A number of teams (and their fanbases) have already turned their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking a look at the players who’ll be available at each position.
We’re moving to second base, where the eligibility cutoff is players who either logged at least 50 innings at the position this season or have primarily played there in their careers. Every shortstop could theoretically play second base, and there’ll be teams that have interest in Bo Bichette and/or Ha-Seong Kim on the right side of the infield. They’ll be covered in greater detail with the shortstop preview, so we’ll limit this to true second basemen and/or utility players. Ages listed are for the 2026 season.
Previous entries in this series: catcher, first base
Everyday Players
Gleyber Torres (29)
Torres hits the market for a second straight season. He chose a one-year, $15MM pillow contract with the Tigers last time. Torres was coming off a relative down season in his final year with the Yankees. He’d hit .257/.330/.378 across 665 plate appearances, and while that was weighed down by a slow start, teams clearly weren’t making the kind of long-term offers he’d sought.
The stint in Detroit started brilliantly. Torres hit .281/.387/.425 in the first half and was named the AL’s starting second baseman at the All-Star Game. The numbers dropped significantly after that, as he limped to a .223/.320/.339 finish amidst Detroit’s near collapse. He ended the year with numbers that were only a little better than he managed in 2024: .256/.358/.387 with 16 homers over 628 plate appearances.
Torres is a bat-first second baseman who is a good but not great hitter. He’s young enough to have a shot at a four or even five years, but that would’ve been easier to see if his numbers hadn’t crashed in the second half. Free agency generally hasn’t been kind to second basemen in recent years, especially those who aren’t capable of or willing to play other positions. Torres has been adamant about sticking about the position in the past and seemingly rebuffed interest from the Nationals in moving to third base last offseason. It’s not clear if he’ll be more open to moving around the diamond in his second trip to free agency.
The Tigers could make Torres a qualifying offer, which will reportedly come in around $22MM. That looked quite likely early in the season but now seems borderline. The Giants, Angels, Reds, Royals, Astros and potentially Nationals could all be involved if Detroit lets him walk.
Jorge Polanco (32)
Polanco’s contract technically contains a $6MM player option, but he’s going to decline that and hit free agency. The Mariners surprisingly re-signed him on the heels of a disappointing 2024 season. Seattle attributed the down year to a knee injury through which he’d played that required postseason meniscus surgery. They’ve been proven right with a resurgent year from the switch-hitting infielder. Polanco drilled 26 homers and 30 doubles with a .265/.326/.495 slash line in the regular season. He’s carried the hot bat into October, blasting a couple solo homers off Tarik Skubal on Sunday night to help the Mariners even their Division Series against Detroit.
While Polanco can still hit, he’ll face questions about his defensive workload over 162 games. Seattle initially planned to play him at third base, believing that not needing to navigate the second base bag would be easier on his knee. That lasted five games before renewed soreness and an oblique injury led the M’s to use him as a full-time designated hitter for a while. He began mixing in second base work in June and played there regularly for the final three weeks of the season. He logged a little under 300 innings at the keystone overall.
Polanco is eligible for a qualifying offer. Seattle probably wouldn’t want to commit $22MM at the beginning of the offseason, but he has played so well this year that it’s at least a long shot possibility — especially if he helps carry the lineup on a deep playoff run.
Luis Arraez (29)
Arraez also isn’t expected to start 100+ games at second base, though that’s not because of injury. He’s simply not a good defensive player. The Padres have pushed him mostly to first base over the past couple seasons. He only started 10 games and logged 82 innings at second base this year. It’s unlikely teams would want to live with his glove there on an everyday basis, but he could get part-time work while playing mostly first base as he has done in San Diego.
Readers are surely familiar with Arraez’s unique offensive skillset. He’s the sport’s best contact hitter and one of the few players who can be expected to hit close to or above .300. The throwback style doesn’t include many walks or extra-base hits, which becomes more of an issue as he falls further down the defensive spectrum. Baseball Reference has valued Arraez around one Win Above Replacement in consecutive seasons. His free agency will be a test case for how much teams still care about batting average.
