As the regular season winds to a close, we’ll continue our position-by-position look at the upcoming free agent class. We’ve already covered catchers, first basemen and third basemen in greater detail, and we’ll slide over to second base this evening.
There’ll certainly be some overlap between second and third base, with plenty of utility options capable of handling either position who’ll be available. It’s also possible we see a team sign a shortstop with little or no second base experience to fill the position. Second is a less demanding spot to handle defensively, and teams with established in-house shortstops could certainly make a run at one of the top free agent shortstops on the market (Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Trevor Story or Javier Báez) and move them to the keystone as a way of injecting an impact bat into the lineup. (The Mets, already rostering Francisco Lindor, have mostly deployed Báez at second after acquiring him from the Cubs at the deadline). For our purposes, however, we’ll treat that group as shortstops and cover them in-depth later in this series.
Marcus Semien already made that switch last offseason, when the Blue Jays signed the former A’s shortstop and moved him to second in deference to Bo Bichette. It’s plausible Semien moves back to shortstop in free agency this time around, but we’ll include him as a second baseman in this exercise, since 140 of his 154 starts this year have come at second base.
Semien, unsurprisingly, tops the class:
Everyday Options
Marcus Semien (31 years old next April): Semien settled for a one-year “prove it” deal with Toronto last winter after a disappointing showing in last year’s shortened season. The hope was he’d replicate his huge 2019 campaign — one in which he finished in third place in AL MVP balloting — before re-entering free agency in search of a big multi-year deal. He’s done exactly that.
Semien leads MLB with 697 plate appearances, and he’s hitting a whopping .268/.339/.543. He’s popped 43 home runs, the fourth-highest total in the league, and stolen fifteen bags. Semien has completely regained his peak offensive form, and he’s taken to his new position with ease. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average have pegged Semien as a plus defender at second base, and it seems likely teams would be comfortable installing him everyday at either middle infield position moving forward. Semien’s age will keep him from landing the length or total guarantee of the market’s younger stars, but he’s wrapping up his second elite season in the past three years and leads all position players in FanGraphs WAR since the start of 2019. There’s no longer any doubt Semien’s an elite player, and a five or six-year deal that easily eclipses $100MM shouldn’t elude him this time around. He’s a lock to receive and reject a qualifying offer.
Chris Taylor (31): Taylor’s a true super-utility type who has started games everywhere but first base and catcher this season. The bulk of his playing time has come in center field and at second base, and a club in need of keystone help could plug him in there more regularly moving forward.
Taylor has been a bit unheralded on a Dodgers’ roster loaded with superstars, but he’s been a consistently above-average hitter with passable defensive marks around the diamond. He strikes out a fair amount, but he also hits for power, walks and consistently runs high batting averages on balls in play. His bat has cooled off in the second half after a scorching start to the season. Still, Taylor’s track record and versatility make him a likely qualifying offer recipient and candidate to land a strong three or four-year contract. MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald recently broke down Taylor’s impending free agency at greater length.
Eduardo Escobar (33): Escobar has spent the bulk of his time at third base this year, but he’s also logged 140 plate appearances as a second baseman. Teams could consider him an everyday option at either position, but his early-career days as a shortstop seem mostly to be behind him.
Escobar has had a nice season split between the D-Backs and Brewers. He owns a .249/.312/.465 line with 28 home runs and has popped 20-plus long balls in each of the last four full seasons. Escobar’s abbreviated 2020 campaign was a disaster, but that looks to be an outlier now that he’s posted his more typical production this year. He doesn’t draw too many walks, but Escobar’s a switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate who’s a below-average but passable defender at a couple infield positions.
Potential Regulars/High-End Role Players
Josh Harrison (34): Harrison initially looked to be tailing off as he entered his 30’s, but he’s played quite well two years running. Over 545 plate appearances between the Nationals and A’s, he owns a .285/.347/.409 line with a tiny 13.4% strikeout rate. He’s earned Oakland’s regular second base job down the stretch and might have earned himself an everyday role elsewhere this offseason. Harrison doesn’t walk or hit for much power. But he puts the ball in play, can cover multiple positions and would bring a respected veteran presence to a clubhouse.
