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 shortstop, where there is one guy clearly above the rest of the pack, though even he comes with notable question marks. The market behind him will be shaped by a couple of key option decisions. Ages listed are for the 2026 season.
Previous entries in this series: catcher, first base, second base, third base
Top of the Class
- Bo Bichette (28)
Bichette will hit free agency at a relatively young age and coming off a strong season at the plate. Apart from an injury-marred 2024, his offense has been consistently above average. Through the end of 2023, he had a .299/.340/.487 line and 126 wRC+. He has never drawn tons of walks but is also tough to strike out. He had a 143 wRC+ in his brief 2019 debut but then was in the 120-129 range in four straight seasons after that.
As mentioned, he struggled badly while playing through a number of injuries last year. The end result was a .225/.277/.322 line and 70 wRC+. This year, until recently, he was healthy and back to his old self. He finished 2025 with a .311/.357/.483 line and 134 wRC+.
There’s no doubting the bat but there are other questions. Bichette’s defense has never been highly rated. Defensive Runs Saved has given him a -19 grade in his career. Outs Above Average puts him at -32. His 2025 season resulted in -12 DRS and -13 OAA. Those numbers from this year were both last among shortstops.
Then there’s the health stuff. Bichette has dealt with lower body injuries in three straight seasons now. Right knee and quad injuries sent him to the injured list late in 2023. Last year, it was mostly his right calf which was causing him problems. This year, he suffered a sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a collision with Yankee catcher Austin Wells, as seen in this clip from MLB.com. He’s now been out more than a month, having missed the end of the regular season and all of Toronto’s postseason run so far.
In recent years, strong everyday shortstops like Willy Adames, Dansby Swanson, Javier Báez and Trevor Story have earned guarantees in the $140-$182MM range. Bichette is a better hitter than anyone in that group was when they hit free agency. He’s also a year younger than they all were. The questions about his defense and health should dock him somewhat but he should still have plenty of earning power. Perhaps not many clubs view him as a viable shortstop but the bat is good enough that it might not matter. Marcus Semien got $175MM to move to second base and Bichette could follow that path.
Two Big Option Decisions
- Ha-Seong Kim (30)
Kim can opt out of the final year of his contract, which would mean leaving $16MM on the table. He isn’t coming off a great season, having hit just .234/.304/.345 for a wRC+ of 82. However, he is at least healthy. Last offseason, he got a two-year, $29MM guarantee even though he was recovering from shoulder surgery and was slated to miss the beginning of the season. He’s unlikely to secure a massive deal, but another two-year deal with an opt-out should be available to him, especially with so few viable alternatives on this list.
Prior to his shoulder surgery, he had a strong run with the Padres. From 2022 to 2024, he slashed .250/.336/.385 for a 106 wRC+ while stealing 72 bases and providing quality defense at various positions. FanGraphs credited him with 10.5 wins above replacement over those three seasons, a pace of 3.5 WAR annually. He didn’t immediately bounce back in 2025 but perhaps he can find a new gear now that he’s further removed from surgery.
- Trevor Story (33)
Story is arguably in the inverse position of Kim. He had a better season in 2025 but has less of a case for opting out. He had roughly league average offense this year but that includes a slow start after three injury-marred years. Once he got in a groove, he stayed in it. He had a .216/.260/.326 line and 59 wRC+ through the end of May but then slashed .289/.334/.492 for a 124 wRC+ from June onwards. He also stole 31 bases on the year.
However, his defense was graded poorly and he is about to turn 33 years old. He has two years and $55MM left on his deal. Despite his strong season, his age and injury history may scare teams away from investing in him. He may be tempted to trigger the opt-out, as that forces the Sox to decide whether or not to keep him by triggering his 2028 club option. But since his contract looked like an albatross just a few months ago, the Sox might be happy to let him walk. They could try Marcelo Mayer at short and then use Story’s money to re-sign Alex Bregman or add pitching.
Multi-Positional Types
- Willi Castro (29)
Castro had a solid few years with the Twins but his production cratered at the worst time. He slashed .251/.334/.395 for a 107 wRC+ over 2023 and 2024 while stealing 47 bases and bouncing all around the diamond. His numbers this year were right on that pace until he was traded to the Cubs. After the swap, he hit .170/.245/.240 for a wRC+ of 40. That awful finish will cut into his earning power and he’s not a strong enough defender to be an everyday shortstop anyway. But he can play there in a pinch while also being an option basically everywhere else. He doesn’t have a ton of juice but even light-hitting utility types have value. The Blue Jays gave Isiah Kiner-Falefa $15MM over two years heading into 2024, for instance, and IKF has never had an above-average offensive season.
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa (31)
Speaking of which, that two-year pact is about to expire, meaning IKF will be back out there again this winter. The Jays traded him to the Pirates last year but got him back via a waiver claim here in 2025. He hit .266/.302/.356 for a wRC+ of 84 over the course of the deal but was still worth 2.8 fWAR thanks to his 26 stolen bases and strong glovework at various positions. He’s currently getting a decent amount of playing time from a club on the doorstep of the World Series. It’s not the most exciting profile but IKF is a more viable defensive shortstop than Castro. Considering the lack of options on the market, someone should be able to find a role for him.
- Miguel Rojas (37)
Rojas has said he plans to retire after 2026 and hopes that he can stay with the Dodgers for his final season. He’s been pretty solid in the past couple of years, hitting .273/.328/.404 for a 105 wRC+ while continuing to be a viable defender around the dirt. If it’s not with the Dodgers, some other club would be happy to utilize him in a similar bench/utility role.
