Position-by-position breakdown of who remains on the free-agent market
The supply of free agents is certainly overwhelming, considering the demand.
With less than a month to go before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, there are more than 150 free agents still looking for work. While the agonizingly slow offseason will eventually heat up, and the bulk of these players will find homes, it's abundantly clear there are many more players than roster spots available.
That line of thinking was summed up by Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski earlier this week.
"I don't know where everybody is going to find a job," he said, according to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal.
With that in mind, let's take a look at who remains unsigned, and which teams are still in need at each position.
Catcher
Key free agents: Alex Avila, A.J. Ellis, Ryan Hanigan, Jonathan Lucroy, Miguel Montero, Carlos Ruiz, Chris Stewart
Teams with need: Diamondbacks, Padres, Pirates, Nationals, Phillies, Mets, Athletics, Mariners, Twins, Orioles, Blue Jays
Player | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Avila | 112 | 14 | .264/.387/.447 | 2.5 |
Ellis | 51 | 6 | .210/.298/.371 | 0.2 |
Hanigan | 33 | 2 | .267/.324/.347 | -0.1 |
Lucroy | 123 | 6 | .265/.345/.371 | 1.2 |
Montero | 76 | 6 | .216/.310/.346 | -0.4 |
Ruiz | 54 | 3 | .216/.313/.352 | 0.5 |
Stewart | 51 | 0 | .183/.241/.221 | -0.6 |
First Base
Key free agents: Lucas Duda, Eric Hosmer, John Jaso, Adam Lind, Logan Morrison, Mike Napoli, Mark Reynolds, Danny Valencia
Teams with need: Rockies, Mariners, Royals, Rays
Player | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Duda | 127 | 28 | .244/.345/.488 | 1.1 |
Hosmer | 162 | 25 | .318/.385/.498 | 4.1 |
Jaso | 126 | 10 | .211/.328/.402 | 0.3 |
Lind | 116 | 14 | .303/.362/.513 | 0.9 |
Morrison | 149 | 38 | .246/.353/.516 | 3.3 |
Napoli | 124 | 29 | .193/.285/.428 | -0.5 |
Reynolds | 148 | 30 | .267/.352/.487 | 0.8 |
Valencia | 130 | 15 | .256/.314/.411 | -0.4 |
Second Base
Key free agents: Darwin Barney, Andres Blanco, Stephen Drew, Cliff Pennington, Brandon Phillips, Adam Rosales, Chase Utley, Neil Walker
Teams with need: Brewers, Cardinals, Mets, Yankees, Rays
Player | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Barney | 129 | 6 | .232/.275/.327 | -0.6 |
Blanco | 80 | 3 | .192/.257/.292 | -0.4 |
Drew | 46 | 1 | .253/.302/.358 | 0.1 |
Pennington | 87 | 3 | .253/.306/.330 | 0.4 |
Phillips | 144 | 13 | .285/.319/.416 | 1.6 |
Rosales | 105 | 7 | .225/.260/.353 | -0.5 |
Utley | 127 | 8 | .236/.324/.405 | 1.3 |
Walker | 111 | 14 | .265/.362/.439 | 2.1 |
Third Base
Key free agents: Yunel Escobar, Todd Frazier, Mike Moustakas, Eduardo Nunez, Trevor Plouffe, Jose Reyes
Teams with need: Pirates, Marlins, Braves, Royals, Yankees, Rays
Player | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Escobar | 89 | 7 | .274/.333/.397 | 0.8 |
Frazier | 147 | 27 | .213/.344/.428 | 3.0 |
Moustakas | 148 | 38 | .272/.314/.521 | 2.2 |
Nunez | 114 | 12 | .313/.341/.460 | 2.2 |
Plouffe | 100 | 9 | .198/.272/.318 | -1.2 |
Reyes | 145 | 15 | .246/.315/.413 | 2.0 |
Shortstop
Key free agents: Alcides Escobar, J.J. Hardy
Teams with need: Padres, Reds, Phillies, Marlins, Royals
Player | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Escobar | 162 | 7 | .250/.272/.357 | 0.5 |
Hardy | 73 | 4 | .217/.255/.323 | -0.6 |
Corner Outfield
Key free agents: Nori Aoki, Jose Bautista, Peter Bourjos, Melky Cabrera, Andre Ethier, Craig Gentry, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, J.D. Martinez, Cameron Maybin, Michael Saunders, Seth Smith, Ichiro Suzuki, Jayson Werth
Teams with need: Diamondbacks, Marlins, Braves, Angels, Athletics, Mariners, Twins, Royals, Tigers, White Sox, Orioles, Red Sox
Player | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aoki | 110 | 5 | .277/.335/.393 | 0.4 |
