1. John Lackey, SP

50 Best MLB Free Agents

Lackey has spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Angels. In 2009, the righty posted a record of 11-8 with an ERA of 3.83. In 176.1 innings, Lackey walked only 47 and struck out 139. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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1. John Lackey, ... Lackey has spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Angels. In 2009, the righty posted a record of 11-8 with an ERA of 3.83. In 176.1 innings, Lackey walked only 47 and struck out 139. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
2. Jason Bay, OF After being traded to the Boston Red Sox from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008, the outfielder spent his first full season in Beantown. Last season he batted .267 and hit 36 home runs to go along with 119 RBIs, while scoring 103 runs. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
3. Matt Holliday... After spending several seasons with the Colorado Rockies, Holliday signed with the Oakland Athletics last offseason, then was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals mid-way through '09. Holliday batted .313 and connected with 24 homers. He also drove in 109 runs and scored 94 of his own. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
4. Chone Figgins... The versatile Figgins batted .298 with five homers and 54 RBIs last season with the Angels. The speedster also stole 42 bases and scored 114 runs. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
5. Randy Wolf, S... In 34 starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wolf finished the season with a 11-7 record and an ERA of 3.23. In 214.1 innings pitched, Wolf walked 58 batters and struck out 160. (AP Photo/Kim Johnson Flodin)
6. Andy Pettitte... Pettitte has spent the last three seasons with the New York Yankees after after a brief stint with the Houston Astros. This past season the craft lefty finished with a 14-8 record and posted a 4.16 ERA in 194.2 innings pitched. He struck out 148, walked 76 and gave up 20 home runs. But his real value came in the '09 playoffs, where he went 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA winning each of the World Champs' clinchers. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
7. Jose Valverde... The Astros' closer had 25 saves last season and came away with a 4-2 record and an ERA of 2.33. In 54 innings pitched, Valverde struck out 56 and walked 21. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
8. Marco Scutaro... In '09, the shortstop scored 100 runs while batting .282 with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
9. Johnny Damon,... Damon ended the '09 season with a .282 average for the New York Yankees. He also hammered 24 home runs, drove in 82 and scored 107. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
10. Orlando Huds... In Hudson's first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the second baseman finished with a .283 batting average and drove in 62 runs. He only had nine homers, but did score 74 times. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
11. Adrian Beltr... Beltre has spent the past five seasons with the Seattle Mariners. Last season the third baseman finished with a .265 batting average, drove in 44 runs, hit eight homers and scored 54 times in just 111 games. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
12. Miguel Tejad... Tejada has spent the last two seasons with the Houston Astros. In '09 the veteran shortstop batted .313, with 14 HRs and 86 RBIs. In 635 at-bats, Tejada walked just 19 times and struck out 48. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
13. Joel Pineiro... Pineiro started 32 games last season with the St. Louis Cardinals, posting a 15-12 record with a 3.49 ERA. In 214 innings pitched, the righty issued just 27 walks. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
14. Marlon Byrd,... In his third season with the Texas Rangers, the fleet-footed center fielder batted .283, with 20 HRs and 89 RBIs. In 547 trips to the plate, Byrd walked only 32 times. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
15. Mike Cameron... Cameron played his second season with the Milwaukee Brewers, the sixth team of his career. Last season he batted just .250, but did hit 24 HRs with 70 RBIs. (AP Photo/Darren Hauck)
16. Rich Harden,... Harden was a starting pitcher with the Cubs last year. In 26 games, the righty went 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA. In 141 innings, he gave up 23 homers, walked 67 and struck out 171. (AP Photo/David Banks)
17. Vladimir Gue... Vlad has spent the last six seasons with the Angels. In '09, Guerrero batted .295 -- the first time in his career he finished below .300. He hit 15 HRs and drove in just 50 runs in 100 games. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
18. Felipe Lopez... In '09 Lopez spent time with both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Milwaukee Brewers. He finished the season hitting .310, with nine HRs and 57 RBIs. He also struck out 100 times and was walked 71 times in 604 ABs. (AP Photo/Darren Hauck)
19. Adam LaRoche... The former Pirate was uprooted twice in '09, first in a trade between Pittsburgh and Boston and then again in a deal between the Red Sox and Braves. The first baseman ended the year with a .277 batting average, capped by 25 home runs and 83 RBIs. (AP Photo/John Amis)
20. Nick Johnson... In 2009, Johnson spent time with the Washington Nationals before he was traded to the Florida Marlins. Overall, Johnson hit .291 with eight homers and 62 RBIs. He also drew 99 walks to boost his OBP to .426. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)
21. Rafael Soria... Soriano appeared in 77 games last season for the Atlanta Braves and ended up with 27 saves and a 2.97 ERA. He finished with a 1-6 record, but struck out 102 and walked just 27 in 75.2 innings. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)
22. Hideki Matsu... Matsui has spent his entire MLB career with the Yankees since coming over from Japan in 2003. The former Japanese star batted .274 last season to go with 28 home runs and 90 RBIs. He was also named the 2009 World Series MVP. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
23. Aroldis Chap... The young Cuban pitcher has been compared to last year's No. 1 overall draft selection Stephen Strasburg. On July 1, Chapman defected on a trip with the Cuban national team while playing a tournament in the Netherlands. (AP Photo/KC Alfred)
24. Erik Bedard,... The injury-prone Bedard has spent the last two seasons with the Mariners after being traded by the Baltimore Orioles. This past year, the lefty started just 15 games but had a 5-3 record with a 2.82 ERA in 83 innings pitched. Bedard struck out 90 and walked 34. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