Multi-Positional Types
Willi Castro (29)
Castro was one of the better utility players available at the deadline. The switch-hitter had turned in a .250/.335/.398 line over two and a half seasons in Minnesota. He looked to be on track for a solid multi-year contract as free agency approached. Things have gone sharply downhill since he was traded to the Cubs, however. Castro hit .170/.245/.240 in 34 games with Chicago. That dropped his season batting mark to .226/.313/.366 through 454 trips to the dish.
Adam Frazier (34)
The lefty-hitting Frazier was also traded at the deadline. His numbers picked up after the move. Frazier carried a .255/.318/.336 slash in 78 games with the Pirates. He turned in a league-average .283/.320/.402 line in nearly 200 plate appearances in his second stint with the Royals. He finished the year with a .267/.319/.365 line over 459 trips to the plate. Frazier doesn’t take many walks or hit the ball hard, but he’s a plus contact hitter who still grades as a competent defender.
Luis Rengifo (29)
Rengifo has some similarities to Castro. He’s a switch-hitter, relatively young for a free agent, and has had a couple above-average offensive seasons. He has played all over the field but isn’t an especially good defender anywhere. The bat has been good enough to make up for that in previous years. Rengifo combined for a .273/.323/.431 slash in almost 1300 plate appearances between 2022-24. However, he ended the ’24 campaign on the injured list after undergoing wrist surgery, and he’s now coming off the worst full season of his career in ’25. While he appeared in a personal-high 147 games, he managed just a .238/.287/.335 batting line. He should still command a big league deal based on his track record, but it’ll likely be a one-year contract.
Miguel Rojas (37)
Teams know what they’re getting from Rojas, a rock solid defensive infielder who can play a fine shortstop, second base or third base. He’s coming off a second straight decent offensive season, hitting .262/.318/.397 across 317 plate appearances. Rojas isn’t going to put many balls in the seats, but he makes a ton of contact and has enough juice to pick up 20-25 doubles.
Amed Rosario (30)
The Yankees acquired the righty-hitting Rosario from the Nationals at the deadline — one of two utility pickups (along with José Caballero) to complement lefty-swinging infielders Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Rosario hit .303 in 16 games in pinstripes and finished the year with a combined .276/.309/.436 line. He has a lifetime .298/.336/.464 slash versus lefty pitching, which should get him another low-cost big league deal.
Team Options
Ozzie Albies (29)
The Braves control Albies on a $7MM option that comes with a $4MM buyout, making it a $3MM decision. That’s still an easy yes even with Albies coming off a second straight middling year and suffering a season-ending hamate fracture. They’re not going to cut their longtime second baseman to save what amounts to low-end utility player/middle reliever money.
Brandon Lowe (31)
Lowe isn’t going to get to free agency either. The Rays have an $11.5MM club option, a bargain for a middle infielder coming off a 31-homer season. He’ll probably be in trade rumors because this will be his final year under club control and that salary is a bit steep by Rays standards, but Tampa Bay would be able to find a solid trade return even if they’d rather reallocate the money.
Minor League Deal Candidates
- Tim Anderson (33)
- Orlando Arcia (31)
- Jon Berti (36)
- Cavan Biggio (31)
- Paul DeJong (32)
- Kyle Farmer (34)
- Garrett Hampson (31)
- Kiké Hernández (34)
- Jose Iglesias (36)
- Scott Kingery (32)
- DJ LeMahieu (37)
- Nicky Lopez (31)
- Dylan Moore (34)
- Brendan Rodgers (29)
- Josh Rojas (32)
- Chris Taylor (35)
- Luis Urías (29)
Rough second base free agent group for any team looking to improve
Maybe it’ll make some desperate team want grissom from the sox for i dont know, a bucket of baseballs, maybe a couple used jock straps…
Ehh….
Probably not.
I don’t think Kike Hernandez should be listed as a minor league deal candidate. Pretty sure he’ll resign with the Dodgers anyway, but the postseason merchant and fan fav is in my mind a near lock to come back with a major league deal
Just how long are the Dodgers willing to hold a regular season roster spot for a guy with a slash of .203/.255/.366 and a 72 OPS+, in the hopes that he produces in October?
Defensive flexibility is about the only reason to consider him at this point.
Who says the Dodgers will be using their own 40-man spot? They’ll happily cover back rent after the trade deadline.
