With only one week standing between now and MLB's winter meetings, there is good news and bad news about the 2024-25 free-agent market.

The bad? There hasn't been much activity.

The good? That means the market is still very well stocked.

Ahead is an updated list of the top 25 free agents before the baseball world descends upon Dallas for the winter meetings from December 9-12. With one tricky exception, players are ranked according to their potential earning power based on their age, abilities and position.

There's a clear dividing line between the top 10 free agents and everyone else, so these rankings will build to that line. The bottom 15 are presented in bunches of five, whereas the top 10 all get individual attention.

Let's get into it.

Nos. 25-21

25. RHP Kirby Yates

Age: 37

2024 Stats: 61 G, 50 GF, 61.2 IP, 23 H (4 HR), 85 K, 28 BB, 1.17 ERA

Yates made 15 total appearances between 2020 and 2022, but he was pretty good in 2023 and very good in 2024. Altogether, the .140 batting average he's allowed over the last two seasons is the lowest of any pitcher by 28 points. A one- or two-year deal for him could be costly, but potentially a steal.

24. RHP Clay Holmes

Age: 31

2024 Stats: 67 G, 50 GF, 63.0 IP, 60 H (4 HR), 68 K, 22 BB, 3.14 ERA

Holmes blew more saves this year (13) than he had in his first six seasons combined (12). He's still a two-time All-Star, however, and nobody can take any issue with either his bowling-ball sinker or his elite slider. He's a good buy-low candidate, though a team might have to pay eight figures per year in a multiyear deal to land him.

23. DH Joc Pederson

Age: 32

2024 Stats: 132 G, 449 PA, 23 HR, 7 SB, .275 AVG, .393 OBP, .515 SLG

If you need a guy who punishes right-handed pitching, Pederson is your dude. He has a .844 OPS against righties for his career, and he did one better with a .923 OPS this year. Just make sure you offer him more than $14 million, which is how much his mutual option with the Arizona Diamondbacks would have paid him in 2025.

22. INF Ha-Seong Kim

Age: 29

2024 Stats: 121 G, 470 PA, 11 HR, 22 SB, .233 AVG, .330 OBP, .370 SLG

After posting 10.7 rWAR across 2022 and 2023, Kim was positioned to enter this winter as a top-10 free agent. Right shoulder surgery put the kibosh on that, but his age and skill set make him a worthwhile upside play. When he's right, he's an excellent defensive infielder who offers plentiful contact and speed on offense.

21. RHP Walker Buehler

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 16 G, 16 GS, 75.1 IP, 89 H (16 HR), 64 K, 28 BB, 5.38 ERA

Buehler wouldn't be on this list if he hadn't thrown 10 straight scoreless innings to cap off his postseason. Of course, that is a thing he did, and it wasn't long ago that he was one of MLB's elite starters from 2018 to 2021. He'll likely bet on himself this winter, whether it's via a one-year deal or a multiyear pact with an opt-out.

Nos. 20-16

20. LF Jurickson Profar

Age: 31

2024 Stats: 158 G, 668 PA, 24 HR, 10 SB, .280 AVG, .380 OBP, .459 SLG

Profar returned to the San Diego Padres on a mere $1 million salary last year and then went on to have easily the best season of his career. It's almost certainly not a repeatable feat, but any guy who can threaten a .400 OBP with 20-homer power must be taken seriously as a candidate for a multiyear deal.

19. 2B Gleyber Torres

Age: 27

2024 Stats: 154 G, 665 PA, 15 HR, 4 SB, .257 AVG, .330 OBP, .378 SLG

It's wild that out of Torres' 138 career home runs, 45 percent of them came in his first two seasons. But if I'm an exec looking at his youth and track record as a two-time All-Star, I'm seeing a rare sort of upside play. And while Torres should be interested in re-testing the market next winter, a multiyear deal with an opt-out suits him best.

18. RHP Jeff Hoffman

Age: 31

2024 Stats: 68 G, 21 GF, 66.1 IP, 48 H (6 HR), 89 K, 16 BB, 2.17 ERA

Formerly a top-10 draft pick who was traded for Troy Tulowitzki, Hoffman was on the verge of flaming out of MLB for a hot minute there. Then he ended up with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 and started throwing his slider more. Thus began his metamorphosis into a top-10 reliever who's now in line for a lucrative multiyear deal.

