MLBTR Originals News & Rumors

MLBTR continues its position-by-position look at the upcoming free agent class. Before we move on to the pitching, we’ll wrap up the offensive group by looking at the designated hitters. Every position player technically could play DH, of course, but the vast majority of the class has been covered in one of our prior positional previews. We’ll limit this look to players who are either DH-only or have taken at least 150 plate appearances at the position this year.

Player ages, listed in parenthesis, are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 25. Only players who have appeared in the majors this year are included.

Other Entries: Catcher | First Base | Second Base | Shortstop | Third Base | Center Field | Corner Outfield

Regulars

• Josh Bell (32)

Bell had a rough first few months, hitting .239/.305/.394 in 104 games with the Marlins. He has found his stride after a deadline trade to Arizona, where he carries a .281/.363/.439 slash with five homers through 161 trips to the plate. The aggregate production is still middling — a league average .250/.320/.406 line with very poor defensive grades — but Bell is finishing the season on a high note. He has been a streaky hitter throughout his career who can hit in the middle third of a lineup when he’s at his best.

• J.D. Martinez (37)

Martinez lingered in free agency before signing a heavily deferred $12MM contract with the Mets. Martinez had a typically strong first half, carrying a .263/.349/.457 line into the All-Star Break. His bat has absolutely cratered down the stretch, especially this month. Martinez is hitting .194/.276/.339 in the second half — including a staggering .068/.180/.091 line in September. The overall slash line is alright — .234/.318/.407 with 16 homers across 482 plate appearances — but the finish to the season is a red flag.

• Andrew McCutchen (38)

McCutchen has hit 20 homers with a slightly above-average .236/.333/.418 line across 507 plate appearances. That’s not huge production out of a DH, but McCutchen has still been one of the better performers in a light Pittsburgh lineup. He’s a franchise icon who has made clear he wants to finish his career in the Steel City. McCutchen plans to play again next season and it feels like only a matter of time before he and the Bucs hammer out a new deal — probably for something close to this year’s $5MM salary.

• Joc Pederson (33)

The D-Backs signed Pederson to a $12.5MM deal last winter. That’s a hefty investment in a DH-only player who almost never faces lefty pitching. Yet the Snakes certainly have no regrets. They brought in Pederson to mash against right-handed pitching and he has more than held up his end of the bargain. He’s hitting .284/.394/.538 with 22 homers through 401 plate appearances versus righties. Pederson will probably decline his end of a $14MM mutual option in favor of a $3MM buyout. He’s a candidate for a multi-year deal.

• Justin Turner (40)

Turner is primarily a DH but can rotate through the corner infield spots. He had a fairly modest .256/.350/.372 showing over 91 games with Toronto. It looked as if he might be slowing down at age 39, but he has found another gear since being traded at the deadline. Turner owns a .263/.360/.397 slash with five home runs in 46 games with Seattle — impressive output in a home park that has stymied a lot of the M’s offensive acquisitions. By measure of wRC+, Turner has been 15 percentage points above league average at the plate. That’s slightly better than last year’s .276/.345/.455 showing with the Red Sox. Turner got $13MM last offseason and still hasn’t dropped off.

• Jesse Winker (31)

Winker hit .257/.374/.419 over 379 plate appearances for the Nationals after signing a minor league deal. Washington flipped him to the Mets, where his production has tailed off (.248/.317/.372 in 46 games). Winker is a below-average defensive left fielder who doesn’t do much against lefty pitching. It’s a limited profile as a platoon corner/DH bat, but he’s hitting .260/.366/.425 against righties this season and has an excellent track record against right-handers.

Depth

• Matt Carpenter (39)

Carpenter has played a veteran mentor role in his return to the Cardinals. He has made 56 appearances and turned in a .238/.322/.385 slash across 150 trips to the plate. Teams aren’t going to view Carpenter as a primary designated hitter, but he could find interest in a bench role. He told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this week that he hopes to continue playing.

• Daniel Vogelbach (32)

Vogelbach, who was a league average hitter for the Mets last season, appeared in 31 games for the Blue Jays early this year. He hit .186/.278/.300 and was released in June. He’s a minor league deal candidate.

