Greinke? Price? Cespedes? Who are the top free agents?
The World Series is over and free agents will be allowed to start signing with new teams on Saturday. From an offseason perspective, that's when the fun begins.
Below you will find an assessment of the top 25 free agents, ranked based on how aggressively a GM with the budget to sign one marquee player would pursue each, and factoring the type of contract each is likely to command. (Note: Ages listed are as of Opening Day 2016.)
1. Zack Greinke, RHP, 32
Greinke opted out of the final three years and $71 million on his Dodgers deal on Wednesday. The right-hander has morphed into a power version of Greg Maddux, showing plus feel for his pitches and an uncanny intuition for the game. And, like Maddux, Greinke could remain effective into his late 30s.
O'Dowd's estimate: $175 million to $200 million across seven years.
2. David Price, LHP, 30
The durable left-hander has already won one American League Cy Young Award, and he may very well take home a second in 2015. Much has been made about Price's postseason "struggles," and while teams will not ignore information on a player, they will recognize that Price's largest body of work, by far, has come during the regular season. In more than 200 regular-season starts, Price has won nearly two-thirds of his decisions, with a 3.09 ERA.
O'Dowd's estimate: $175 million across seven years.
3. Yoenis Cespedes, OF, 30
He is one the best pure athletes in the game, and while the native Cuban may go through some ups and downs during the lifetime of his next deal -- as he did during the postseason -- he nonetheless represents one of the top available everyday players.
O'Dowd's estimate: $125 million to $135 million across six years.
4. Chris Davis, 1B/OF, 30
Arguably the top run producer on the market, Davis completed the 2015 campaign with 47 homers and 117 RBIs. The slugger will endure his share of slumps -- he batted under .200 in 2014 and fanned more than 200 times in 2015 -- but his pop is as good as it gets.
O'Dowd's estimate: $125 million across six years.
5. Jordan Zimmermann, RHP, 29
The team that signs Zimmermann will be acquiring a potential No. 1 starter. The right-hander boasts three power pitches and has durability and postseason experience.
O'Dowd's estimate: $150 million across seven years.
6. Justin Upton, OF, 28
The top pick of the 2005 Draft is set for free agency after a very good but not elite year. Nonetheless, teams will clamor for Upton's services, given his age, power and durability.
O'Dowd's estimate: $150 million to $160 million across eight years.
7. Jason Heyward, OF, 26
He might have the most versatile skill set of any free agent on the market, and given his relative youth and lofty ceiling, Heyward will be compensated handsomely. The one red flag here is his career .431 slugging percentage, so if you are paying him like a superstar, you are putting a lot of faith in defensive metrics.
O'Dowd's estimate: $175 million to $200 million across eight to 10 years.
8. Johnny Cueto, RHP, 30
He didn't help his cause with his inconsistent performance after a midseason trade to Kansas City, but Cueto has a track record of excellence -- not to mention a pair of superlative postseason starts -- that will earn him a hefty payday.
O'Dowd's estimate: $110 million to $120 million across five years.
9. Jeff Samardzija, RHP, 31
Despite an underwhelming walk year, Samardzija has two plus-plus pitches and the ability to eat innings. And because he didn't begin to start full time until he was 27 years old, Shark has not accrued a ton of mileage on his right arm.
O'Dowd's estimate: $90 million to $100 million across five years.
10. Alex Gordon, LF, 32
He dazzles on defense -- as evidenced by his four Gold Glove Awards -- hits at a solid clip (.269/.348/.435 career slash line) and owns above-average on-field instincts.
O'Dowd's estimate: $90 million across five years.
11. Mike Leake, RHP, 28
Behind his strong control (career 2.3 BB/9 IP), this right-hander has been a quality innings eater across the past few campaigns. However, Leake remains beneath the upper tier of available arms given his middle-of-the-road strikeout and homer rates.
O'Dowd's estimate: $90 million across six years.
