ended, he had three home runs and two four-hit games to show for it.

Pham also put up impressive under-the-hood numbers last year, particularly with regard to his patience and power. His chase rate was in the 89th percentile, while his average exit velocity was in the 93rd.

Plus, Pham is a guy you sign if you want someone to enforce accountability in the clubhouse. Just ask the New York Mets.

Why the Padres Make Sense

It's actually weird that Pham and the Padres haven't already linked up. He played for them in 2020 and 2021, is a supporter of manager Mike Shildt and was reportedly in talks to join the team in March.

With respect to the fast-starting Jurickson Profar, the Padres need another option in left field. And with Manny Machado inching toward a return to third base, there will soon be an opening at DH as well.

INF Donovan Solano: Minnesota Twins

What He Has to Offer

Though he'd previously gotten his share of chances, Donovan Solano's big break didn't happen until his age-31 season in 2019.

He's a .296 hitter ever since then, which actually puts him ahead of Yordan Álvarez among hitters with at least 1,500 plate appearances in this span.

Even if "Donnie Barrels" is a bit of a misnomer, Solano does have a knack for squaring the ball up. The sweet spot for launch angle is between eight and 32 degrees off the bat, and he was in the 99th percentile for hitting balls in that range last season.

Plus, the 36-year-old isn't confined to one spot on defense. He can fill in at first base, second base and third base, not to mention DH.

Why the Twins Make Sense

Solano played for the Twins last season, of course, and a reunion was reported to be a possibility as recently as January.

This was before the Twins knew that Royce Lewis was going to be out until at least June with a severe right quad strain. The resulting hole in their infield is too huge for Solano to fill, but he's the best stopgap they can ask for right now.

RHP Noah Syndergaard: Minnesota Twins

What He Has to Offer

The answer to this question last year was "basically nothing." Noah Syndergaard only managed 18 starts and got lit up for a 6.50 ERA.

But then in January, it came out via Jon Heyman of the New York Post that the 31-year-old Syndergaard may be throwing in the mid-90s again:

If true, it's significant. "Thor" worked at an average of 92.3 mph last year, with a max velocity of 95.2 mph.

This is hardly any guarantee that Syndergaard can live up to his All-Star days of yore, but he's at least worth a flier as a depth piece for a team's rotation, bullpen or both.

Why the Twins Make Sense

The Twins aren't just undermanned on their infield. They've also seen their starting pitchers get lit up for a 5.17 ERA, with only Pablo López and Joe Ryan proving effective so far.

There's no downside to the Twins giving Syndergaard a look. And who knows? Even with Justin Willard now in Boston, he could still potentially benefit from a web of pitching infrastructure that's mainly designed to chase strikeouts.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.