Bautista | 157 | 23 | .203/.308/.366 | -0.5 |
Bourjos | 100 | 5 | .223/.272/.383 | 0.1 |
Cabrera | 156 | 17 | .285/.324/.423 | 0.0 |
Ethier | 22 | 2 | .235/.316/.441 | 0.0 |
Gentry | 77 | 2 | .257/.333/.386 | 0.1 |
Gonzalez | 136 | 14 | .262/.339/.423 | -0.2 |
Holliday | 105 | 19 | .231/.316/.432 | -0.1 |
Martinez | 119 | 45 | .303/.376/.690 | 3.8 |
Maybin | 114 | 10 | .228/.318/.365 | 1.2 |
Saunders | 73 | 6 | .202/.256/.344 | -0.7 |
Smith | 111 | 13 | .258/.340/.433 | 0.5 |
Suzuki | 136 | 3 | .255/.318/.332 | -0.2 |
Werth | 70 | 10 | .226/.322/.393 | -0.3 |
Center Field
Key free agents: Lorenzo Cain, Rajai Davis, Jarrod Dyson, Carlos Gomez, Jon Jay, Ben Revere, Chris Young
Teams with need: Giants, Brewers, Athletics, Rangers, Royals, White Sox,
Player | GP | HR | AVG/OBP/SLG | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cain | 155 | 15 | .300/.363/.440 | 4.1 |
Davis | 117 | 5 | .235/.293/.348 | 0.0 |
Dyson | 111 | 5 | .251/.324/.350 | 2.1 |
Gomez | 105 | 17 | .255/.340/.462 | 2.3 |
Jay | 141 | 2 | .296/.374/.375 | 1.6 |
Revere | 109 | 1 | .275/.308/.344 | 0.0 |
Young | 90 | 7 | .235/.322/.387 | -0.2 |
Starter
Key free agents: Henderson Alvarez, Brett Anderson, Jake Arrieta, Clay Buchholz, Trevor Cahill, Andrew Cashner, Jesse Chavez, Alex Cobb, Bartolo Colon, Yu Darvish, Scott Feldman, Jaime Garcia, Matt Garza, Jeremy Hellickson, Ubaldo Jimenez, John Lackey, Lance Lynn, Wade Miley, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez, Hector Santiago, Chris Tillman, Jason Vargas
Teams with need: Rockies, Padres, Giants, Cubs, Reds, Pirates, Nationals, Phillies, Marlins, Angels, Athletics, Rangers, Twins, Royals, Orioles, Blue Jays
Pitcher | ERA | IP | SO | WHIP |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alvarez | 4.30 | 14.2 | 6 | 1.71 |
Anderson | 6.34 | 55.1 | 38 | 1.70 |
Arrieta | 3.53 | 168.1 | 163 | 1.22 |
Buchholz | 12.27 | 7.1 | 5 | 1.60 |
Cahill | 4.93 | 84 | 87 | 1.62 |
Cashner | 3.40 | 166.2 | 86 | 1.32 |
Chavez | 5.35 | 138 | 119 | 1.40 |
Cobb | 3.66 | 179.1 | 128 | 1.22 |
Colon | 6.48 | 143 | 89 | 1.59 |
Darvish | 3.86 | 186.2 | 209 | 1.16 |
Feldman | 4.77 | 111.1 | 93 | 1.36 |
Garcia | 4.41 | 157 | 129 | 1.41 |
Garza | 4.94 | 114.2 | 79 | 1.49 |
Hellickson | 5.43 | 164 | 96 | 1.26 |
Jimenez | 6.81 | 142.2 | 139 | 1.59 |
Lackey | 4.59 | 170.2 | 149 | 1.28 |
Lynn | 3.43 | 186.1 | 153 | 1.23 |
Miley | 5.61 | 157.1 | 142 | 1.73 |
Nolasco | 4.92 | 181 | 143 | 1.45 |
Sanchez | 6.41 | 105.1 | 104 | 1.59 |
Santiago | 5.63 | 70.1 | 51 | 1.44 |
Tillman | 7.84 | 93 | 63 | 1.89 |
Vargas | 4.16 | 179.2 | 134 | 1.33 |
Reliever
Key free agents: Fernando Abad, Matt Albers, Matt Belisle, Joaquin Benoit, Tyler Clippard, Jorge De La Rosa, David Hernandez, Greg Holland, Francisco Liriano, Dustin McGowan, Jason Motte, Peter Moylan, Bud Norris, Seung-Hwan Oh, Sergio Romo, Carlos Torres, Koji Uehara, Tony Watson
Teams with need: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Reds, Brewers, Cardinals, Marlins, Angels, Athletics, Mariners, Rangers, Twins, Royals, Tigers, Indians, White Sox, Orioles, Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays
Pitcher | ERA | IP | SO | WHIP |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abad | 3.30 | 43.2 | 37 | 1.24 |
Albers | 1.62 | 61 | 63 | 0.85 |
Belisle | 4.03 | 60.1 | 54 | 1.16 |
Benoit | 4.65 | 50.1 | 46 | 1.29 |
Clippard | 4.77 | 60.1 | 72 | 1.29 |
De La Rosa | 4.21 | 51.1 | 45 | 1.30 |
Hernandez | 3.11 | 55 | 52 | 1.04 |
Holland | 3.61 | 57.1 | 70 | 1.15 |
Liriano | 5.66 | 97 | 85 | 1.63 |
McGowan | 4.75 | 77.2 | 64 | 1.34 |
Motte | 3.54 | 40.2 | 27 | 1.18 |
Moylan | 3.49 | 59.1 | 46 | 1.10 |
Norris | 4.21 | 62 | 74 | 1.34 |
Oh | 4.10 | 59.1 | 54 | 1.40 |
Romo | 3.56 | 55.2 | 59 | 1.10 |
Torres | 4.21 | 72.2 | 56 | 1.52 |
Uehara | 3.98 | 43 | 50 | 1.16 |
Watson | 3.38 | 66.2 | 53 | 1.38 |
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)