I was perusing around the MLB Free Agent list and a few names popped out to me that I could only imagine should be signed sometime before spring training is to start, or one would think. I was intrigued to still see these names on the board and no place to call home. But any one of the names below can truly help a club win.
CATCHER
Gary Sanchez – 30 Years Old
Sanchez started his major league career with the New York Yankees back in 2015. In seven seasons in the Bronx, Sanchez batted .230, with 138 home runs and 340 RBIs. Last season he caught in 91 of the 128 games he played in and batted .205, with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs. His offensive numbers were never an issue as he has put up some power numbers at the plate. He is a viable catcher and at 30 years old, he can help a team looking for some pop from the catchers position in their lineup. Will be interesting to see where he ends up and how well he does with the new club.
FIRST BASE
Luke Voit – 31 Years Old
Voit has been in the league since his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017. He had his breakout year in 2018, when he hit .322, with 15 home runs and 36 RBIs in just 47 games played. The bulk of his home runs came with the New York Yankees, where he remained through the 2021 season, racking up 54 home runs from 2019-2021. Voit was traded by the Yankees in March 2022 to the San Diego Padres and then was part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the Padres as Voit ended up with the Washington Nationals. In 2022, he batted a combined .226, with 22 doubles, 22 home runs and 69 RBIs. Voit’s career has been marred by various stints on the DL, but with a league that all teams now employ the DH spot, his right handed power bat can be utilized by a team searching for some extra pop in their line up.
SECOND BASE
Michael Chavis – 27 Years Old
Chavis started his major league career with the Boston Red Sox in 2019, and he showcased some pop in his bat as he batted .254, with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs through 95 games. In 2020, the year of Covid, Chavis played in 42 of the teams 60 games and hit five home runs, while driving in 19 runs. In 2021, he started the season with the Red Sox, appearing in 31 games before being traded at the deadline to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Chavis found himself spending more time on the DL then on the field and only appeared in 12 games. In 2022, he had a better season as he hit a career high 16 doubles, three triples, and hit 14 home runs, while driving in 49 runs, through 129 games. Chavis has the potential to give a team some pop even off the bench as he works his way into the everyday lineup.
THIRD BASE
Gio Urshela – 31 Years Old
Urshela had a career year with the New York Yankees in 2019, when he batted .314, with 34 doubles, 21 home runs and 74 RBIs through 132 games. The Colombian native played in 43 games in 2020, batting .298 through 151 at bats, a season that was limited to 60 games due to the Covid pandemic. In 2021, his season was marred by stints on the DL as he amassed 18 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 49 RBIs while batting .267 through 116 games. Then in March 2022, the Yankees sent Urshela along with Gary Sanchez to the Minnesota Twins for Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. A trade that was not a Yankee fan favorite as Urshela bested Donaldson with a higher batting average (.285 to .222), more hits (143 to 106) and less strikeouts (96 to 148). Urshela still has some upside as he is only 31 years old with some recent productive years on his side.
SHORTSTOP
Elvis Andrus – 34 Years Old
Its easy to say, what about Carlos Correa, well at the time of this post, he is still in negotiations with the New York Mets to finalize his mega deal so we will leave him off this list for now. Andrus, who entered the league in 2009 as a 20 year old rookie, has had a serviceable career at the position with consistency that saw him become an all star twice (2010/2012). At 34 years old, the 14 year veteran can still help a club with his depth as he has played in at least 145 games in each of the last three seasons not including 2020, that saw the teams only play 60 games. He had 17 home runs in 2022, combined between playing with the Oakland A’s and Chicago White Sox. There is no doubt that Andrus will be enjoying his 15th year in the majors in 2022, just which club will benefit from his services is the question.
OUTFIELD
Jurickson Profar – 29 Years Old
In 2018, Profar had his moment when he showed the MLB world that he belonged, when he hit 35 doubles, six triples and launched a then career high 20 home runs, while driving in 77 runs through 146 games with the Texas Rangers. The Willemstad, Curacao native was also perfect on the base paths as he swiped 10 of 10 bases. After being traded to the Oakland A’s at the end of 2018, he matched his career high in home runs with 20 during the 2019 season. At the end of 2019, he was then traded to the San Diego Padres. In 2021, Profar has seen his time on the field limited to stints on the DL which also affected his overall numbers. He had a bounce back year in 2022 with San Diego, as he hit 36 doubles, two triples and launched 15 over the fence, drove in 58 runs, and walked a career best 73 times. Profar also played in a career high 152 games in ’22 which shows teams that he can be a durable piece to their everyday lineup.
DESIGNATED HITTER
Trey Mancini – 30 Years old
Mancini by far the youngest of the remaining two options at the DH spot for clubs with Nelson Cruz (42 years Old) and Andrew McCutchen (38 Years Old) still looking for a team to take a chance on them. Mancini who entered the League with the Baltimore Orioles in 2016, saw his best years in the show from 2017 to 2019, as he hit 83 home runs, while driving in 233 runs. He sat out the 2020 season after receiving Cancer treatment and in 2021 he appeared in 147 games, while hitting 33 doubles, 21 home runs and 71 RBIs. Truly an amazing story and comeback player who beat the odds and played like he didn’t miss a beat. After starting the 2022 season with the Orioles, he was traded at the deadline to the Houston Astros and was able to end the season as a World Champion. Truly an inspiring story especially for what he endured in 2020. As long as Mancini remains healthy, he can still be a productive player for any team needing his services.
