Ranking Jacob deGrom and the Top 10 Starting Pitchers of 2022-23 MLB Free-Agent Class

Demand always exceeds supply when it comes to starting pitching, and that makes high-end starting pitching the most sought-after commodity on the free-agent market each and every offseason.

This year's free-agent class is headlined by a trio of players expected to opt-out of their current contracts in Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodón, while future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw is also hitting the open market once again after signing a one-year deal last winter.

An equally intriguing storyline to where those aces will land is how much teams will be willing to pay surprise standouts Tyler Anderson and Martín Pérez who both far exceeded their previous levels of production.

Ahead we've ranked the top 10 starting pitchers of the upcoming free-agent class, and just to make things interesting also included landing spots and contract predictions for each of them. Players are ranked based on track record, age and expected earning power.

Let's start with some honorable mentions who just missed the cut.

These pitchers didn't crack our Top 10, but they could still be a major factor in a team's 2023 rotation.

RHP Mike Clevinger (31): After missing the 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Clevinger returned to post a 4.33 ERA in 114.1 innings over 23 games. His stats never quite returned to pre-injury levels, but another year removed from surgery could help.

RHP Zach Eflin (28): Age makes Eflin a more attractive candidate than most for a multi-year deal, and he has been a solid back-of-the-rotation option in Philadelphia for years now. He has a 4.49 ERA in 659.1 career innings.

RHP Ross Stripling (32): A quality swingman throughout his career, Stripling proved invaluable for the Blue Jays after multiple starters were sidelined with injuries. He finished 10-4 with a 3.01 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 134.1 innings spanning 24 starts and eight relief appearances.

RHP Noah Syndergaard (30): In his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard averaged 94.1 mph with his fastball, down significantly from the 97.8 mph average he posted during his last fully healthy season in 2019. He profiles more as a No. 4/5 starter if the velocity doesn't return.

RHP Jameson Taillon (30): It was an up-and-down season for Taillon in the New York Yankees rotation, but he finished 14-5 with a 3.91 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 177.1 innings, marking just the second time in his career he's eclipsed 175 innings pitched.

RHP Michael Wacha (31): Wacha has not made 30 starts in a season since 2017, but he enjoyed a career resurgence in 2022 on a one-year, $7 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. In 23 starts, he went 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, even tossing his first complete game shutout in five years.

RHP Adam Wainwright (41): It's probably a moot point to include Wainwright on this list, as he will likely return to the St. Louis Cardinals or retire. His performance fell off down the stretch as he dealt with a bout of dead arm, but he still had a 3.71 ERA in 191.2 innings.

RHP Taijuan Walker (30): Walker has a $6 million player option for the 2023 season that carries a $3 million buyout if he declines, so chances are he'll take the buyout and seek a multi-year deal in free agency following a solid two-year run with the New York Mets.

Age: 31

Left-hander Andrew Heaney made two separate trips to the injured list with shoulder inflammation during the 2022 season, but when he was healthy enough to take the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was fantastic.

The southpaw posted a 3.10 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a stellar 110-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 72.2 innings, and he had double-digit strikeouts three different times.

He has always had swing-and-miss stuff with 760 strikeouts in 707 career innings in the majors, and that ability to miss bats makes him the most attractive buy-low option on the market. If he can stay healthy, he's capable of middle-of-the-rotation production at a very reasonable price.

Prediction: Signs a two-year, $24 million deal with the San Diego Padres.

Age: 33

After scuffling to a 6.43 ERA in 63 innings with the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants during the 2021 season, veteran José Quintana settled for a one-year, $2 million deal from the Pittsburgh Pirates in free agency.

He pitched his way to being a sought-after trade chip with a 3.50 ERA in 103 innings over 20 starts with the Pirates. He was even better after joining the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline, posting a 2.01 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 62.2 innings after joining his new team.

All told, he finished with a 2.93 ERA in 165.2 innings, and his 2.99 FIP provides plenty of optimism that his resurgence is for real.

Prediction: Signs a three-year, $36 million deal with the Minnesota Twins

Age: 32

The last time he hit the open market, Nathan Eovaldi parlayed a terrific 2018 postseason run with the Boston Red Sox into a new four-year, $68 million deal with the team.

After a rocky first season of that contract, he settled in nicely atop the Boston rotation, finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021 and posting a 3.87 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 103 strikeouts in 109.1 innings this past season.

With a mid-90s fastball and a terrific splitter, he should have at least a few more top-of-the-rotation caliber seasons left in the tank. How concerned will teams be about his two trips to the injured list in 2022 with lower back and shoulder inflammation?

Prediction: Signs a three-year, $40 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles

Age: 32

The No. 20 overall pick in the 2011 draft, Tyler Anderson spent time with the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year, $8 million deal last offseason.

