I don't know when Manny Machado is going to pick his next team. I don't know when Bryce Harper is going to pick his next team, either. Machado's decision will almost certainly come before Harper's. It's obvious which players are at the top of the free-agent market. But if you review what happened in 2018, one of the most important players on the Atlanta Braves wound up being Anibal Sanchez. One of the most important players on the Milwaukee Brewers wound up being Jhoulys Chacin. (I'll also accept Wade Miley.) One of the most important players on the Los Angeles Dodgers wound up being Max Muncy, for Pete's sake. Value doesn't always come from where you expect, and there are current free agents who will look like massive bargains down the line.
Today, we're identifying the best candidates to be the next Muncy or Miley, Sanchez or Chacin. I picked out the following players who ought to come with considerable upside, even with a modest cost. The recently released Troy Tulowitzki is a given, but there are 11 other names as well, the bulk of them pitchers. Jordan Lyles would have made this list had he not recently signed a small contract with the Pirates. He's the kind of player we're looking for.
With any list like this, the gamble tends to be health. Indeed, many of these players have elevated injury risks, but also good talent when healthy. Staying healthy is still in large part a coin flip, at least from the team perspective. It's not as easy to predict as you would think. With that in mind, let's find some intriguing, affordable free agents. Some are going to end up hurt. That's the way it goes. But some of these players could make major stretch-run contributions. I've listed them in alphabetical order.