Club Options

• Marcell Ozuna (34)

Ozuna’s four-year free agent deal with the Braves came with a $16MM club option or a $1M buyout. Ozuna has had a monster year, carrying an Atlanta lineup that has often floundered around him. He’s one homer away from getting to 40 for a second straight year. Ozuna has a .310/.384/.561 slash across 667 plate appearances. Carrying Ozuna and Jorge Soler on the same roster for a full season isn’t ideal, but that’s something the Braves can sort out after making the easy call to exercise the option.

• Eloy Jiménez (28)

If Ozuna’s option is a lock to be exercised, Jiménez’s is just as easy a decision in the opposite direction. The Orioles will buy this out for $1.5MM in lieu of a $16.5MM salary. Jiménez will collect a $3MM buyout overall; the White Sox are also on the hook for $1.5MM as part of the deadline deal that sent him to Baltimore. Jiménez looked like a burgeoning slugger early in his career. Injuries have set him back and his production has tanked this year. He’s hitting .238/.289/.336 across 349 plate appearances. Baltimore optioned him to Triple-A on Tuesday.

• Ryan O’Hearn (31)

The Orioles hold an $8MM option for next season. O’Hearn’s strong first half made that look like a clear bargain. The left-handed hitter went into the All-Star Break with a .274/.335/.456 line with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. His plate discipline is still strong but his power has dissipated in the second half. He only has two homers with a .240/.327/.351 line since the Break. Baltimore should have a lot of payroll flexibility and could bet on O’Hearn to bounce back, but this is more of a borderline call than it seemed six weeks ago.

MLBTR’s positional preview of the upcoming free agent class continues with a look at the corner outfield. This is the highlight of the hitting group — led by a generational talent testing the market at age 26.

Player ages, listed in parenthesis, are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 25. Only players who have appeared in the majors this year are included.

Other Entries: Catcher | First Base | Second Base | Shortstop | Third Base | Center Field

Top of the Class

• Juan Soto (26)

Soto isn’t simply the prize of this class. He’s among the most desirable free agents in history. He’s a prime-aged superstar on an inner circle Hall of Fame track. Soto is the gold standard for plate discipline in MLB. He’s topped 40 homers this season for the first time in his career. His .288/.419/.574 slash across 700 plate appearances is 80 percentage points above league average, as measured by wRC+. That’s his best in any 162-game season and trails only teammate Aaron Judge among qualified batters.

Teams might have some concerns about how Soto’s average-at-best defense will age into his 30s. There’s no such question about his offensive profile. The Yankees should do everything in their power to keep Soto and Judge as one of the greatest 1-2 punches ever. They’ll face a challenge from Steve Cohen’s Mets. The Dodgers are usually involved on any player this talented. Soto’s former teams in Washington and San Diego could make long shot runs at bringing him back. He’s going to establish a new guarantee record (compared to the approximate $461MM net present value of the Shohei Ohtani deal). Soto should beat half a billion dollars. The biggest question is whether the number on his guarantee will start with a 5 or a 6.

Above-Average Regulars

• Anthony Santander (30)

Santander has been a productive power bat for a few years. He picked a good time to turn things up a notch. The switch-hitter carries a .237/.310/.513 line over 652 plate appearances. He has connected on 44 home runs, shattering his previous career high of 33. Only Judge and Ohtani have hit more. Santander isn’t an all-around superstar like those players, of course, but he’s been an elite power threat all year. He doesn’t walk much, so his on-base marks hover around league average. He’s a fringy to average defender in right field. It’s a somewhat limited profile, but Santander is ultra durable and fits comfortably in the middle of a lineup. He’ll decline a qualifying offer from the O’s and could land a four-year deal that gets into the $70-100MM range.

• Teoscar Hernández (32)

Hernández found a disappointing market last winter coming off a down year in Seattle. He took a deferred $23.5MM pillow contract with the Dodgers and has returned to form. The two-time Silver Slugger winner has clubbed 31 homers with a .269/.337/.495 slash over 150 games. It’s back to the level he showed over multiple seasons in Toronto, making his struggles with the Mariners look like a blip. The Dodgers should make a qualifying offer, which he’ll probably decline in search of a three- or four-year pact.

• Jurickson Profar (32)

The Padres’ longstanding love for Profar has paid off in a huge way in 2024. Limited to a $1MM deal after a nightmare season in Colorado, the former #1 overall prospect has turned in a career year at age 31. He’s a first-time All-Star thanks to a .283/.382/.466 slash with a personal-best 24 homers over 654 trips to the plate. Profar has married his typically strong plate discipline profile with much improved batted ball metrics (career-high 91.1 MPH average exit velocity, 44.6% hard contact percentage). There’s a chance the Friars make him a qualifying offer. If he declines or hits free agency without draft compensation attached, he’ll likely pursue a three- or four-year deal.

