It’s free agency time and though there’s a lot of uncertainty with the MLB labor situation, there’s still a player market that can be explored, at least until the end of the month.

This is the time when we would typically reference some of the best defensive free agents available this offseason. We’re going to do it a little differently this time.

There are 10 position players who appeared within the top 20 free agents on the lists compiled by either FanGraphs (Ben Clemens), The Athletic (Keith Law), or MLB Trade Rumors (Steve Adams, Anthony Franco, Darragh McDonald). Below is an assessment and outlook on the defensive skills of these players. Their rank within those free agent rankings is noted in parentheses.

Seiya Suzuki, Right Field (FG: 2, ATHL: 4, MLBTR: 4)

Suzuki had a great defensive season in 2026. He had 14 Defensive Runs Saved there, well more than his previous high of 3. Suzuki previously had a couple of seasons with good throwing numbers but he made major improvements in his range. He has some of the best outfield jump numbers in MLB per Statcast, particularly when it comes to the first 1.5 seconds after a ball is hit.

Randy Arozarena, Left Field (FG: 10, ATHL: 11, MLBTR: 5)

Arozarena was a good defensive outfielder as recently as 2023 but his numbers haven’t been great recently, particularly as relates to range. He has -11 Runs Saved the last three seasons in left field, though -8 of that was in 2024.

Teruaki Sato, Third Base (FG: 5, ATHL: 2, MLBTR: 7)

Sato won an NPB Fielding Bible Award in 2025, though the consensus of the voting panel at the time was that he was the best of an unimpressive group. In 2026 he was below NPB average at third base with only three players at the position worse than him in Runs Saved.

Ryan Jeffers, Catcher (FG: 21, ATHL: 18, MLBTR: 9)

Defense has not been Jeffers’ forte the last three seasons as he’s totaled -4, -10, and -2 Runs Saved. One of the big culprits is that he doesn’t throw out baserunners. He threw out only 5 of 64 attempting to steal against him in 2026 and 9 of 66 in 2025.

Brandon Lowe, Second Base (FG: 13, ATHL: 3, MLBTR: 11)

Lowe had a remarkable turnaround with the Pirates, going from -14 Runs Saved at second base in 2025 to 13 in 2026. Lowe added a crow hop to his pre-pitch preparation and that seemed to have a nice payoff. He had never totaled more than 2 Runs Saved in a season prior to 2026, so any assessment of him depends on considering his track record against a recent sample that shows good adjustments on his part.

Luis Arraez, Second Base (FG: 11, ATHL: 5, MLBTR: 15)

Arraez’s defensive value depends on how you consider Runs Saved compared to MLB’s Fielding Run Value. Arraez has three straight seasons of negative Runs Saved, including -4 after getting off to a decent start in 2026. MLB’s numbers rated him higher, though it was acknowledged that most of his defensive value came earlier in the season.

Ian Happ, Left Field (FG: 22, ATHL: 9, MLBTR: 17)

Happ has been one of the best defensive left fielders in baseball the last five years. He’s finished in the top five at the position in Runs Saved in four of those seasons. He’s played at least 140 games per season in each of those seasons and has typically put up good numbers in both his range and outfield arm. He’s a solid left fielder with a history of success in a challenging home ballpark, though he turned 32 in August.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Second Base (FG: 7, ATHL: 25, MLBTR: 20)

Chisholm is similar to Arraez in that his 2026 defensive value depends on which metric you use. By MLB’s Fielding Run Value, he was very good. But by Runs Saved he was not. In 2026 he had his first season with negative Runs Saved at second base and declined considerably from 2025, particularly on balls hit to his right. He’s also been below average at turning double plays since he joined the Yankees in 2025.

Jake Bauers, First Base (FG: 12, ATHL: 8, MLBTR: 31)

Bauers is a bat-first first baseman who had -4 Runs Saved at first base and -4 Runs Saved in a brief stint in right field last season. He has -20 Runs Saved combined for his career combining first base, right field, and left field. His best position is hitter.

Mauricio Dubón, Utility (FG:45, ATHL: 12, MLBTR: 37)

Dubón is a three-time Gold Glove winner having won the utility honor in 2023, 2025, and most recently with the Braves in 2026. His strength is his versatility and the fact that he can be average or better at multiple positions. He’s had at least 5 Runs Saved in a season at both second base and left field in the past.

The Best Defensive Player Not In Any of the Top 20s: Ty France (FG: 33, ATHL: 23, MLBTR: 23)

France deserves props for winning a Gold Glove Award in 2025 and leading first basemen in Runs Saved in 2026. He’s also coming off a career year offensively in a season in which he barely made an MLB roster out of spring training.

France’s absence from Top 20 lists doesn’t seem to be about merit but whether you can trust the track record. Defensively, that means asking if you buy more into his 24 combined Runs Saved in 2025 and 2026 than you do his -14 combined in 2023 and 2024.

The Most Interesting Defensive Player Not In Any of the Top 20s: Daulton Varsho (FG: 39, ATHL: 32, MLBTR: 34) 

Varsho rated as an average defensive center fielder in 2026, a dip from the previous three seasons. Varsho peaked as The Fielding Bible Awards Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 but then got hurt in 2025. Then in 2026, he was not able to replicate his past performance when his fearlessness produced many amazing catches.

Varsho is 30 and it’s unusual for an outfielder to get better in his 30s. What needs to be ascertained from Varsho is whether 0 Runs Saved is a one-year baseline or a blip as he returns to something close to what he previously was.