Jed Lowrie (37): Lowrie bounced back from a pair of lost seasons with the Mets to stay mostly healthy this year with the A’s. The veteran had an exactly league average .245/.318/.398 line in 512 plate appearances, split almost evenly between second base and designated hitter. His days as a regular look to be behind him, but Lowrie still gives teams a solid at-bat when healthy.
Donovan Solano (34): A light-hitting defensive specialist during his early days with the Marlins, Solano bounced around the minors for a few seasons before making it back to the bigs with the Giants in 2019. He’s been surprisingly productive ever since, posting three straight above-average hitting seasons by measure of wRC+. There’s a lot going against Solano; he doesn’t walk much or hit for power, and he’s been limited to almost exclusively playing second base. That makes him something of an imperfect roster fit, but he’s done nothing but hit over the past few years. He makes a lot of contact and owns the league’s third-highest line drive rate (minimum 500 plate appearances) going back to 2019. Teams will be wary of a player who is so reliant on ball-in-play results for his production, but Solano at least looks like a high-end role player who’ll give you good at-bats off the bench — particularly if leveraged against left-handed pitching (.325/.364/.472 in 306 PA against southpaws with the Giants).
Utility Types Who Can Handle The Middle Infield
- Ehire Adrianza (32): Adrianza’s a capable glove-first utilityman. He’s worked in a reserve capacity for essentially his entire career, posting decent strikeout and walk numbers with little power.
- Matt Duffy (31): Duffy has had a decent season bouncing around the diamond for the Cubs. He makes contact, uses the whole field and hits a solid number of line drives. Duffy had to settle for a minor league pact after not appearing in the majors last season, but his .275/.346/.370 line over 295 plate appearances could be enough to land a guaranteed big league job this time around.
- Alcides Escobar (35): Escobar hadn’t played in the majors for three years before being called upon by a Nationals team dealing with a series of injuries. He’s held up surprisingly well upon being thrust into an everyday role, hitting .281/.329/.390 over 321 plate appearances and covering both middle infield positions. Escobar’s offense is still entirely dependent on hitting for a high batting average and he’s probably miscast as an everyday player, at least for teams with contending aspirations. But Escobar looks to have done enough to land a guaranteed big league deal this winter, something that seemed improbable just a few months back.
- Leury García (31): García has had a nice few seasons on the South Side of Chicago. He’s a switch-hitting utilityman who can cover any non-catcher position on the diamond. Garcia doesn’t hit for power or draw many walks, but he makes a fair amount of contact and has been right around league average offensively over the past couple seasons.
- Marwin González (33): González hit just .201/.281/.285 before the Red Sox cut him loose. He’s popped three homers in 28 plate appearances since re-signing with Houston, but he only owns a .250 OBP in his second stint as an Astro so far. That’s two consecutive miserable seasons for González, who followed up an outstanding 2017 campaign with back-to-back league average seasons before dropping off substantially since the start of 2020.
- Jordy Mercer (35): Mercer missed a good chunk of the year due to injury after earning a season-opening roster spot with the Nats in Spring Training. The former Pirates’ shortstop hit for a decent average and bounced around the diamond, but his overall .262/.319/.346 line might not be enough to earn a major league deal.
- Chris Owings (30): Owings posted huge numbers in 50 plate appearances with the Rockies this year but missed the majority of the campaign due to thumb injuries. The former Diamondback runs well and can play anywhere except catcher, but he’s a .243/.288/.372 career hitter despite playing almost exclusively in offense-friendly home ballparks.
- Joe Panik (31): Panik looks to be in minor league deal range thanks to a .203/.263/.281 line split between the Blue Jays and Marlins this season. The left-handed hitter was a strong regular early in his career with the Giants, combining elite bat-to-ball skills, patience and defense at second base. But his impact on contact has evaporated in recent seasons, so while he still tough to strike out, Panik has posted well below-average numbers in four consecutive years.
- Eric Sogard (35): Sogard hasn’t latched on elsewhere since being released by the Cubs in July. He stumbled to a .249/.283/.314 showing over 180 plate appearances with the North Siders, and that was marginally better than his work the year prior in Milwaukee. Sogard’s a quality defensive second baseman who has shown some signs of life at the plate in the past, but he’s squarely in minor league deal territory after back-to-back very poor seasons.
