Major League Baseball free agency has been underway for a few days, and teams were talking at the GM meetings in Florida, without a whole bunch of action happening. With the meetings having wrapped up, the next milestone to spur activity comes Friday, when qualifying offers are resolved. Once those are rejected or accepted, each player's value will come into focus, and the bargaining begins in earnest.
Until then, we're running through all the positions and taking a look at the available options. Five positions down and two more to go, after we cover second basemen right here.
More MLB Offseason: Top 50 Free Agents | Top 10 C | Top 10 RP | Top 20 SP | Top 10 1B/DH | Top 10 OF | Trade Tracker
The best second basemen available are hitters first, and the top two might not even play all that much second base in 2016, depending on where they sign. Most of these players are hitters first and second basemen second. Only near the end of the list do we get players who actually excel at playing second-base defense.
1. Ben Zobrist
Zobrist didn't get to the majors until he was 25, but he's aging well at the plate as he approaches 35. He slugged .453 with the Royals in 59 games, and had an .880 OPS in the playoffs, so he can hit. He doesn't have a great arm, so right field isn't a great spot for him, and his defensive metrics at second were extremely unkind (although it didn't seem like he was bad there) at the time. So, he does play these multiple positions (also third base and, as recently as 2014, shortstop), but really you need to think "left fielder" or DH. Especially for when 35 becomes 36 and 37, which will happen in this free-agent contract.
Murphy put on a legendary hot streak in the first two rounds of the postseason, amplifying what had been a very good season in the plate that was approaching great down the stretch. It's believed by experts -- and who better would know? -- that his power surge is not all a fluke. Yeah, he's not going to OPS over 1.000 for 150 games, but because of adjustments he's made at the plate, natural ability and confidence, we could be looking at a legit middle-of-the-order type guy. He did slug .449 playing home games at a tough offensive ballpark. His road slugging percentage was .480, and his second-half slugging percentage was .490. He would not be the greatest second basemen ever on defense, no, though he graded out better than Zobrist or Howie Kendrick in defensive runs saved and ultimate zone rating per 150 games. Maybe, if he keeps working at defense like he did at hitting, he becomes nearly mediocre there. Hypothetically, he'd probably slug .500 for the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. They need that kind of production badly. They'd just have to cross their fingers (or close their eyes, or both) when he takes the field.
There figures to be a premium on the contracts of Zobrist and Murphy, so if you're a team who wants a starting second baseman who can hit a little bit and won't be ridiculously expensive, Howie is here. His bat seems to be in an ever-so-slight decline, but his slash line from 2015 -- .295/.336/.409 -- is really close to his career numbers. One big caveat, though: The stats show that he significantly regressed in the field in 2015. Maybe the scouts see it differently, or not as harshly, but Kendrick graded out to one of the worst second basemen in the league in '15. And he did just turn 32, which is about when things start to decline typically.
4. Juan Uribe
A better hitter than he was in his 20s, but Uribe struggled with injuries in 2015 and he's about to turn 37 years old. You can't put him at shortstop anymore, and the defensive metrics are unkind at second. He has developed what some might call a cult following -- among not only fans, but also players and some media too. He does have a charisma about him, though. He helped the White Sox win a World Series 10 years ago, so that has something to do with it. He's a fun-loving personality and can get along with anyone -- native language is no barrier. There's value in there, somewhere. But if someone ever truly defines the Tao of Uribe one day, it'll be a sociological breakthrough.
Probably not a guy you want playing second everyday at age 34, but he did produce a .435 slugging percentage with the Braves and Mets in 2015. If you want Daniel Murphy but older, not as good and much cheaper, here's your man.
6. Chase Utley
Turns 37 about a week before Christmas, and it's possible that he's done after batting .212 with a .629 OPS in 423 plate appearances. Has to prove that he can still play. It would be a shame if he went out on the Ruben Tejada slide -- not because he was trying to hurt anyone, just for the memories of breaking Tejada's leg. Probably won't get the support he deserves for the Hall of Fame.
7. Stephen Drew
Hit a career-high 17 home runs, yet had the third-worst offensive production of his career overall, batting .201 with a .652 OPS in his 10th season. Can still play defense at short, though he turns 33 this spring.
8. Steve Pearce
Let's be real. He's a first baseman, maybe an outfielder, once in a while a third basemen, who's probably best suited to DH. He's not a second baseman, but the Orioles used him there for 121 2/3 innings because he broke through with a great hitting season in 2014 at age 31. He wasn't nearly as effective as a hitter this past season, and probably won't get a guaranteed contract. He's got a great story, sticking with it all of these years, through all of the waiver wires, all of the outright releases.
Might have a brighter future in boxing:
#WildCard. http://t.co/ctgUHaOp9K #OwnOctober pic.twitter.com/mYbayV2bgV
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) October 8, 2015
10. Mike Aviles
Aviles will likely serve as a utility player for his new team after spending time at six different positions in 2015.
There's more: Clint Barmes, Gordon Beckham, Emilio Bonifacio, Alberto Callaspo, Jonathan Herrera, Maicer Izturis, Cliff Pennington, Skip Schumaker, Dan Uggla, Rickie Weeks.
