Although most of the top pitchers have new destinations, some of the biggest positions players have yet to sign. Here are the top five on the market.
By Patrick Brewer
Despite the pitching market beginning to grow thin, the position player market still has a lot of good depth, and quite a few teams remain interested.
Above all others, these are the top five position players still available on the free agent market:
5. Ian Desmond
At the bottom of the list of five is former Washington National shortstop Ian Desmond.
Prior to the 2015 season it was expected that Desmond would get a large contract following the campaign. Clearly, things didn’t go Desmond’s way and he had one of the worst years of his entire career.
Desmond finished the season with a slash line of .233/.290 /.384, a wRC+ of 83, and a WAR of 1.7. Beyond his offense, Desmond’s defense also took a big step back and he was also less of a threat to steal bases.
Despite the bad season and the shortcomings apparent in his game, Desmond is still a hot commodity and should do well this offseason, although he won’t due as well financially as he would have last offseason. Desmond is still an above average shortstop option, given the dearth of options at the position, and thus holds decent value.
Desmond can likely still find a contract in the $70-80 million range over five years, even with his decline in value due to last season’s performance.
4. Yoenis Cespedes
Next on the list is the man who helped lead the New York Mets to their first World Series appearance in 15 years.
Lacking a complete offense the Mets acquired Yoenis Cespedes at the trade deadline as he went on to have one of the best second halves in recent memory. Despite this strong second half there are still some question marks about Cespedes true talent, and if that talent warrants the kind of contract he can likely expect this offseason.
Cespedes has a lot of power at the plate as well as a strong arm in the outfield, but also has some rather significant flaws that at times overshadow his strengths. Someone will likely pony up the money to pay Cespedes, and they’ll get a good player, but he may be viewed as a mistake in the long term.
Despite his flaws, Cespedes will still likely command a salary upwards of $100 million, although it remains to be seen if a team will give him the sixth year he will likely want.
3. Alex Gordon
Another player who appeared in the 2015 World Series, and is also one of the highest value free agents remaining on the market, is former Royals outfielder Alex Gordon.
Gordon, who is coming off a season cut short by a significant injury, is definitely getting up their in age, but still is an all around strong player who has a strong free agent market. Gordon was his usual self in the postseason last year, showing both offensive and defensive prowess, and helped his value with his strong performance.
Gordon is obviously entering his decline years, which diminishes his value just a bit, but he still could command a salary of over $100 million on a five year deal. It remains to be seen whether the Royals can re-sign him, but either way he has plenty of interested teams on the table.
2. Chris Davis
The player on this list who has gotten the most attention up to this point in the offseason is former Orioles first baseman Chris Davis.
The Baltimore Orioles made their intentions to re-sign Davis clear, offering him a seven year contract in the $150 million range, but Davis and his agent apparently thought they could do better. Davis has been marketed as an outfielder as well as a first baseman, and it appears Davis and his agent are looking for a contract closer to $200 million in total.
Whether or not this type of money is warranted for a player like Davis aside, Davis is far and away the best power hitter on the free agent market, and also provides decent enough value defensively at first base.
It seems unlikely that Davis will get the total sum of money he desires, but he should have no trouble getting $20+ million a year on a long term contract.
1. Justin Upton
While Davis, Gordon, Cespedes, and Desmond all have their strengths and weaknesses, the best overall position player left on the market is former San Diego Padre left fielder Justin Upton.
Upton provides power akin to Davis, better speed than all the options on this list, and decent enough defense to make him the most valuable player left. Add to that his relative youth compared to the other players on this list, and Upton holds some substantial value this offseason.
It remains to be seen what kind of contract Upton can get, and from whom, but it appears likely that he will make $20+ million a year over six or seven years, or basically what Chris Davis was already offered.
Regardless of what he is able to get, Upton may be the best short term and long term option of any of the position players still left on the market.