It’s an MLBTR tradition to maintain a list of not only the immediately pending group of free agents, but also those next in line. As part of the festivities, a certain number of folks fail to read the headline and prefatory language closely, thus prompting vehement protestations about players wrongly included or excluded.
To forestall that outcome to the extent possible, we just ran through the full 2020-21 free agent class on a position-by-position basis. (Catchers, first basemen, second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, corner outfielders, center fielders, designated hitters, starting pitchers, lefty relievers and righty relievers.) Please explore those lists for the players who’ll be on the open market after the 2020 season.
What follows is a list of second basemen who are presently slated to qualify for free agency after the 2021 season. We’ve already run through the amazing group of shortstops, some big-name veteran backstops, and star first basemen coming to the market. It’s important also to understand that this list is far from exhaustive, in that many second basemen set for free agency in 2020-21 will ultimately ink one-year deals that put them back on track to return to the open market post-2021.
This is how the 2021-22 second base market shapes up at this point (season-age for 2022):
Top of the Class
- Kolten Wong (31): If he can repeat his 2019 campaign, Wong will suit up again for the Cardinals in 2021 on a $12.5MM club option. That’d put him on track to potentially lead the ensuing free agent class. At his best, Wong contributes solid value across the board; last year, he turned in a 108 wRC+ with excellent glovework and baserunning.
Other Established Veterans
Most of these players have substantial experience at other positions, but could conceivably end up as candidates for regular or partial time at second base in the 2021-22 offseason.
- Starlin Castro (32): The Nats were convinced by Castro’s mid-2019 turnaround (first half 60 wRC+; second half 129). If he performs as they hope, he’s still young enough to be a factor in his return to the open market.
- Eduardo Escobar (33): Though he’s better-known for his work at the hot corner, Escobar’s flexibility is a nice asset. He owns a .270/.327/.501 slash over the past two seasons and is generally regarded as an average defender.
- Wilmer Flores (30): If Flores plays well in 2020, he’s a pretty good bet to be picked up on a cheap $3.5MM club option. That’d make him a part of this class, where Flores would again be a bat-first utility infielder. He’s an average hitter against righties who destroys southpaw pitching.
- Greg Garcia (32): A true utility infielder who can be thrown into just about any spot, Garcia has spent most of his time at second base. He’s an approximately league-average hitter for his career, with little power but an uncanny ability to draw free passes.
- Danny Santana (31): He has either been really good or really bad at the plate in the big leagues, but last year Santana was firmly on the upswing. He adds value on the bases and can play most anywhere on the field.
- Eric Sogard (36): If the Brewers pick up his $4.5MM club option, Sogard will join this class. He’s a left-handed hitter who can jump in anywhere in the infield. Sogard was a quality offensive performer in 2017 and 2019, but had a miserable intervening season.
- Donovan Solano (34): Solano put up a surprising 116 wRC+ in 81 games with the Giants last year, so perhaps he could end up on a late-career run.
- Chris Taylor (31): The value here lies in the combination of extreme versatility, including substantial experience at shortstop and in center field, with a quality bat. He has trended down offensively since his breakout 2017 season but remains an above-average hitter.
End of an Era?
- Dustin Pedroia (38): While he’s still holding out hope of a return, Pedroia’s persistent efforts to get his left knee back to playing shape just haven’t worked out. Odds are, he’ll hang ’em up at the end of his deal even if he’s somehow able to make it back to the MLB diamond.
Kolten Wong and “lead” in the same sentence. This is one weak class of 2B men.
Lol first one with a negative post about the cardinals…unbelievable
pretty believable.
Get a f!?**^% life Clepto.
He’s not wrong. Wong might be really good defensively, but having a “top of the class” that is 5% below average offensively for his career is pretty pathetic.
You have to give Wong some credit for his 2019 season he was easily a top 10 second baseman in all of baseball last year. His speed, elite defense, amazing plate discipline is just what you want out of a second baseman. I honestly don’t understand why people hate on him lol
Because he’s been pretty average for most of his career. I don’t think it’s hating on him to say that it’s disappointing when he is leading the class.
He wasn’t average last year though. He had a breakout year and you aren’t even acknowledging it. I agree he was pretty bad leading up to last year with the bat but you have to credit him he even got mvp votes.
It’s funny that some people think that “average” as in league average or close to it, is a negative thing. League average fetches a pretty penny, especially for second basemen, and can be very useful when surrounded by the right team.
@scotthhh – being below league average and being the top player at your position in any given offseason is definitely bad.
7 years in the league and he finally had his “breakout” year. I would really make sure to exercise that $12.5M option for 2021….NOT!
Dotty- Hey idiot, you know what they say about assumptions? Get a clue. 413 is not me.
At least 413 is keeping his posts baseball related. They aren’t politics or spell checking. So what if it’s negative. In my opinion he’s right. Maybe Wong is a little above average but headlining the position for the year points to a lack of top talent for this year’s offseason.