He entered the 2022 season with a 4.62 ERA in 623.2 innings and was expected to be little more than back-of-the-rotation depth. Instead, he put together a breakout season and earned his first All-Star selection.

The left-hander finished 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 138 strikeouts in 178.2 innings, with increased changeup usage part of the key to his success. His 3.31 FIP might be a better indication of what to expect going forward, but he has still raised his profile considerably.

Prediction: Signs a four-year, $60 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels

Age: 31

Left-hander Martín Pérez made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers as a highly-touted 21-year-old in 2012, and a decade later his career came full circle when he signed a one-year, $4 million deal to return to Arlington.

With a 4.71 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 1,102.2 career innings entering the 2022 season, he had been a useful back-of-the-rotation innings eater thus far in his career, but he emerged as the ace of the staff and earned his first All-Star selection.

Throwing his cutter more and his sinker less, he went 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 1.26 WHIP and 169 strikeouts in 196.1 innings. The Rangers' decision to hold onto him at the deadline despite being out of the postseason hunt is a clear indication they intend to make re-signing him a priority, but they won't be the only team interested in his services.

Prediction: Signs a four-year, $60 million deal with the Texas Rangers

Age: 33

With Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer both missing time to injury, Chris Bassitt led the New York Mets in innings pitched, tossing a career-high 181.2 frames after coming over in an offseason trade with the Oakland Athletics.

A top-10 finisher in AL Cy Young voting in 2020 and 2021, he continued to be a rock-solid rotation option this season, going 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 167 strikeouts in a 3.2-WAR season.

His overall numbers were not as strong as some of the others ranked lower than him on this list, but his long track record of recent success makes it far easier to bank on him continuing to pitch at a high level in 2023 and beyond.

The first step in his offseason will be sorting out a $19 million mutual option, but the opportunity for more long-term financial security should make declining that a no-brainer on his end.

Prediction: Signs a three-year, $54 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies

Age: 34

For the first time in his career last offseason, it looked like there was a real chance Clayton Kershaw might be calling somewhere other than Dodger Stadium home.

The future Hall of Famer ultimately returned to the Dodgers on a one-year, $17 million deal, and while his days of chewing through 200 innings are a thing of the past, he's still an elite pitcher when healthy. In 22 starts, he went 12-3 with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137 strikeouts in 126.1 innings.

The Dodgers have already made it clear they want him back.

"My strong hope is that Clayton Kershaw is pitching here next year, but like I said last year, for him to take the time to put his head together with [his wife] Ellen and figure out what makes the most sense for their family is what we'll afford them the time to do," Dodgers team president Andrew Friedman told reporters earlier this week.

A series of one-year deals with the Dodgers until he decides to call it quits seems like the most likely outcome, but don't count out his hometown Texas Rangers as legitimate suitors.

Prediction: Signs a one-year, $17 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers

Age: 29

Despite finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021 when he logged a 2.37 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 132.2 innings, Carlos Rodón struggled to find any long-term offers in free agency last offseason as a result of his lengthy injury history.

He ultimately inked a two-year, $44 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, but with a player option for 2023 it amounted to a one-year contract with an opt-out, and he's all but certain to exercise that opt-out and test the market once again following another great season.

The left-hander went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 237 strikeouts while leading the National League with a 2.25 FIP and 12.0 K/9 in his second straight 5-WAR season. More importantly, he stayed healthy and tossed a career-high 178 innings, and that should be enough to make him a candidate for a lucrative four or five-year deal.

Prediction: Signs a four-year, $88 million deal with San Francisco Giants.

Age: 39

The Houston Astros rolled the dice on Justin Verlander returning to ace form in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, signing him to a one-year, $25 million deal that includes a matching player option for the 2023 season.

He rewarded their faith with a season that will likely end in his third Cy Young win, going 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 175 innings, and now he's poised to make a run at the three-year, $130 million contract that Max Scherzer signed with the New York Mets last offseason.

His player option is a lock to declined, the big question is whether the Astros can justify keeping him at that price with five viable starters already under club control in Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier and José Urquidy, not to mention top prospect Hunter Brown.

Prediction: Signs a two-year, $80 million deal with the Chicago Cubs

Age: 34

When he's healthy, Jacob deGrom still has a strong case for being the best pitcher on the planet.

The trouble is, he hasn't been available all that often the past two seasons, making just 26 starts and pitching a total of 156.1 innings while battling various arm issues.

He posted a 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and an absurd 102-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 64.1 innings once he finally made his 2022 debut on Aug. 2, showing the same high-octane stuff we've grown accustomed to seeing from him.

The expectation has long been that he will opt out of his current contract this offseason, and despite his age and recent injury issues, a $50 million annual value on his next deal is not out of the question.

Is New York Mets owner Steve Cohen ready to outbid everyone to keep his ace?

Prediction: Signs a three-year, $135 million deal with the New York Mets