- Jonathan Villar (31): Villar has had a nice season with the Mets, bouncing back from a disappointing 2020 to hit .249/.323/.420. That’s slightly above-average hitting, and the former stolen base champ continues to provide additional value on the basepaths. Villar’s not a great defender anywhere but he’s capable of playing throughout the infield and has a bit of outfield experience. It’s possible he’s done enough this year to earn an everyday job somewhere, although it seems likelier first-division clubs would see him as a high-end insurance option off the bench.
Players With 2022 Options
César Hernández, White Sox, $6MM club option (no buyout): Generally a high-contact, low-impact hitter, Hernández has bizarrely morphed into a low-OBP power bat this year. The switch-hitter has easily set career marks in home runs (21) and ISO (.155) but it’s come with personal lows in batting average (.228) and on-base percentage (.304). Hernández still works the count and makes a lot of contact, and it doesn’t seem as if he’s completely revamped his approach. He’s just not hitting as many line drives as he usually does, resulting in a career-worst .262 batting average on balls in play.
Exercising a $6MM option on Hernández wouldn’t be outlandish. He’s a generally steady player who combines league average offense with solid glove work (although advanced metrics are split on his defense this season). But his bottom line production — .228/.304/.383, 89 wRC+ — is his worst in six seasons, and he’s had a dreadful couple months in Chicago followed a solid start to the season with Cleveland. Those factors could lead the ChiSox to let him go, particularly since his contract with the Indians didn’t contain any sort of buyout provision, but Hernández wouldn’t have much of a problem finding a job elsewhere in that instance.
Wilmer Flores, Giants, $3.5MM club option ($250K buyout): Flores has roughly the equivalent of one full season’s worth of playing time since signing with San Francisco over the 2019-20 offseason. He’s hitting .262/.325/.472 in that time, showing power and quality bat-to-ball skills. Flores can play multiple positions and has a long history of mashing left-handed pitching. For a high-payroll club, the $3.5MM option looks like an easy yes.
Jurickson Profar, Padres, can opt out of remaining two years and $14MM: Profar surprisingly landed a three-year, $21MM guarantee from the Padres last winter on the heels of a strong 2020 showing. He hasn’t managed to follow-up on that success, though, hitting just .227/.331/.324 through 401 plate appearances. It’s hard to envision Profar opting out after this season, particularly since his contract allows him to opt out at the end of next year too. Most likely, the 29-year-old returns to San Diego in hopes of a bounceback. If that happens, he can forgo the final guaranteed year of his deal and test free agency next winter.
Matt Carpenter, Cardinals, $18.5MM club option ($2MM buyout): Carpenter’s option is a lock to be bought out. A bit of a late-bloomer, Carpenter found his stride in his late-20’s and kicked off a seven-year run from 2012-18 as one of the game’s better offensive players. His work at the plate has fallen substantially since then, particularly over the past two seasons. With a .178/.314/.297 line since the start of 2020, Carpenter might be looking at minor league offers this winter. The 35-year-old is planning on giving it another go though.
HalosHeavenJJ
Can’t imagine why Marwin went from being great to sucking after he left Houston? Hmmm….
Not a great second base class this year but that’s more than offset by the incredible SS class. Semien has now had 2 insanely good years. I wonder who gambles he can keep this going.
I actually like Villar on the Angels as a way to avoid the high priced SS class and focus on pitching.
iverbure
I can’t imagine any team actually wanting villar as a everyday SS. He’s probably best suited as a 300-400 PA on a contender SU type.
smuzqwpdmx
I’m probably biased as a Blue Jays fan, but Villar seems like a guy who’s always finding little ways to help you lose. A bad baserunning decision here, a poor defensive play there, an inability to execute over there.
uglypretzel
Very apt description of his time with the Orioles. Kind of a one step forward, two steps back type of player. Just seemed to lack good baseball instincts
findingnimmo
I don’t know, he was pretty clutch with the Mets and helped keep them a float through the summer.
jjd002
I know you are trying to be funny, but it wasn’t like Marwin was bad on the road in 2017. His road OPS was actually higher than his home OPS.
Yankee Clipper
He’s actually right though. It’s not a coincidence that most of their hitters who lashed in ‘17 can’t repeat it. Just because they did well on the road doesn’t mean they weren’t cheating on the road…and, even if they weren’t, cheating at home gives a significant advantage on the road because they already know signs, are much more familiar with how the catcher communicates with a specific pitcher, and can differentiate different sign changes.