Negative WAR for 2nd time in last 3 years. A 72 OPS+. That should result in a minor league deal. I think the Dodgers are most likely to sign him, but even they won’t give him a big league eal.
Atlanta should sign Willi Castro.
Only if the POBO and the new manager look up the dictionary definitions of “utility” or “role player.” Unless you’re injured or a catcher, every starter on that roster is expected to play every inning of every game.
Huh?
I think inkstained was sarcastically referencing the “Braves way” where regulars do not get the rest other teams might provide/mandate.
Maybe Profar doped from anxiety at the prospect of posting a minimum 158? /s
If the braves don’t bring back Ozzie they should sign Torres or arreaz
I was thinking Castro for the bench.
Kiké Henandez will get a major league contract. All he ever does is win. He doesn’t have Hall of Fame career numbers or season numbers that jump off the page but the teams he has been on win. Being a winner and well liked in the club house will definitely put him over the top of securing a major league contract.
Red Sox fans politely disagree.
Then, Red Sox fans are forgetting about Kiké’s postseason performance for them in 2021.
The numbers: .408/.423/.837 with 5 HR in 52 plate appearances. Last I looked, an OPS of 1.260 is considered really good.
52 PA doesn’t get him a major league job, especially when he was among the worst players in the league with a -0.2 WAR and 72 OPS+.
My point is tryhat he contributed mightily to Boston’s post-season cause in 2021. As for 2025, he is certainly a Major League player.
-0.2 WAR and 72 OPS+ is not a major league player.
He’s starting in LF for a championship calibre team, and contributing. Explain that.
I think that’s a given. Hernandez won’t secure a starting job anywhere else so might as well stay where he’s happy and still gets into the lineup playing multiple positions
As much as I’d love to have Gleyber back in Detroit, it will be interesting to see what they do — assuming McGonigle shouldn’t need much more minor league AB’s, and they have a logjam of 2B/3B-type infielders — Keith, Baez, McKinstry, Vierling, and AJ’s favorite son Andy Ibanez.
But considering most of the roster (besides Parker & Tork) can’t a draw walk for the life of them, I wouldn’t be upset to see Gleyber return on a QO.
Colt Keith upped his walk rate from 6.5% to 10.3% this year. Not bad for a guy who just turned 24.
The Tigers have also turned the player they signed to a seven year contract into a utility platoon player! If they have enough faith to sign Colt to a long term contract, they should find him a spot and just let him play everyday. No other team, and no other player signs a 7 year contract without those expectations.
It seemed like they were comfortable with him at 3B which opens up some AB ops at 2B. Lots of names on the roster and in the minors who could fit there. The question is will any if them provide better production that Torres?
I could see Gleyber going to Toronto if Bichette leaves with Gimenez staying at SS for the Jays
Those “minor league deal candidates” are Don’t call me Julio Iglesias and a bucket of garbage which should retire.
I think Bo will be a 2B, maybe 3B for a bit…hopefully with the Jays! but sadly they gave Gimenez Bo’s bag.
Who says no? The Angels. Then they block Stearns number.
Second base is such a weak position, at least offensively. There might even be an argument that the catcher position has jumped ahead in terms of hitting. Not one second baseman scored or knocked in 100 runs, or batted .300, and the only two to reach 30 HR (Chisholm and Lowe) are lefties playing at either Yankees Stadium or a Yankee Stadium replica. Chisholm is also the only second baseman to reach 30 SB. There were barely any full-time second basemen who reached 30 doubles. Only two full-timers at the position had an OPS above .800.
Ketel Marte missed some time, so a full season out of him would’ve changed a few of these. But still, it’s a very weak position.
2B is used as a utility spot along with LF for a lot of teams now.
According to the league numbers on fangraphs, in 2025 catchers had a wRC+ of 94 and second basemen had a wRC+ of only 92. In other words you are correct that second basemen hit worse this past season than catchers.
Only 7 players hit .300 and only 16 drove in 100 runs at any position.
League batting average has held steady for six seasons in the mid-.240s. I feel like some folks don’t account that overall league offense has declined for the past two decades whenever they quote BA.
Good point, which is why I generally quote either wRC+ or OPS+ since they are based upon the league average for the season (100 being average).
Ozzie is too injured. He’s aged like 8 years in 3 years.
