Archives for 2024

MLBTR’s positional look at the upcoming free agent class continues with the hot corner. Last month, there looked to be a clear top two. The Matt Chapman extension leaves one player well above the rest. Teams that aren’t interested in dropping nine figures on the position may need to turn to the trade or non-tender markets for help.

Player ages are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 22. Only players who have appeared in the majors this year are included.

Top of the Class

• Alex Bregman (31)

Bregman stands head and shoulders above the rest of the third base class. He’s arguably the #2 position player available (albeit way behind Juan Soto). The two-time All-Star has overcome a frigid start to run a .257/.313/.435 slash with 25 homers over 619 plate appearances. That includes a robust .266/.320/.479 line in more than 500 trips since the start of May. Bregman’s walk rate has fallen off sharply, but he’s still an excellent contact hitter with 20-30 homer pop who plays strong defense.

The Astros will make a qualifying offer, which he’ll decline. Houston GM Dana Brown has indicated the team will stay in touch with Bregman’s camp at the Boras Corporation. It’ll be tough to get a deal done. The Astros’ franchise-record contract was the five-year, $151MM extension in 2018 for Jose Altuve. That’s also the amount which the Giants paid (albeit over six years) to extend Chapman a few weeks ago. Bregman is a year younger and a more consistent offensive performer than Chapman is. That feels like the floor, and he’ll probably look for something nearer to or exceeding $200MM over seven-plus years.

Utility Types/Bench Bats

• Paul DeJong (31)

A career-long middle infielder, DeJong had never played third base before this season. He has logged more than 300 innings over 36 starts at the hot corner. Most of that has come since a deadline deal to the Royals in deference to Bobby Witt Jr. Public defensive metrics have rated him well in that tiny sample, little surprise for a player who has been a reliable defensive shortstop throughout his career. 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.

• Brandon Drury (32)

Drury topped 25 home runs in both 2022 and ’23. He looked like one of the better power-hitting infielders in the game entering this season. This year has been a disaster. He’s hitting .167/.242/.230 with all of four longballs over 92 games. Drury’s hard contact rate has plummeted and his power completely evaporated. He can play any infield spot aside from shortstop but isn’t a great defender. The disappointing walk year might put him in minor league deal territory.

• 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. Hernández entered the season with a little more than 250 MLB innings at the position. He has played 529 frames over 60 starts there in 2024. 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 one of the more gifted pure contact hitters. 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.

• 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 has exactly 100 innings of third base work in his first season with MLB action at the hot corner. As is the case in the middle infield, he hasn’t graded highly in that minuscule sample.

• Donovan Solano (37)

Late-career Solano just hits. The righty-swinging infielder has been an average or better hitter in six straight seasons. Solano has carried that over in stints between the Giants, Reds, Twins and Padres. He’s sporting a .287/.342/.414 slash with seven homers through 292 plate appearances for San Diego this season. The market doesn’t value Solano’s skillset highly — he had to settle for a minor league deal last offseason — but he’s a nice player to have in a bat-first role off the bench. He has started 28 games and played more than 250 innings at the hot corner for San Diego.

• Gio Urshela (33)

Urshela was a productive everyday player for the Yankees for a few seasons. He didn’t hit for much power with the Angels last year and hasn’t made an offensive impact between the Tigers and Braves this season. He’s hitting .251/.287/.358 in a little more than 400 plate appearances. Urshela has been better with Atlanta than he was in Detroit. He should land a big league deal but is probably better suited for a utility role than everyday third base work as he enters his age-33 season.

Depth Players

• Brian Anderson (32)

A former regular with the Marlins, Anderson only had five plate appearances in three MLB games with Atlanta this year. He hit .237/.326/.365 through 84 contests in Triple-A.

• J.D. Davis (32)

Davis is in Triple-A with the Orioles, his fourth organization of the year. After being cut loose by the Giants in a late spring cost-saving move, he has slumped to a career-worst .218/.293/.338 line between the A’s and Yankees. Davis hasn’t hit at all in the minors either, striking out at a 44.5% clip while batting .147 in 30 games. He was a solid regular for San Francisco just last season and should be able to find a minor league deal somewhere.

• Jace Peterson (35)

Peterson started the season 1-22 with the Diamondbacks. He was released in April and has been a free agent for months. The lefty hitter turned in a .211/.304/.307 slash between the A’s and D-Backs a year ago.

• Miguel Sanó (32)

Sanó was out of baseball in 2023 but returned on a minor league deal with the Angels last winter. He broke camp and appeared in 28 games, hitting .205 with two homers and a 37.9% strikeout rate in 95 plate appearances. The Halos released him around the All-Star Break.

• Nick Senzel (29)

The rebuilding Nationals and White Sox both took shots on Senzel. The former #2 overall draft pick continued to struggle, though, combining for a .195/.283/.331 slash across 267 plate appearances. Senzel is at 450+ games and more than 1600 plate appearances with production below replacement level in his career. He’s firmly in minor league deal territory.