• Tyler O’Neill (29)

Boston hit on a buy-low acquisition of O’Neill from the Cardinals last offseason. He leads the Red Sox with 31 home runs and sports a .240/.335/.512 slash across 469 plate appearances. He had a trio of brief injured list stints but has been one of the Sox’s best hitters when healthy. O’Neill has obliterated lefty pitching at a .313/.429/.750 clip in 156 trips to the plate. He’s tied with Judge for second in MLB (one behind Ketel Marte) with 16 home runs off southpaws. He’s a two-time Gold Glove winner in left field. There are questions about his durability and his streakiness associated with huge strikeout totals. Few players can match his raw power, though. O’Neill is a fringe QO candidate who could land three or even four years if the Sox let him hit the market unencumbered.

Rebound Hopefuls

• Michael Conforto (32)

Conforto’s two-year deal with the Giants has been a relative disappointment. He’s been a solid hitter but hasn’t returned to the best form he showed with the Mets before undergoing shoulder surgery. Conforto is hitting .234/.306/.450 this season and has a .237/.320/.418 slash in nearly 1000 plate appearances for San Francisco. He’s still a big leaguer but doesn’t have the perceived upside of his previous trip to the market.

• Max Kepler (32)

Kepler has battled injuries en route to a middling .253/.302/.380 slash in his walk year. He was an above-average regular for the Twins just last season, when he hit .260/.332/.484 with 24 homers with plus defense in right field. Kepler is probably looking at a one-year deal as he tries to rebound — potentially outside Minnesota for the first time in his career.

• Tommy Pham (37)

Pham was hitting reasonably well for the White Sox early in the season. His production has fallen off since he moved to the Cardinals and Royals, and he now owns a .251/.310/.372 slash across 465 plate appearances. He could still land a big league deal but he might be better suited for a bench role than everyday playing time.

• Alex Verdugo (29)

Verdugo started his tenure in the Bronx well. He was hitting .267/.358/.446 with more walks than strikeouts through the end of April. Since May 1, he carries a .225/.276/.332 slash line in nearly 500 plate appearances. Verdugo was a capable, if inconsistent and sometimes frustrating, regular during his time with the Red Sox. He’s going into free agency on the heels of a dismal five-month stretch.

Platoon Bats

• Randal Grichuk (33)

Grichuk, a right-handed hitter, has teed off on southpaws this year. He’s hitting .315/.382/.522 in 180 plate appearances with the platoon advantage. The D-Backs have mostly shielded him from right-handed pitching, though he has popped five homers in 92 plate appearances against righties. Grichuk is a solid fourth outfielder who has earned a raise on this year’s $2MM deal. The D-Backs probably don’t want to exercise their end of a $6MM mutual option for next season but could look to bring him back at a slightly lesser salary.

• Jason Heyward (35)

Heyward is finishing the year with the Astros after being squeezed off the Dodgers’ roster. He hasn’t maintained last year’s rebound form. In 253 plate appearances, he’s hitting .210/.286/.411. Heyward is still a good defender in right field and could land a low-cost MLB deal as a rotational outfield piece.

• David Peralta (37)

The Padres have gotten good work from Peralta, whom they initially signed to a minor league deal. The 37-year-old is hitting .267/.332/.422 over 247 plate appearances — almost all of which have come against right-handed pitching. He could land a big league contract this time around.

• Jesse Winker (31)

Winker hit .257/.374/.419 over 379 plate appearances for the Nationals after signing a minor league deal. Washington flipped him to the Mets, where his production has tailed off (.248/.317/.372 in 46 games). Winker is a below-average defensive left fielder who doesn’t have a great track record hitting lefty pitching. It’s a limited profile as a platoon corner/DH bat, but he’s hitting .260/.366/.425 against righties this season and has an excellent track record against right-handers.

Infield/Outfield Hybrids

• Mark Canha (36)

Canha has played more first base than outfield this season. That’ll probably continue as he gets into his late 30s. The right-handed hitter has combined for a .240/.343/.342 line over 492 plate appearances between the Tigers and Giants. He’s still drawing a ton of walks but not hitting for the kind of power needed at the bottom of the defensive spectrum. Canha should still land a big league deal, but it’ll be a pay cut from this year’s $11.5MM salary.

