Free agents on the whole tend to be a little older than the average player. The requirement of six or nearly seven big league seasons after some time in the minors puts most free agents around 30 years old or older. With most teams already slowing down the past few seasons when it comes to spending, clubs have been especially leery of the over-30 crowd in free agency, with concerns that performance could fall off a cliff in a hurry. However, not every veteran ballplayer comes with the same concerns. Let's talk about some of the older crowd among this winter's free-agent crop whom teams can count on to help them in 2021.
Nelson Cruz, DH: The 40-year-old Cruz turns 41 in July, and this will be his 17th season in the big leagues since he debuted with the Brewers in 2005. (Wilder still, Cruz signed as an amateur in 1998 and was traded twice before he got to Milwaukee.) He spent half his big league tenure mashing in Texas before he moved on to continue his slugging exploits in Baltimore, Seattle and Minnesota, where he has been the past two seasons. Between 2014 and 2019, Cruz hit between 37 and 44 home runs every season, and his 16 dingers last season put him on pace for around 40 homers over a full season.
Nevertheless, there were some signs of decline in Cruz's bat, with his exit velocity dropping into the very good category instead of great. But he still crushed the ball, and when looking to next season, what a player did last season is always going to be more important than his age.
Liam Hendriks, RHP: Turning 32 in February, Hendriks is the youngest player on this list. His age plus the normal volatility of relief pitching makes him less of a sure thing, generally speaking, but in this year's free-agent class, Hendriks is a cut above the rest of the relievers. He has been arguably the best reliever in baseball the past two seasons, with his 5.3 WAR topping the sport. He throws his 96 mph four-seam fastball about 70% of the time, and he has maintained his velocity the past two seasons, throwing his hardest at the end of last season. If there's any reliever to go after this offseason, regardless of age, it is Liam Hendriks.
Brett Gardner, OF: The 37-year-old Gardner lost a step on the bases last season, but he was still one of the speediest players in the game. While it is fair to expect another drop next season, his speed should still be a positive, and his bat keeps getting the job done. In 2019, a power surge made Gardner about 15% above average on offense, and though his power dropped in 2020, a 16% walk rate made sure that he stayed close to the same level offensively overall.
Gardner had a slow start to last season but came on strong in September, with a .288/.417/.458 slash line. His moderate power might not make him look like some of the other lefty platoon bats out there, but his production should be just as good, if not better than that of his fellow free agents. Add his defense, and he's a good bet for solid production at a bargain cost for next season.
Adam Wainwright, RHP: Wainwright's four-seam fastball averages just under 90 mph, and that might be why he doesn't really throw it anymore. His sinker doesn't get over 90 mph much either, but it is effective enough and plays off his cutter and curve. The curve is now his primary pitch, as he throws it close to 40% of the time, and it still fools batters, who hit just .191/.216/.245 off the pitch in 2020.
Putting all of that together, the tall righty was a roughly average pitcher with a great performance in the playoffs in 2019, and he carried that over to 2020 with an above-average 4.11 FIP and very good 3.15 ERA. Wainwright will turn 40 near the end of next year, but he should have at least one more good season left in him, thanks to that excellent curveball.
Yadier Molina, C: Wainwright's long-time teammate seems like a good bet to return to St. Louis with him, but the veteran catcher is testing the market in case other teams value him more than the Cardinals do. Although his bat has slipped in recent seasons, it is worth noting that Molina's season was pretty unusual, given the Cardinals' extended in-season pause due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Molina caught 37 games in 39 days from Aug. 20 to the end of the season, which is a huge workload for any catcher, let alone one coming off a positive COVID-19 test at 38 years of age.
Despite all of that, including the playoffs last season, Molina managed to put up a 92 wRC+, or 8% below league-average, which is average for the catching position. On defense, Molina is an above-average framer of pitches, and he controls the running game, drawing just 11 stolen base attempts all season, with only six successful steals. He isn't likely to be a star player at this stage of his career, but as a solid full-time catcher, he should still be at least average.
Masahiro Tanaka, RHP: Trevor Bauer is the class of the free-agent pitching available this winter, but the list of reliable, above-average options worthy of a multiyear deal after Bauer really consists of just the 32-year-old Tanaka. From 2016 to '19, Tanaka averaged 30 starts every year, and he added another 10 turns last season. He has been above average by FIP in every season of his career and has been solidly above average in ERA in every season but the 2017 campaign.
Tanaka's fastball still sits in the 92-93 mph range, with the slider and splitter his primary off-speed options. He limits walks, induces a ton of infield flies and gets grounders at an above-average rate. Reliability might not inspire many fans, but there's no reason that Tanaka shouldn't have multiple effective seasons left, general pitching injury caveats aside.
Justin Turner, 3B: Questionable decision-making following the Dodgers' World Series win aside, Turner is still a very good bat and someone who can play third base, first base or designated hitter. Although he's closer to average with the glove than some might think, what he does at the plate carries his value at all three positions.
Despite turning 36 years old last month, Turner has shown little sign of a slowed bat of late. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, he has put up a 144 wRC+, which is good for 10th in all of baseball. Consistent with that, in 175 plate appearances last season, Turner put up a similar 140 mark, and his xwOBA at Statcast puts him in the top 10% of the game in each of the past four years. Turner's bat will slow down someday, but even if that starts to happen next year, he has a lot of room to fall while remaining productive at the plate. Never mind the extra birthdays, he should be worth a multiyear deal in free agency.