I won’t be surprised if Cora shears again when Boston loses this year. He isn’t the manager they claim him to be, and not cheating will expose that.
butch779988
Typical Yankee fan
Salvi
YC: Not sure how a post about 2nd basemen, becomes a discussion the Red Sox manager, but whatever. Red Sox have greatly overachieved, partly due to their management, and Yankees have underperformed. One 3 game sweep doesn’t change that fact. I don’t see Cora “shear” (whatever that means). And if Boston “loses this year”, it will still be considered a success. Can’t say the same if NYY don’t make the playoffs or lose in a one-game playoff.
rocky7
Typical Yankee Troll…..
rocky7
How does “Management” have anything to do with “overachieving”?
Boston was garbage hunting on the cheap in the off-season and got very lucky with a couple of acquisitions that have worked out well for them….. good for them, but its a terrible stretch to imply that Boston management should be given cudo’s (when its just plain luck) just for signing players that were cut by other teams.
stymeedone
@yankeeclipper.
Boston was not expected to contend this year, but is still doing so with a week left. Give credit where credit is due. That includes the manager, Cora.
jjd002
You are acting like New York was/is Mother Theresa…
Sideline Redwine
Yeah, Houston really sucks this year. Insert eyeroll.
metfan4ever
Funny how that Yankees fan likes to talk big stuff about the Astros when their X 1B admitted on ESPN they Yankees did they same thing in a different way. Mark got canned after that he slipped on that subject. Cheaters themselves
Cosmo2
You’ll really regret making Villar your everyday SS. I’m a big fan of Villar but he’s a second baseman and backup 3rd baseman who can play SS in a pinch. Doesn’t have the glove to play everyday there and he’ll be terribly exposed if you try that experiment.
geg42
That the A’s didn’t even QO Semien is the worst decision of last offseason.
ayrbhoy
That the A’s continue to be competitive with such a limited payroll it’s borderline wizardry. I’m starting to wonder if they have a couple of warlocks in that FO staff! If BB heads to the Mets- will he have the same magic touch on their roster? I personally doubt it.
A'sfaninUK
Dont forget Hendriks too! The contract they did offer Semien was absurdly disrespectful. A billionaire trying to do the “long term pay out” is incredibly on the nose and not the actions of a MLB team owner who is acting in the best interests of MLB.
Add Liam and Semi to this A’s team and they are stomping everyone all year. Fisher refused to pay under $100M for both for multi-years of both.
All in all this has been a supremely disgusting ownership in Oakland by John Fisher, he is a 20-grade owner.
Chipsss
I was just talking about that with my dad. Boneheaded move from the A’s on a talent evaluation standpoint. Wonder what they could have gotten him to to sign a 4 year contract for after that down 2020
Rsox
Its a steep decline after Semien…
yewed
Makes me happy we have Kike for at least one more season.
SFGLifer
Spoken like someone who only watches ALE teams….
Rsox
Enlighten me. Give me a top 5 that does not include Semien
ayrbhoy
I completely agree w Rsox- the INF FA’s below him just don’t have the same impact as the 2019 and 2021 version of Semien.
yewed
Apparently I wasn’t very clear. I’m agreeing with you.. Boston needs a long term solution at 2B. From this list there isn’t much to choose from in free agency next year.. That’s why I’m happy we at least have Kike to play 2B next season.
yewed
I agree with him too. That’s the point I was attempting to make. After seeing this list I was happy that the Red Sox have a decent second baseman locked up for next season.
Rsox
@yewed I presume he was referring to SFGLifer because there are three Giants on this list
yewed
I don’t get over here as much as I’d like to so sometimes for me it’s hard to know who’s replying to who. I also replied to you over 2 hours ago and somebody else but it’s :”awaiting moderation” which I don’t get at all.
I took the blame for not making myself clear on my statement on which I agreed with you but yet it needs moderation?
I now remember why I don’t frequent this place as much as I used to.
Rsox
I got the same in another thread. Made no sense
yewed
I get it. The bot flags it and actual people need to look at it. If you only have 1 or 2 people moderating then so be it. Doesn’t change the frustration factor..
I’ve seen some totally inflammatory comments go through but others not.