Club Options

• Yoán Moncada (30)

The White Sox are going to buy Moncada out for $5MM. He’ll be a free agent for the first time in his career. The switch-hitting infielder looked like he was making good on the immense prospect hype when he hit .315/.367/.548 and garnered down ballot MVP votes in 2019. His production dipped during the shortened season, rebounded with a strong ’21 campaign, and has fallen off sharply since then. Moncada combined for a .234/.288/.386 slash from 2022-23. He lost most of this season to an adductor strain and has been limited to a bench role with the Sox looking toward the future. Moncada only has 12 appearances on the season.

• Eugenio Suárez (33)

Suárez’s deal contains a $15MM option or a $2MM buyout. Three months ago, it looked like a lock to be bought out. Suárez was striking out at a near-30% clip and hitting .196/.279/.312 through the end of June. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo briefly planned to turn third base over to rookie Blaze Alexander and the D-Backs reportedly considered trading the veteran in what would’ve amounted to a salary dump.

They’re certainly glad they didn’t. Suárez has hit 23 home runs since July 1, tied with Brent Rooker for third in the majors behind Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. The veteran infielder is hitting .319/.362/.637 with an improved 24.9% strikeout rate over his past 301 plate appearances. Since the start of July, Suárez is 10th among qualified hitters in wRC+ and fifth in FanGraphs WAR — trailing only Witt, Judge, Lindor and Ohtani. The D-Backs presumably don’t expect him to continue playing like an MVP, but three months of elite play should make the option a relatively easy call to exercise. Even if the Diamondbacks are concerned about regression and/or want to turn third base over to prospect Jordan Lawlar next season, Suárez’s excellent run should give him surplus trade value on a $15MM salary.

Previous installments: catcher, first base, second base

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 looked through a generally weak catching class and a stronger (but older) group at first base. We’ll now turn our attention to second base. A quick note on eligibility: we’re only looking at players who have appeared in the majors this season and are either primary second basemen, utilitymen with 100+ innings at the position, or regulars at other positions who could draw legitimate interest as an everyday second baseman. (Ha-Seong Kim, for instance, has been exclusively a shortstop in ’24 but has more than 1000 innings at second base in his career.)

Potential Regulars

Jose Iglesias (35)

Iglesias has had a wildly unforeseen resurgence this season, OMG-ing his way into the hearts of Mets fans with an eye-popping .337/.381/.459 batting line in 265 plate appearances. Iglesias isn’t going to sustain his outlandish .380 average on balls in play, but his paltry 13.2% strikeout rate underscores that he still has plus bat-to-ball skills. He’s drawn strong ratings for his glovework at both second base and third base this season. The former has been his primary position, but Iglesias has long been a well-regarded defender who can handle either position and likely still soak up some innings at shortstop if needed. Teams are going to be skeptical of his ability to recreate this year’s stunning offensive performance, but he should still have a big league deal waiting for him this winter after such a strong showing.

Ha-Seong Kim (29)

Kim has been at least average at the plate in each of the past three seasons and is a plus defender at any of shortstop, second base or third base. He’ll draw interest as an everyday shortstop this offseason, and that’s probably where he’s most valuable, given the importance of that position. That said, he’s drawn his best marks in Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average at second and is a clear everyday option at the position who could also slide elsewhere on the defensive spectrum as his team’s needs change (as he’s done in San Diego). Kim’s .233/.330/.370 line this season is a step back from last year’s .260/.351/.398, but he’s improved both his strikeout and walk rates for a third straight season and swiped 22 bases in 27 tries. Kim has been out since mid-August due to inflammation in his right shoulder. As long as that doesn’t prove to be a more serious issue, he should still command a notable multi-year deal, given his combination of youth, defensive excellence, plus speed and average (or slightly better) power.

Kim has a mutual option that won’t be picked up by both parties. The Padres can make him a qualifying offer if and when that option is declined.

Gleyber Torres (28)

It’s been a poor year overall for Torres by his standards, but perhaps not to the extent many onlookers realize. Torres had one of the worst months of his career in April, enjoyed a solid May and then slumped again in June, leaving him with dismal overall production through half the season. Since July 1, however, he’s hitting .286/.359/.398 in 302 plate appearances. His April now looks like a clear outlier, and if you mix in his slightly sub-par June and solid May, he’s hit .263/.336/.405 in 510 plate appearances. It’s a far cry from his peak output, but Torres has a track record of above-average offense and is finishing the season on his hottest stretch of the year (.320/.385/.469 in his past 143 plate appearances). He’s posted very poor defensive marks at second base, but he could still net a multi-year offer based on his offensive ceiling and age.

Utility Players/Bench Candidates

Brandon Drury (32)

Drury hit .262/.306/.497 with the Angels in 2023 after signing a two-year deal there. Some clubs might’ve looked to trade him after the team struggled so much in ’23, but the Halos held onto him and have watched the versatile slugger scuffle through one of the worst seasons of his career. He’s hitting just .167/.242/.230 (35 wRC+) in 339 plate appearances. Drury can handle any of second base, third base and first base. He’s dabbled in the outfield corners as well. After this season, he’s likely looking at a very low-cost one-year pact or, likelier, a minor league deal.

