10 Sleeper MLB Free Agents Who Will Make Big Lineup Impacts
While this winter's MLB free-agent class may not be the deepest in recent memory, there are a number of impact bats that will no doubt receive significant paydays.
That said, perhaps more so than in years past, teams will rely on doing some bargain hunting for low-cost, high-upside free agents to fill out their rosters for next season.
Each year, there are a handful of players who sign for cheap money and wind up playing their way into significant action. Here is a look at 10 players who could be described as sleepers on the free-agent market, and may wind up making big impacts in someone's lineup.
IF/OF Jeff Baker
1 of 10
2013 Stats
| 74 | .279/.360/.545 | 43 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 21 | 21 | 1 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
Player Overview
Though he saw just 154 at-bats for the Rangers last season, Jeff Baker made the most of his limited playing time, ranking as one of the top utility players in the game.
Texas signed the 32-year-old Baker to a minor league deal last spring. He won a spot on the Opening Day roster, thanks to a 25-for-59 spring performance. Baker saw time everywhere except at catcher, shortstop and center field, but has spent the more time at second base than anywhere else in his career.
At the very least, Baker should be able to find his way into a platoon role after hitting .314/.407/.667 and cracking 10 of his 11 home runs against southpaws last season. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Baker winds up seeing everyday at-bats as a second baseman in the right situation.
CF Rajai Davis
2 of 10
2013 Stats
| 108 | .260/.312/.375 | 86 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 49 | 45 | 1.2 | 1.8 |
Player Overview
Since the start of 2009, the first season in which Rajai Davis saw more than 300 at-bats, the speedster has tallied 216 stolen bases.
That is second only to Michael Bourn, who had 239 thefts during that same span—and Bourn did it with the benefit of having 1,000 more plate appearances. As far as the speed tool goes, no free agent is a bigger asset than the 33-year-old Davis.
Although only a .268/.316/.377 career hitter, Davis has averaged 403 at-bats per season over the past five years and he'll likely find himself in the oft-used fourth outfielder role once again in 2014. For a team looking to add a dynamic speed threat atop the order, Davis will be a bargain, as he made just $2.5 million last year and likely won't see much of a raise.
2B Mark Ellis
3 of 10
2013 Stats
| 126 | .270/.323/.351 | 117 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 48 | 46 | 4 | 1.8 | 3.0 |
Player Overview
Though he's not likely to win a Silver Slugger award any time soon, Mark Ellis has been a solid offensive contributor throughout his career and was a finalist for the NL Gold Glove at second base this past season.
The Dodgers declined their $5.75 million option on Ellis this offseason, signing Cuban defector Alex Guerrero instead to be their second baseman in 2014 and beyond, but the 36-year-old Ellis should be able to find a starting job elsewhere.
After Robinson Cano and Omar Infante, Ellis is the best available second base option on the free-agent market, and seeing as he'll likely come relatively cheap with a two-year deal, he could be one of the best value signings in the league among potential everyday players.
SS Rafael Furcal
4 of 10
2012 Stats (injured in 2013, did not play)
| 121 | .264/.325/.346 | 126 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 49 | 69 | 12 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
Player Overview
Acquired by the Cardinals at the trade deadline in 2011, Rafael Furcal played well enough to earn a two-year, $13 million extension from St. Louis after that season. He rewarded the Cardinals by earning a trip to the All-Star Game in 2012.
The 2013 season was a different story, though, as Tommy John surgery during spring training ended his season before it started, and left the Cardinals with rookie Pete Kozma as their everyday shortstop.
Now, the 36-year-old Furcal is looking to catch on as an everyday option somewhere else. After Jhonny Peralta and Stephen Drew, he may very well be the best option on the market at shortstop. If he can prove healthy, there's no reason to think he can't put up numbers similar to what he had in 2012 while playing plus-defense once again.
CF Franklin Gutierrez
5 of 10
2013 Stats
| 41 | .248/.273/.503 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 18 | 3 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Player Overview
Acquired from the Indians in a three-team trade prior to the 2008 season, Franklin Gutierrez looked like a future star in his first season with the Mariners, hitting .283/.339/.425 with 18 home runs, 70 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
His slash line dropped to .245/.303/.363 the following season, but he took home Gold Glove honors for his phenomenal defense in center field and still looked like a key piece of the future in Seattle.
