Teams looking for center field help rarely find the answer in free agency. Harrison Bader was the only true center fielder who signed a multi-year free agent contract last winter. That deal has gone terribly for the Giants.

There’s an argument that Cody Bellinger was more of a true center fielder when he re-signed with the Cubs a few years ago, even though he spent a decent amount of time in right field as well. That’s the only other multi-year free agent contract at the position since Jung Hoo Lee got a six-year deal coming over from Korea during the 2023-24 offseason.

A lot of evaluators felt Lee projected more as a corner outfielder at the time, and he’s mostly moved off the position by year three in the big leagues. The same is true of Brandon Nimmo when he signed his eight-year deal with the Mets after the 2022-23 offseason. He only remained an everyday center fielder for one extra season.

The market scarcity isn’t going to change this winter. Entering the season, the 2026-27 free agent center field group looked promising. It hasn’t played out that way, as all the top names have had inconsistent and/or injury-plagued seasons. Teams without an in-house answer at the position will again be picking through a class of reclamation candidates.