With the regular season winding down, a number of teams (and their fanbases) are already starting to turn their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking an early look at the players who’ll be available on the open market.
We’ve already covered the catchers and first basemen. Today, we move to the keystone. It’s a weak infield class in general and that’s reflected in the second base group. There are players at other positions who could ostensibly move to second base. Virtually every shortstop is capable of playing the less demanding middle infield spot, for instance. Those players will be covered in future positional previous, though, so we’ll limit this list to players who have logged some action at second base this season.
Note: only players who have been on an MLB roster in 2023 are included. Ages listed are for the 2024 season.
Potential Everyday Options
- Amed Rosario (28)
Rosario has been a shortstop for the bulk of his career, but the Dodgers have played him more frequently at second base since adding him at the deadline. One of the youngest players in the entire free agent class, Rosario hits the market coming off a down year. He was a roughly league average hitter from 2021-22 but has slumped to a .261/.302/.377 line over 516 plate appearances. He’s hitting for more power in Los Angeles than he had in Cleveland — largely because the Dodgers have more selectively deployed him in favorable platoon situations — but has reached base at just a .288 clip with L.A.
The righty-swinging Rosario has performed well against left-handed pitching throughout his career. He’s a well below-average offensive player versus righties. Some teams may prefer to keep him in more of a short side platoon role, but the middle infield class is weak enough that he figures to land an everyday job somewhere. Public metrics pegged Rosario as one of the sport’s worst defensive shortstops; he has rated more favorably at second base, though it’s tough to put much stock in a 153-inning sample.
- Whit Merrifield (35)
Merrifield’s contract contains an $18MM mutual option with a $500K buyout. The Jays are very likely to decline their end, sending the veteran back to free agency. A three-time All-Star and two-time hits leader, Merrifield is one of the game’s better contact hitters. While he’s no longer performing at peak level, he owns a solid .281/.324/.396 slash with 11 homers through 549 plate appearances. He has kept his strikeouts to a modest 16.6% clip. He’s a fine defender at second base and can play the corner outfield.
The league has increasingly devalued the hit-first second base profile to which Merrifield belongs, however. Players like Jean Segura (over two years) and Adam Frazier (one year) received annual salaries in the $8MM – 8.5MM range last offseason. Merrifield’s platform year is more in line with Segura’s than Frazier’s, so he has a decent case for a two-year pact despite his age.
- Adam Frazier (32)
Speaking of Frazier, he has rebounded somewhat from his down 2022 campaign. After hitting .238/.301/.311 a season ago, he owns a .248/.304/.415 slash through 409 plate appearances with the Orioles this year. His 13 home runs are a career high, and while he has added a moderate amount of swing-and-miss as a tradeoff, he’s still keeping his strikeouts to a tidy 13.4% clip.
Yet Frazier’s overall production has hovered around replacement level this year, largely thanks to a sharp drop in his defensive metrics. While Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast had each rated him as an average or slightly above-average second baseman for the majority of his career, they’ve soured on his work in 2023. Statcast metrics indicate that Frazier has particularly struggled on balls hit up the middle, perhaps related to a drop in his throwing velocities from the keystone. Whether teams feel that’s a blip or a more worrisome indication of dwindling athleticism as he gets into his 30s could determine whether he matches last winter’s $8MM deal.
Multi-Positional Types
- Elvis Andrus (35)
Andrus has gotten into 98 games for the White Sox this season. It hasn’t gone all that well, as he’s hitting .251/.311/.353 with five longballs across 355 plate appearances. That’s more in line with the numbers he posted from 2018-21, making last year’s 17-homer showing look like a blip. Andrus is still a good baserunner and can play either middle infield spot, but he’s better suited for a utility role than regular playing time at this stage of his career.
- Enrique Hernández (32)
Hernández had a brutal start to the season, struggling to adjust to the Red Sox pushing him into regular shortstop run. He is better suited for the utility role he’s played throughout his career, logging most of his action at second base or in center field. The right-handed hitter was amidst a second straight well below-average offensive season when Boston traded him to the Dodgers a couple weeks before the deadline. He has turned things around in Southern California, hitting .266/.331/.435 in 139 plate appearances since the swap. The Dodgers acquired Hernández in hopes of bolstering their production against left-handed pitching, but he’s been far better against righties than lefties in that minuscule post-trade sample.