He’s just a troll who posts to get a rise out of people. Ignore him, he’ll eventually go away.
Nothing in that post was, “troll-y”. “i don’t like what he said” =/= trolling.
It’s his history of always posting negative comments that gets tiresome for some fans.
This is like his 4th username because he gets banned constantly. He hates the cardinals yet can’t stop talking about them. Ironic, ain’t it.
Wong was a top ten second baseman last year and third in WAR among the top ten…did his potential take awhile to develop? Yes it did…but it is well noted that he didn’t get along with Matheny and didn’t get much of a chance with Matheny…once when Shildt took over Wong took off…he is a gold glove defender and proved last year he can hit…plus his base running is excellent…I hope the cards resign him
Over 600 games and over 2000 PA and he didn’t get “much of a chance” with Matheny? And to think I only thought you weren’t the sharpest knife in the drawer? Now it’s confirmed.
Cards81 might have been overstating it a but, but Wong went from a reasonably successful 2015 with 613 PA’s to 361 in 2016 and barely over 400 in 2017 and again in 2018. Injuries played a role, but he wasn’t playing as much as most probably expected even before hitting the DL. Worth noting, he posted a similar batting line in 2017 as he did last season, so it’s not like he didn’t show his potential before 2019.
Shouldn’t be hard to understand why some fans might feel like he wasn’t trusted enough. If Cards81 isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, what does that say about you?
The base-running was a good point as well.
Kolten Wong per manager
Matheny – .251/.321/.377 – 91 wRC+
Schildt- .290/.365/.411 – 111 wRC+ (9th in fWAR among 2B, and that includes Baez, McNeill etc who play other positions)
He’s a clear cut top 10 second basemen, and the managerial change clearly has helped.
Jfactor, that’s a pretty small way to judge Wong. Don’t you have to consider that Wong began his career with Matheny as an immature player, played 5 years for Matheny and only 1+ years for Schildt? He’s now close to 30 and experienced, so the experience and maturity had to play a role. BTW, I think Matheny was and is a crap manager, but to lay this all on him with no blame on Wong is just wrong. Also, Baez is a SS. He played SS full time in 2019.
Bro I hope you’re only doing this because of the quarantine… it would be extremely sad if commenting on cardinal posts to trigger fans on a baseball forum was your regular form of entertainment.
I’m a jealous pathetic loser. This is how I entertain myself.
Not like he is too of class or anything, but Profar.
Sorry guys, I’m just a jealous hater with no life and I know I could never be as successful as these people I talk about.
Read your post again FAKE 413, then realize you took the time to make a FAKE account of mine, with a PERIOD at the end, just so you could act like a 7 year old. If that doesn’t SCREAM “NO LIFE”, I’m not sure what does?
Almost as bad as someone who comes to every cardinals article just to run his mouth like a b*tch.
And yet you’re responding to him…in capital letters…like a spoiled 7-year-old.
So. Try in house options first. Got it.
I’m surprised Cesar Hernandez didn’t make this list.
He’s a free agent next offseason.
So much for the disclaimer(s), Jeff.
There’s a potential wild card in this class: Tetsuto Yamada.
He’ll be eligible for international free agency, though there is some doubt regarding his desire to play in MLB or stay in Japan.
As of right now, he would top this class.
That’s not saying much about him
I assumed people knew who he was, because has been destroying NPB and there have been many glowing reports.
Do a little research.
Why the kolten hate? As a younng player who has shown strides with a new manager and is also signed to a reasonable deal ,even if his defense carries the weight, he is a great asset for a team that now values infield defense and promotes groundball pitching. He might not be perenially 20/20 but close enough where he will earn his 3 WAR a year.
A few corrections here. He’s not a “young player.” 7 years in the league and will be 30 in October. Next, he had his best year under Matheny in 2017 until injury took him out. His OPS+ was 109, that was higher than his 2019 of 106. Lastly, the worst thing Wong can do, and it’s why he has been wildly inconsistent on offense, is to try and be a power hitter. When and if he realizes he’s not a 20+ homer guy, he will be a better hitter. It also would help him to remove that mustard from his Jersey.
Second baseman usually aren’t known to be 20 homer in guys, just a reminder.
I have no life and I hate myself so I spend all my time trying to bring everyone else down. Notice how I always resort to personal attacks? True sign of a coward little man.
Are you responding to yourself?
i’d take wong over any of the others
As a huge Wilmer Flores fan let me say he is NOT a utility infielder… he’s a poor first baseman, a terrible second baseman and doesn’t belong anywhere else. Too often these days the media equates no position with utility player.
B Dozier?
I’d like to lodge a vehement protestation against writing gobbledygook like “thus prompting vehement protestations about players wrongly included or excluded” and “to forestall that outcome to the extent possible” as if this is an academic paper.