As was expected, most of the big prizes got scooped up before the lockout (which froze all personnel moves) began.

And so we saw Max Scherzer get the huge contract with the Mets (three years, $130 million), while Marcus Stroman went the other way through the revolving door, signings a three-year, $71 million contract with the Chicago Cubs and doing all he could to badmouth the Mets and their fans on the way out.

Robbie Ray, who won the AL Cy Young with the Blue Jays in 2021, signed a five-year, $115 million deal with the Seattle Mariners. Kevin Gausman, who finally had an outstanding season with the Giants last year, cashed in with $110 million over five years to go to Toronto, where he will presumably take Ray’s place in the rotation.

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Some veteran pitchers found a home, as Rich Hill, Alex Wood and two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber found new homes.

Noah Syndergaard, who has started two games in the last two seasons, signed for one year and $21 million with the Angels. And Justin Verlander, who had one start for the Astros in 2020, confounded some observers who thought he’d be wooed by the Yankees, as he’ll be headed back to Houston.

So who’s left on the MLB free agent market? Well, there is some talent remaining, although the pickings are kind of thin.

#1 – Carlos Rodon

Seems to have realized what he is capable of doing last season, as he posted a 2.37 ERA, 0.957 WHIP ratio and a stellar 5.14 ratio of strikeouts to walks. For a starting pitcher, averaging 1.4 strikeouts per inning indicates a certain level of dominance, especially in this analytics-driven era.

The truth is, Rodon always had good strikeout figures. But he has added that element of control that helped him get to the fifth in the 2021 AL Cy Young balloting.

But that was his seventh year in the big leagues. So were we looking at a “one-off” situation, or has Rodon turned over a new leaf completely? The teams who would be interested in him have undoubtedly had a while to contemplate that.

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#2 – Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw’s boyhood buddy, Matthew Stafford, just reached the mountaintop in L.A. But will Kershaw stick with the Dodgers in what is likely his last free agent opportunity?

And how much does he have left? The future Hall of Famer has led the National League in ERA five times, WHIP four times, strikeouts three times, FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) twice, etc.

But none of that has been done in the last four seasons. And the southpaw is 34 years old. Of course, what may not be up to par for this guy in those four years would be cause for celebration for most – a 41-20 record with a 2.96 ERA, a 5.56 K-BB ratio and a WHIP ratio only slightly over the 1.00 mark.

We’re throwing a lot of numbers at you. But hey, these guys have a tendency to do that.

#3 – Yusei Kikuchi

There was a bit of Jekyll-and-Hyde with this pitcher last season. He looked every bit an All-Star over roughly the first half of the campaign, and indeed he earned a berth in that game while holding opposing hitters to a .205 batting average and .645 OPS.

But in the second half of the year, he surrendered an on-base percentage of .381 with a 5.98 ERA.

So in the end, who’s going to be showing up? And who would be paying through the nose for a pitcher with a career ERA of 4.97? The answer is… somebody.

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#4 – Danny Duffy

This is the most interesting proposition on the list. Duffy has most recently been a mainstay of the Kansas City Royals’ rotation. Last summer he was traded to the Dodgers, but never got to pitch a game for them, having already suffered an elbow injury that took him out of action for the rest of the season.

Up until then, he had an ERA of 2.51 for KC and had the best strikeout rate of his career. And he had worried that he might not be able to pitch again. But he found out he didn’t have to have Tommy John surgery, and therefore he could be on the field as early as June.

He’s a southpaw. He could start or come out of the bullpen. So he can be useful to somebody. And if he is healthy, he’s got some years left.

#5 – Zack Greinke

He’s on this list for a few reasons. He can still post some innings; he had 171 last year for the Astros. The two-time ERA champion does not whiff as many people as he used to, and his walks-per-nine (1.9) was higher than what he’d registered for the previous two seasons. But a lot of teams would like to have fourth or fifth starters with his WHIP ratio (1.17 last year),. And at least with Greinke, a winner of 219 games and the 2009 AL Cy Young who might end up a borderline Hall of Fame candidate, they have a better idea of what they’re getting than some of these one-year wonders who have commanded big bucks.

For a team that is looking for someone who can fill out a final piece of the puzzle on the staff, he might be a worthwhile investment on, say, a one-year deal.

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