With the regular season winding down, a number of teams (and their fanbases) are already starting to turn their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so its worth taking an early look at the players wholl be available on the open market. Weve already covered the and . Today, we move to the keystone. Its a weak infield cla s in general and thats reflected in the second base group. There are players at other positions who could ostensibly move to second base. Virtually every shortstop is capable of playing the le s demanding middle infield spot, for instance. Those players will be covered in future positional previous, though, so well limit this list to players who have logged some action at second base this season. Note: only players who have been on an MLB roster in 2023 are included. Ages listed are for the 2024 season . Potential Everyday Options (28) Rosario has been a shortstop for the bulk of his career, but the Dodgers have played him more frequently at second base since adding him at the deadline. One of the youngest players in the entire free agent cla s, Rosario hits the market coming off a down year. He was a roughly league average hitter from 2021-22 but has slumped to a .261/.302/.377 line over 516 plate appearances. Hes hitting for more power in Los Angeles than he had in Cleveland largely because the Dodgers have more selectively deployed him in favorable platoon situations but has reached base at just a .288 clip with L.A. The righty-swinging Rosario has performed well against left-handed pitching throughout his career. Hes a well below-average offensive player versus righties. Some teams may prefer to keep him in more of a short side platoon role, but the middle infield cla s is weak enough that he figures to land an everyday job somewhere. Public metrics pegged Rosario as one of the sports worst defensive shortstops; he has rated more favorably at second base, though its tough to put much stock in a 153-inning sample. (35) Merrifields contract contains an $18MM mutual option with a $500K buyout. The Jays are very likely to decline their end, sending the veteran back to free agency. A three-time All-Star and two-time hits leader, Merrifield is one of the games better contact hitters. While hes no longer performing at peak level, he owns a solid .281/.324/.396 slash with 11 homers through 549 plate appearances. He has kept his strikeouts to a modest 16.6% clip. Hes a fine defender at second base and can play the corner outfield. The league has increasingly devalued the hit-first second base profile to which Merrifield belongs, however. Players like (over two years) and (one year) received annual salaries in the $8MM 8.5MM range last offseason. Merrifields platform year is more in line with Seguras than Fraziers, so he has a decent case for a two-year pact despite his age. (32) Speaking of Frazier, he has rebounded somewhat from his down 2022 campaign. After hitting .238/.301/.311 a season ago, he owns a .248/.304/.415 slash through 409 plate appearances with the Orioles this year. His 13 home runs are a career high, and while he has added a moderate amount of swing-and-mi s as a tradeoff, hes still keeping his strikeouts to a tidy 13.4% clip. Yet Fraziers overall production has hovered around replacement level this year, largely thanks to a sharp drop in his defensive metrics. While Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast had each rated him as an average or slightly above-average second baseman for the majority of his career, theyve soured on his work in 2023. Statcast metrics indicate that Frazier has particularly struggled on balls hit up the middle, perhaps related to a drop in his throwing velocities from the keystone. Whether teams feel thats a blip or a more worrisome indication of dwindling athleticism as he gets into his 30s could determine whether he matches last winters $8MM deal. Multi-Positional Types (35) Andrus has gotten into 98 games for the White Sox this season. It hasnt gone all that well, as hes hitting .251/.311/.353 with five longballs acro s 355 plate appearances. Thats more in line with the numbers he Ed Davis Jersey posted from 2018-21, making last years 17-homer showing look like a blip. Andrus is still a good baserunner and can play either middle infield spot, but hes better suited for a utility role than regular playing time at this stage of his career. (32) Hernndez had a brutal start to the season, struggling to adjust to the Red Sox pushing him into regular shortstop run. He is better suited for the utility role hes played throughout his career, logging most of his action at second base or in center field. The right-handed hitter was amidst a second straight well below-average offensive season when Boston traded him to the Dodgers a couple weeks before the deadline. He has turned things around in Southern California, hitting .266/.331/.435 in 139 plate appearances since the swap. The Dodgers acquired Hernndez in hopes of bolstering their production against left-handed pitching, but hes been far better against righties than lefties in that minuscule post-trade sample. (32) Kemp is a contact-hitting second baseman who can also play left field. He was a solid regular for the As from 2021-22 