Injuries set in from there though, as he has appeared in just a total of 173 games over the past three seasons, hitting .238/.276/.363 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI in 617 at-bats. Still just 30, he could be a solid fourth outfielder capable of playing his way into everyday at-bats—if he can stay healthy.
IF/OF Kelly Johnson
6 of 10
2013 Stats
| 118 | .235/.305/.410 | 86 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 52 | 41 | 7 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
Player Overview
Kelly Johnson has never been able to duplicate his breakout 2010 season of hitting .284/.370/.496 with 26 home runs and 13 steals in his first season with the Diamondbacks. However, Johnson has continued to provide plus-power.
Primarily a second baseman going into this past season, Johnson played all over the field for the Rays, spending time everywhere in the infield except at shortstop while playing most of his games in left field.
Although he's hit just .226/.307/.395 over the past three years, Johnson has averaged 18 home runs and 55 RBI. Given his newfound versatility, he could make a significant impact in a utility role once again in 2014.
OF/DH Jason Kubel
7 of 10
2013 Stats
| 97 | .216/.293/.317 | 56 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 21 | 0 | -1.7 | -0.8 |
Player Overview
After a solid seven-year run with the Twins, Jason Kubel signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Diamondbacks prior to the 2012 season that included a $7.5 million option for the 2014 season.
It looked like a great move in the first half of the season, as Kubel hit .293/.367/.533 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI before the All-Star break. He cooled off to just .201/.275/.470 in the second half, but still managed to finish the year with 30 home runs and 90 RBI.
Injuries cut into his production this past season, however, as he hit just .220/.288/.324 with five home runs and 32 RBI over 241 at-bats before being traded to the Indians at the end of August. A left-handed hitter with plus-pop, he could easily return to his 2012 form if he can stay healthy, but should come cheap after his disappointing 2013 campaign.
1B/OF Mike Morse
8 of 10
2013 Stats
| 88 | .215/.270/.381 | 67 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 27 | 34 | 0 | -1.6 | -1.8 |
Player Overview
A late-bloomer, Mike Morse didn't see everyday at-bats until he was 29 and in his third season with the Nationals after coming up in the Mariners organization.
The slugger hit .303/.360/.550 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI during his breakout 2011 campaign. While injuries limited him to just 406 at-bats the following season, he still managed to hit .291/.321/.470 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI.
The 31-year-old returned to the Mariners last season, as they made an effort to improve what was the league's worst offense, but he provided little in the way of production with just a .215/.270/.381 line in 312 at-bats. He'll come extremely cheap and likely on a one-year deal, so a return to form could make Morse the biggest steal of the winter.
1B/3B Mark Reynolds
9 of 10
2013 Stats
| 135 | .220/.306/.393 | 98 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 67 | 55 | 3 | 0.4 | -0.3 |
Player Overview
There's no denying that Mark Reynolds strikes out a ton. In fact, he's whiffed 1,276 times in 3,418 career at-bats, or just over 37 percent of the time, but he also provides some of the best raw power in baseball.
Signed to a one-year, $6 million deal by the Indians last offseason, Reynolds hit .301/.368/.651 with eight home runs and 22 RBI over the first month of the season. However, he hit just .187/.287/.282 over his next 252 at-bats through the beginning of August before being released on Aug. 12.
Chances are, he's not going to hit over .225, and he's a below-average defensive option anywhere except first base, but there is no cheaper source of 20-plus home runs on the market. With everyday at-bats, Reynolds could certainly reach 30 home runs next season.
CF Grady Sizemore
10 of 10
2011 Stats (injured in 2011 and 2012, did not play)
| 71 | .224/.285/.422 | 60 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 32 | 34 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Player Overview
Once one of the most dynamic all-around players in all of baseball, Grady Sizemore was a bona fide superstar from 2005-2008 while playing for the Indians.
Over that span, he averaged a line of .281/.372/.496 with 27 home runs and 29 stolen bases. He joined the 30/30 club in 2008 when he had 33 home runs and 38 steals, but that was also the last time he managed to stay healthy for a full season.
Still just 31, Sizemore has not played in a big league game since Sept. 22 of 2011, most recently missing time with right knee surgery. It likely won't cost anything more than a minor league free agent deal to sign him this winter, and if he can get back on the field, he still has the talent to make some noise in someone's lineup.
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