Designated hitters
Roster slots / club1.0Qualified coverage57%Upper-half coverage30%
Pool: 17 qualified players for 30 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 1.4 WAR / 600 PA
Player Market
A development view of MLB role quality, supply, scarcity, and team need.
League talent economy
How difficult is it to find this kind of player?
The Player Market compares the quality and depth of MLB role groups with the number of clubs that need help there. It begins with the baseball question; contract price and acquisition cost will be added only when those inputs have a dependable source.
Development preview
This is a talent-supply market, not yet a transaction market
The first release measures how much credible MLB talent exists in each role and how many clubs currently grade as needing help there. Salary, service time, options, years of control, free-agent status, and trade availability will remain blank until a reliable contract and transaction source is connected.
Where quality is plentiful—and where teams are chasing a thin pool
Every pool is scaled to the number of 26-man roster jobs it must fill. Five rotation places and eight bullpen places per club are divided by handedness; the remaining 13 roster places are allocated across catcher, infield, outfield, and designated hitter roles.
Shortstops
Roster slots / club1.5Qualified coverage80%Upper-half coverage40%
Pool: 36 qualified players for 45 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 2.6 WAR / 600 PA
Catchers
Roster slots / club2.0Qualified coverage92%Upper-half coverage47%
Pool: 55 qualified players for 60 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 2.0 WAR / 600 PA
Outfielders
Roster slots / club4.2Qualified coverage104%Upper-half coverage52%
Pool: 132 qualified players for 128 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 1.7 WAR / 600 PA
Third basemen
Roster slots / club1.5Qualified coverage104%Upper-half coverage53%
Pool: 47 qualified players for 45 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 1.5 WAR / 600 PA
Starting LHP
Roster slots / club1.4Qualified coverage112%Upper-half coverage56%
Pool: 48 qualified players for 43 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 2.8 WAR / 180 IP
Starting RHP
Roster slots / club3.6Qualified coverage112%Upper-half coverage56%
Pool: 120 qualified players for 107 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 2.3 WAR / 180 IP
First basemen
Roster slots / club1.2Qualified coverage112%Upper-half coverage56%
Pool: 42 qualified players for 38 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 2.6 WAR / 600 PA
Relief LHP
Roster slots / club2.4Qualified coverage124%Upper-half coverage62%
Pool: 90 qualified players for 72 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 0.5 WAR / 65 IP
Relief RHP
Roster slots / club5.6Qualified coverage124%Upper-half coverage62%
Pool: 208 qualified players for 168 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 0.3 WAR / 65 IP
Second basemen
Roster slots / club1.5Qualified coverage136%Upper-half coverage69%
Pool: 61 qualified players for 45 estimated MLB roster jobs; 10 clubs currently grade as needing help. Quality bar: 1.6 WAR / 600 PA
Example market: starting left-handers
Who establishes the current quality and workload bar?
This is the available MLB talent pool in the analytical sense; it does not claim that any listed pitcher is obtainable.
| Pitcher | Team | Age | Workload | WAR | Role-adjusted quality | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranger Suarez | BOS | 30.0 | 95.3 IP | 3.2 | 6.1 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Max Fried | NYY | 32.0 | 66.7 IP | 2.2 | 5.9 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Cristopher Sánchez | PHI | 29.0 | 138.7 IP | 4.4 | 5.7 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Chris Sale | ATL | 37.0 | 111 IP | 3.5 | 5.7 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Tarik Skubal | DET | 29.0 | 90 IP | 2.6 | 5.3 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Jesús Luzardo | PHI | 28.0 | 122.3 IP | 3.5 | 5.2 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Kyle Harrison | MIL | 24.0 | 83.7 IP | 2.2 | 4.7 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Jake Bennett | BOS | 25.0 | 59.3 IP | 1.6 | 4.7 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Parker Messick | CLE | 25.0 | 125.3 IP | 3.3 | 4.7 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Justin Wrobleski | LAD | 25.0 | 106.7 IP | 2.7 | 4.6 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Payton Tolle | BOS | 23.0 | 89.7 IP | 2.3 | 4.6 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Reid Detmers | LAA | 26.0 | 120 IP | 3.0 | 4.5 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Andrew Alvarez | WSN | 27.0 | 53.3 IP | 1.3 | 4.4 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Shane Drohan | MIL | 27.0 | 82 IP | 1.9 | 4.2 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Shane McClanahan | TBR | 29.0 | 96 IP | 2.2 | 4.1 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Yusei Kikuchi | LAA | 35.0 | 31 IP | 0.7 | 3.8 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Trevor Rogers | BAL | 28.0 | 103.7 IP | 2.2 | 3.7 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Carlos Rodón | NYY | 33.0 | 46.3 IP | 0.9 | 3.7 | WAR / 180 IP |
| Matthew Boyd | CHC | 35.0 | 59 IP | 1.2 | 3.7 | WAR / 180 IP |
| MacKenzie Gore | TEX | 27.0 | 115.7 IP | 2.1 | 3.3 | WAR / 180 IP |
Future licensed layerWhat do these players go for?
That answer needs contract value, remaining control, option status, transaction history, and actual availability. Once sourced, the page can estimate dollars per projected win, acquisition cost by role, and the premium created by scarcity without confusing performance with price.
Roster-adjusted formula: qualified pools use at least 100 PA for hitters, 30 IP for starters, and 15 IP for relievers. Role quality is WAR normalized to 600 PA, 180 starter innings, or 65 relief innings. Qualified and upper-half supply are divided by estimated league roster jobs, while club need is multiplied by the number of roster slots required for that role. The scarcity score combines the qualified-player gap, the upper-half talent gap, and need-weighted slot pressure.