• Adam Frazier (33)

The Royals signed Frazier for $4.5MM last offseason. They’ll decline their side of an $8.5MM mutual option in favor of a $2.5MM buyout. The former All-Star is hitting .202/.283/.296 over 289 plate appearances. He’s likely looking at minor league offers.

• Garrett Hampson (30)

Hampson is a speedy utilityman without any kind of power. He’s hitting .229/.273/.302 in 222 plate appearances for the Royals on a $2MM free agent deal. A minor league contract seems likely in his return to free agency.

• 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 has played nearly 150 innings in the outfield, two-thirds of which have come in the corners. He’s hitting .223/.275/.364 with 11 homers.

• Whit Merrifield (36)

One of the game’s best contact hitters in his prime, Merrifield is better suited for a second base/left field role off the bench at this stage of his career. He had a rough tenure with the Phillies early in the season. He’s been a bit better since landing with the Braves but still has a middling .222/.311/.314 season line.

• 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. He has a putrid .158/.186/.211 slash through 22 games with Cincinnati. Rosario has logged nearly 200 innings in the outfield this season.

Depth Types

• 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.

• Adam Duvall (36)

Duvall’s return trip to Atlanta hasn’t gone as hoped. One season removed from a 21-homer showing with the Red Sox, Duvall has been among the least productive players in the majors. He’s hitting .182/.245/.323 with 11 longballs over 330 trips to the plate.

• Joey Gallo (31)

Gallo is hitting .160/.277/.329 across 73 games with the Nationals on a $5MM free agent deal. Washington is going to decline its end of a 2025 mutual option. Gallo is striking out as much as ever and hasn’t hit for anywhere near the level of power necessary to offset that.

• Ben Gamel (33)

Gamel hit reasonably well in a tiny sample between the Mets and Astros this year. He broke his leg a couple weeks ago and is unlikely to participate in Houston’s playoff run. The lefty-hitting Gamel has a roughly average .252/.334/.382 batting line in more than 2300 career plate appearances.

• Avisaíl García (34)

The Marlins cut García two and a half seasons into his four-year free agent deal. He hit .217/.260/.322 for the Fish, who still owe him $17MM — a $12MM salary and a $5MM buyout on a ’26 option. García didn’t sign after being released in June. He’d only cost a new team the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster. The Marlins are on the hook for the rest of his 2026 salary.

• Robbie Grossman (36)

The switch-hitting Grossman takes plenty of walks and generally performs well against lefty pitching. There’s limited defensive value, and Grossman has only hit three home runs on the season. He carries a .218/.331/.302 slash in 239 plate appearances between the Rangers and Royals.

• Aaron Hicks (35)

Hicks’ resurgent second half in 2023 earned him a big league contract with the Angels. The switch-hitter struggled to a .140/.222/.193 line and was released after 18 games. He has been a free agent since May.

• Travis Jankowski (34)

A speedy depth outfielder, Jankowski has hit .208/.268/.251 over 100 games for Texas. He had a much better .263/.357/.332 showing for the 2023 World Series team.

• Manuel Margot (30)

The Twins are going to decline their end of a $12MM mutual option on Margot. He’ll pick up a $2MM buyout, for which the Rays remain responsible as a condition of last winter’s trade with the Dodgers. The right-handed outfielder owns a .237/.290/.336 line while splitting his time between all three spots.

• Eddie Rosario (33)

Rosario has had a disastrous year. He hit .175/.215/.316 over 319 plate appearances between the Nationals and Braves. The famously streaky left fielder is going to be limited to minor league offers.

• Austin Slater (32)

Slater has made a career of mashing left-handed pitching. The longtime Giant hasn’t produced against pitchers of either handedness in 2024, though. He owns a .205/.317/.263 slash in 81 games split between San Francisco, Cincinnati and Baltimore.

Player Options

• Cody Bellinger (29)

Bellinger can opt out of his three-year, $80MM deal with the Cubs. He’d be leaving $50MM on the table to do so and has another opt-out chance after next season. Bellinger has had a nice season but hasn’t answered teams’ questions about his subpar exit velocities. He’s hitting .267/.326/.429 with 18 homers while striking out at just a 16% clip. The Cubs have used him primarily in right field in deference to defensive standout Pete Crow-Armstrong. Bellinger could probably beat $50MM if he simply wanted to maximize his guarantee, but he’s not likely to match next year’s $27.5MM salary on a multi-year pact. He could bet on himself and view the 2025-26 offseason as the right time to opt out.

