A number of teams (and their fanbases) have already turned their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it\u2019s worth taking a look at the players who\u2019ll be available at each position.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re moving to second base, where the eligibility cutoff is players who either logged at least 50 innings at the position this season or have primarily played there in their careers. Every shortstop could theoretically play second base, and there\u2019ll be teams that have interest in Bo Bichette<\/a> and\/or Ha-Seong Kim<\/a> on the right side of the infield. They\u2019ll be covered in greater detail with the shortstop preview, so we\u2019ll limit this to true second basemen and\/or utility players. Ages listed are for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n Previous entries in this series: catcher<\/a>,\u00a0first base<\/a><\/p>\n Everyday Players<\/p>\n Gleyber Torres<\/a> (29)<\/p>\n Torres hits the market for a second straight season. He chose a one-year, $15MM pillow contract with the Tigers last time. Torres was coming off a relative down season in his final year with the Yankees. He\u2019d hit .257\/.330\/.378 across 665 plate appearances, and while that was weighed down by a slow start, teams clearly weren\u2019t making the kind of long-term offers he\u2019d sought.<\/p>\n The stint in Detroit started brilliantly. Torres hit .281\/.387\/.425 in the first half and was named the AL\u2019s starting second baseman at the All-Star Game. The numbers dropped significantly after that, as he limped to a .223\/.320\/.339 finish amidst Detroit\u2019s near collapse. He ended the year with numbers that were only a little better than he managed in 2024: .256\/.358\/.387 with 16 homers over 628 plate appearances.<\/p>\n Torres is a bat-first second baseman who is a good but not great hitter. He\u2019s young enough to have a shot at a four or even five years, but that would\u2019ve been easier to see if his numbers hadn\u2019t crashed in the second half. Free agency generally hasn\u2019t been kind to second basemen in recent years, especially those who aren\u2019t capable of or willing to play other positions. Torres has been adamant about sticking about the position in the past and seemingly rebuffed interest from the Nationals in moving to third base last offseason. It\u2019s not clear if he\u2019ll be more open to moving around the diamond in his second trip to free agency.<\/p>\n The Tigers could make Torres a qualifying offer, which will reportedly come in around $22MM. That looked quite likely early in the season but now seems borderline. The Giants, Angels, Reds, Royals, Astros and potentially Nationals could all be involved if Detroit lets him walk.<\/p>\n Jorge Polanco<\/a> (32)<\/p>\n Polanco\u2019s contract technically contains a $6MM player option, but he\u2019s going to decline that and hit free agency. The Mariners surprisingly re-signed him on the heels of a disappointing 2024 season. Seattle attributed the down year to a knee injury through which he\u2019d played that required postseason meniscus surgery. They\u2019ve been proven right with a resurgent year from the switch-hitting infielder. Polanco drilled 26 homers and 30 doubles with a .265\/.326\/.495 slash line in the regular season. He\u2019s carried the hot bat into October, blasting a couple solo homers off Tarik Skubal<\/a> on Sunday night to help the Mariners even their Division Series against Detroit.<\/p>\n While Polanco can still hit, he\u2019ll face questions about his defensive workload over 162 games. Seattle initially planned to play him at third base, believing that not needing to navigate the second base bag would be easier on his knee. That lasted five games before renewed soreness and an oblique injury led the M\u2019s to use him as a full-time designated hitter for a while. He began mixing in second base work in June and played there regularly for the final three weeks of the season. He logged a little under 300 innings at the keystone overall.<\/p>\n Polanco is eligible for a qualifying offer. Seattle probably wouldn\u2019t want to commit $22MM at the beginning of the offseason, but he has played so well this year that it\u2019s at least a long shot possibility \u2014 especially if he helps carry the lineup on a deep playoff run.<\/p>\n Luis Arraez<\/a>\u00a0(29)<\/p>\n Arraez also isn\u2019t expected to start 100+ games at second base, though that\u2019s not because of injury. He\u2019s simply not a good defensive player. The Padres have pushed him mostly to first base over the past couple seasons. He only started 10 games and logged 82 innings at second base this year. It\u2019s unlikely teams would want to live with his glove there on an everyday basis, but he could get part-time work while playing mostly first base as he has done in San Diego.<\/p>\n Readers are surely familiar with Arraez\u2019s unique offensive skillset. He\u2019s the sport\u2019s best contact hitter and one of the few players who can be expected to hit close to or above .300. The throwback style doesn\u2019t include many walks or extra-base hits, which becomes more of an issue as he falls further down the defensive spectrum. Baseball Reference has valued Arraez around one Win Above Replacement in consecutive seasons. His free agency will be a test case for how much teams still care about batting average.<\/p>\n Multi-Positional Types<\/p>\n Willi Castro<\/a> (29)<\/p>\n Castro was one of the better utility players available at the deadline. The switch-hitter had turned in a .250\/.335\/.398 line over two and a half seasons in Minnesota. He looked to be on track for a solid multi-year contract as free agency approached. Things have gone sharply downhill since he was traded to the Cubs, however. Castro hit .170\/.245\/.240 in 34 games with Chicago. That dropped his season batting mark to .226\/.313\/.366 through 454 trips to the dish.<\/p>\n Adam Frazier<\/a> (34)<\/p>\n The lefty-hitting Frazier was also traded at the deadline. His numbers picked up after the move. Frazier carried a .255\/.318\/.336 slash in 78 games with the Pirates. He turned in a league-average .283\/.320\/.402 line in nearly 200 plate appearances in his second stint with the Royals. He finished the year with a .267\/.319\/.365 line over 459 trips to the plate. Frazier doesn\u2019t take many walks or hit the ball hard, but he\u2019s a plus contact hitter who still grades as a competent defender.<\/p>\n Luis Rengifo<\/a> (29)<\/p>\n Rengifo has some similarities to Castro. He\u2019s a switch-hitter, relatively young for a free agent, and has had a couple above-average offensive seasons. He has played all over the field but isn\u2019t an especially good defender anywhere. The bat has been good enough to make up for that in previous years. Rengifo combined for a .273\/.323\/.431 slash in almost 1300 plate appearances between 2022-24. However, he ended the \u201924 campaign on the injured list after undergoing wrist surgery, and he\u2019s now coming off the worst full season of his career in \u201925. While he appeared in a personal-high 147 games, he managed just a .238\/.287\/.335 batting line. He should still command a big league deal based on his track record, but it\u2019ll likely be a one-year contract.<\/p>\n Miguel Rojas<\/a> (37)<\/p>\n Teams know what they\u2019re getting from Rojas, a rock solid defensive infielder who can play a fine shortstop, second base or third base. He\u2019s coming off a second straight decent offensive season, hitting .262\/.318\/.397 across 317 plate appearances. Rojas isn\u2019t going to put many balls in the seats, but he makes a ton of contact and has enough juice to pick up 20-25 doubles.<\/p>\n Amed Rosario<\/a> (30)<\/p>\n The Yankees acquired the righty-hitting Rosario from the Nationals at the deadline \u2014 one of two utility pickups (along with Jos\u00e9 Caballero<\/a>) to complement lefty-swinging infielders\u00a0Ryan McMahon<\/a> and\u00a0Jazz Chisholm Jr.<\/a> Rosario hit .303 in 16 games in pinstripes and finished the year with a combined .276\/.309\/.436 line. He has a lifetime .298\/.336\/.464 slash versus lefty pitching, which should get him another low-cost big league deal.<\/p>\n Team Options<\/p>\n