- Tony Kemp (32)
Kemp is a contact-hitting second baseman who can also play left field. He was a solid regular for the A’s from 2021-22 before a down ’23 campaign. He’s hitting just .214/.309/.307 across 389 trips to the dish this season. That’s in large part a reflection of an unsustainably poor .227 average on balls in play. Kemp has excellent plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills; he’s one of just four players (Luis Arraez, Ronald Acuña Jr. and José Ramírez being the others) with 300+ plate appearances and more walks than strikeouts. It seems likely he’ll find a guaranteed big league opportunity as a result.
- Donovan Solano (36)
After barely playing in the majors between 2015-18, Solano has surprisingly put together a five-year run as an above-average hitter late in his career. He has continued on that trajectory for the Twins this season, putting up a .290/.376/.409 line over 402 trips to the plate. Solano is a bat-first utility option who can play either corner infield spot or second base. Even at age 36, he continues to produce and should earn himself a raise on this year’s $2MM salary.
Utility/Depth Players
- Hanser Alberto (31)
Alberto got into 30 games for the White Sox, hitting .220/.261/.390 in 90 trips to the plate. The right-handed hitter hasn’t caught on since being released by Chicago in early June.
- Isan Díaz (28)
A one-time top prospect, Díaz is a .177/.267/.274 hitter at the big league level. He has spent the majority of the last two seasons in Triple-A, appearing in eight MLB games this year between the Giants and Tigers. Detroit released him a few weeks ago.
- Matt Duffy (33)
Duffy cracked the Royals’ roster out of camp after signing a minor league deal. The well-traveled infielder has spent the entire season on the big league club. He’s hitting .254/.309/.312 over 188 trips to the plate, picking up scattered starts at each of first, second and third base.
- Eduardo Escobar (35)
Escobar has mostly split his playing time between third and second base. The switch-hitting veteran is wrapping up the second season of a two-year free agent pact that didn’t turn out as the Mets had envisioned. Escobar was surpassed on the depth chart by Brett Baty early in the season. The Mets dealt him to the Angels at a time when the Halos were still pushing to compete and decimated by infield injuries. The trade hasn’t worked out, as Escobar is hitting .229/.268/.333 with a 28.1% strikeout rate over 47 games in Orange County.
- Josh Harrison (36)
Harrison posted a .204/.263/.291 batting line over 41 games with the Phillies this year. Released shortly after the trade deadline, he spent some time in the Rangers’ system but didn’t crack the Texas roster. Harrison opted out of his deal with Texas in late August and has been unsigned since then.
- Rougned Odor (30)
After an early-career run as the Rangers’ starting second baseman, Odor has played for four clubs since 2020. He’s been a below-average hitter at every stop, showing some power but running consistently low on-base marks. Odor got into 59 games for the Padres this year, putting up a .203/.299/.355 slash before being released in July. He hasn’t signed elsewhere.
- Jonathan Schoop (32)
A former All-Star, Schoop has hit .204/.248/.311 going back to the start of 2022. While he played Gold Glove caliber defense for the Tigers a season ago, the complete lack of offensive production led Detroit to release him around the All-Star Break. The 11-year MLB veteran hasn’t signed anywhere since, though he is yet to turn 32 and could still find minor league interest if he wants to give it another go.
- Kolten Wong (33)
Wong had a brutal few months as a Mariner, hitting .165/.241/.227 over 67 games. Seattle released their offseason trade pickup at the beginning of August. He’s playing out the stretch with the Dodgers, getting selected to the MLB roster as part of September expansion after initially inking a minor league deal. Wong’s defensive marks have fallen from his Gold Glove peak and he has been one of the least effective hitters in the majors this year. Yet he was an above-average offensive performer just a season ago, when he hit .251/.339/.430 over 497 plate appearances for Milwaukee.