• Mitch Haniger (34)

Haniger isn’t opting out of his $15.5MM salary for next season. The Mariners hoped a return to Seattle would reignite his bat. It didn’t happen, as he’s hitting .209/.285/.338 with 12 homers in 118 games.

• Hunter Renfroe (33)

Renfroe has a $7.5MM player option for next season. He’ll very likely take it after hitting .229/.300/.381 in 414 plate appearances during his first year with the Royals.

Club Options

• Rob Refsnyder (34)

The Red Sox can keep Refsnyder via a $2.1MM club option. There’s a $150K buyout. The option price is a drop in the bucket for the Sox, who should retain him as a rotational righty bat in a lineup that skews heavily left-handed. Refsnyder hit .283/.359/.471 in 307 plate appearances this year. He’s tattooed lefties at a .302/.393/.548 clip.

MLBTR’s positional preview of the upcoming free agent class continues with a look at this winter’s thin crop of center fielders. It’s a bleak group, particularly if the potential top name available forgoes an opportunity to opt out and return to the open market. It’s worth reminding that veteran center fielder Kevin Kiermaier has said he plans to retire at season’s end. Kevin Pillar has suggested he’s likely to do the same. As such, neither is included below.

Player ages, listed in parenthesis, are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 23. Only players who have appeared in the majors this year are included.

Other Entries: Catcher | First Base | Second Base | Shortstop | Third Base

The Opt-Out Possibility

Cody Bellinger (30)

Bellinger’s three-year, $80MM deal with the Cubs allows him to opt back into free agency either this winter or in the 2025-26 offseason. He’s having a solid year but has still posted lesser results than in his stellar rebound campaign in 2023. Bellinger has appeared in 126 games and taken 553 turns at the plate, batting .263/.324/.425 with 18 home runs in that span. He’s spent more time at first base than in center field, in part because of the emergence of top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong in center but also due to a decline in Bellinger’s own grades there.

Bellinger is the only free agent option in center who can be realistically expected to provide above-average offense. But his contract calls for a $27.5MM salary next season if he declines to opt out, with $25MM more to come in 2026. Bellinger could very likely top the remaining two years and $50MM in guaranteed money on his contract but not that $27.5MM salary for next season. And, since he has an opt-out provision next winter with a $5MM buyout, he could get the best of both worlds if he stays in Chicago, bets on a more productive 2025 campaign at the plate, and opts out next winter. There’s some risk and thus a case for Bellinger to opt out right now in search of a maximum guarantee, but he’s already bet on himself twice by taking short-term deals in free agency. If he wants to bet on himself once more, the path to the most earnings would be to take next year’s $27.5MM, turn in a big season, take the $5MM buyout and look to cash in post-2025.

Glove-First Players

Harrison Bader (31)

Bader’s .241/.290/.381 batting line this season is 11% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+. He’s still smacked 12 homers and swiped 17 bags, though those steals have come in an unsightly 25 tries (68% success rate). Bader has long been a glove-first option in center, and at least as far as Statcast is concerned, that’s what he remains. Statcast credits him with a hefty 10 Outs Above Average thanks to good to great rankings in terms of sprint speed (74th percentile), arm strength (87th percentile) and range (96th percentile). Other metrics are more bearish, with Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating pegging him close to average.

That drop in DRS isn’t going to impact Bader much. He has a strong defensive reputation, and most clubs will look at the defensive tools and his overall track record and still count him as a plus defender. Bader is having a better offensive year than he did in 2023, after which he agreed to a one-year, $10.5MM deal with the Mets. It’s possible he could secure a multi-year deal this time around.

Enrique Hernandez (33)

Hernandez can play anywhere, but center has been his best defensive position. He’s a plus defender there by all accounts, though the Dodgers haven’t used him there much this year, instead deferring to players with more offensive upside (e.g. Andy Pages, James Outman). Hernandez isn’t going to land a job as someone’s everyday center fielder after hitting .219/.272/.362 this year, but his versatility and beloved clubhouse presence could net him a big league deal as a bench player.

