Chad Green
Chad Green has been a solid reliever in the major leagues for almost a decade that is still a free agent. His time with the New York Yankees was incredible, and he continued that same production with the Toronto Blue Jays in his second stint with a team in MLB. The unfortunate part about the end of Green’s time in MLB is that Green looked like a shell of himself and was unfortunately cut by the impending American League Champions down the stretch. To my surprise, the reliever was unsigned down the stretch and remained a free agent through the end of the 2025 season. His ERA was in the mid 5s, and he was not a productive player, indicating the reason for being cut, but ultimately, his experience was worth taking a shot on.
It is now March 12th, and he is still without a team, but Green will be signed this season. Green’s calling card was always his fastball and slider combination, but as of late, he has been losing his touch with the two pitches. As MLB Pitchers as a collective have thrown harder, his value on his fastball velocity has dropped. His changeup and slider needed to be more of a mix than before. I think that a team like the New York Mets or his former team, the Yankees, could absolutely help with this, and their pitching labs do a great job with that. A team like the Milwaukee Brewers would be great with this, too.
Danny Coulombe
Danny Coulombe is a 36 year old left handed reliever coming off a season where he showed a 2.30 ERA. Over the last three seasons, Coulombe has not had a season over a 2.85 ERA, and 3 of those four seasons were under a 2.30 ERA. In one season for the Minnesota Twins, he sported a historic 1.46 ERA. Coulombe has had his fair share of adversity in his career, but being unsigned after a four-year run like this does not make sense to me. Take a team like the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are without any impact relievers heading into the 2026 season; they could very much use a player like this. Coulombe’s last two teams, the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles, had relatively pitching-friendly parks (Camden Yards fences were moved back). This may benefit a player like could help a guy like Coulombe, where age starts to show in more Home Runs given up. However, Coulombe gets nearly 50% of his pitches on the ground, which is great. He is also sporting a five-pitch mix, which is rare for a reliever. He will be an impact guy, and if he signs with a bad team, do not be surprised to hear his name a lot at the trade deadline.
Lucas Giolito
Lucas Giolito is now 31 years old, and his roller coaster of a career is coming to a head. Giolito signed with the Boston Red Sox a couple of years ago after Tommy John Surgery and had a nice 2025 season after not pitching in the first year of the contract. Something they are trying to do with veteran Patrick Sandoval in 2026. Giolito had a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts. His best season in nearly a half-decade. The resurgent righty did that in a beautiful box that is Fenway Park, but why no interest in the Veteran righty? The underlying numbers are not encouraging, but why not take a shot on a player that will, at worst, be an innings eater for you? A 40+ year old Charlie Morton got $18 million from the Baltimore Orioles last season, so why can’t we get Giolito a job?
If you take a look at Giolito’s Baseball Savant, he does not have a single stat or expected stat at the 45th percentile. This is tremendously awful. This could explain the reason why he is still out there, but the righty has a proven track record and a proven ability to be a quality arm. For God’s sake, the Yankees rolled out Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carassco last season, and Lucas Giolito cannot get an opportunity; this is jarring and something to pay attention to, but he will get a job for the 2026 season.
Michael Kopech
Hard to believe a player drafted in 2014 is already 29 years old, but Michael Kopech, the first-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2014 and a key piece of the Chris Sale to Boston from the Chicago White Sox, is in that position. The flame-throwing right-hander is still without a team after spending the last couple of seasons with the back-to-back World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kopech is without a team as it stands thus far within the offseason, with less than two weeks before opening day. Kopech had a 2.45 ERA last season, but just in 11 innings of work. He has battled injuries over the last couple of years, but deserves a shot at a middle innings role in a bullpen. Due to his control issues, he is not viewed as a fireman, but definitely has the high-end upside to be an 8th inning reliever for a good team. Kopech has been a polarizing player for the last couple of years, but in all honesty, I would take a flyer on him, especially if I am a fringe contender like the Cincinnati Reds or Arizona Diamondbacks.Â