Player Options
- Justin Turner (39)
Turner is a near-lock to head back to free agency. His contract with the Red Sox contains a $13.4MM player option with a hefty $6.7MM buyout. With a buyout worth half the option value, it should be an easy call for the two-time All-Star to head back to free agency. He’d surely beat the $6.7MM difference on his next deal.
Clubs probably won’t view Turner as an everyday second base option going into his age-39 season. He has logged 49 innings there this season, though, showing the ability to moonlight up the middle in addition to his more extensive work at the corner infield spots. The team that signs Turner is doing so for his bat, as the consistent veteran owns a .285/.355/.480 slash with 23 homers over 561 trips to the dish.
Club Options
- Jorge Polanco (30)
It’s unlikely Polanco will get to the open market. The Twins hold a $10.5MM option for next season with a $1MM buyout. The $9.5MM difference is strong value for a quality bat-first middle infielder. The switch-hitting Polanco owns a .260/.341/.461 line on the season. While injuries have kept him to 290 plate appearances, it’s the third straight year in which he’s been a well above-average hitter on a rate basis. Polanco would be the best player in the second base class if he were available. Barring a major injury, he probably won’t be.
* All stats entering play Tuesday
The 2nd base position has sneakily taken an offensive dive the last few years
depends also if you consider Mookie a 2b or not. With him playing 2b, he is a legitimate #1 offensive guy for the position.
I think what has happened his teams moved from the view that any athletic idiot can move to 2b and play. So it stopped being used as an option for a lot of 3b types that were position blocked and went back to the normal shift off of SS (normally due to being blocked but also noodle arms).
2b will never be a premiere hitting position. It is a position guys generally transition to in the high minors due to being blocked. The super elite SS prospects will push someone else out of their position, so 2b is where the guys pushed aside end up.
Thinking about it- how many 2b only prospects (no one is viewing them as SS or 3b options at all) are there in most top 100 lists- maybe 1 (the only one i can think of is Connor Norby, and i guess Acuna may officially been pushed off of SS for good). So SS will generally looked stacked and 2b will generally be where 2nd fiddles go (until teams latch back onto teaching good hitters without a position 2b in the high minors- Steve Pierce feels like the poster boy for that)
Assessment: Don’t look for your starting 2B’man in this free agent market.
Whit is a fine player
Beyond that…
1.6 WAR. 98 OPS+. Whit USED to be a fine player.
WSS
You just described a fine player.
Not a star, but a fine player
What I described is a player below average on offense and defense. If that is fine to you, then ok. To me that is not good. The opposite of fine.
What Whit is now is a decent backup utility player.
wss
The first stage in a discussion should be to define terms
To me, “good” is above average, say, 2.5-3.5 WAR is a baseball context. “Fine” is average, so, 1.5 to 2.5 WAR.
Whit appears to be a roughly average player. He’s not going ro make or break your team. He’s fine.
If you ask how the meal you prepared was and see no difference between a response of “it was good” and “it was fine”, ok.
Similarly, if “average” to you is a single infinitely small decimal point 100.00000000000000000…,and 100.00000001 is above average and 99.99999999 is below average, then ok. I think, in most contexts, average is a bit more of a range.
To me fine = good or even great. Like fine dining.
If you are worse than average, 2.0 WAR and 100 OPS+, you are bad. Whit is now bad.
wss
Ok,, fine.
So, 1.9 WAR and a 99 wRC+ is bad? Is 2.1 WAR and a 101 wRC+ good, then?
How about 2 WAR and a 99 wRC+?
Or a 100 wRC+ and 1.9 WAR?
Or 2.5 WAR and a 90 wRC+?
Whit is a fine player at $18MM?
MG
Who said anything about $18 million? Not me.
Reading comprehension.
that option is being declines. My bet is is gets 8-12m on a show me contract or 15-20m on a 2 year deal. I doubt anyone goes higher/longer. At this point what is the gap between the best of that bunch and the worst of that bunch.
I would rather sign 2 guys towards the bottom for far less and play the hot hand and work matchups- you likely get better numbers.