Michael A. Taylor (34)

Only two players in baseball, regardless of position, have more than Taylor’s 55 Defensive Runs Saved over the past four seasons (Ke’Bryan Hayes, Andres Gimenez). Only five have a higher total of Outs Above Average (Hayes, Gimenez, Dansby Swanson, Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien). Defense doesn’t get better than this. That said, after popping a career-high 21 homers with the 2023 Twins, Taylor was met with a frigid free agent market. He eventually landed in Pittsburgh on a one-year deal and has stumbled to the worst offensive performance of his career, hitting just .193/.253/.290 in 300 plate appearances. The glove is elite, and there’s clear power in Taylor’s bat, so he could still land another big league deal this offseason.

Depth Candidates

Garrett Hampson (30)

Hampson signed a $2MM deal with the Royals 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 his lack of offense will probably limit him to a minor league deal.

Aaron Hicks (35)

Released by the Yankees early in the 2023 season, Hicks had a resurgence in Baltimore when he hit .275/.381/.425 in 226 plate appearances as an Oriole last year. That landed him a big league roster spot with the Angels, but he opened the season in a .140/.222/.193 funk (63 plate appearances) and was quickly released. He hasn’t signed elsewhere since. If Hicks wants to keep playing, he’ll need to take a minor league deal.

Travis Jankowski (34)

Jankowski gave the ’23 World Series Champions roughly average offense and quality glovework across all three outfield spots, but his bat fell flat in his 2024 return to the Rangers. He’s hit just .209/.269/.253 through 99 games and 197 plate appearances. Jankowski went unclaimed on outright waivers in late August and will be looking at a minor league deal this winter.

Manuel Margot (32)

Twice traded in the offseason, Margot went from Tampa Bay to Los Angeles and from the Dodgers to the Twins, with both the Rays and Dodgers taking on portions of his salary along the way. Margot has hit lefties in Minnesota but hasn’t done much else well, with an overall .239/.293/.339 slash on the season. His contract has a $12MM club option with a $4MM buyout, and the Rays are on the hook for that buyout under the terms of his original trade to Los Angeles. He’ll certainly be bought out and, like most of the other “depth candidates” on this list, figures to sign a minor league deal in the offseason.

Tommy Pham (37)

Pham has little business playing center field in 2024, but the White Sox trotted him out there for 223 innings out of necessity. He’ll be viewed as an emergency option there by most teams. Pham is hitting .251/.311/.376 on the season — below-average production overall. Pham could still land a small one-year deal or another minor league deal with a decent base salary if he plans to continue playing into his age-37 season.

Austin Slater (32)

Slater has more experience in center than at any other individual position in the majors, but he draws better defensive ratings in the outfield corners. He’s also played first base for a couple hundred innings and had brief cameos at second base and third base. Typically a menace to left-handed pitchers (career .270/.363/.438), Slater’s output against southpaws has tanked in 2024 (.181/.305/.224). He’s hitting only .205/.317/.263 on the whole and will presumably be limited to minor league offers this winter.

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

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.

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.

MLBTR’s Steve Adams kicked things off with a look at a generally weak catching class. There’s a stronger group at first base, even if age is an issue for a lot of these players. A quick note on eligibility: we’re looking only at players who have appeared in the majors this season and are either primary first baseman or have logged 100+ innings at the position. Utility players like Enrique Hernández and Brandon Drury can play first base but will be covered in future positional previews. Ages are for the 2025 season. Stats are through play on September 18.

Top of the Class

• Pete Alonso (30)

Alonso is in a tier of his own in this year’s first base class. He is one of the sport’s preeminent power bats. Even in a relative down year, he has drilled 33 homers while slugging .472. Alonso has topped 30 longballs in all five full seasons of his career and was on a 43-homer pace during the shortened schedule. His .246/.331/.472 batting line is 26 points better than league average, according to wRC+. That’s tied for fifth among first basemen (min. 400 PAs) and feels like Alonso’s floor for the next few years.

The Mets will make him a qualifying offer, which he’ll reject. Alonso reportedly declined a $158MM extension offer in 2023 — made under former GM Billy Eppler. He’ll probably take aim at $200MM, though it has been more than a decade since any first basemen hit that mark. The more recent Matt Olson ($168MM) and Freddie Freeman ($162MM) guarantees may be more realistic benchmarks.