17. RHP Nick Pivetta

Age: 31

2024 Stats: 27 G, 26 GS, 145.2 IP, 128 H (28 HR), 172 K, 36 BB, 4.14 ERA

Pivetta rejected a qualifying offer from the Boston Red Sox, thus indicating that he and his camp believe he's worth more than $21.05 million. They may be right. Underneath his generally below-average (i.e., 92 ERA+) results is some of the best pure stuff possessed by any pitcher in baseball.

16. RHP Nathan Eovaldi

Age: 34

2024 Stats: 29 G, 29 GS, 170.2 IP, 147 H (23 HR), 166 K, 42 BB, 3.80 ERA

Eovaldi has finished with an ERA in the 3.00s in six of the last seven seasons, plus a 3.05 ERA in the playoffs. And despite his age, diminishing stuff and status as a two-time Tommy John survivor, he may be able to double the $20 million he would have made via his player option with the Texas Rangers.

Nos. 15-11

15. LF/RF Tyler O'Neill

Age: 29

2024 Stats: 113 G, 473 PA, 31 HR, 4 SB, .241 AVG, .336 OBP, .511 SLG

Injuries are a fact of life for O'Neill, who's also a strikeout magnet and past his prime as a defender. The pop in his bat is real, though. He's topped 30 homers twice in the last four seasons and he was in the 98th percentile with his barrel rate this year. He should be able to net a multiyear deal for eight figures annually.

14. RHP Luis Severino

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 31 G, 31 GS, 182.0 IP, 166 H (23 HR), 161 K, 60 BB, 3.91 ERA

Severino's injury history is a secret to nobody, but that didn't stop him from turning down a qualifying offer from the New York Mets. There indeed should be more than $21.05 million out there for him, as his stuff (especially his sweeper) is good enough to distract from both the aforementioned injury history and his persistent issues vs. lefties.

13. LHP Tanner Scott

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 72 G, 41 GF, 72.0 IP, 45 H (3 HR), 84 K, 36 BB, 1.75 ERA

With a career walk rate of 4.9 batters per nine innings, the free pass is always a possibility with Scott. But you can't deny his 2.04 ERA over his last 146 appearances, nor how his stuff has played against both righties (.534 OPS) and lefties (.512 OPS). He won't get Josh Hader money, but he'll do alright if he gets even halfway there.

12. 1B Christian Walker

Age: 33

2024 Stats: 130 G, 552 PA, 26 HR, 2 SB, .251 AVG, .335 OBP, .468 SLG

Walker was already in his late 20s by the time he finally became an everyday player, but it's hard to argue with the results. He's averaged 30 homers per 162 games since 2019, all while doubling up the next-best first baseman with 57 Outs Above Average. His age limits his earning power, but there should be a multiyear deal out there for him.

11. LHP Sean Manaea

Age: 32

2024 Stats: 32 G, 32 GS, 181.2 IP, 134 H (21 HR), 184 K, 63 BB, 3.47 ERA

Manaea has been durable in three of the last four seasons and he's generally good for a strikeout per inning. He's also adaptable, as he can throw as many as six pitches with varying release points. The qualifying offer was an easy no for him. He can probably beat the three-year, $63 million deal that Yusei Kikuchi got from the Los Angeles Angels.

10. RHP Jack Flaherty

Age: 29

2024 Stats: 28 G, 28 GS, 162.0 IP, 135 H (24 HR), 194 K, 38 BB, 3.17 ERA

Jack Flaherty didn't have much choice but to bet on himself in free agency last year.

He was a rising star for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018 and 2019, but he couldn't stay healthy in any of the next three years. Though he tried to return to form in 2023, the year ended with him getting demoted to the Baltimore Orioles' bullpen.

Though he didn't quite return all the way to form in 2024, Flaherty's strikeout-to-walk ratio and whiff rate were both in elite territory. Further, his knuckle-curve was one of the year's best curveballs with a +12 run value.

Flaherty is more of a mid-rotation type than a No. 1, and even that is assuming good health. To this end, his track record is iffy. And even if they didn't cost him substantial time on the injured list, the issues he had with his back this year are worth worrying about.

Even still, there's a real chance of Flaherty parlaying the one-year, $14 million deal he took last winter into a nine-figure contract.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants

9. LF Teoscar Hernández

Age: 32

2024 Stats: 154 G, 652 PA, 33 HR, 12 SB, .272 AVG, .339 OBP, .501 SLG

Teoscar Hernández could have accepted a multiyear offer last winter, but you can't blame the guy for accepting one year and $23.5 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers instead.

