Breaking down the local free agents and who might be interested in them

The free agent season has arrived and the two local nines will look different in 2016 given their free agent list and the value of those players on the open market.

The Nationals and Orioles won't be able to keep everyone. Every team needs pitching and the list for free agent starting pitchers is long, so how will that affect the market?

The Orioles need rotation help and stability in their outfield corners. The Nationals, with new manager Dusty Baker, have to fix their bullpen and decide how their rotation will look after Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.

Here's a look at the Orioles' and Nationals' key free agents and what teams might be looking to sign them:

Chris Davis, first baseman: He's won American League home run titles in two of the last three seasons and coming off a season where he's hit 47. As a left-handed power hitter, he's a rare commodity. Defensively, he's excellent at first base and his versatility - he played 30 games in right field during 2015 - makes him attractive. The Orioles say that he's their No. 1 priority, but they are going to have competition in Houston, the New York Yankees, Boston, Seattle and St. Louis. The Astros, in particular, would love to make a splash by signing a player that grew up in Texas.

Ian Desmond, shortstop: The general consensus was that the Yankees would go after Desmond, but New York is happy with shortstop Didi Gregorius after his rough start in replacing Derek Jeter. There are not many shortstop jobs available, especially with the big-money teams, and the only two teams that are in need are the Padres, if they think Jedd Gyorko can't play there, and the White Sox, who declined an option on Alexei Ramirez and don't think prospect Tim Anderson is quite ready. Without a lot of jobs on the market, is it possible Desmond accepts a qualifying offer from the Nationals and tries the free agent market next season?

Matt Wieters, catcher: The switch-hitting catcher is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and durability is a question. He caught 55 games for the Orioles, but never three consecutive. The Nationals will be in the market for Wieters. The Rangers had a platoon of Chris Gimenez and Bobby Wilson, so they'll check into Wieters. The Angels say they are looking for a catcher and the White Sox are thinking about replacing Tyler Flowers, a strong defensive player who struggles with the bat. The Braves could also sign Wieters to replace A.J. Pierzynski.

Denard Span, center fielder: Assuming health, the Nationals would do well to keep Span as their center fielder and leadoff hitter. He's 31 and his presence at the top makes the lineup strong. Michael Taylor made progress as a rookie, but Span would still be a better player. The ideal situation for the Nationals would be to get Span on a two-year deal, but teams like the Cubs, also in need of a leadoff batter, might offer more. If the Royals lose Alex Gordon, they could sign Span and make him a left fielder. The biggest competition on the market is Dexter Fowler, who hit 17 home runs and stole 20 bases for the Cubs this season.

Wei-Yin Chen, left-handed starter: Their rotation is thin and has plenty of questions, so the Orioles can hardly afford to lose Chen, their best pitcher in 2014. But teams that don't want to spend on big names such as David Price and Zack Greinke will be looking at Chen. The Royals, Pirates, Twins, Giants and Angels will all take a look at Chen.

Jordan Zimmermann, right-handed starter: Zimmermann isn't coming off his best season, but he's still a top-of-the-line starter, whether he's in the No. 1 or No. 2 slot. His command and durability are there. The Giants, Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, Astros and Dodgers are all in the picture.

Darren O'Day, right-handed reliever: O'Day picked a great time to have a 1.52 ERA with 82 strikeouts and 14 walks in 65 1/3 innings. Plenty of teams need relief pitching, starting with the Mets, Red Sox, Tigers, Mariners, Dodgers, and Nationals.

Doug Fister, right-handed pitcher: The Nationals stole Fister from Detroit in a trade before the 2014 season, and he paid huge dividends in his first year. But his second year was not so good, given he started the season injured and then struggled so much with his sinker, he ended up in the bullpen. He's not going to command big money, so just about every team in the AL and NL will go after him.