MLB The Show 25: Players Who Should "Set the Market" After Year 1 of Franchise Mode

If you’re a dedicated MLB The Show franchise mode player, odds are you’ve already begun considering who you should pursue once year one of your franchise mode in MLB The Show 25 is done. Luckily for you, there is no shortage of high-value targets for you to try to court next season. But who among them will be setting the the tone and influencing every other deal during that free agency period?

Here are some of the free agents that will undoubtedly be setting the market when it comes to free agency after year one in MLB The Show 25 franchise mode.

Market-Setting Free Agents After Year 1 In MLB The Show 25 Franchise Mode

Framber Valdez

Having had to avoid arbitration for the last four seasons with the Houston Astros, Framber Valdez will be in a contract year this season. In 2024, the Dominican left-hander finished 2.91 ERA, 1.106 WHIP, and a 136 ERA+, finishing 7th in Cy Young voting in the process.

Quality left-handed pitching in the Bigs is a already at a premium, and with Valdez turning 32 before the end of the 2025 calendar, the man is going to want to get paid. Expect him to try to squeeze every last bit of value that he can in negotiations heading into the 2026 MLB season.

Devin Williams

Devin Williams is legitimately one of the most dominant closers in Major League Baseball going today, with the only relief pitcher in his league being the Cleveland Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase. OVer the course of his 5-year career in the MLB, Williams has compiled a combined 1.83 ERA, 68 saves, 60 holds, and a 232 ERA+.

Having been traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the New York Yankees in this offseason (and practically changing the latter’s facial hair policy), Williams will be looking to have repeat success in a big market — and perhaps in a deeper postseason than he’s accustomed to — before cashing in during the following offseason.

Value is tough when it comes to relief pitchers, but if there’s anyone that could change that and force top teams to dig deep into their pockets, it’s Dev.

Kyle Tucker

Kyle Tucker is a name that doesn’t get mentioned enough when it comes to the game’s great hitters in the present day. Though his career batting average of .274 might not pop off the page, his other career slashes — .353 OBP, .516 SLG, .870 OPS — certainly do. He also finished 32 in WAR last year, right in between future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts and World Series MVP Freddie Freeman. Oh, and just to throw this out there, he’s also a Gold Glove-winning right fielder.

Now, calling Tucker a “market setter” might be a bit of hyperbole as I doubt he’ll get any team to splash the pot on a massive contract. That said, good outfielders with good bats that can hit for both average and power don’t grow on trees. And without much elite outfielder competition going into 2026, Tucker could demand a larger price tag than he normally would in any other offseason.

Dylan Cease

Most baseball fans know that Dylan Cease has got a great arm. But still, I feel he’s severely underrated. For a guy that has twice been considered for a Cy Young and MVP, respectively, Cease is one dominant season away from being considered one of the best pitchers in baseball should his 2025 season with the Padres pan out as it should.

In 2024, Cease threw a no-hitter and finished with a 3.47 ERA, 1.067 WHIP, 118 ERA+, 3.10 FIP, and averaged for 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. His nasty breaking stuff is sure to have MLB general managers salivating going into 2026 and he will undoubtedly be very costly for anyone who wishes to make him their ace.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

There is no discussion to be had — Vladdy Jr. will be leading the pack when it comes to the MLB free agent class of 2025-26. At just 25 years old at the time of writing, Lil’ Vlad has already emerged as one of the league’s premier hitters, slashing a career .288/.363/.500/.863 with 160 HRs, 507 RBI, and a WAR of 21.5 to go with it for the Toronto Blue Jays. Granted, Guerrero Jr.’s defensive numbers are about a bit above average at first base. But honestly, who cares?

Having already achieved elite status, as well as having plenty of years ahead of him in the Bigs, Vlad Jr. will undoubtedly be the hottest free agent in 2025-26. Sure, he might not get a contract as ridiculous as the one seen at the end of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. But he will be the talk of that town going into 2026.