He was betting on himself, as well he should have. Though he'd had a rough one with the Seattle Mariners in 2023, he hit .295 with a .830 OPS away from the hitter-hating stadium known as T-Mobile Park.

Cut to now, and it would be understating it to say that Hernández hit the jackpot in 2024.

Beyond setting a career high for home runs, winning the Home Run Derby and capturing a World Series ring, Hernández effectively re-cemented himself as one of baseball's most dangerous sluggers. Notably, he placed in the top 10 percent of all hitters for expected slugging percentage for the fourth time in five seasons.

Hernández is a better hitter than the next guy on this list, but his age will limit how much he can get. Even still, a multiyear deal worth $20 million per should be within his grasp.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, New York Mets

8. RF Anthony Santander

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 155 G, 665 PA, 44 HR, 2 SB, .235 AVG, .308 OBP, .506 SLG

It isn't hard to look at Anthony Santander and find nits to pick.

For one, his OBP from this year is right in line with his career OBP of .307. For two, he isn't much of a defender. And for three, he likely overachieved as a home run hitter this year.

Then again, everyone likes home runs and Santander has been a consistent source of them.

He's cranked 154 total taters since 2019, with an average of 36 per 162 games. And this is with relatively even splits as a switch-hitter:

• As LHB vs. RHP: 17.3 AB/HR
• As RHB vs. LHP: 18.1 AB/HR

Santander is tied to draft-pick compensation after rejecting a qualifying offer from the Baltimore Orioles, but that isn't likely to kill his earning power. Projections for him tend to fall in the $20 million per year range, with B/R's Tim Kelly going for five years, $101 million.

Potential Fits: Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals

7. 1B Pete Alonso

Age: 29

2024 Stats: 162 G, 695 PA, 34 HR, 3 SB, .240 AVG, .329 OBP, .459 SLG

In addition to Santander, Pete Alonso is another for the "Who Doesn't Love Dingers?" crowd.

He's hit 226 home runs since he came into the league in 2019, which is tops among National League hitters and second only to Aaron Judge among all MLB hitters. To boot, a little more than half of these homers (115, to be exact) have come with men on base.

Those homers with men on account for 475 of the 586 runs Alonso has driven in over the last six seasons. That is the most of any hitter, albeit by a mere two-RBI cushion over Matt Olson.

Though he's also good for a solid walk rate, the home runs and RBIs pretty much mark the beginning and end of Alonso's appeal. He's only a .249 hitter for his career, and it's hard to say anything positive about either his defense or his baserunning.

All the same, it'll be an upset if Alonso doesn't find a nine-figure deal in free agency. Even something approaching Freddie Freeman's six-year, $162 million deal may be in play.

Potential Fits: New York Mets, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers

6. 3B Alex Bregman

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 145 G, 634 PA, 26 HR, 3 SB, .260 AVG, .315 OBP, .453 SLG

Alex Bregman's career is in a weird spot right now.

On the one hand, his best days are clearly behind him. Those were in 2018 and 2019, when he hit 72 home runs and amassed 16.8 rWAR. He got American League MVP votes both years and arguably should have been the winner over Mike Trout for the '19 season.

On the other hand, he's still one of the best at the hot corner.

Bregman has averaged roughly 25 homers, a .800 OPS and 4.5 rWAR over the last three years. He had a whiff rate in the 98th percentile this year, with his usual supply of pulled fly balls. He's willing to move to second base, but he still plays third just fine.

Bregman was likely paying attention when Matt Chapman signed a six-year, $151 million deal with the San Francisco Giants in September. As he's a year younger, he may be able to get that same deal but with an extra year added to it.

Potential Fits: Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies

5. SS Willy Adames

Age: 29

2024 Stats: 161 G, 688 PA, 32 HR, 21 SB, .251 AVG, .331 OBP, .462 SLG

Every team should want a true shortstop with 30-homer power. And this winter, Willy Adames is the only game in town.

The 32 homers he hit this year are in line with his 162-game average of 31 over the last four seasons. He otherwise demolished his previous personal bests with 21 stolen bases and 112 runs batted in.

The tricky question is just how true it is that Adames is, well, a true shortstop right now.

He rated as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball in 2022 and 2023, but that changed in 2024. Most notably, his Defensive Runs Saved swung all the way from +8 in '23 to -16 this year.

