5 free agent second basemen the White Sox should consider originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
In a previous article discussing ten outfield names that the White Sox could consider adding via free agency, it was clear that many of the names available in the White Sox‘s perceived price range are platoon-type players that make the market very rich with options.
On the other side of things, while the market is pretty great for shortstops, the market is rather barren for second basemen. Indeed, it’s a weaker position throughout the major leagues as well, with the league average wRC+ for second basemen sitting at 96. So, with a thin market and a weak position overall, the White Sox don’t necessarily need to prioritize this position the same way they need to prioritize starting pitching and second base.
Still, here are five free agent options the White Sox could look to sign in free agency to help fill their second base hole, why they make sense for the team, and what a contract may look like for each of these players.
Jean Segura
2022 Statistics: .277/.336/.387, 10 HR, 105 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR
Jean Segura was a popular name among White Sox fans heading into the 2022 season as the White Sox were looking to dump Craig Kimbrel’s salary to another team. Segura fell well short of his usual .420-.440 SLG that he had been posting in recent seasons, but his low strikeout rate and respectable walk rate helped him to still post a wRC+ over 100 (105 on the year).
Segura also comes as a plus-plus defender at second base. After posting +9 OAA in 2021, Segura followed that with a respectable +3 OAA season in 2022. With the White Sox looking to improve on defense, Segura checks the box as a second baseman with plenty of range.
Potential Contract: 2 years, $24M. If the White Sox’s budget is truly as limited as it is rumored to be, it’s arguable that $12M on second base is not where the White Sox should be throwing their money with much more pressing needs. However, if the team decides to go that route, Segura has the defense and postseason experience to make his contract worth it.
Adam Frazier
2022 Statistics: .238/.301/.311, 3 HR, 81 wRC+, 1.1 fWAR
Another popular name among White Sox fans, Frazier has really struggled since his strong first half in 2021. Since the 2021 All-Star Break, Frazier has hit just .247/.307/.317 (77 wRC+). However, he’s made up a lot of his value defensively, posting +6 OAA at 2B in 2022 and showing decent enough versatility to handle the OF as well as SS.
That being said, the White Sox already have someone who relatively fits this description in Leury Garcia. If the White Sox are serious about making an upgrade here, it may not be in the form of Adam Frazier.
Potential Contract: 2 years, $16M. If the White Sox are willing to pay Adam Frazier $8M a year, it’s fair to question why they even declined Josh Harrison’s $5.5M option in the first place. However, Frazier does hit left-handed and have some recent postseason experience, so maybe the White Sox can help fix what he’s lacked in the past season and change.
Brandon Drury
2022 Statistics: .263/.320/.492, 28 HR, 123 wRC+, 3.0 fWAR
Brandon Drury had a breakout season in 2022 where he felt, for the first time, that he was able to show people the type of baseball player he truly is. In doing so, he likely earned himself a pretty nice contract after a pretty pedestrian start to his career. The difference between this season’s wOBA (.350) and xwOBA (.316) is large enough that it causes some hesitation to buy fully into what Drury did in 2022, but a 3.0 fWAR season will likely be hard for teams to ignore.
Additionally, Drury is versatile defensively, playing all four infield positions in 2022. He was relatively average at all of them, posting +1 OAA at 1B and -1 OAA at 3B. He also did a lot of his damage against LHP (160 wRC+) but did post respectable numbers against RHP (109 wRC+). It may not be the improvement against RHP that the White Sox are looking for (Harrison posted a 99 wRC+ against RHP in 2022), but it is indeed still an improvement.
Potential Contract: 3 years, $33M. Drury’s home run potential is going to get him paid, though teams will likely express hesitations surrounding his age and the fact that he’s only posted one breakout season. However, the ability to mash as he has is still valuable, and if the White Sox can fix their handedness problems elsewhere, Drury might prove to be a risk worth taking.
Read about two outside-the-box ideas for second base and finish this article over on soxon35th.com.
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Source: Yahoo Sports