Yeah but this is still a cheap deal for him.
Both of you are correct, and unfortunately that hand injury doesn’t bode well for his power numbers in 2026.
Lol. Let the wacky offseason trade proposals begin…
You mean $17.75M with his ’27 buyout.
Jeff McNeil is a perfect example of why players should always take the early money, if it’s offered to them.
Context?
The Angels aren’t the best-run organization, but they aren’t in the business of helping the Mets lower their payroll.
Anthony Franco is my least favorite writer on MLBTR. His sentence structure is just so straight forward. It is matter-of-fact.
This being said. This sentence: “His free agency will be a test case for how much teams still care about batting average.”
cannot really be understated.
Batting average is the most scarce commodity in baseball.
Over starters going deep into games?
That’s the most scarce on the pitching side. Seeing the Cy Young winner’s complete game count makes me cringe. Is there any evidence that the 100 pitch limit has reduced the number of injuries?
If there is such a thing as empty batting average, Arraez is the poster child.
If you don’t understand what that means, maybe you should go back to elementary school. Its meaning is exceptionally clear.
I think you misunderstood my point. Would you care to clarify how you inferred I don’t know what the sentence means?
Sorry about that I read really can’t be understood, not understated and I was being a jerk. My apologies.
No worries.
Later career Arraez starting to look like the old Matty Alou.
That’s a good comparison.
Long live Bryson Stott, at least for 2026… phew…
Red Sox please sign Rengifo, rotate him, Story, and Mayer between second and short. Dude is always close to being a solid player, feel like he just needs a shot in Fenway
Well… I certainly hope the Red Sox are not looking at these lists for the solution to their 2B future.
The Sox 2B situation is fluid and really depends on Bregman and Story and whether either/or/both opt out of their deals. If its Bregman, Marcelo Mayer probably takes over at 3B. If it’s Story Mayer slides back to SS. If it’s both the Sox probably dip into one of those positions market (Suarez? Bichette?) With Mayer playing the position that isn’t filled by another addition. If it’s neither and they both stay then Mayer joins Kristian Campbell, Romy Gonzalez, David Hamilton, and maybe Ceddane Rafaela (though he should stay in CF) in a crowded mix at 2B for the Sox
The Red Sox signed Campbell to an 8 year deal. They must believe he is the future.
I could see Minasian going after Arraez to play 2B with Rengifo being a free agent. Minasian seems to like high BA/OBP players like Schanuel and Arraez fits that bill. I wonder what he will be looking for in salary and years. He is only 28 so at least 5 years and I doubt he will want to take a cut from the $14 million he made this season. 5/72-75 seems reasonable as long as he can get back to hitting for an average over .300.
Getting out of Petco should help with that quite a bit. Also not being asked to sacrifice as many times should help. Shildt seems to be a big believer in small ball and Arraez led the league in sac bunts and was 7th in sac flies. It did mean Arraez had a productive out, one that advanced the runner, 43.8% of the time or nearly double the MLB average but it took the bat out of his hands on 16 at bats when he was asked to bunt versus 1-2 bunts per season over his career. All the SACs resulted in a BABip that was 40 points lower than his career average. Not asking him to SAC 16 times per year instead of hitting away should raise his BA and OBP by 30 points or maybe more.
His league low 21 SO and 3.1% SO rate was the antithesis of Wood’s 221 SO and 32.1% SO rate. Got to love players that rarely strike out.
He was also near the top in pitches per PA. He works the count and drives up the pitch count for opposing pitchers. That is a great quality.
What do other Angels fans think?
A guy like Willi Castro immediately improves team depth. I’d love to have him here but he belongs on an actual contender.
I could see him being Kike’s replacement.
Luis Garcia Jr at $7 million is a massive non-tender candidate. Is there an MLB contract for him somewhere at a much lower number? averagish hitter with huge defensive problems.
It’s interesting that the Giants are listed as potential suitors for Gleyber Torres. He is the only one on the list that would be a clear upgrade on Casey Schmidt. Schmidt has a better arm, but that is not a huge factor at 2B. So the question for Posey & Minasian is whether Schmidt had room to grow at the plate or do they move him to a bench role and sign Torres (presuming -Torres even wants to go to SF).
Keston Hiura?