Everyday Players

• Christian Walker (34)

Walker didn’t get a real MLB look until his age-28 season. He seized the opportunity once it finally presented itself and is one of the best all-around first basemen in the sport. Walker won consecutive Gold Gloves between 2022-23 while posting an OPS above .800 in three straight years. He has 26 homers — including seven in just 29 plate appearances as a visitor at Dodger Stadium — with an excellent .257/.342/.485 slash line. An oblique strain that shelved him through August is the main reason he might not get to 30 homers for a third straight year.

Arizona has an easy call to tag Walker with a qualifying offer. He’s likely to decline in search of a three- or four-year contract. Multi-year deals for first basemen in their mid-30s are rare, but Walker should be in high enough demand to merit it.

• Paul Goldschmidt (37)

Goldschmidt had one of the worst stretches of his career early in the season. As Steve Adams explored this week, the 2022 NL MVP has kicked things into gear in recent weeks. This will be Goldy’s worst season overall, as he has career lows in all three slash stats (.242/.302/.412). His .270/.322/.485 line since the All-Star Break is more in line with what the Cardinals were expecting. Goldschmidt has never hit free agency — he signed extensions with both Arizona and St. Louis — and therefore has never received a qualifying offer. It seems unlikely that St. Louis would risk him accepting a salary exceeding $21MM for next year, but that’d be an alright investment if the Cards expect him to carry his second-half form into 2025.

• Carlos Santana (39)

The Twins signed Santana for $5.25MM in February. He had a terrible April but has been a steady, productive player over the past few months. Since the start of May, the switch-hitter owns a strong .253/.339/.446 line with 18 homers across 446 plate appearances. He remains one of the three to five best defensive first basemen in the game despite his age. The ultra-durable Santana has again avoided the injured list and has reached 140 games for the 12th time in his career. He certainly doesn’t carry the upside of Alonso or Walker, but he has easily outperformed Minnesota’s modest investment.

• Justin Turner (40)

Turner is more of a designated hitter than a full-time first baseman, but he has gotten 35 starts at the position between the Blue Jays and Mariners. Turner had a fairly modest .256/.350/.372 showing over 91 games with Toronto. It looked as if he might be slowing down at age 39, but he has found another gear since being traded at the deadline. Turner owns a .260/.361/.420 slash with five home runs in 39 games with Seattle — impressive power output in a home park that has stymied a lot of the M’s offensive acquisitions. By measure of wRC+, Turner has been 17 percentage points above league average at the plate. That’s slightly better than last year’s .276/.345/.455 showing with the Red Sox. Turner got $13MM last offseason and still hasn’t dropped off.

Platoon and Part-Time Bats

• Josh Bell (32)

Bell had a rough first few months, hitting .239/.305/.394 in 104 games with the Marlins. He has found his stride after a deadline trade to Arizona, where he carries a .278/.364/.421 slash with four homers through 154 trips to the plate. The aggregate production is still middling — a league average .249/.320/.401 line with very poor defensive grades — but Bell is finishing the season on a high note. He has been a streaky hitter throughout his career who can hit in the middle third of a lineup when he’s at his best.

• Mark Canha (36)

Canha has logged a career-high 356 1/3 innings at first base, a bit more time than he has played in the outfield. That’s probably a sign of things to come as he gets into his late-30s. The affable veteran has a .238/.341/.342 slash over 451 plate appearances between the Tigers and Giants on the season. He won’t match this year’s $11.5MM salary but should have no trouble finding another big league deal.

• 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 .286/.340/.412 slash with seven homers through 285 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.

• Rowdy Tellez (30)

Tellez started the season horribly, went on an absolute tear midway through the summer, and has crashed back to earth in September. In aggregate, he has a .245/.302/.395 slash with 13 homers over 410 plate appearances for the Pirates. It’s slightly below-average offense and sub-replacement production overall considering his lack of defensive value. Tellez has decent career numbers against right-handed pitching (.235/.302/.450) and is a better fit as a lefty bench bat than a regular at first base.

Depth Types

• José Abreu (38)

Abreu was one of the worst players in the league in the season’s first half. The former MVP hit .124/.167/.195 over 35 games. The Astros released him midway through the second season of his ill-fated $58.5MM free agent deal. Reporter Francys Romero tweeted in June that Abreu would sit out the rest of the season but could make a comeback effort next year. It’d be on a minor league deal, but if he gets back to the majors, he’d only make the league minimum with his new team. Houston still owes him the rest of his $19.5MM salary.

• Garrett Cooper (34)

Cooper appeared in 36 games between the Cubs and Red Sox, hitting .206/.267/.299 while striking out 30% of the time. He has been far better over a 19-game stint in Triple-A with the Orioles, where he sports a .299/.388/.493 slash with four homers.

