MLBTR’s positional preview of the upcoming free agent class continues with a look at shortstop. There’s more talent than was available last winter, though it’s still down relative to some of the star-studded classes of the preceding offseasons.
Player ages are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 23. Only players who have appeared in the majors this year are included.
Top of the Class
- Willy Adames (29)
Adames has rebounded from a slightly down 2023 to turn in arguably the best season of his career. He has established a new personal high with 32 longballs while running a .250/.330/.468 slash over 663 plate appearances. Adames has swiped 19 bases — well above his previous career-high of eight — while driving in 110 runs. His strikeout rate has jumped in the second half, but he’s hitting for more power to compensate.
The other side of the ball hasn’t been as consistent. Adames, typically a plus defender, has had some uncharacteristic errors. Statcast still has him as a league average defender this year, but Defensive Runs Saved has been much more bearish (-14 runs). There’ll probably be teams that view this as an anomaly as opposed to a sign of physical decline at age 29. Adames has rare offensive upside for a shortstop and gets effusive praise for his leadership. He’ll decline a qualifying offer, so the Brewers will receive draft compensation in the likely event that he walks. Adames could look for six or seven years on a deal that approaches the $177MM Dansby Swanson guarantee.
Everyday Player
- Ha-Seong Kim (29)
Kim’s deal with the Padres contains a $10MM mutual option. His camp has an easy call to decline its end in search of a multi-year contract. While the South Korea native struggled in his first MLB season, he has been a key part of the San Diego infield over the past three years. Kim plays above-average to plus defense at any spot. He has been such a good defender that the Padres flipped Xander Bogaerts to second base in the second season of Bogaerts’ $280MM free agent deal.
Kim is a plus runner who stole 38 bases a year ago. He’s difficult to strike out and works plenty of walks. He doesn’t have overwhelming power but could put up 10-15 homers annually. A right shoulder injury sustained diving into the first base bag has kept him off the field for the past month. There’s no indication anything is structurally wrong, so the IL stint shouldn’t tank his market despite the inopportune timing. Kim figures to decline a QO and pursue a four-plus year deal that could land in the $75-100MM range.
Utility Options
- Nick Ahmed (35)
Ahmed has seemingly been on a quest to tour the NL West. The longtime Diamondback has played for the Giants, Dodgers and Padres this year. He’s on San Diego’s roster as a bench player going into the postseason. Ahmed hasn’t provided any kind of offense — he’s hitting .232/.271/.300 across 221 plate appearances — but he remains a sure-handed defender. Aside from 11 innings at second base in 2014, Ahmed has played exclusively shortstop in the big leagues. There’s little doubt he could handle second or third base if needed, but he’s an all-glove option.
- Paul DeJong (31)
DeJong has logged upwards of 700 innings at shortstop while getting his first MLB work at third base. Defensive Runs Saved has soured on his shortstop work, rating him eight runs below average, though Statcast thinks he’s closer to par. The latter aligns with DeJong’s generally solid defensive track record. Offensively, DeJong strikes out a ton and doesn’t get on base consistently. He’s hitting .230 with a .277 on-base percentage this year and has a .269 OBP in more than 1500 plate appearances since the start of 2021. That won’t cut it as an everyday player, but he’s just one home run shy of the third 25-homer season of his career. The righty power and ability to defend throughout the infield play well in a utility role.
- Kyle Farmer (34)
Farmer is a righty-hitting utilityman who has provided roughly league average offense in four straight seasons. This year’s .229/.308/.378 slash with five homers is a little below his typical standard, though that’s weighed down heavily by a terrible start. Farmer has a strong .286/.346/.473 career slash against left-handed pitching compared to a .236/.296/.357 mark without the platoon advantage. He has graded as a solid if unexceptional defender throughout his career, though that could drop off as he enters his age-34 season. Farmer’s deal with Minnesota contains a $6.25MM mutual option or a $250K buyout; the team is likely to decline its end.
- Enrique Hernández (33)
Hernández has made a career off his defensive flexibility, clubhouse reputation and double-digit home run power. The Dodgers have used him most frequently at third base this season, though he’s picked up 59 2/3 innings at shortstop. Hernández isn’t a regular there but can moonlight at shortstop while playing more frequently at second base, third base and in center field. The right-handed hitter has a very poor average (.219) and on-base percentage (.272), but he’s got 11 homers in 373 plate appearances.
- Jose Iglesias (35)
Iglesias spent all of 2023 in Triple-A. The former All-Star shortstop has had a resurgent return to the majors with the Mets since being called up at the end of May. Iglesias is hitting .337/.381/.459 over 265 plate appearances while splitting most of his time between second and third base. That huge offensive output is buoyed by a .380 average on balls in play that he’s unlikely to maintain over a larger sample. That said, he remains a gifted pure contact hitter. He’s still a strong defender — he’d have gotten more opportunity at shortstop if not for Francisco Lindor — and has been a spark plug for the Mets’ clubhouse as part of their second half playoff push. He has certainly earned himself a major league deal during this trip to free agency.
