Who's Left on the Market? Part 1: Infield

Pete Alonso of the New York Mets (Getty Images)

We’ve seen Juan Soto commit to the Mets over the Yankees, the Red Sox acquire an ace via trade, and the Yankees acting quickly by adding Cody Bellinger and Max Fried. The catcher market dried up at record pace, and now the first base market is basically Pete Alonso and a bunch of other guys. Starting pitching is clearly being valued at a premium, and there are only a handful of clubs who will take a prospect-led package in this MLB economy. If you’re looking to acquire a star player in a contract year, you’ll likely have to add MLB talent like the Cubs did when they traded for Kyle Tucker. The Dodgers spent over a billion dollars last winter (Shohei Ohtani was the vast majority), and the Mets have spent $918M since the end of the World Series this season. Only five teams have spent $100M, with the Yankees and Dodgers over $200M. Eight teams have yet to sign one player this offseason, and markets are evaporating in front of them. Will these teams adjust to the economy or continue to sit on their hands? As we enter the new year, let’s examine the remaining options at each position, including a few via the trade market.

2025 Offseason Funds Spent Per Club (Spotrac)

Catcher

At this point, the catcher market is almost entirely dried up. Kyle Higoshioka, Travis D’Arnaud, and others have signed $5M to $9M AAV range. Most of these guys are not everyday catchers, but they can split time and catch 80 or so games. Elias Díaz and James McCann are both capable backup catchers, but teams like the Guardians lacking an everyday catcher would have to search for one via the trade market. Even if they did, most teams don’t have an everyday catcher they’re willing to part with. Jose Trevino is off the board after the Reds acquired him from the Yankees, maybe the Twins would be willing to eat some of the salary left for Christian Vázquez.

2025 FA Catchers Available (Spotrac)

First Base

Obviously, the main option left at first is Pete Alonso. Christian Walker, Goldy, and Santana all signed, while the Snakes got Josh Naylor from Cleveland. Pete is arguably the only everyday player left at first on the free agent market, but not many teams are wanting at first right now. Alonso has 40 HR power, but he’s asking for more than he should and he probably won’t age well. Josh Bell was awesome before the 2022 All Star game, but hasn’t been good since. He and Justin Turner could be useful for small market clubs on one year deals, but they’re not everyday hitters on good teams. I’m sure the Brewers could be convinced to move Rhys Hoskins, but otherwise, the main guys on the trade market here are Triston Casas and Luis Arráez. Casas is going to cost major premium pitching talent, and only a handful of teams have the inventory. The Mariners seemed like a natural fit, but they don’t seem to value Triston the same way Craig Breslow does. Arraez is a 3X batting title champion, who I believe is a bit underrated. Still, he’s undersized, not a good defender, and he has no power. Arraez could probably be acquired for a low-end prospect in his last year of arbitration. 

2025 FA 1B Signed (Spotrac)

Second Base

The best free agent 2B available, Gleyber Torres, just signed with Scott Harris and the Tigers on a one-year deal. Normally, I would say Ha-Seong Kim is a superior player, but with the shoulder surgery there is uncertainty around what Kim will be able to command from a contract standpoint. Kim has a Gold Glove at the keystone, and he’s a solid defender at short too. He’s only a roughly average hitter, but doesn’t really have any weaknesses and he’s a solid all-around regular player. His former Kiwoom Heroes teammate, Hyeseong Kim, has been posted to the MLB. Hyeseong’s got below average power, with nice contact ability and positive reviews defensively. He could be a nice fit for clubs looking for up-the-middle infield defense. Jorge Polanco is coming off both a knee surgery and a terrible season in Seattle, so the jury is out on whether or not he can bounce back. If he returns to form, Polanco might be a fit for a small market club who can get prospects back at the deadline. Alex Bregman has indicated willingness to play second base, and with his glove and athleticism, I wouldn’t doubt him. 

Jake Cronenworth could be acquired for the right price from the Padres, especially if the acquiring front office is willing to take on the remaining $70M or so. Edmundo Sosa could be an option off the Phillies bench, and Gavin Lux seems to be the odd man out in LA with Mookie moving to the keystone. The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to transition to a rebuild, despite their distaste for acknowledging a transition year as a rebuild. Brendan Donovan makes a lot of sense to trade, and he can play 2B, among other positions. Donovan is only 28 years old, and he’s under team control for three years. He’s also got a GG from his rookie year, and he’s an above average hitter. I’m sure someone will be willing to pay the hefty package Chaim Bloom will ask for– maybe his old friends in Boston can make it work. 

Hyeseong Kim KBO Stats (bRef)

Shortstop

There is some overlap here, particularly with Ha-Seong Kim and Hyeseong Kim.  Willy Adames was the only starting shortstop outside of Ha- Seong, and he signed for big money with the Giants. Kevin Newman and Kyle Farmer were signed for bench roles, a role that Jose Iglesias could fill in at 2B, 3B, and SS as well. Iglesias really makes the most sense for the Mets from a locker room fit standpoint, etc. but he did hit .337 so we have to put some respect on his name. Via trade, Bo Bichette is rumored to be available from the flailing Blue Jays. The Jays won’t have much to sing about if they miss the playoffs yet again in 2025, and they’ll likely trade both Bo and Vlad Jr.. JP Crawford has two years, $23M remaining on his deal with the small market Mariners and he’s coming off of a terrible season. He may need to be moved to 2B for 2026, but he’s a good option for a team lacking a shortstop or second basemen. Seattle has a wealth of young infielders coming up, and they are rumored to be interested in Ha-Seong Kim. 

JP Crawford Mariners Contract (Spotrac)

3rd Base

Despite his full no-trade clause, the rumors regarding Nolan Arenado are numerous. Fans think of 30 HR power and 10 consecutive Gold Gloves, but Arenado isn’t really that guy anymore. He’s still a solidly above average glove at the hot corner, but the power has evaporated rather quickly. His exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard hit have dropped to the bottom 10% of the league. He’s owed $74M over the next few years, with the Rockies on the hook for $10M. Alex Bregman is the star of the 2025 free agent class at third, but similar to Arenado, 2019 Bregman isn’t 2024 Bregman. Alex is somewhere between a four and five bWAR player right now (4.5 bWAR average 2022-2024), which makes him extremely valuable, but he’s unlikely to seriously threaten in an MVP race. Offensively, he’s got a .798 OPS over the last three years, he’s durable, and he doesn’t strike out much for a guy with 25 HR power. The bat speed is a bit concerning, but every player has his warts. 

There isn’t a ton else on the free agent market, unless you believe in Yoán Moncada repeating his career year in 2019. Outside of Nolan, Max Muncy and Alec Bohm seem to be two of the more widely available third basemen. Bohm made the All Star team this year, while driving in 97 runs and rating higher defensively than he historically has. He has two years of team control, and he’s a proven bat at an important position. Dave Dombrowski seems to be suggesting outlandish trade packages to see if anything sticks to the wall, such as Alec Bohm for George Kirby. I do think Bohm will get traded whether it's now or this trade deadline. Max will probably only get moved if the Dodgers get Arenado, but that is a decent possibility considering Arenado is native to southern California and LAD is on his trade list.

Alex Bregman Three Year Performance (bRef)

*Stats courtesy of MLB, Baseball Reference, Fangraphs, and Spotrac