Top 5 MLB Free Agent Second Basemen For 2025

Image credit: Brandon Lowe (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

October baseball is in the air, meaning the offseason isn’t far behind. We’re identifying the top MLB free agents teams could target this winter by taking a data-driven approach to this year’s crop of players. We will release new position groups in the coming days.

Below, you can find our breakdown of the top 10 free agent first basemen and designated hitters in the 2025 class, including three-year season averages in several key metrics.

Our list leverages work from MLB Trade Rumors for the list of free agents, as well as FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Reference for player win values above baseline, Baseball Savant and Baseball Prospectus for defensive data and FanGraphs for all other data. We encourage our readers and subscribers to consider subscribing to FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus as well.

SEE THE LIST

1. Brandon Lowe

Lowe delivers every year—outside of a injury plagued 2022—posting a wRC+ of at least 114 in each season dating back to his rookie campaign in 2018. He hits the ball quite hard, with 60 to 65 grade raw power based on his exit velocities. And he does it with an optimized launch angle approach that allows him to hit a lot of home runs, as evidenced by a 30-homer pace in three of his last four seasons. Health is always a concern, but when he’s on the field, he produces. Lowe’s subpar 78% zone contact rate will hold him back from posting a good batting average, but he’s a legit power bat, despite his smaller frame and 75th percentile bat speed.

Lowe looks poised to sign a lucrative deal, and would be a target for a team with a plan to keep him healthy. If a team can get 150 games out of Lowe, he is probably a three-win player or better.

2. Gleyber Torres

So much for the theory that players perform better in their walk year. Everything about Torres’ game took a step back, notably in his exit velocity and defensive metrics. Losing two mph of top-end exit velocities, as well as trending down defensively, is a worrisome sign for a such a young player. He also appears to have lost some arm strength, going from 70th percentile in 2021 all the way down to 7th percentile this season, per Baseball Savant.

The question with Torres is if this is all because of an undisclosed injury or due to athletic decline. Not all players follow the traditional aging curve and have a graceful decline into their late thirties. Torres has a long track record of success, and he could either be an absolute bargain due to his poor season this year or a terrible contract if he’s taken a step back athletically.

3. Jorge Polanco

Lowe and Torres are the clear-cut upper tier of this free agency class, however, a player like Polanco is probably more likely to return positive value for the team that signs him. While his 90th percentile exit velocity would suggest he’s on the decline, his other exit velocity metrics are quite stable, and he’s always been able to hit the ball in the air. Although his wRC+ and surface stats point to a very poor hitting season, his process-based metrics, such as DRC+, point to a batter with near-league-average run creation. His 19th percentile bat speed is a touch concern given his age and lack of elite power, but he’s posted a wRC+ above league average every season except 2020 and 2017.

If we dig a little deeper, we see a batter who still shows the ability to hunt the fastball. He is swinging at in-zone fastballs at an above average clip, while also avoiding chasing all pitch types. If he can recapture some bat speed, he could be a steal in free agency.

4. Brandon Drury

Oof. Can we just pretend this year never happened? Drury has been one of the more consistent bats over the prior three season, but has had a season to forget.

Digging a little deeper, we see that Drury still looks like a quality player based on his underlying metrics. He shows good discipline, a well-above-average ability to make contact when he does chase non-fastballs and top-end exit velocities that are still above-average. Missing in 2024 was his ability to optimize that contact, as his average launch angle collapsed from a league-average 11.8 degrees to roughly six degrees this year. This suggests a player who can still contribute, but just couldn’t overcome a myriad of injuries. A healthy Drury would potentially rank ahead of Torres, if we ignore the age difference.

5. Whit Merrifield

Whit’s probably better than what most teams have readily available to call up and play second base, but he’ll be 36 years old on opening day and his ability to impact the ball has cratered. He won’t hurt the team that signs him, but he’s not going to help them very much either.