Best 2016-17 MLB Free-Agency Fallback Options, Position by Position

Any good baseball executive enters free agency with more than one plan in mind.

Even the best of baseball operations departments cannot predict what a player may decide. A team can target a free agent and offer him a great deal, but ultimately the decision lies with the player.

So, many teams have to put alternative plans into action.

Yes, fans can hope that their team lands its top targets. But should it not, take a look at who your team may fall back on.

Catcher: Matt Wieters

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2016 Statistics

G	R	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SO
124	48	.243	.302	.409	17	66	85

First-Tier Option

Wilson Ramos

Overview

That Ramos (.307/.354/.496 with 22 homers and 80 RBI in 2016) is still a hot commodity despite tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in September—an injury that might prevent him from returning for Opening Day of the 2017 season—is an exhibit of how much depth this position lacks.

Wieters is the only real viable fallback option for those in the market for a backstop. That he is a switch-hitter is a plus. His numbers at the plate are average at best, but he is still loaded with unrealized potential.

The Baltimore Orioles took him with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 draft. Perhaps a change of scenery could ignite what has been an underwhelming career to date.

First Base: Mike Napoli

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2016 Statistics

G	R	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SO
150	92	.239	.335	.465	34	101	194

First-Tier Option

Edwin Encarnacion

Overview

Encarnacion is, arguably, the best position player available on the free-agent market. He offers a bat that has the potential to lead MLB in homers and the ability to be a high on-base guy. Encarnacion has posted an OBP of .370 or higher in three of the last five seasons.

While Mike Napoli is also a home run threat, that’s about all he can do.

But he’s a viable middle-of-the-order hitter because of that. The drawback: He strikes out too much, averaging more than one per game. But perhaps what Napoli, 35, brings to a club can’t be found in the box score. The right-handed hitter has played in three World Series, most recently this past season with the Cleveland Indians.

He brought stability to a Cleveland clubhouse that relied on young players like shortstop Francisco Lindor and rookie outfielder Tyler Naquin.

Second Base: Chase Utley

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2016 Statistics

G	R	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SO
138	79	.252	.319	.396	14	52	115

First-Tier Option

Neil Walker

Overview

With Walker off the market, having accepted the qualifying offer by the New York Mets, free agency has little left to offer at second base.

Utley, 37, has not had a productive year offensively since the 2014 season and is nowhere near the player who made five straight All-Star appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies.

While the left-handed batter hit .333/.333/.333 in the 2015 NLCS loss to the New York Mets, he hit just .107/.219/.107 in the 2016 postseason. Perhaps Utley would best serve a team platooning. He hit .273 against right-handed pitching in 2016.

Third Base: Daniel Descalso

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2016 Statistics

G	R	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SO
99	38	.263	.349	.424	8	34	56

First-Tier Options

Justin Turner and Martin Prado

Overview

Both Turner and Prado have star-like potential at third base, which makes it one of the deeper positions in this weak free-agent class, albeit about two players deep.

After the duo, options drop off vastly.

Descalso failed to play in 100 games for the first time in his career, save his 11-game 2010 season during which he made his MLB debut. But last season he tied his career best in batting average and set personal marks in both OBP and slugging.

He has never been much of a home run threat at a position that typically demands a power bat. But he does offer some versatility, having played 203 games at second and 178 at shortstop during his seven-year MLB career.

Shortstop: Andres Blanco

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2016 Statistics

G	R	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SO
90	26	.253	.316	.405	4	21	41

First-Tier Option

Erick Aybar

Overview

It could be argued that shortstop is the weakest position in this free-agent class, which is the ultimate insult given a year that is unusually weak in terms of players available for hire.

That could be, in part, because the best shortstops in the game are mostly young players under team control.

Nonetheless, Aybar is by far the best available. His .250/.341/.350 slash line suggests that’s a gloomy thought for teams with a hole at the most important infield position.

Blanco exists as a fallback option mainly by default. His lackluster play at the plate is largely mirrored in the field. He had minus-2.3 defensive runs saved above average and a 0.1 WAR in 2016, according to FanGraphs.

