3 Pending MLB Free Agents Whose Stock Is Plummeting

We took a look earlier this week at the top 5 pending free agents coming up after the season. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, with dozens more notable names who will be looking to snag a new contract for 2026 and beyond. But in some cases, their 2025 "contract years" are not going as planned, and their performances are costing them money.  

Let's have a look at 3 pending free agents whose stock is down this season, and in some cases plummeting, as we head down the stretch and then into the offseason open market. 

Devin Williams, New York Yankees

The once-vaunted closer has done nothing but frustrate Yankees fans in this rollercoaster of a season—most of which is heading all downhill. Williams might be hitting rock bottom right now, as four of his last five appearances have resulted in two blown saves and two losses. He lost the closer's role once already, earlier this year to Luke Weaver, and now has lost it again, to newcomer David Bednar, or at least a closer-by-committee that might also include Camilo Doval and Weaver. 

Even with 82 saves over the past three+ years, and ERAs under 2.00 for three straight seasons before this one, his current 5.60 ERA with five losses and three blown saves is not helping his free agency case much at all. As Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report writes, "few (if any) pending free agents have crushed their stock as much as he has," while suggesting he'll likely need to take a one-year 'prove it' type of deal.

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks

The former multi-time Cy Young candidate and All-Star has had an overall dreadful season in his walk year, with an ERA that has consistently been over 5.00 (currently at 5.31), a personal worst 1.35 WHIP and a strikeout rate that's dipped to a career low 8.4 K/9. His season has been so bad, that no contender stepped up to offer a decent enough package for the Snakes to latch onto at the trade deadline. 

But with so many strong seasons for Gallen to fall back on (Top 10 Cy Young votes in three of the previous five seasons) and a career ERA in the lower 3.00s before this year, as Rymer notes, "pitching is always in demand. He is therefore a solid bet to land a multi-year deal worth eight figures annually even if he doesn't turn things around the rest of the way."

Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres

It's another of those 'down' years, at just the wrong time, for Cease. Yes, he's striking out batters at an elite rate—in fact, a major league best 11.8 K/9—but his 5-10 record on a team that's 69-52 and in first place, and a 4.52 ERA, isn't the stuff that dream nine-figure contracts are usually made of. In fact, this is the second season in three years that Cease has been above the 4.50 ERA mark.

Photo; © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images