Adam Frazier (33)

A former All-Star, Frazier didn’t hit much with the 2022 Mariners or the 2023 Orioles, but the Royals added him on a big league deal in hopes of recapturing some of his previous form. It hasn’t happened. In 289 plate appearances, Frazier has batted .202/.283/.296. Kansas City has used him at second, third and in both outfield corners. Second base is traditionally his best position. He’s likely ticketed for a minor league deal this winter.

Garrett Hampson (30)

Another affordable offseason addition from the Royals, Hampson signed a $2MM deal last winter but has turned in just a .227/.271/.300 slash without a homer in 220 plate appearances. He can run and plays solid defense all over the infield and outfield, but Hampson’s lack of offense will probably limit him to a minor league deal.

Enrique Hernandez (33)

Hernandez keeps finding his way back to the Dodgers, but in his third stint with the team this year, he’s managed only a .219/.272/.362 showing. To his credit, he’s picked up the pace with the bat since the calendar flipped to August, but not enough to save his season. Hernandez is a fine second baseman and has been a lights-out center field defender in his career, but he’s now sitting on a .227/.285/.352 batting line over the past three seasons — in just shy of 1300 plate appearances overall.

Whit Merrifield (36)

“Two-hit Whit” led the big leagues in hits in both 2018 and 2019. He’s thrice led the league in stolen bases and has also put up MLB-leading doubles and triples totals in a pair of seasons. That all feels like a fairly distant memory, as Merrifield’s bat declined over his two seasons with Toronto and bottomed out when he batted .199/.277/.295 in 53 games with the Phillies before being cut loose. He’s rebounded to an extent in Atlanta after signing to fill in for the injured Ozzie Albies; Merrifield owns a .248/.348/.336 line in 161 plate appearances with the Braves. That and his track record could be enough to get him another big league deal this winter, but it’s been awhile since he was a durable All-Star-caliber second baseman. He can also play all three outfield spots and third base.

Amed Rosario (29)

Rosario hit .307/.331/.417 with the Rays before being traded to the Dodgers prior to the deadline. Los Angeles surprised quite a few people by designating Rosario for assignment after just 12 plate appearances. They paid a minimal price to get him in that trade with Tampa Bay though, and Rosario’s production (or lack thereof) since being claimed off waivers by the Reds has made the decision look more sensible. The Reds have given Rosario limited playing time, and he’s managed only a .161/.190/.214 batting line in 21 games/58 plate appearances there. Rosario can handle lefties nicely and hit for an empty average against fellow righties, but he lacks power and grades out poorly all around the diamond. He settled for a $1.5MM deal this past offseason coming off virtually identical rate stats to the ones he’s posted this season.

Tyler Wade (30)

Wade has played six positions for the Padres this season but is on his way to his third straight year of well below-average numbers at the plate. In 149 plate appearances, he’s hitting .229/.299/.252. Wade has homered one time since Opening Day 2021. He’s a solid middle infield defender who’s seen more sparse time at third base and across all three outfield spots. At best, he’ll compete for a bench role somewhere next spring.

Players with 2025 Options

Kyle Farmer (34) — $6.25MM mutual option, $250K buyout

Farmer missed a month this summer with a shoulder strain. He’s pulled his batting line up to nearly league-average after a terrible start to the season, with nearly all of his damage coming against lefties (.277/.342/.466 in 111 plate appearances).  Mutual options are virtually never exercised by both parties, however. It was a surprise to see the Twins tender a contract to Farmer and keep him amid payroll cuts last winter. They may try to bring him back at a lower rate in ’25, but this option will be declined.

Wilmer Flores (33) — $3.5MM player option

Flores hit just .206/.277/.317 in 242 plate appearances before undergoing a nonsurgical Tenex procedure on his ailing knee. He’s not going to command more than $3.5MM in free agency this winter, so it’d be a surprise if he didn’t pick his option up.

Brandon Lowe (30) — $10.5MM club option, $1MM buyout

Lowe has had two poor months at the plate (April, September), two roughly months at the plate (May, August) and two blistering months at the plate (June, July) in 2024. It’s been something of a roller coaster overall, but the end result is a .242/.312/.475 batting line with 20 big flies. Even if the Rays are wary of paying Lowe $10.5MM next year, it’s an easy call to pick this up and look for a trade partner. He has an $11.5MM option for 2026 as well.

Jorge Polanco (31) — $12MM club option, $750K buyout

Polanco’s bat has picked up some since a disastrous start to the season, but he’s run out of time to salvage his season. His .206/.290/.343 line is a major surprise for a player who was consistently productive from 2018-23 in Minnesota, when he batted a combined .270/.338/.455 and even ripped 33 homers during the 2021 season. At the time the Mariners acquired Polanco from the Twins, it looked like they were solidifying second base for two seasons, but Polanco’s option now looks likely to be declined.

Miguel Rojas (35) — $5MM club option, $1MM buyout

Rojas will turn 36 in February, but he’s hitting .287/.337/.416 with plus defense at shortstop and the ability to handle either second base or third base as well. For a net $4MM, this is an obvious call for the Dodgers to exercise.