Either trade Gleyber or extend him this offseason.
i think you would be shocked at how small the return would be at this point. Every contender has a competent 2b option already, and i would go to the Os and trade for Joey Ortiz or Connor Norby (both spare parts for that team) before trading for Gleyber….
Urias and or Mateo can be had too most likely.
I expect O’s infield around trade decline to be
2nd westburg, ss jackson holiday, 3rd henderson
I think we’re gonna keep one of Urias or Mateo as a part time guy/D replacement until Westy and Holiday establish themself. One of them will almost certainly be traded though.
Mateo won’t fetch much of anything. He might be more useful to keep.
I am happy that my Reds have like 10 different options for 2nd base next year already playing on the team.
10 different options and 6 of them are better than any name on this list. Need a 2nd basemen? Better call krall
^ ^ ^ ^ THIS ^ ^ ^ ^
2B used to be a unique position. Today it’s been replaced by: “Middle Infielders”. The first guy on the list fits that criteria: Amed Rosario, as do many others. Many teams are now playing SS’s at 2B.
Other players on the list that were initially 2B’s exclusively, now need to play other positions as well: Adam Frazier has been playing some corner OF with the O’s, Merrifield and Kemp long ago played OF, Jeff McNeil moves around some.
This all has to do with a combination of:
1) The limited 13 man position player roster.
2) Endless injuries so some of the 13 have to play multiple positions as it’s a Bell Curve in MLB where the majority of MLB starters fall into the ‘Barely Adequate’ category, are therefore interchangeable, with the determining factor each day being: Are they healthy?
3) Teams depend on analytics when making up line-up cards each day as since the players are interchangeable they’re looking to start the one of the multiple 2B candidates that does best against the opposing teams starting pitcher.
4) Lineup changes during the game as players are moved around with one going out.
There aren’t a lot of Jose Altuve’s and Ozzie Albies left. Teams with guys such as Luis Arraez and Gleyber Torres could play them at 1B but they want that position open for immobile power hitters as most teams won’t use just one player as a DH anymore.
Merrifield still plays OF, quite a bit actually. When KK gets pulled for a pitch hitter Varsho goes to Center and Merrifield takes over in left. He also gets a least a start a week out there.
big time. If you only play 2b, you need to also play replacement level corner OF and 1b too. A lot of teams also want their 2b also to be their backup SS since 2b is easier to find on a bench player.
that is 5 bench hitters- 1 is really your DH (if you carry a full time DH), 1 is your backup catcher. 1 has to be able to play CF, 1 has to be able to play SS, and 1 has to be a lefty.
That simple, if you are a 2b, you need to be able to fill one of those needs to make it onto a team. Guys like Whit play some CF, Guys like Rosario play SS, it is the guys like Schoop that will struggle to find a home next year since he just does not make sense to carry on your bench if you do not intend to start him. I am sure he could play some SS, but Machado forced him off that position 8 years ago.
So…. basically a whole lotta yuk. Just saw a bunch of names (not all)who shouldn’t be playing anymore ♂️
The rogues gallery of FA catchers is even worse
So far 1B C and 2b there is nothing but duds lol
It’s not going to end here. Google some top FA lists and it’s weak everywhere except a few outliers at the very top 5-10 guys.
The starting pitching is deep but it’s a weak position player class, at least the worst of the last three years.
SP is the deepest of the positions but to say it’s deep is a stretch but a relative term I guess.
Consider this, if 5 teams needed 2 tor SP and 5 more needed 1 tor SP – the math doesn’t work. There are no where near 15 1 – 2’s especially with Urias and Ohtani out.
If you’re looking for 15 top-of-the-rotation starters, I don’t think you’ll ever find a free agent class that meets your expectations.
I agree that it doesn’t really have the headlining talent though. There’s no Cole or deGrom here. It’s more so that this class has a pretty good collection of 3/4 type starters. Yamamoto, Snell, Montgomery and Nola are all nine-figure types. Giolito’s understandably divisive but I still think he’s a safer bet than the third-tier arms (Taillon, Walker, Jon Gray, etc.) of the past couple offseasons
Uh…LTC how many true TOR 1-2 starters do you think are even active right now across mlb, let alone available in free agency or trade this off-season?
