Minnesota Twins: Sonny Gray
Sonny Gray might be the best player on this list. The Twins' frontline starter is set to hit free agency after the postseason ends and couldn't have picked much of a better year to do it.
Gray had a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts and 184 innings pitched for the Twins, playing a huge role in their AL Central division title. He also played a huge role in the AL Wild Card Series, delivering five scoreless innings against the Blue Jays in the win that helped Minnesota advance to the ALDS. Postseason success is nothing new to Gray who has a 3.26 ERA in six starts in October.
Gray led the AL with a 2.83 FIP and 0.4 HR/9. He was an all-star for the third time and this will also be his third season finishing with a top-seven Cy Young finish. Gray could easily find himself as a Cy Young finalist as he finished the year second in the AL in ERA and in the top 15 in both innings pitched and strikeouts. He won't win it, but it'd be cool to see the 33-year-old as a finalist.
The fact that Gray will be 34 at the time of signing his next deal isn't ideal, but it does mean he'd require a shorter-term contract than a guy like Blake Snell who will be 31 when he signs his deal. He's shown remarkable consistency throughout his career with outlier bad seasons in 2016 and 2018, and is familiar with the AL West as well from his Oakland days.