That essentially means he is a replacement-level player.

Center Fielder: Michael Bourn

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2016 Statistics

G	R	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SO
113	48	.264	.314	.371	5	38	92

First-Tier Options

Dexter Fowler and Ian Desmond

Overview

Fowler decided to re-sign with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 because the club offered him an opt-out after just one season. That not only got him a World Series ring but also is sure to put money in his pocket.

His deal was structured that way because Fowler knew he would be able to cash in big, standing out among a weak group of free agents. He is the kind of bona fide leadoff hitter most teams desire.

Desmond is somewhat of a surprise as a top-tier outfield talent, playing the position for the first time in his career last season. But the right-handed hitter proved he can play all three outfield positions despite having been a career shortstop with the Nationals.

He hit .285/.335/.446 after signing a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers last offseason.

Bourn, though, does provide teams with a nice secondary option should they be unable to land either Fowler or Desmond. 

What’s most encouraging about Bourn is that he played better after being traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Orioles at the waiver deadline. He hit .283/.358/.435 in 24 games with the latter club, proving that his struggles may have been, at least partially, a product of a weaker lineup around him.

Corner Outfielder: Carlos Beltran

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2016 Statistics

G	R	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SO
151	73	.295	.337	.513	29	93	35

First-Tier Options

Jose Bautista and Mark Trumbo

Overview

Bautista and Trumbo are two of the best power hitters in the game and will instantly raise the offensive profile of whichever team they select.

The move to the Orioles and hitter-friendly Camden Yards last offseason helped Trumbo hit a career-high 47 homers in 2016. Given his success, he may want to return to the club in 2017.

Which leaves every other team unable to sign Bautista with Carlos Beltran, an effective offensive player but, at 39, much less a long-term solution.

Beltran hit .304/.344/.546 with the New York Yankees before the club shipped him to the Rangers in a deadline deal. His performance dropped slightly thereafter. But Beltran proved that even at his age he can still contribute to a contender. 

He profiles better as a designated hitter but should get some spot duty in right field no matter where he signs. The Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Rangers are said to be interested in signing him, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Starting Pitcher: Jason Hammel

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2016 Statistics

G	GS	IP	ERA	BAA	K	BB	WHIP
30	30	166.2	3.83	.239	144	53	1.206

First-Tier Option

Ivan Nova

Overview

Nova, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline, stands as the best option in a group of starters that is hard to differentiate. A handful of teams might each have a different answer, but Nova’s 3.06 ERA in 11 starts with the Pirates suggests he may have top-of-the-rotation potential.

The Yankees traded him to the Pirates in July. But there isn’t much drop-off from Nova to the fallback option, Hammel.

Hammel was probably the most forgotten player on this year’s World Series champion Cubs. He was the fifth starter on baseball’s best rotation but might otherwise have been among a team’s top-three starters had he played elsewhere.

At 34, Hammel still has the ability to help bolster a needy rotation, making him almost certain to slot higher than he did with the Cubs in 2016.

Relief Pitcher: Drew Storen

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2016 Statistics

G	ERA	SO	BB	WHIP
57	5.23	48	13	1.335

First-Tier Options

Kenley Jansen, Mark Melancon and Aroldis Chapman

Overview

This is easily the deepest position in this year’s free-agent class, boasting three elite closers in Jansen, Melancon and Chapman. All participated in the NL postseason.

The trio is certain to sign megadeals this winter and potentially set records for the position. Given the lack of quality starting pitching, teams may choose to spend more heavily on the back end of their staffs.

And those who luck out on the trio may sign Storen in the hopes that his time with the Seattle Mariners in the latter part of 2016 was the start of a career renaissance.

The Blue Jays traded Storen on July 26 to the Mariners in a deal that netted Joaquin Benoit. Storen looked like a much different pitcher stateside, sporting a 3.44 ERA, 0.873 WHIP and 2.76 FIP (fielding independent pitching) in 19 appearances with the Mariners.

Should Storen, 29, continue to pitch that way in 2017, he would be a solid late-inning option for whichever team signs him.