9 figures to Jordan Montgomery?!!??
hat – that wasn’t the point. The point was raised that the SP FA class was deep – not existing contract players on all teams – so I only addressed the point raised
.
You have raised a different point to which I will say that I haven’t considered how many are under contract but the number under contract is a lot more than you would find on this FA class.
I think the top 3-4 are going to be higher paid than we would have thought based on where they would have been pre-Urias/Ohtani.
Teams will overpay. Whether it’s Montgomery or Snell or Nola or a few others.
So yes, I think Montgomery does get there because someone that misses on 1 or 2 will make sure they get him.
I think it’s possible that Montgomery gets 9
Figures. I think it’s also likely that contract becomes Patrick Corbin 2.0.
Monty should top out at $80MM over 4-5 years but someone certainly may run that number up higher.
Belliger looks like the only potential star of the position players, and i really do not buy him repeating this year- everything about his stat line feels flukey. But as the best hitter out there, someone will give him 100m
I think Yamamoto, Snell and Nola are all getting 150m type contracts (likely 5-8 years but at Snell and Nolas age that is basically their last real pay day). Montgomery is just as good but gets overlooked for some reason. Either way all 4 are #1s with question marks (yamamoto for being an import, snell for injury/durability questions, and nola for the ERA never feeling like an ace even though my eyes always say ace to me).
I do not think Giolito is any safer than the 3rd tier arms you mention. He has been a hot mess recently. If you asked me last month, i would agree with you that he is a half step behind montgomery, but something is not right there.
should be 4 years 80 milllion, but someone will need to win and likely either go 4/90 or 5/100. I think he gets to 100, i could even see a few mil more if enough teams see him as not far off of snell/yamamoto/nola and the bidding goes there instead (since those 3 are all laughing at anything short of 5/120)
Buyer beware. I’d say the chances of him turning back into a pumpkin once he lands that big contract are pretty substantial. I just see him being another Jason Heyward or Javy Baez. This seems like something the Angels would do.
@ltc I was commenting on you using the quantity of tor guys to evaluate the depth of the sp fa class this coming off-season. There is never an off season where 10-15 clubs acquire a true 1-2 sp from outside their organization. Like never ever. My point is that there are not enough true tor starters in the league for the scenario you described to be possible in a single off-season. So if that’s your basis to say that this isn’t a deep fa class, then by that definition there is never a deep fa class in starting pitching.
Huh, my observation has been that there is a plethora of decent 2B players available. So much so that teams don’t need a surplus. That said, I’d scoop up Jorge Polanco in a heartbeat. Tony Kemp isn’t shabby either.
there is a plethora, and a lot of them are younger, so every team has a few guys who can do replacement level 2b or better.
Look at the Os- their entire INF can play 2b, and they have 2 more top 50 prospects who can. There is just too many guys since every team wants an INF to have it on their resume.
So this is gonna be a weak FA class?
Honestly with several mega deals over the past few offseasons coupled with several long-term extensions the next few FA classes are going to be pretty bad for the most part
Rsox- you are correct and the upcoming extensions will even take more off the board for 25/26 diluting it even more.
The entire system may be changing to where a team goes into FA season just looking to fill in with middle of the pack quality because there aren’t but a couple of top guys.
The 10th best SP may project as a 4!
The 2nd best 2b may be only a solid utility guy, etc.
Brandon Lowe might be a legitimate trade option with both Mead and Aranda probably having 2B as their best positions, and the possibility of Paredes moving over if Caminero comes up (not to mention Brujan and Walls, the former of whom I’m guessing won’t make it through the postseason and the latter of whom will be needed for SS if something doesn’t change with the Franco situation). If he is available, Lowe probably tops this class.
when do we give up on Brujan… he has just not worked out so far.
The Os should look to the Halos and discuss Trout. Mind you any team that’s got cash and serious about winning and has a few prospects should enquire.
Absolutely not.
