While the starting and pitching markets have been plundered, and outfielder Jason Heyward got a huge payday from the Cubs, the infielders contingent remains a relatively untapped market this winter. New Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist is the lone big free agent signing from the MLB ranks. Korean first basemen Byung Ho Park got a nice sum to come to the Twins. Both men received four year deals from their new teams. The only other infielder to get a multi-year contract was Asdrubal Cabrera (2 years with a 2018 club option) with the Mets. That still leaves a bevy of talented infielders in play as we head towards the new year. We’ll go over the best available at each position here plus a couple of wild card picks that could be game changers in new surroundings.
CHRIS DAVIS, FIRST BASEMAN (BALTIMORE)
The drama behind Chris Davis’ free agency continues. Having Scott Boras as an agent will have that effect on you. Davis and Boras began the free agency proceedings by stating that not only was Davis the best of the infielders available, he was the best free agent available PERIOD. Needless to say that bravado didn’t exactly make his phone ring off the hook. But there will still plenty of suitors lurking and rightly so. Davis has averaged 40 home runs a year in his 4 full years in orange and black. He still strikes a ton (an MLB high 208 last year) but he fixed a couple holes in his swing last season which saw his numbers drastically improve from a bizarro 2014. Power is a tough commodity in today’s game and Boras knows it which may mean that he will be on the Hot Stove for longer than he expected. The Orioles have already pulled a substantial 7 year, $150 million offer off the table for Davis, but still remain in contact as they hope to bring him back. But will anybody else go north of that figure for a surefire 40 home run guy? The Nationals, Giants, and Cardinals have all entertained the thought, but none of that trio have made a firm offer that we know of. So while power arms fly off the shelves at record rates, the biggest power bat remains unemployed.
DANIEL MURPHY, SECOND BASEMAN (NEW YORK METS)
It is no surprise that Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy is still a free agent. He had a roller coaster ride of a postseason going from great to goat in what seemed like seconds. What was poised to be a massive influx of cash has become a tense waiting game. Ben Zobrist was the belle of the second baseman ball, and was highly courted by Murphy’s Mets. His versatility among all infielders put him a clear tier above Murphy in the pecking order. Then the Mets traded for Pirates second baseman Neil Walker. His home team may be going in a different direction, but that isn’t saying that Murphy doesn’t have a market. He is a commodity for the majority of MLB clubs as a middle infielder that can hit for average and fill a spot in any part of the batting order. As shown throughout 2015 and most notably the World Series, his defense still leaves a lot to be desired. That may push him to the corner infield spots where, playoff surge aside, his power production would be underwhelming. Still, there is no reason that Murphy can’t enter 2016 with a multi-year contract in tow. The Yankees, Angels, and Nationals are the most linked clubs to acquire his services, and may have to get into a small bidding war against one another to do so.
IAN DESMOND, SHORTSTOP (WASHINGTON)
While Murphy’s World Series put a damper on his earning potential, no person in this crop of infielders took more of a hit to his future earnings this year than Ian Desmond. Projected to be a potential $150+ million player before the 2015 season, Desmond turned down a seven year, $107 million contract from Washington ahead of the year. That turned out to be quite the ill-advised move. Desmond’s slash line fell to .233/.290/.384 last season. The batting average and OBP were his lowest in the Majors and his slugging percentage was his second lowest ever. The 30 year old Desmond now sits at a crossroads similar to the one faced by Nelson Cruz a couple years ago. Cruz had an injury plagued year which lowered what was expected to be significant interest from around baseball. He instead took a one year deal with Baltimore and bet on himself to rebound. He did just that with 40 homers for the O’s and ended up with a nearly $60 million deal with the Mariners. Cruz was a bit older than Desmond at the time (32 vs 30) which gives Desmond more of a chance to near triple figures on his next deal if he shows he still has it this year. He probably won’t go that route as he rejected Washington’s $15.8 million qualifying offer. Many teams are looking into him, including San Diego and Houston, but rather as an outfielder or third baseman. Either way, Desmond will try to look forward to a new challenge rather than regret the money he left on the table.
JUAN URIBE, THIRD BASEMAN (METS)
We made light of the thinness of the catcher pool in free agency, but it looks downright bountiful in comparison to the weakest crop of infielders: third base. Juan Uribe is the oldest at 36, but easily the best of this rag tag bunch. Uribe has had a bit of a career revival over the past few years with the Dodgers. However this season Los Angeles decided (correctly by the way) that Justin Turner was the better option at third. Uribe became the odd man out and with no DH in the NL we was off to Atlanta. Uribe would be the victim of the Dodgers again as Atlanta would trade him to New York to make room for the arrival of another Dodgers third baseman Hector Olivera. Uribe wouldn’t set the world ablaze with his stats in New York (.219, 6 HR, 20 RBI) but he was a key clubhouse influence on a team that went to the World Series. The Mets would love to bring him back as David Wright insurance. But his clutch ability and willingness to mentor young talent may push his price past any potential Mets’ offer. Especially if they get a hold of this Juan Uribe free agent book.
BEST OF THE REST
FORMER MVPs- The Rockies’ Justin Morneau and the Angels’ David Freese are two early 30’s former MVPs who can probably be had on a one year or two year deal. The 34 year old Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, battled injuries for most of 2015 which lowered his bargaining power after leading the NL in hitting at .319 in 2013. The 32 year old Freese, the 2011 World Series MVP, has been steady for the Angels since his 2013 trade, but never made the leap that some expected him to make.
BETTER MIDDLE INFIELD OPTIONS?- LA’s Howie Kendrick and Chicago’s Alexei Ramirez are viewed as second best middle infielders in this free agent market, but they could be the class of the class, if you will, in the right location. Kendrick is most often linked as a fall back option to teams that strike out on Daniel Murphy, but Kendrick may be a better fit with a team like the Yankees or his former team, the Angels, than Murphy. He’s a much better defender. Ramirez is a way better defensive option than Desmond at short, but he’s four years older and his bat is fading. But for a deep lineup like the Pirates, he could be a great stopgap at a reasonable cost.
POWER, BUT NOT MUCH ELSE- Outside of Chris Davis, there are no two bigger boppers left than Pittsburgh’s Pedro Alvarez and Houston’s Chris Carter. Both men are butchers in the field though and may be more suited for DH duty. It could be low risk, high reward contract with an AL team that gets either of these two sluggers off the free agency wire. The Angels, Twins, and White Sox could all be candidates to sign them.
Stay tuned next week when we cover outfielders yet to be inked. As always, check me out on Twitter @TREVORutley and the site @sportsftb to keep yourself consistently informed with everything Hot Stove.