• 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 44.4% clip while batting .150 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.

• Joey Gallo (31)

Gallo is hitting .152/.276/.305 across 67 games with the Nationals on a $5MM free agent deal. Washington is going to decline its end of a 2025 mutual option. Gallo is striking out as much as ever and hasn’t hit for anywhere near the level of power necessary to offset that.

• Yuli Gurriel (41)

Gurriel spent most of the season in Triple-A with the Braves. He had an impressive .292/.378/.485 showing. While that didn’t earn him a look in Atlanta, the Royals acquired him in a minor trade after losing Vinnie Pasquantino to injury. Gurriel is hitting .385 over 10 games with Kansas City.

• Dom Smith (30)

Smith got a decent run as the Red Sox’s fill-in while Triston Casas was injured. The former Met took 278 plate appearances and posted a slightly below-average .237/.317/.390 line with six home runs. He briefly caught on with the Reds after Boston let him go. Smith didn’t hit over a minuscule nine-game sample in Cincinnati and has been a free agent since the Reds removed him from the 40-man roster earlier this month.

• Gio Urshela (33)

Urshela is primarily a third baseman, but he logged 15 starts at first base for Detroit this year. Between the Tigers and Braves, he owns a mediocre .241/.280/.335 slash with six homers across 422 plate appearances. It’s his least productive year since he broke out as an everyday player with the Yankees in 2019.

• Jared Walsh (31)

The former All-Star hasn’t been the same since a bout with thoracic outlet syndrome. Walsh hit .226/.317/.321 in 17 games for the Rangers while Nathaniel Lowe was on the injured list early this season. He subsequently hit .185 with a 37% strikeout rate in Triple-A for the White Sox and was released a couple weeks before the deadline.

Player Options

• Cody Bellinger (29)

Bellinger can opt out of his three-year, $80MM deal with the Cubs. He’d be leaving $50MM on the table to do so and has another opt-out chance after next season. Bellinger has had a nice season but hasn’t answered teams’ questions about his subpar exit velocities. He’s hitting .268/.330/.435 with 18 homers while striking out at just a 16% clip. He’s still capable of playing center field but has also gotten decent run in right field and at first base. Bellinger could probably beat $50MM if he simply wanted to maximize his guarantee, but he’s not likely to match next year’s $27.5MM salary on a multi-year pact. He could bet on himself and view the 2025-26 offseason as the right time to opt out.

• Rhys Hoskins (32)

Hoskins signed with the Brewers on a two-year, $34MM deal that allowed him to opt out after the first season. It’s a net $18MM call. He’d collect a $4MM buyout if he opts out or could secure an $18MM salary for next season (plus a matching $4MM buyout on a 2026 mutual option). This isn’t a great time to retest the market. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference have each graded the typically consistent Hoskins as a replacement level player this year. He has 25 homers but personal lows in batting average (.212) and on-base percentage (.299) while striking out a career-high 28% rate. If he goes on a tear in the playoffs, maybe the calculus changes, but this looks like an option that’ll be exercised.

• Wilmer Flores (33)

Flores holds a $3.5MM option on his deal with the Giants. San Francisco would have an $8.5MM option if the veteran infielder declined his end. That won’t be necessary, as Flores looks like a lock to take the $3.5MM salary. He hit .206/.277/.318 across 242 plate appearances and suffered a season-ending right knee injury in July.

Club Options

• Ryan O’Hearn (31)

The Orioles hold an $8MM option for next season. O’Hearn’s strong first half made that look like a clear bargain. The left-handed hitter went into the All-Star Break with a .274/.335/.456 line with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. His plate discipline is still strong but his power has dissipated in the second half. O’Hearn only has two homers with a .224/.317/.340 line since the Break, including a .163/.226/.245 showing this month. Baltimore should have a lot of payroll flexibility and could bet on O’Hearn to bounce back, but this is more of a borderline call than it seemed six weeks ago.

• Anthony Rizzo (35)

The Yankees are going to opt for a $6MM buyout in lieu of a $17MM option on Rizzo. The three-time All-Star is hitting .219/.285/.330 over 347 plate appearances. He missed a couple months earlier in the season after breaking his arm in a collision with Boston reliever Brennan Bernardino. This has been Rizzo’s toughest year since his rookie campaign.