No disrespect to Trout, unanimous first ballot HOF’er. But take the name away and you have a 32 year old declining CF who is consistently battling injuries & is owed a ton of money.
He’s still a very good player and may even post 1 more MVP level season but this is not when you want to buy Mike Trout. The next team won’t receive surplus value on that contract.
The Angels can’t and won’t receive a nothing package of prospects for Trout. But on that contract, he’s not worth giving up any real value for.
& to be clear he’s declining from the best player in baseball. He’s still awesome; but he’s a serious injury risk who’s approaching his mid 30’s and has a monster contract.
I only see him on the move if the Angels eat a significant chunk of money. Because they simply can’t take a Giancarlo Stanton package for him—considering what he is to that franchise. They’d have to get a package of real prospects.
The halos are also in an odd positon having a bad farm system that makes it hard to cover.
Trout and 4-5 prospects for 4-5 prospects with the prospects more or less cancelling out could work to keep the fan base from freaking out since they can see their new toys.
But who do the Angels still have on the farm? For the Os do that make an offer like Austin Hayes and Connor Norby for Trout. You get a junk contract, but he immediately plugs in for Hayes (who started the ASG so can be sold to a fanbase as a face).
No way. Hays is a rental. Halos will want a centerpiece. You might get a desperate team to bite on the Trout Name. It feels like a Brian Cashman or Aj Preller move.
Unless Trout ends up kicking the injury bug it’s probably not going to work out for whatever team does it. But they’ll be someone.
Why? What does Trout know about winning? He’s been on the Angels.
half those guys are on the Dodgers roster
So far C, 1B and 2B suck. I don’t think I want to see any more. Other than 2 Cubs, 1 of whom isn’t going anywhere( Gomes ) and Bellinger who’s going to cost a ton and only has a few teams that will even play there. I don’t think I wanna see the rest, Thanks.
To Wong, F.U. Thanks for everything… meaning nothing.
Muted
Imagine insulting a player for poor performance
I think that was a movie reference. I’ll give it a golf clap.
This free agency class is suffering because there are a ton of 28-32 year old guys who didn’t get their reps during COVID, when they were in crucial phases of development.
I can’t name specific examples because those woulda coulda shouldas never got their chance to show us promise with good age 24-28 seasons.
Valid consideration there. Probably 10-15 all star types and a slew of 0-5 WAR players that will never get the chance to fully “blossom”. Good chance you have to multiply that across the several years that pandemic affected “normal” routine life. What could have been…
Prediction, with this weak 2B class, the Padres will find a taker for Cronenworth without eating salary.
$78MM is significantly over what Crone would get on the open market.
I can’t see a world where the Padres wouldn’t take bad salary back with that or have to attach a prospect.
His extension was 7/80. If you are going to comment, at least get the facts right.
As a 2B he averaged 4.4 WAR the past two seasons. With no one of that quality on the market, my thoughts are that some team will take a chance on him.
The move to 1B full time was not a good one for him.
They don’t need to move on Croney. He just had a down year. We’ll get em next year
Wouldn’t this be Whit’s first time being a free agent?
NO NEED to wait til November…I am available today. Can do the 100 m dash in under 1 hour
More walks than K’s is one of my favorite stats. Some greats recently… Soto, VMart, Miggy, Barry, Pujols…
Justin Turner hasn’t played a lot of 2B in his career, but FWIW he did play a lot of 5 at 4 before the infield shift was limited this year.
A lot of junk in this list. Only Merrifield is good
Is Javi (“please opt out”) Baez still considered a second base option, or has he already been relegated to the Hosmer-Stanton Land of Misfit Contracts?
Quite a few guys on this list I expect will either voluntarily or involuntarily hang up the cleats this year. Many of the remainder will just be on MiLB contracts.
Polanco will be available, no question about that in my mind. The Twins will exercise the option and trade him. With Brooks Lee, Austin Martin, Royce Lewis, Eduoard Julien, Jose Miranda, Kyle Farmer, and Willi Castro all capable of playing the position to varying degrees, Polanco isn’t needed.
I actually expect the Twins to test the market on at least Miranda, Polanco and Farmer this offseason.