The 25 Top Free Agents of 1998, Part 1
Bernie Williams is a superstar. I say that up front because I'm tired of hearing how the Yankees won the World Series without any truly great players. If Williams hadn't missed a month, he clearly would have been the most valuable player in the league this past season. As it is Williams has raised his game to a new level each of the last 2 seasons and shows no signs of slowing down. While he has no standout offensive skill, his overall production is outstanding and he remains an above average starting centerfielder and a solid baserunner (though he's never quite mastered the art of using his speed to steal bases). He's by far the safest bet out there for a big, long-term contract. He's still in his prime, is only 29, and is likely to be valuable even after he starts declining. Almost any team in the majors would be improved by Williams, so look for the teams with available cash to make strong runs at Williams, even teams that may not be looking to win just yet. Projected Contract: 6 years, $70 million
Kevin Brown has been hard to escape the last few months. He is clearly the most sought after free agent pitcher available. His performance in the postseason, while not perfect, clearly increased his value. His pitches, at their best, are widely considered the most unhittable in the league. Brown has had four outstanding years in a row, and his season this year has made him a strong candidate for this year's BBWAA Cy Young award. He will be offered extremely lucrative salaries from many teams, especially those in the National League, in which he reportedly wants to stay. The question most teams have to face is how long a contract do you offer a 33 year old pitcher who has been worked quite hard the last 3 seasons. It seems almost certain that some team is going to take a huge risk and offer him a long deal. Projected Contract: 6 years, $72 million
Randy Johnson is, at this point, an unknown quantity. At age 34, he has missed a lot of time in recent years due to injuries. During the first half of 1998 he seemingly let contract negotiations negatively affect his pitching. While he pitched excellently for the Astros after the trade, his velocity was reported to be seriously down in the postseason. And yet, many teams believe that, if things work out well, he could still be the most dominating pitcher in baseball. The Astros, having seen him provide the team with an ace they haven't had anything
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