A solid group of starters hits the free agent market this season, several with prime years remaining. As always, picking pitchers is a tough business, but it's a good year to restock arms.
A look at the top 10:
1. C.J. Wilson: The ace of the two-time AL champs, a lefty to boot, will get the biggest deal of the offseason among the pitchers, even as he went 0-3 in the playoffs for Texas. Look for the Yankees and Rangers to get involved in a bidding war. In his two years as a starter, he's averaged 15.5 wins and has an ERA in the low 3s. The Yankees will be able to afford him a little more, but will the way the season ended bring Wilson back to Arlington?
2. Mark Buehrle: Not the big-splash kind of free agent, but at age 33 (and left-handed), he's a proven veteran winner. He's won exactly 13 games in each of the last three years and he gives up his share of hits and homers, but his ERA was a solid 3.59 in 2011. He's not a great fantasy baseball option (strikeouts aren't his forte), but I bet he'd be just fine in the rotation of a contender.
3. Edwin Jackson: Like Buehrle, he's a guy on this list who has thrown a no-hitter in his career. But the reason he's bounced around is walks - he gives up a lot of them. That keeps him from being an elite option. But after going 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 12 starts with St. Louis, he'll have plenty of suitors.
4. Hiroki Kuroda: The Japanese right-hander was 41-46 in four years with the Dodgers, but with a very solid 3.45 ERA. He made $11.7 million last season, however, and in this market shouldn't expect a raise. At least not a big one. He'll turn 37 over the winter.
5. Roy Oswalt: A bigger name than some ranked higher on this list, but he's had durability issues and is be an "old" 34. A veteran of 2,154 innings, he went 9-10 last season. But that sparkling career ERA is still 3.21, and he was a two-time 20-game winner in his 20s. Not the strikeout pitcher he once was, but he'll make an impact somewhere.
6. Aaron Harang: The former NL strikeout champ had a nice season in the pitching-friendly confines of Petco Park, bouncing back from three consecutive losing seasons to go 14-7 with a 3.64 ERA for the Padres, lowering his ERA by 1.68 points. He's back on the free agent market and looking for a raise from his $5 million salary last season as he declined a $5M option.
7. Paul Maholm: Who is he? A decent pitcher on what has been a really bad team. Maholm, 29, is a career Pittsburgh Pirate, which means his 53-73 career record might be deceiving. He had a 3.66 ERA last season and isn't a strikeout pitcher, but for a team looking for a decent No. 4, he could pay off. A change of scenery could do him good.
8. Javier Vazquez: All he does is throw about 200 solid innings every year, but Yankees fans will remember him as a bust in 2010, the one year he didn't. He went 13-11 with a 3.69 ERA for the Marlins at age 34 in 2011. He was 5-0 with a 0.71 ERA in September. But he has hinted at retirement.
9. Bruce Chen: Was the ace of the Royals this past season, which is sad considering the young talent that Kansas City has tried to stockpile. He went 12-8 with a 3.77 ERA, and as a lefty at age 34, he'll garner some interest.
10. Chris Capuano: Another "who-is-he" in the Maholm mode, but went 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA as an innings-eater with the Mets after some so-so years in Milwaukee, bouncing around their system. Not a power guy, but a team looking to see if he's a late bloomer as a crafty lefty will give him a shot.
Others worth a look: Erik Bedard, Bartolo Colon, Jason Marquis, Chien-Ming Wang, Freddy Garcia, Rich Harden.
Ages are as of Opening Day 2012.
Free Agent Starting Pitchers
| Name | Age | 2011 team | 2011 stats | 2012 team | Contract |
| Erik Bedard | 33 | Red Sox | 5-9, 3.62 ERA | Pirates | 1 yr, $4.5M |
| Mark Buehrle | 33 | White Sox | 13-9, 3.59 ERA | Marlins | 4 yrs, $58M |
| Chris Capuano | 33 | Mets | 11-12, 4.55 ERA | Dodgers | 2 yrs, $10M |
| Bruce Chen | 34 | Royals | 12-8, 3.77 ERA | Royals | 2 yr, $9M |
| Bartolo Colon | 38 | Yankees | 8-10, 4.00 ERA | A's | 1 yr, $2M |
| Aaron Cook | 33 | Rockies | 3-10, 6.03 ERA | Red Sox | 1 yr, $1.5M |
| Kyle Davies | 28 | Royals | 1-9, 6.75 ERA | Blue Jays | minors |
| Doug Davis | 36 | Cubs | 1-7, 6.50 ERA | White Sox | minors |
| Justin Duchscherer | 34 | A's | Injured | not signed | |
| Zach Duke | 28 | D'backs | 3-4, 4.93 ERA | Astros | minors |
| Jeff Francis | 31 | Royals | 6-16, 4.82 ERA | Reds | minors |
| Armando Galarraga | 30 | D'backs | 3-4, 5.91 ERA | Orioles | minors |
| Freddy Garcia | 35 | Yankees | 12-8, 3.62 ERA | Yankees | 1 yr, $4M |
| Jon Garland | 32 | Dodgers | 1-5, 4.33 ERA | Indians | minors |
| Aaron Harang | 33 | Padres | 14-7, 3.64 ERA | Dodgers | 2 yrs, $12M |
| Rich Harden | 30 | A's | 4-4, 5.12 ERA | not signed | |
| Livan Hernandez | 37 | Nationals | 8-13, 4.47 ERA | Astros | minors |
| Edwin Jackson | 28 | Cardinals | 12-9, 3.79 ERA | Nationals | 1 yr, $11M |
| Kenshin Kawakami | 36 | Braves | 1-10, 5.15 ERA | Japan | |
| Hiroki Kuroda | 37 | Dodgers | 13-16, 3.07 ERA | Yankees | 1 yr, $10M |
| Rodrigo Lopez | 36 | Cubs | 6-6, 4.42 ERA | Cubs | minors |
| Paul Maholm | 29 | Pirates | 6-14, 3.66 ERA | Cubs | 1 yr, $4.75M |
| Jason Marquis | 33 | D'backs | 8-6, 4.43 ERA | Twins | 1 yr, $3M |
| Kevin Milwood | 37 | Rockies | 4-3, 3.98 ERA | Mariners | minors |
| Roy Oswalt | 34 | Phillies | 9-10, 3.69 ERA | not signed | |
| Brad Penny | 33 | Tigers | 11-11, 5.30 ERA | Japan | 1 yr, $3M |
| Oliver Perez | 30 | Nationals | minors | Mariners | minors |
| Joel Pineiro | 33 | Angels | 7-7, 5.13 ERA | Phillies | minors |
| Mitch Talbot | 28 | Indians | 2-6, 6.64 ERA | Korea | 1 yr, $300,000 |
| Javier Vazquez | 35 | Marlins | 13-11, 3.69 ERA | Retired | |
| Tsuyoshi Wada | 31 | Japan | 16-5, 1.51 ERA | Orioles | 2 yrs, $8.15M |
| Tim Wakefield | 45 | Red Sox | 7-8, 5.12 ERA | not signed | |
| Chien-Ming Wang | 32 | Nationals | 4-3, 4.04 ERA | Nationals | 1 yr, $4M |
| Brandon Webb | 32 | Rangers | Injured | not signed | |
| Dontrelle Willis | 30 | Reds | 1-6, 5.00 ERA | Phillies | 1 yr, $1M |
| C.J. Wilson | 31 | Rangers | 16-7, 2.94 ERA | Angels | 5 yrs, $77.5M |
| Chris Young | 32 | Mets | 1-0, 1.88 ERA | not signed |
