Ian Desmond

Five free agents who are huge mysteries entering Hot Stove season

Published Nov. 9, 2015 11:20 a.m. ET

Ken Rosenthal

Editor's note: This is an excerpt from Ken Rosenthal's Hot Stove guide. Read the complete piece here.

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Here are five free agents teams don't know quite what to make of entering the Hot Stove season.

Johnny Cueto: A Royals official described Cueto as the most "mysterious, confusing player I've ever been around." The pitcher's meltdown in Toronto during the ALCS, followed by his brilliance at home in the World Series, only added to the unknown. Is Cueto healthy after twice getting starts pushed back with the Reds due to elbow trouble? Or is he worth a major plunge considering that his ERA-plus the past four seasons is nearly as good as Greinke's?

Yoenis Cespedes: The World Series exposed his occasional inattentiveness and other flaws, but some of those struggles perhaps stemmed from a shoulder injury. The bigger problem for Cespedes might be generating enough interest from high-revenue clubs. Two of his former teams, the Mets and Red Sox, are almost certainly out. The Yankees might be, too, along with the Cubs and Dodgers. Then again, all it takes is one team to jump -- and the Giants, Rangers, Angels and Mariners all are potential volunteers.

Ian Desmond: Never mind his horrid first half; his market could be surprisingly robust. Desmond's offensive statistics after the All-Star break were in line with his career numbers, and his defense also improved as the season progressed. He also will benefit from being the top shortstop in a thin free-agent group -- and could even switch positions for the right club.

Matt Wieters: His contract will depend upon how teams view his value in his second season after Tommy John surgery. Wieters, who turns 30 on May 21, caught only 55 games last season, and never on three straight days. Still, he makes a ton of sense for the Braves, considering that he owns a home in Atlanta and attended Georgia Tech. The Nationals are another team with possible interest.

Justin Upton: His streakiness offensively can be frustrating, but Upton usually ends up in the same place; his career OPS is an impressive .825. Further increasing his appeal: Upton will play next season at 28. Is he everything people expected when the Diamondbacks made him the first pick of the 2005 draft? Maybe not. But he's still pretty darned good.