Whatever., It’s their site and they can do what they want. My history speaks for itself or apparently not. I’m paid through January for whatever that means. I hate to be “that guy” but apparently that’s how I’m labeled.
Ignore my rant,. I’m just frustrated with this place. .
yewed
What? Kike has a WAR of 4.4 this season and has been lights out. Not saying he’s the best in the league but none of the other players are on the Red Sox roster. After seeing this list why wouldn’t I be happy to have him on my team for another season.
bhambrave
So glad the Braves locked in Albies.
bbcalmc
Is Baez a FA this year and wouldn’t he be considered a 2b?
bbcalmc
Sorry I overlooked the header story, but I’d still consider him as a 2b over the others
Rangers29
But putting him in the conversation of all the other free agents SSs makes for a better article.
Kapler's Coconut Oil
Eduardo Escobar was in both 3B and 2B, I think Baez can be in two position articles as well
baseballpun
AL fans: can Semien handle SS defensively?
YankeesBleacherCreature
Yes. He’s played most of his career as a SS but why mess when with a good thing when he’s an above average 2B.
ayrbhoy
It all depends on the team who signs him. For ex: the M’s would be nuts to put Semien there over the current GG winner JP Crawford
slimmycito
Yes he’s fine at ss. Fills in for Bichette and looks fine still. Just set the record for HR as a 2b though.
Yankee Clipper
He’s just below average when you consider all the defensive metrics available. But Bichette isn’t a true SS, he’s a 2B. Semien will improve their team defensively if they swap Bichette (who leads the MLB in errors) with Semien. Plus his offensive output more than makes up for any defensive woes.
smuzqwpdmx
Bichette is an excellent shortstop who’s temporarily dragged down to average by the growing pains of youth — stretches in which he makes a bunch of errors before going back to being excellent. And even with those error-prone stretches his defensive metrics grade out pretty well.
geg42
He was very good for the A’s at SS in 2018-19. He doesn’t make the highly improbable plays like a gold glover. Age and time away from the position aren’t helpful. But he would likely be an attribute on defense at short.
A'sfaninUK
Semien literally was a gold glove finalist at SS.
bigdaddyt
Not to mention that with 6 games left to play Marcus Simien is currently tied for most homer runs by a 2nd basemen. He’s a bout to get PAID
timyanks
carpenter is an easy fix. sign him and tell him he’s the leadoff hitting dh against right handed pitchers
greyhound
Semien has stated that his preference is to play shortstop.
LordD99
True, however is real preference is to cash in. He has the advantage of being able to market himself as either a SS or 2B’man. He’ll go to the team paying the most, regardless of position.
Yankee Clipper
C’mon MLBTR, let’s start the polls and predictions for where FAs are going to land with these articles! I know it’s a bit early, but really, is it? Love those articles….
msqboxer
Best value out of the bunch is Leury Garcia. He can play anywhere and is above average 2B and SS with better than average speed. Not that he should be your starter as much as a plug and play guy or first guy off the bench late in games. His value is probably 3 years at 4-5MM per season.
IronBallsMcGinty
Garcia is a good dependable player and seems to be great in the clubhouse. That said, he’s not exactly ideal as a starter. I’d like to see the Sox bring him back just because of his durability and versatility. I’d also like to see them bring back Semien but they’ll never pony up that much money.
A'sfaninUK
Look, we need to stop normalizing .245/.318/.398 line in 512 PA as a “solid contribution” – its a completely terrible slash line, Jed Lowrie flat out sucked this season, which seemed to be more about people going “ooh, at least he’s playing!” more than anything, yeah, he played and he sucks now. He’s old as hell and a big reason why the A’s underperformed this year was giving him 512 PA at DH and 2B over the superior Tony Kemp.
Mario93
Said when the signing was announced that Semien was the best get for the Blue Jays, it wasn’t Springer. I said it, and if they were smarter they would’ve made it a multi-year deal, not just a 1 year 18 million dollar deal. Semien was always one of the most underrated players in baseball with his time with the Athletics..
Ted
And if Semien is smart, he’d never have accepted a long term deal at that point. He bet on himself and won big time.
davemlaw
On a small deal I like Donovan Solano signing with the Rockies. They need a 2B and he’s a great bat to ball player. In that huge ballpark he would put up some great numbers.