before a down 23 campaign. Hes hitting just .214/.309/.307 acro s 389 trips to the dish this season. Thats in large part a reflection of an unsustainably poor .227 average on balls in play. Kemp has excellent plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills; hes one of just four players ( , and being the others) with 300+ plate appearances and more walks than strikeouts. It seems likely hell find a guaranteed big league opportunity as a result. (36) After barely playing in the majors between 2015-18, Solano has surprisingly put together a five-year run as an above-average hitter late in his career. He has continued on that trajectory for the Twins this season, putting up a .290/.376/.409 line over 402 trips to the plate. Solano is a bat-first utility option who can play either corner infield spot or second base. Even at age 36, he continues to produce and should earn himself a raise on this years $2MM salary. Utility/Depth Players (31) Alberto got into 30 games for the White Sox, hitting .220/.261/.390 in 90 trips to the plate. The right-handed hitter hasnt caught on since being released by Chicago in early June. (28) A one-time top prospect, Daz is a .177/.267/.274 hitter at the big league level. He has spent the majority of the last two seasons in Triple-A, appearing in eight MLB games this year between the Giants and Tigers. Detroit released him a few weeks ago. (33) Duffy cracked the Royals roster out of camp after signing a minor league deal. The well-traveled infielder has spent the entire season on the big league club. Hes hitting .254/.309/.312 over 188 trips to the plate, picking up scattered starts at each of first, second and third base. (35) Escobar has mostly split his playing time between third and second base. The switch-hitting veteran is wrapping up the second season of a two-year free agent pact that didnt turn out as the Mets had envisioned. Escobar was surpa sed on the depth chart by early in the season. The Mets dealt him to the Angels at a time when the Halos were still pushing to compete and decimated by infield injuries. The trade hasnt worked out, as Escobar is hitting .229/.268/.333 with a 28.1% strikeout rate over 47 games in Orange County. (36) Harrison posted a .204/.263/.291 batting line over 41 games with the Phillies this year. Released shortly after the trade deadline, he spent some time in the Rangers system but didnt crack the Texas roster. Harrison opted out of his deal with Texas in late August and has been unsigned since then. (30) After an early-career run as the Rangers starting second baseman, Odor has played for four clubs since 2020. Hes been a below-average hitter at every stop, showing some power but running consistently low on-base marks. Odor got into 59 games for the Padres this year, putting up a .203/.299/.355 slash before being released in July. He hasnt signed elsewhere. (32) A former All-Star, Schoop has hit .204/.248/.311 going back to the start of 2022. While he played Gold Glove caliber defense for the Tigers a season ago, the complete lack of offensive production led Detroit to release him around the All-Star Break. The 11-year MLB veteran hasnt signed anywhere since, though he is yet to turn 32 and could still find minor league interest if he wants to give it another go. (33) Wong had a brutal few months as a Mariner, hitting .165/.241/.227 over 67 games. Seattle released their offseason trade pickup at the beginning of August. Hes playing out the stretch with the Dodgers, getting selected to the MLB roster as part of September expansion after initially inking a minor league deal. Wongs defensive marks have fallen from his Gold Glove peak and he has been one of the least effective hitters in the majors this year. Yet he was an above-average offensive performer just a season ago, when he hit .251/.339/.430 over 497 plate appearances for Milwaukee. Player Options (39) Turner is a near-lock to head back to free agency. His contract with the Red Sox contains a $13.4MM player option with a hefty $6.7MM buyout. With a buyout worth half the option value, it should be an easy call for the two-time All-Star to head back to free agency. Hed surely beat the $6.7MM difference on his next deal. Clubs probably wont view Turner as an everyday second base option going into his age-39 season. He has logged 49 innings there this season, though, showing the ability to moonlight up the middle in addition to his more extensive work at the corner infield spots. The team that signs Turner is doing so for his bat, as the consistent veteran owns a .285/.355/.480 slash with 23 homers over 561 trips to the dish. Club Options (30) Its unlikely Polanco will get to the open market. The Twins hold a $10.5MM option for next season with a $1MM buyout. The $9.5MM difference is strong value for a quality bat-first middle infielder. The switch-hitting Polanco owns a .260/.341/.461 line on the season. While injuries have kept him to 290 plate appearances, its the third straight year in which hes been a well above-average hitter on a rate basis. Polanco would be the best player in the second base cla s if he were available. Barring a major injury, he probably wont be. * All stats entering play Tuesday Karl-Anthony Towns Jersey