Hot Stove Preview: Top MLB Free Agents: Catchers/Corner Infielders

With the World Series over, we can begin looking ahead to this offseason’s free agent class.  Though no player looks to earn over $200 million this year like Cano, Fielder, or Pujols, Russell Martin, Victor Martinez, and Pablo Sandoval could be looking to cash in.

Catchers

1. Russell Martin (Pirates): 11 HR, 67 RBI, .290 AVG, 4 SB. 2015 age: 32.

Easily the top catcher on the market, Russell Martin will be one of the most interesting free agents to watch. A fan-favorite in Pittsburgh, Martin was a leader on and off the field and the Pirates absolutely do not want to see him go. The front office of the low budget Pirates has been scrambling to figure out a way to keep Martin on the roster for 2015 and beyond, but his price tag may end up too high for the Steel City. The Rockies and Dodgers have also shown interest. The Ontario native will be a great addition to any team not only because of his above average bat, but also because of his defensive skill. Martin won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger in 2007, his best offensive season where he hit 19 home runs, drove in 87, and batted .293 with 21 stolen bases for the Dodgers. Though his power took a slight dip to eleven home runs last year, he still hit .290, the second highest mark of his career. Over his nine years in the majors, Martin has 119 home runs, 540 RBI, and a .259 batting average with 93 stolen bases in 1163 games.

2. J.P. Arencibia (Rangers): 10 HR, 35 RBI, .177 AVG, 0 SB. 2015 age: 29.

Arencibia has seen a large drop off in production in the last few years, which will likely keep him from signing anything more than a one or at most two year deal. He is the youngest catcher on the market and has above average power, but a career .207 batting average and 462 career strikeouts in 442 games diminish his value. In his best season, his rookie 2011, he hit 23 home runs, drove in 78, and batted .219 with 20 doubles in 129 games for the Blue Jays. He set a career high by batting .233 in 2012, but his average dropped below .200 in 2013 and hasn’t resurfaced since. In 62 games for the Rangers last year, Arencibia showed considerable power by hitting ten home runs (plus 14 more at AAA Round Rock, giving him 24 in 110 games), but batted a career low .177 and struck out 62 times. A career .207 hitter, Arencibia has 72 home runs in the last four seasons and 74 for his career.

3. Geovany Soto (A’s), 4. A.J. Pierzynski (Cardinals), 5. Ryan Doumit (Braves)

First Basemen

1. Victor Martinez (Tigers): 32 HR, 103 RBI, .335 AVG, 3 SB. 2015 age: 36.

Though he will be 36 in December, he’s a defensive liability, and he has just seven stolen bases over his twelve year career, V-Mart projects to be the top first baseman on the market. Why? Because he flat out hits. Among his nine full major league seasons, he batted below .300 exactly once, and even that was ten years ago when he batted .283 in 2004. After averaging 15-25 home runs per season with a batting average around .305 for most of his career, Martinez exploded on offense in 2014 with 32 home runs, 103 RBI, and a .335 average, leading the majors with his .974 OPS and leading the AL with a .409 on-base percentage. On defense, Martinez projects mostly as a designated hitter, but he did make 33 starts at first base as well as two starts behind the plate in 2014. However, he has not started over 100 games in the field in a season since 2010 with the Red Sox. For his career, the switch hitter has 189 home runs, 927 RBI, and a .306 average over 1459 games for the Indians, Red Sox, and Tigers.

2. Adam LaRoche (Nationals): 26 HR, 92 RBI, .259 AVG, 3 SB. 2015 age: 34.

He hits for power and is as good a first baseman as they come on defense. Though the Nationals hate to see him go, there is really no place for him on the roster, given that Ryan Zimmerman is moving to first base and Anthony Rendon is staying at third. This lets LaRoche loose on the open market. He likely will slot in as a five hitter somewhere. He’s had six seasons of 25 home runs or more and has driven in over 80 runs in seven seasons. His best season came in 2006 with Atlanta, when he hit 32 home runs, drove in 90, and batted .285 with 38 doubles in 149 games. More recently, LaRoche batted .271 with 33 home runs and 100 RBI for the Nationals in 2012, winning a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. After a down year in 2013, he pushed his numbers back up in 2014 by hitting 26 home runs and driving in 92. His 82 walks were also a career high. For his career, LaRoche has 243 home runs, 838 RBI, and a .264 average with 319 doubles.