- Kevin Newman (31)
This has been a quietly solid year for Newman. The former Pittsburgh first-rounder signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks over the winter. An early-season injury to Geraldo Perdomo opened the door for Newman in April. He’s held the roster spot all year while hitting .279/.313/.376 through 310 plate appearances. Newman is backing up Perdomo and Ketel Marte in the middle infield, logging more than 700 combined innings off Torey Lovullo’s bench. He has strong defensive marks at both spots and offense that isn’t far below league average. Newman isn’t going to provide any kind of power, but he makes enough contact to hit for a respectable average. He has probably earned himself a big league deal worth a couple million dollars.
- Amed Rosario (29)
Rosario has moved from an everyday shortstop role into a utility capacity. He was hitting .307/.331/.417 in 76 games with the Rays through the trade deadline. Tampa Bay flipped him to the Dodgers and things have gone downhill. Los Angeles surprisingly moved on from Rosario after just five games. He landed with the Reds on a waiver claim. In 21 games with Cincinnati, Rosario is hitting .161 with 23 strikeouts and just one walk over 58 plate appearances. His season batting line — .281/.307/.381 with three homers across 345 PAs — is now league average. Rosario graded as one of the worst defensive shortstops in the majors when he was playing there regularly and the market should view him as a utility type who handles left-handed pitching well.
Depth Players
- Tim Anderson (32)
The Marlins took a $5MM rebound flier on Anderson last offseason. It didn’t work. The two-time All-Star hit .214/.237/.226 over 65 games. Miami released him in July. Anderson has hit .235/.271/.274 since the start of last season. He’ll be looking at minor league offers.
- Brandon Crawford (38)
Crawford signed with the Cardinals after the Giants moved on. St. Louis only got him into 28 games behind Rookie of the Year candidate Masyn Winn. Crawford hit .169/.263/.282 over 80 plate appearances and was released in August. He’d need to accept a minor league contract if he wants to continue playing. If this is it, the four-time Gold Glover and two-time World Series champ had an excellent career.
- Aledmys Díaz (34)
Díaz spent most of the season on the injured list due to a calf strain. He appeared in 14 games between the A’s and Astros, hitting .091 over 34 plate appearances. Díaz slumped to a .229/.280/.337 slash over a much larger sample with Oakland last year.
Club Options
- Miguel Rojas (36)
The Dodgers hold a $5MM option on Rojas that comes with a $1MM buyout. The $4MM net call is a drop in the bucket for the Dodgers. Rojas is a sure-handed defender and respected clubhouse presence who has hit .287/.337/.416 in 101 games. He has played well enough to earn L.A.’s starting shortstop job going into October. Even as he enters his age-36 season, this is an easy call for the Dodgers to pick up.
Previous installments: catcher, first base, second base, third base
Adames and Swanson is a great comp, adames has a slightly better bat and worse defense (but still above average D) so I’m looking at 6 years 150-175 mil with an opt out after the 3rd year
I’m not a GM so please don’t call me stupid
@sad tormented neglected mariners fan
How do I know you’re not Jerry Reinsdorf?
Most of the things sad M’s fan says make sense or seem reasonable…
Pretty sure he can’t be Reinsdorf.
@Canuckleball
LOL! Okay, that’s a solid argument. You win!
I still say Nick Ahmed and Amed Rosario are the same guy.
Amed Ahmed?
Kim has been really average this year, in fact below average if you go with the OPS+ of 96. He’s been a liability in the Padres lineup, driving us crazy by taking the first two pitches of every AB (for strikes) – every SP gets it now that his primary goal is to draw a walk. And his defense has reverted back to level at KBO, good but not elite, but yes better than Bogey (not saying much). Great teammate though, and plus speed. He still puts up 2-3 WAR, but is that worth 4 years $75-$100M?
Right, that contract estimate seems unbelievably high.
He hasn’t played since August 18th due to injury and probably won’t return this season.
The prior two seasons he put up 4.9 and 5.8 bWAR. I suspect at least some front offices will see this year as a bit of an outlier and look more at the previous 2 years.
Add that to a thin market for shortstops and I can see $75 mil as achievable. $100m might be a little too rosy, but it might come down to the amount of demand.
Teams are looking at the whole picture, not just one down year.
In terms of fWAR, he’s averaged about 3.7/150 games. That firmly puts him into the above average regular tier. Not to mention he’s not a bad hitter, has ranked above the 85th percentile of outs above average each of the last 3 seasons (above the 95th percentile in both 2022 and 2023), and is a good base runner.