Arm strength nonetheless remained among Adames' inventory of skills, so his reported willingness to move to third base is a good call on his part. It's all the more reason to think he can shoot for Dansby Swanson's seven-year, $177 million deal.

Potential Fits: San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies

4. RHP Roki Sasaki

Age: 23

2024 Stats (NPB): 18 G, 111.0 IP, 83 H (2 HR), 129 K, 32 BB, 2.35 ERA

If you're thinking Roki Sasaki doesn't belong on this list, well, that is fair.

As he has yet to be officially posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines, he isn't technically available yet. And even when he is posted, he'll only be an amateur free agent and subject to a maximum signing bonus of $7,555,500.

However, those who think Sasaki not only belongs on this list, but should indeed be even higher also have a point.

Though he's only 23, he is already among the most purely talented pitchers in the world. He can eclipse triple digits with his fastball, with a splitter that rates as elite and a slider that is at least above average.

Due to his relatively slender 6'2", 187-pound frame and a recent history with oblique and shoulder injuries, durability is something Sasaki will have to prove when he comes to MLB. It's also notable that his strikeout rate slipped from 39.1 to 28.7 from 2023 to 2024.

However, let's agree that Sasaki's earning power is much greater in spirit than it is in reality. If he was two years older, he'd probably be chasing Yoshinobu Yamamoto money.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox

3. LHP Max Fried

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 29 G, 29 GS, 174.1 IP, 146 H (13 HR), 166 K, 57 BB, 3.25 ERA

Unlike the next pitcher on this list, it is not difficult to imagine Max Fried's career getting derailed by injuries.

His tendency for blisters is a mere nuisance, but he's also had Tommy John surgery and he landed on the IL with forearm injuries in both 2023 and 2024. He'll turn 31 on January 18, 2025.

Then again, it's hard to behold a pitcher with a 2.81 ERA to show for his last five seasons and not feel some level of excitement.

Fried has posted that ERA over an ample sum of 659 innings. He's also just a remarkably well-rounded pitcher, as he's generally good for roughly four times as many strikeouts as walks and exceptional marks for ground-ball rate and average exit velocity.

The six-year, $162 million deal that Carlos Rodón got two winters ago should be a target for Fried, and perhaps as a floor rather than a ceiling. He could even chase Aaron Nola's seven-year, $172 million contract from last winter.

Potential Fits: Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles

2. RHP Corbin Burnes

Age: 30

2024 Stats: 32 G, 32 GS, 194.1 IP, 165 H (22 HR), 181 K, 48 BB, 2.92 ERA

That Corbin Burnes has never been on the IL with an arm injury is at once remarkable and not even the best thing about him.

Rather, the best thing about him is...well, basically everything else.

As a Cy Young Award winner with a 2.87 ERA over his last 133 starts, Burnes is the best starter to hit the market since Gerrit Cole in 2019. And even if his strikeouts per nine have declined from 13.3 in 2020 to just 8.4 this year, he can still be labeled as dominant.

The general quality of Burnes' pitches is up there among the best hurlers in MLB. And if a pitcher is going to make a point of not chasing strikeouts—as Burnes said in his own defense in May—racking up ground balls and soft contact in abundance is a good workaround.

Per Cole's contract and the five-year, $182 million deal that Blake Snell just signed with the Dodgers, the going rate for true No. 1 pitchers is about $36 million per year. Burnes should expect similar treatment in a long-term deal.

Potential Fits: Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays

1. RF Juan Soto

Age: 26

2024 Stats: 157 G, 713 PA, 41 HR, 7 SB, .288 AVG, .419 OBP, .569 SLG

Yes, Juan Soto is still the best free agent available. Please try to contain your surprise.

There's nothing new to say about why he's worthy of both praise and many, many dollars. He is arguably the best hitter in baseball today, and his all-time comps are none too shabby either.

In fact, here's a list of hitters who have ever posted a .400 OBP and 200 home runs through the age of 25: Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Soto.

Granted, with Soto's offensive production comes little else. His defensive shortcomings were there for everyone to see during the World Series. He also tends to do more harm than good on the basepaths.

Yet none of this is going to stop Soto from chasing a record-setting contract. And even if he doesn't quite match Shohei Ohtani's $700 million total guarantee, he could easily beat the modern-day value of that deal.

Which, for the record, is about $460 million. Soto has a chance to top that by $100 million. Shoot, maybe even $200 million.

Potential Fits: New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.