3. Billy Butler (Royals): 9 HR, 66 RBI, .271 AVG, 0 SB. 2015 age: 29.

From 2009-2012, Butler was one of the best hitters in baseball, routinely smacking 15-30 home runs and never batting below .291. However, 2013 was merely decent compared to his previous seasons, and 2014 was the worst year of his career. Two years after batting .313 with 29 home runs and 107 RBI (and winning a Silver Slugger), Butler finished the 2014 season with just nine home runs and a .271 average. Teams will be cautious when giving offers to Butler, who will probably have an incentives loaded deal with quite a few options, considering he could bounce back and hit 20 home runs with a .300 average or hit .270 with 10 home runs. For his career, Butler is a .295 hitter with 127 home runs, 628 RBI, and 276 doubles in 1166 games, all with the Royals.

4. Kendrys Morales (Mariners): 8 HR, 42 RBI, .218 AVG, 0 SB. 2015 age: 31-32.

Morales had a rough year last year, batting below .273 for the first time since 2008, but his free agent value shouldn’t be completely diminished. Assuming he returns to the form he had from 2009-2010 and 2012-2013, the switch-hitter is good for 20-30 home runs per season with an average somewhere in the .270 to .290 range. Of course, his best season was a break-out 2009, where he batted .306 with 34 home runs,108 RBI, and 43 doubles in 152 games for the Angels. Aside from the 2011 season (which he missed due to a broken leg suffered on a walk-off home run) and 2014 season, he’s been a consistent offensive force that would fit into the middle of any lineup. However, his mediocre 2014, which saw him bat .218 with eight home runs in 98 games for the Twins and Mariners, will hurt his chances at a long term deal. For his career, Morales has 110 home runs, 387 RBI, a .271 average, and 150 doubles in 718 games.

5. Mark Reynolds (Brewers).

Third Basemen

1. Pablo Sandoval (Giants): 16 HR, 73 RBI, .279 AVG, 0 SB. 2015 age: 28.

The Panda should be an extremely enticing option for every team in need of a third baseman. Sandoval, a switch hitter, is the whole package. Though he is a below average runner and is pretty bulky in stature, Sandoval is extremely athletic for his size and can handle third base with anyone. He knows his speed, as he has only been caught stealing once in the past three seasons. He hits for power, he hits for average, and he hits consistently. As an added bonus, Panda, who is only 28 years old, was a fan-favorite in San Francisco and should remain so no matter where he ends up. The Venezuela native’s best year was his first full season, 2009, when he batted .330 with 25 home runs, 90 RBI, and 44 doubles at just 22 years old. For his career, Panda has 106 home runs, 462 RBI, a .294 average, and eleven stolen bases in 869 games for the Giants.

2. Aramis Ramirez (Brewers): 15 HR, 66 RBI, .285 AVG, 3 SB. 2015 age: 36-37.

Ramirez may be entering his 18th year in the majors, but he still has a lot left in the tank. He’s batted below .283 just once in the past eleven years, and he’s hit at least twelve home runs in fourteen straight seasons. One of the less talked-about hitters in the game right now, Ramirez’ lack of exposure to the front page may be due to the fact that he rarely plays on playoff teams. In fact, over his seventeen major league seasons, his team has made the playoffs just three times, most recently in 2008. However, he’s a polished home run hitter who gets on base and is showing no signs of slowing down after more than two thousand major league games. His best year came way back in 2004 with the Cubs, when he batted .318 with 36 home runs and 103 RBI over 145 games. Last year, he hit .285 with 15 home runs and 66 RBI over 133 games with the Brewers. For his career, he has 369 home runs, 1342 RBI, and a .285 average with 464 doubles through 2057 games since 1998.

3. Chase Headley (Yankees): 13 HR, 49 RBI, .243 AVG, 7 SB. 2015 age: 31.

It seems as though Headley, who had a monster 2012 season, has been coasting off of his 2012 success. In many ways, he has. After batting .286 with 31 home runs and 115 RBI despite no protection in the lineup (evidenced by 86 walks) and a heavy pitchers’ park for a home field, Headley hit just .250 and .243 in 2013 and 2014, respectively, combining for a total of 26 home runs. A change of scenery late in 2014 helped him a little, as his .229 average with the Padres translated to a .262 mark for the Yankees. After hitting seven home runs in 77 games for San Diego, he smacked six in just 58 for New York. Teams that think his slightly better 58 game stint with the Yankees is any indication of a bounce-back may be smart to invest in him when his value is below what it was two years ago. For his career, the Colorado native has 93 home runs, 418 RBI, a .265 average, and 76 stolen bases to his name over 966 games.

4. Alberto Callaspo (A’s), 5. Donnie Murphy (Rangers).

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Teams followed in this update: Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.

HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched. K’s: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage

Zack Silverman