The offseason is coming to a close as February is right around the corner. While most free agents have found homes on new teams, there are still many who are looking for teams. Some of these players can still give a boost to teams from their respective positions. The following are some of the best at their positions who are remaining.
The All-Free Agent Team
Starting Pitcher – Jason Hammel
Starting pitching is one of the stronger positions for teams who have needs. Doug Fister and Jorge De La Rosa aren’t terrible options. However, Jason Hammel leads this pack. The 34-year old was behind some of the top pitchers in baseball on the World Champion Cubs team. He contributed to the effort by going 15-10 with a 3.83 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 166.2 innings.
Catcher – Matt Wieters
Matt Wieters is one of the most valuable free agents remaining. This is mostly because he is leaps-and-bounds better than most free agent catchers. With competition from players like A.J. Pierzynski, Dioner Navarro, and Steve Clevenger, it wouldn’t be surprising for Wieters to get a decent deal even now.
First Base – Mike Napoli
Mike Napoli hit 34 home runs, scored 92 runs, and drove in 101 RBI with a .239/.335/.465 slash line. Those stats stand for themselves.
Second Base – Chase Utley
Second base is another weak position. Kelly Johnson and Aaron Hill are very similar to each other in production, but Chase Utley is better than both, as painful as that may sound to Mets fans. Also he is primarily a second baseman while the other two play around the field more. After a terrible 2015, he bounced back with a better season as he hit .252/.319/.396 with 14 home runs, 52 RBI, and 79 runs scored.
Third Baseman – Aaron Hill
Luis Valbuena would have made this position, but he just signed with the Angels recently. Both Johnson and Hill play this position as well and as already mentioned, they are similar players. Hill had 297 at bats as a third basemen in 2016 while Johnson only had 60. It’d only be fair to give the edge to Hill.
Shortstop – Alexei Ramirez
This is the weakest position by far. Ramirez slashed just .241/.277/.333 for the season albeit a little better in his time towards the end of the season with the Tampa Bay Rays. The only other Major League free agent at shortstop is veteran Erick Aybar who struggled mightily in 2016 as well.
Outfield – Angel Pagan
There are very few remaining outfielders of value left on the market especially after Mark Trumbo agreed to a deal to stay with the Orioles. Angel Pagan is still a solid player nonetheless. While he may not be a difference-making, his speed, defense, and offense are all serviceable. His 15 stolen bases show he still has some speed on the basepaths. His 12 home runs were actually a career-high. He is all-around one of the better outfielders on the market.
Outfield – Brandon Moss
Brandon Moss fits better at first base, but since Napoli is still on the market he can’t really be considered the best at that position. Since the outfield is so weak and Moss does play outfield, he can definitely be considered one of the best outfielders left. He paces the competition when he comes to power as his 28 home runs pack a powerful punch.
Outfield – Coco Crisp
Coco Crisp leads both the previous outfielders in a category most players don’t want to: age. The 37-year old is at a point where many players see a big decline or retire. Instead he was actually traded to the American League Champion Indians during the season. He has the weaker qualities of the other two outfielders, as in the on-base skills of Moss and the power of Pagan. His 2016 could still arguably be considered his best season since 2013, however.
Designated Hitter – Pedro Alvarez
Since Napoli took the first-base spot, that leaves few top remaining designated hitters. Pedro Alvarez and his 22 home runs in 2016 lead the way here. He also had career best .255 isolated slugging and was a 1.1 fWAR player. Chris Carter deserves mention for his 41 home runs, but also struck out 32% of the time and is a butcher in the field.
Left-Handed Relief Pitcher – Jerry Blevins
This is a tough one between Jerry Blevins and Travis Wood. In 2016 Blevins had a 2.79 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 42 innings. Wood, on the other hand, had a 2.95 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 61 innings. You can’t compare much else of their careers as Wood really only converted to a relief pitcher in 2015, while Blevins never made a MLB start. Since strikeouts are big for relief pitchers, Blevin’s 8.7 career strikeouts per nine innings edges out Wood’s 7.4.
Right-Handed Relief Pitcher – Joe Blanton
Right-handed relief pitchers are still abundantly on the market at this time. Joe Blanton is the best on the market especially after he struck out 80 batters in 80 innings to the tune of a 2.48 ERA. Sergio Romo is another big name, but for relievers of similar ERA production, it would be hard to rank him and his 30.2 innings pitched above Blanton and his 80 innings pitched.
