It will be an interesting offseason for both World Series participants as some notable players from their teams will be hitting the free-agent market.

Here are some of those important players who the Astros and Nationals will have to decide whether or not they want to re-sign. Those with options are not included (Stephen Strasburg has the choice to opt-out of his current deal). The team free agent lists were found at Spotrac.

Astros

  • Gerrit Cole, SP (Age: 29)

Cole will likely receive one of the biggest (if not the biggest) contracts ever handed out to a free-agent starting pitcher.

He could be named the AL Cy Young in 2019 and he owns a 2.68 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings in two seasons with the Astros.

  • Joe Smith, RP (Age: 36)

A 13-year veteran, Smith was one of the more reliable relievers for Houston pitching to a 1.80 ERA in 25 innings (28 appearances) and he pitched in 10 of the 18 games that the Astros played in the postseason.

  • Collin McHugh, RP (Age: 32)

After pitching marvelously as a first-time reliever in 2018, McHugh showed regression in 2019. His ERA rose nearly by three runs (4.70 in 2019 compared to 1.99 in 2018).

  • Robinson Chirinos, C (Age: 35)

It was a very successful first season for Chirinos in Houston. He finished with a 3.8 WAR according to Baseball-Reference, hit at least 17 home runs for the third straight season, and connected on two more long balls in the World Series.

  • Will Harris, RP (Age: 35)

The Astros have been able to count on Harris for the last five years out of the bullpen with mostly positive results. This past season was arguably his best as he posted a career-low ERA of 1.50, and he struck out more batters than innings pitched for the fourth straight year.

  • Hector Rondon, RP (Age: 32)

A former closer with the Cubs, Rondon hasn’t been as dominant a reliever in recent seasons.

He pitched just 1.1 innings in this year’s postseason for the Astros.

Nationals

  • Anthony Rendon, 3B (Age: 29)

An overlooked player for many years (2019 was his first All-Star appearance), Rendon put together his best year in 2019 and will likely be near the top of NL MVP voting. His outstanding numbers from this season include a .319 batting average, 1.010 OPS, 34 homers, 44 doubles, 126 RBIs, and 117 runs.

  • Brian Dozier, 2B (Age: 32)

Dozier started 114 games for Washington during the regular season but just one in the playoffs. While he’s hit for a low average in each of the last two seasons, he has now reached 20 home runs six straight years.

  • Howie Kendrick, 1B/2B (Age: 36)

Not only was Kendrick named NLCS MVP, but he also had one of the best regular seasons of his career even though he turned 36 in July. He easily posted career-highs in batting average (.344) and OPS (.966) while his 17 homers were just one shy of tying his personal best.

  • Daniel Hudson, RP (Age: 33)

Hudson turned out to be a superb acquisition for the Nationals after they traded for him on July 31. He saved three games in the postseason and had a stellar 1.44 ERA in 25 innings during the regular season for Washington.

  • Fernando Rodney, RP (Age: 43)

Another reliever acquired at the trade deadline by the Nationals to fix a beleaguered bullpen, Rodney had a 4.05 ERA in 33.1 regular-season games for Washington. He made six appearances in the postseason.

  • Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B/2B (Age: 34)

While Cabrera struggled in 2019 for the Rangers, he became a much valuable hitter after joining the Nationals. He hit .323 in 146 at bats for the Nationals in the regular season and had six hits along with three RBIs in the World Series.
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