@mlb1225. He’s not a bad hitter I agree, and a plus defender. I want him on my team for sure. But the $100M 4 years thinking seems over the top to me especially given his regression this year. This is GM stuff, so I’ll step aside.
I think he’ll end up getting something closer to a $18-20 million AAV.
It will be interesting to see who gives him that if over 3+ years. His game is very dependent upon his athleticism, and he’s not getting younger.
I was thinking 3 x $17m with a 4th year option at the same amount and a $4m buyout making it $55m guaranteed. Even that seems like a lot.
Adames as a hitter >>>>> Baez as a hitter
I’m hoping the Tigers do. Kick Baez out and let Kim get ABs at SS, 2B and 3B as a supersub with 500 ABs.
Donovan Solano
Brew-In a word? No. Wish him the best, but at that money, I don’t want him back on the Padres. Hell..they could easily sign Iglesias to replace him and he’d fit right in..or just go with Eguy Rosario in a utility role. My hope? That AJ spends money on a starter, maybe another high leverage pen piece, and a 1B/OF/DH, while looking at extending Merrill and King. PS-I could see them going after Santander if Profar has any crazy demands.
I’m sorry, Kim is a good player, but $75-100 million over four years is insane. I could see like four years/$60 million…
Very doubtful that Kim is offered a QO at $21+ million. Better chance that he accepts the $7.5 million mutual option which is highly doubtful. I see a Cronenworth-like contract coming for Kim. 6-7 years at $11-12 million AAV. The major question is whether it’s with the Padres or not.
Ha-Seong Kim has really cooled off since earlier in the year. Guy’s really a defense first SS. Nothing wrong with that, given it’s a premium position, but teams should be pricing in the lack of offense in his game if they’re signing him.
I do wonder if the Brewers finally make a massive free agent signing and try to bring Adames back. I highly doubt it, especially considering they have a top SS prospect who’s a few years away from the majors, but if they let him walk, they’re gonna have to bring somebody in because they don’t have anybody. They do have a top catching prospect too though, and with William Contreras cemented behind the plate for the foreseeable future, I wonder if they package those prospects together in a deal to bring in another star shortstop.
I believe the Brewers’ plan is to move Joey Ortiz to SS and convert Sal Frelick to third base. Frelick lacks the power they’d like at the hot corner, but I would expect them to have interest in DeJong to see some time at 3B and add some power vs. LH pitching. They also are waiting on 2023 first rounder Brock Wilkin to break out after a somewhat disappointing year at AA.
Kim to the Giants feels like a lock
Lee friendship?
Lee friendship, Melvin loves him, continuous need for a SS (Fitz probably more destined for 2B or Chris Taylor like utility), not the tip top of the market. Checks all the boxes.
No one should get over 100 million for this crop of ss
Uh, guys? Spotrac has Kim’s mutual option at $7 million, with a $2 million buyout.
Not sure where $10 million is coming from.
I poked around a little bit. It appears that the value of that option is variable and dependent on his performance. That would explain why there are differing reports on its value.
@yeasties
Hmm. Well, that would be in-character for Preller. Thank you for the info.
Also, I’d say it’s too risky to offer Kim the QO. I am not as bullish on Kim securing a multi-year deal to his liking coming after an injury that, for whatever reason, is taking longer to heal than the team figured.
Pocketing $20 mil for a chance at a platform year to match his torrid 2023 seems like a pretty good deal. If I am the Pads, I accept the mutual option, offer Kim a nominal multi-year if/when he turns it down, then move on if/when they get outbid. No way would I take the risk of potentially paying Kim $20 million for one year.
Kim is great, but Xander can slide back to short, and I’d rather see the Pads spend money to address keeping Profar, look at King and Cease’s long term status, and maybe even Jackson Merrill. Elite production on Jackson’s level will only get more expensive, not less. Time to sort out how to keep him a Padre for life.
Adames has been linked to the Dodgers for a couple of years now. But my main Dodger fan impression is him taking two piped fastballs to end the 2020 World Series. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a player who wanted to be in the batter’s box less than he did. So I’ve never personally looked forward to him joining the Dodgers. YMMV, of course.
A few of Adames errors this season can be and probably should have been E3 due to the Brewers 1B. Especially Hoskins. Also could have saved $$$ by resigning Santana instead of Hoskins last winter.
Hoping the Brewers are smart enough to resign Adames due to what he also brings to the clubhouse, get rid of Hoskins, keep Ortiz at 3B, and Gold Glover Turang at 2B. Unfortunately, likely not going to happen since the front office thinks Frelick’s an everyday player along with Black. This also means they’ll probably make another mistake by getting rid of Perkins this winter.