12. John Lackey, RHP, 37
His age aside, he's a durable strike-thrower who has proved capable of fronting a postseason rotation. Look for Lackey to sign a shorter deal with an average annual value in line with a No. 2 starter.
O'Dowd's estimate: $30 million to $36 million across two years.
13. Ben Zobrist, IF, 34
He is an attractive get for many reasons. Namely, Zobrist can play all over the field and reaches base at a solid clip (career .355 OBP).
O'Dowd's estimate: $36 million to $40 million across three years.
14. Ian Desmond, SS, 30
This shortstop had a tough walk year, posting his lowest OPS (.674) since 2011. But given Desmond's solid finish and previous track record, he could land an appealing multiyear pact -- even if the terms fall short of what he might have commanded prior to '15.
O'Dowd's estimate: $75 million across five years.
15. Matt Wieters, C, 29
If his arm is 100-percent healthy, the power-hitting Wieters is the No. 1 catcher available.
O'Dowd's estimate: $75 million across five years.
16. Scott Kazmir, LHP, 32
He has the talent to be a solid No. 3 starter on a contending club. With that said, Kazmir's market may be capped at four years, given his injury history.
O'Dowd's estimate: $55 million across four years.
17. Dexter Fowler, CF, 30
A solid center fielder with impressive pop (17 homers in 2015) and on-base ability (.363 career OBP; .346 in '15), the switch-hitting Fowler is coming off a strong walk year with the Cubs.
O'Dowd's estimate: $70 million to $75 million across five years.
18. Howie Kendrick, 2B, 32
The veteran second baseman has a long and solid track record at the plate. And prior to 2015, a handful of defensive metrics had Kendrick as an above-average fielder.
O'Dowd's estimate: $44 million to $48 million across four years.
19. Yovani Gallardo, RHP, 30
He has remade himself from his days as a power pitcher. Now a pitch-to-contact arm with solid ground-ball rates, Gallardo can serve as a mid-rotation piece on a winning club.
O'Dowd's estimate: $55 million across four years.
20. Denard Span, CF, 32
With a career .287/.352/.395 slash line and the skills to play center field, this leadoff hitter will garner attention on the open market, despite 2015's injury woes.
O'Dowd's estimate: $48 million to $52 million across four years.
21. Wei-Yin Chen, LHP, 30
The left-handed Chen -- who has averaged 2.2 BB/9 and 177 innings pitched across his four seasons -- could be of great intrigue after the flashier options are off the table.
O'Dowd's estimate: $50 million to $70 million across four or five years.
22. Daniel Murphy, 2B, 31
Many will talk about Murphy's dominant playoff showing, but why limit the conversation to a month's performance? The veteran finished the regular season with career highs in homers as well as RBIs, and he played every infield spot except shortstop. In addition, Murphy was the game's toughest batter to strike out -- whiffing in just 7.3 percent of his plate appearances.
O'Dowd's estimate: $40 million to $48 million across four years.
23. Doug Fister, RHP, 32
Prior to 2015, this right-hander ranked among baseball's best No. 3 starters. A strike-throwing machine (career 1.8 BB/9), Fister could be a good get for a win-now club with a hole in its rotation.
O'Dowd's estimate: $45 million to $60 million across three to four years, or a one-year pact to rebuild his market value.
24. Ian Kennedy, RHP, 31
He has managed to strike out nearly a batter per inning across his career, despite not having overpowering stuff, but he hasn't managed to come close to replicating the 2.88 ERA he posted in 2011, which resulted in a fourth-place finish in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
O'Dowd's estimate: $55 million across four years.
25. Gerardo Parra, OF, 28
He had a career offensive season in 2015, slashing .291/.328/.452 in 589 plate appearances between Milwaukee and Baltimore. Parra did slip a bit on defense -- according to certain metrics, at least -- but he still played all three outfield spots and contributed near the top of a contender's batting order.
O'Dowd's estimate: $40 million to $50 million across four to five years.