The 2023 World Series features a matchup nobody could've possibly predicted even when the playoffs began with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers facing off. Arizona is looking for their second World Series championship in franchise history after squeaking into the playoffs as an 84-win Wild Card team. The Rangers are looking to win their first World Series after their two crushing losses in 2011 and 2012.
While both of these teams are focused only on trying to win right now, the Diamondbacks and Rangers have some valuable players approaching free agency. As much as they'd love to keep their teams together, there's a good chance these players depart for other teams on lucrative contracts.
1) Jordan Montgomery can leave the Texas Rangers for another team next season
The Rangers defied all odds just to get to this point, and that's because of the injuries they've had to deal with. The biggest loss Texas has had this season was the loss of their ace, Jacob deGrom who has missed most of this season and will miss all of next after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. The Rangers winning the AL Pennant without deGrom was no easy task, and the trade deadline had a lot to do with it.
Max Scherzer was the biggest name the Rangers acquired, but he missed time due to injury including the first two rounds of the postseason, and has been inconsistent when healthy. The best acquisition they made without a doubt was Jordan Montgomery who has formed a dominant top of Texas' rotation alongside Nathan Eovaldi.
Montgomery was in the midst of a fine year with the reeling Cardinals before being traded, but once he arrived in a winning situation he turned it on down the stretch. In the regular season, Montgomery had a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts and 67.2 innings pitched. He played a huge role in the Rangers just making the playoffs.
Montgomery's hot finish earned him the Game 1 start of the Wild Card series in Tampa Bay. He responded with seven scoreless innings in a Rangers win. Montgomery has pitched brilliantly in his first four playoff starts of this year, posting a 2.38 ERA in 22.2 innings of work and leading the Rangers to a 3-1 record in those starts. His one relief outing of these playoffs was extremely memorable, as he delivered 2.1 scoreless innings in Game 7 of the ALCS against Houston.
Montgomery has asserted himself as a legitimate frontline starter, and he's going to be paid like it. With the Rangers having so much money on their books already, there's a good chance they're outbid for his services in free agency.
2) Lourdes Gurriel Jr. can leave the Arizona Diamondbacks for another team next season
One of the biggest trades of the offseason sent Daulton Varsho to the Blue Jays in exchange for Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The two biggest names in this deal without a doubt were Varsho and Gurriel who were both seen as young building blocks for their respective teams. Moreno has settled in beautifully behind the plate for Arizona, but Gurriel has been a huge addition for them as well.
Gurriel was always a solid player for the Blue Jays, but took a step forward for Arizona this season as their everyday left fielder. Gurriel set a career-high in home runs with 24 and was just two shy of tying his high mark in RBI with 82 (had 84 in 2021). Gurriel was an All-Star for the first time, helping Arizona get off to a good start to their season.
Overall, Gurriel had a very solid slash line of .261/.309/.463, putting up an OPS of .772 and an OPS+ of 108. Gurriel's postseason hasn't been anything special so far, but he hit a huge home run in Game 6 of the NLCS and recorded two hits in Game 7 to help Arizona secure a series victory and a trip to the World Series.
Gurriel is now hitting free agency where he's one of the better outfielders available. This could result in him getting a deal worth a bit more than the Diamondbacks would like to pay the 30-year-old.
3) Mitch Garver can leave the Texas Rangers for another team next season
The Rangers have a loaded lineup from top to bottom, and Mitch Garver has been right in the middle of that this postseason. The veteran has appeared in most of their games as the DH and has hit third three times and fifth four times. The result? An .898 OPS including two home runs and 11 RBI in nine games. One of those home runs was a grand slam hit in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Orioles.
Garver has missed substantial time due to injury in recent years, but when healthy, this kind of offensive output has been the norm for the 32-year-old.
In 87 games this season for the Rangers, he slashed .270/.370/.500 with 19 home runs and 50 RBI in 344 plate appearances. He was at roughly a 35 home run pace for a 162-game season. Garver put up a 134 OPS+ making him substantially better than league average offensively, and he did this as a guy who has spent most of his career as a primary catcher.
In the last three seasons, Garver has put up an .826 OPS and 126 OPS+. The problem is he's averaged just 70 games played in those years. This will undoubtedly limit the contract he gets in free agency, and it could impact how interested the Rangers are in bringing him back when they have Jonah Heim behind the plate already.
4) Tommy Pham can leave the Arizona Diamondbacks for another team next season
It looked like Tommy Pham's career was on the downswing after a rough stretch from 2020-2022 while playing for the Padres, Reds, and Red Sox. Pham wound up signing a one-year deal with the Mets without a starting job in hand. Pham was going to play against lefties and serve as New York's fourth outfielder. He wound up swinging such a good bat to the point where he forced his way into their starting lineup every day.
Pham had an .820 OPS for the Mets this season, making him one of the more valuable trade pieces available. The Diamondbacks were the team that landed the veteran outfielder, and while he hasn't been quite as productive for them, he's been a staple in the middle of their lineup and has come up big when needed.
Pham had a four-hit game in the opener of the NLDS against the Dodgers, helping Arizona win on the road. He also hit a big home run in Game 6 of the NLCS when the Diamondbacks desperately needed a win to get them on the board. The World Series has been no exception as Pham drilled a home run to give Arizona a lead in the fourth inning of the opener.
The 35-year-old has proven he's a capable regular once again, and is certainly going to receive interest this offseason. Whether the young Diamondbacks keep him around remains to be seen.
5) Aroldis Chapman can leave the Texas Rangers for another team next season
Like Pham, it looked like Aroldis Chapman's career was reaching its end point. He struggled mightily in 2022 with the Yankees while also losing some velocity on his pitches. Chapman's Yankees career came to an ugly ending when he was left off of their playoff roster after he missed a team workout before the ALDS.
With a lot to prove, Chapman had to take a lesser role on a small contract for a bad team. He signed a one-year deal worth just $3.75 million to join the lowly Royals where he'd help set up for closer Scott Barlow.
Chapman wound up rejuvenating his career with a solid 2023 campaign. He was really good for the Royals, posting a 2.45 ERA in 31 appearances. He saw his velocity creep back up and he was back pitching at an All-Star level. Chapman's good performance made him an interesting trade candidate, and the Rangers won the sweepstakes adding him to a bullpen that really needed a boost.
Chapman's Rangers tenure has featured its ups and downs but he's spent most of it as the team's eighth inning man. He's dealt with a lot of baserunners this postseason, but has allowed just one run in 6.2 innings of work helping the Rangers win the AL Pennant.
The 35-year-old enters free agency as one of the best left-handed relievers available. His 103 strikeouts in 58.1 innings of work this season should give teams the impression that he's back to being the mostly reliable late-game arm he's always been.