25. Jason Marqui... Marquis pitched for the fourth team of his career in 2009, starting in 33 games for the Colorado Rockies. He accumulated a 15-13 record with a 4.04 ERA. The 2005 Silver Slugger Award winner gave up 15 HRs and struck out 115 in 216 innings. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
26. Jon Garland,... The Dodgers picked up Garland from the Diamondbacks midway through the '09 season. In 33 starts, the righty pitched 204 innings and posted a 11-13 record. He finished the season with a 4.02 ERA and 109 Ks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
27. Bengie Molin... Molina spent the last three seasons with the San Francisco Giants. In '09, Molina hit .265 with 20 HRs and 80 RBIs in 132 games. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
28. Mike Gonzale... Gonzalez spent his last three seasons shoring up the Braves' bullpen. This past season, the left-hander went 5-4 with a 2.42 ERA in 74.1 innings. He struck out 90 and saved 10 games -- but blew seven save opportunities. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
29. Carl Pavano,... Pavano posted a combined 14-12 record with a 5.10 ERA while with the Indians and Twins last season. In 199.1 innings, the righty gave up 26 home runs, walked 39 batters and struck out 147. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
30. Ben Sheets, ... The four-time All-Star for the Milwaukee Brewers failed to pitch a single inning in '09 after undergoing a flexor tendon surgery. In '08, the right-hander went 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 31 starts, striking out 158 and walking 47. If he can regain most of what he had before the operation he would be a solid pickup for any team. (AP Photo/Bill Waugh)
31. Placido Pola... Polanco played in 153 games for the Detroit Tigers in '09, batting .285 with 10 home runs and 72 RBIs. The second baseman also scored 82 runs and struck out only 46 times. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)
32. Jarrod Washb... Washburn started a combined 28 games this past season the Tigers and Mariners, going 9-9 with a 3.78 ERA and eating up 176 innings. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
33. Doug Davis, ... The three-year Diamondback starter finished the '09 season with a 9-14 record and a 4.12 ERA in 203.1 innings. Although he struck out 146, he walked 103 and allowed 25 HRs. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
34. Russell Bran... In 116 games for the Seattle Mariners, Branyan connected for 31 HRs, drove in 76 runs and drew 58 walks. He did, however, strike out 149 times. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
35. Brad Penny, ... Penny began the '09 season with the Boston Red Sox but finished with the San Francisco Giants after Boston released him. The righty started 30 games and finished 11-9 with a 4.88 ERA and 109 strikeouts. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
36. Juan Uribe, ... The versatile Uribe played in 122 games with the San Francisco Giants. He posted a .289 batting average, hit 16 HRs and scored 55 runs. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
37. Mark DeRosa,... DeRosa spent the first half of the season with the Cleveland Indians before he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished the year hitting .250 with 23 HRs and 78 RBIs. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
38. Jermaine Dye... The veteran Dye had arguably his worst season as a member of the Chicago White Sox, batting just .250 with 27 HRs and 81 RBIs. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
39. Carlos Delga... The first baseman spent the last four seasons with the New York Mets. Injuries limited Delgado to just 26 games last season and he finished with a .298 average, four HRs and 23 RBIs. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
40. Orlando Cabr... Cabrera played a combined 160 games with the Oakland A's and the Minnesota Twins in '09. The shortstop hit .284 average with nine HRs, 77 RBIs and 83 runs scored. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
41. Xavier Nady,... A torn elbow tendon cut Nady's '09 season short after just seven games with the Yankees. The injury forced him to undergo "Tommy John" surgery and his health will be a big question mark heading into next season. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
42. Billy Wagner... The reliever moved from the Big Apple to Beantown after the Red Sox picked him up off waivers from the New York Mets. Formerly one of the best closers in the game, Wagner failed to record a save in '09 but booked a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings. (AP Photo)
43. Jim Thome, 1... Thome spent the latter part of '09 with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being traded from the White Sox. The five-time All-Star hit 23 longballs and drove in 77 runs while splitting time between the two clubs. Thome also drew 69 walks, but struck out 123 times. (AP Photo/Matt York)
44. Fernando Rod... Detroit's veteran reliever piled up 37 saves and appeared in 73 games overall last season. The righty pitched 75.2 innings and finished with a 4.40 ERA. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)
45. Kiko Calero,... In 67 games with the Florida Marlins, the 34-year-old reliever had 1.95 ERA in 60 innings, while giving up only one HR. Calero also struck out 69 batters and finished the season with a 2-2 record. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
46. Rafael Betan... In 61 appearances for the Indians and Rockies, Betancourt finished the '09 season with a 2.73 ERA and 61 strikeouts. While with Cleveland, the reliever gave up three HRs and only 12 earned runs. But after being traded to Colorado, he showed improvement, giving up only one blast and five earned runs. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
47. Hank Blalock... The Rangers' first baseman can add a strong bat to any lineup. In '09, he hit just .234 but piled up 25 homers and 66 RBIs. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
48. Scott Podsed... In 132 games played for the White Sox, Podsednik batted .304 with seven homers and 48 RBIs. His speed makes him both a versatile outfielder and an on-base threat. He stole 30 bags in '09, the most he's swiped since 2006. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
49. Brendan Donn... On July 5, Donnelly signed with the Florida Marlins. In 30 games (25.1 innings pitched), the reliever finished with a 1.78 ERA, striking out 25 and walking nine. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)
50. Justin Duchs... Duchscherer missed the 2009 season after being diagnosed with clinical depression. As a starter in '08, he went 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA. His ability to also pitch out of the 'pen makes him a duel threat. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)