Minor League Deal Candidates
- Tim Anderson (33)
- Orlando Arcia (31)
- Dylan Moore (34)
- Kevin Newman (32)
I think Bichette, Story, and possibly Kim will end up at 2B in 2026, unless Kim opts in.
Why would Kim end up at 2nd base in 2026? He is more than adequate defensively at SS and would be a definitive upgrade for many teams at the position.
Kim had shoulder surgery and that can affect arm strength. He’s also been better at 2B statistically.
Not saying it will definitely happen, just that it could.
Most players would be better at 2nd than SS because shortstop is the more demanding position.
If kim picks up his option he will almost certainly play SS. The Braves have a huge need there and Kims arm seemed fine during the second half of the season.
As I said, unless Kim opts in.
My point is/was that even coming off shoulder surgery he proved more than adequately that he was healed enough to play SS more than adequately defensively. I believe that many do NOT see Bichette as a viable defensive option at SS any longer. That basically makes Kim (by far) the best true SS on the market. There are many teams that need an upgrade and will probably willing to pay more for him to play SS than the few teams that already HAVE an above average SS and lack the secondbaseman. As many know it is much easier to find decent secondbaseman than it is SS, so the money will be made at SS. Why would he take less money to play for a team at 2nd when many will offer him more for SS?
Just trying to look logically at the big picture about what is most likely to happen.
I see your point. I originally said possibly to address that and your insistence on explaining how baseball works is unnecessary.
My bad. I read that wrong. The rest of my point stands.
Bo did an excellent job regaining his value, especially after a slow start to season. He’s about to get paid !
100% he’s well above the range they posted, I bet he gets $275M and if there’s a bidding war he could get over $300M
I thought Tim Anderson retired and got a job at Jose Ramirez’s Gym as a speed bag. I might be wrong.
Poor Tim. Down goes Anderson.
Sir, please don’t make fun of the next Jackie Robinson thank you! /s
That’s not a great list. You’re better off calling the Cubs who have 15 SS’s in the system.
How many rightfielders do you want for 8 of them?
Make an offer. With Swanson here they have no place to go. Not to mention Shaw and Hoerner however long that lasts.
Shortstops are usually athletic enough to change positions.
Unfortunately Swanson has a no trade clause. But maybe the Cubs could convince him to go back to Atlanta.
No thanks.
Hoerner is very easily replaceable. He’s a nice player but probably not a long term solution
Good point, Mike.
Other than Bo, nothing to build around here.
If Story opts out the Red Sox are going to benefit from it much more than he will.
I can’t imagine him opting out of $55mil.
Ummm exactly when did Will Castro have a “few solid years”???
Using the term solid pretty loosely here
Objectively, ’23 and ’24 were solid.
That’s a pretty weak class of SS. Who’s paying up for any of them?
Signing Bichette would be an Arte type of thing to do. Then move him or Neto to 2B.
Those that watched the Red Sox this year know that Story is QB1.
While I would be shocked to see Story opt out,this is a week shortstop class. Might be a sellers market.
The list is weak. Bichette is an impact hitter, but he needs to move elsewhere.
As much as I’d love to see Casey Schmitt get more of a chance to excel and become the Giants everyday 2nd baseman for the next several years, I think Bichette could offer something of a unique opportunity for Posey to install a sure thing there. On day one of free agency, offer Bo $200M to lock down the position for the next 8 years (his age 28 through 35 years). I think the lower-body injuries he’s suffered over the last 3 years, along with his negative defensive value at SS, have lowered his potential market value, perhaps by as much as $50-100M of what it might have once otherwise been.
Hoo boy! Teams that need a shortstop don’t have much to pick from.
Willi Castro isn’t a regular shortstop, but he had an exceptional year and a half as a multi-position regular.
The reality is that every FA class is weaker and weaker. Teams either lock you up early or QO you. There is always 1,maybe 2 per position but unlike the 2000s no longer 3-4 elite players competing for $$. It’s literally Bichette and the rest. And I wouldn’t be surprised that whatever the outcome of the Mariners-Jays series he re-ups for a chance to create *dynasty* in Toronto
This is really a weak list of SS. Not to mention a small list of teams needing a SS.
And this is why I don’t think Atlanta is going to resign Kim. He’s going to get way overpaid because he is the best actual shortstop on this list. Bichette is a 2B playing out of position. Story’s best days are long behind him. Everyone else is a bench piece.
Seeing Tim Anderson’s name gave me a good laugh.
Couple guys then a jobber parade.
If Toronto can some how recover ,and win the WS. Bichettes time in Canada is over.
I can’t see Story opting out of his deal. He did have a tremendous 2nd half of the season , he really struggled defensively towards the end of the year , specifically throwing. A move to 2ndbase may be in his future. Age and injury history make him to risky.
There’s one player who will hit the market worth pursuing and he’s a 2B really. The others will opt in. That’s going to make the trade market especially hard too. Maybe Seager gets traded to cut salary. This is why Volpe will be the everyday SS for another year at least.
The Dodgers need to sign Rojas for one more year. He brilliantly plugs a lot of holes along that infield when called upon, and Muncy and Edman are injury-prone, all the more reason to keep him. When he’s kept fresh, he contributes offensively as well.
If Story opts out the Red Sox need to shake his hand, say “Thank you for your service” and show him the door. What the Yankees should have done with Gerrit Cole last year.
Newman’s bat is so bad he shouldn’t even get a guaranteed MLB contract this winter, he will but he probably shouldn’t.
Cashman,if you are listening to me
My brother and I are the only two fans you need to listen to
DO NOT SIGN BO
WE HAVE VOLPE!!
You should not have played volpe while he was injured, penny wise pound foolish
Volpe is only going to get better, BELIEVE IN HIM, ignore the Volpe haters !!!