Ranking the top 3 second basemen the Red Sox could sign in free agency
In 2023, second base at Fenway was a veritable revolving door. Christian Arroyo, Trevor Story, Pablo Reyes, Enmanuel Valdez, Luis Urias, and Ceddanne Rafaela all had at least one turn at second this year -- three of whom went up and down between the majors and minors throughout the season. None of them came out as the clear everyday favorite going into the 2024 season, so the Red Sox still have a gap at second that they desperately need to find a regular occupant for.
Ranking 3 top second baseman the Red Sox could pursue in free agency
This year's free agent class is thin on position players, which might be why Red Sox chatter has focused more on trades for second basemen (Gleyber Torres and Jonathan India are two names which have been thrown around recently) than on signing free agents. However, a trade can never be assured — even talk surrounding Juan Soto, whose trade from the Padres was thought to be assured this offseason, is suddenly more uncertain.
There are 10 free agent second basemen, and if Boston does decide to explore the free agency class instead of pursuing a trade, here are three they should consider signing.
3. Amed Rosario
Okay, maybe we're cheating a little bit with this one, but cheating a little is kind of necessary, given the fact that all 10 free agent second basemen are over the age of 30 and very few of them are above-replacement according to FanGraphs. Amed Rosario is primarily a shortstop, but spent most of his time at second with the Dodgers — importantly, he's also 27 years old. He split 2023 between Cleveland and Los Angeles, playing in 142 games and batting .263/.305/.378. Rosario was a top prospect with the Mets, but never managed to perform with the kind of power he was scouted for.
Even so, Rosario's young and his potential for longevity puts him above available second basemen like Elvis Andrus, who accured a 1.1 fWAR this year, but is also 35 and only played in 112 games this year. Rosario wouldn't be an incredibly long-term investment for the Red Sox, but he could still give them two or three years at second base (MLB Trade Rumors estimates two years at $18 million with his next team). He also ranks in Baseball Savant's 95th percentile in sprint speed, meaning that if he can get his walk rate up, he could put himself into good situations for stronger bats behind him.
2. Whit Merrifield
As the Blue Jays' everyday second baseman in his age 34 year, Whit Merrifield managed to have his best offensive year since 2021. His production has declined gradually since his 2018-2019 peak in Kansas City, but he still managed to play in 145 games in 2023 for Toronto and was named an All-Star for the third time in his career in 2023. In two years for the Blue Jays, Merrifield batted .274/.319/.394 and stole 26 bases, harkening back to his role as three-time AL stolen base leader.
Merrifield and the Blue Jays declined his mutual option at the beginning of the offseason, but he hasn't made any indication that he intends to retire. The Red Sox could consider a short-term, relatively cheap contract — Spotrac calculates his market value at $6.4 million a year, while MLB Trade Rumors projects a two year, $18 million contract — for a player who is still clearly capable of speed on the base paths as well as reasonable offensive numbers (he hit 11 home runs and batted in 67 runs in 2023). And, as the team that signed Justin Turner at 37, the Red Sox aren't strangers to signing older players who manage to do good, everyday work for them.
1. Adam Frazier
If it weren't for all of the up-and-coming middle infielders in the Baltimore Orioles' farm system, Adam Frazier could have made an argument for himself as a player that the team should retain. He only spent a year in Baltimore after an alright season in Seattle, and he managed to put up similar-to-better numbers in almost 130 fewer at-bats. In 2023, he hit .240/.300/.396 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI — serviceable, to be sure, but not enough for the Orioles to retain him when their No. 1 prospect plays the same position and is more than 10 years younger.
It's possible that Frazier could play a similar role for the Red Sox, as a middleman who will be able to perform everyday — as opposed to cycling through multiple second basemen throughout the season — while talent develops in the farm system or new free agents become available in 2024. With an estimated value of $7.5 million/year, down $0.5 million from his one year contract with the Orioles, Frazier could be dealt a slightly longer, still relatively affordable contract than either Elvis Andrus or Whit Merrifield because Frazier is only 31. It's unlikely it would span more than three years, but it could buy some more time for Boston to develop prospects, keep an eye on trade opportunities, or wait for new free agents to become available.
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