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A number of teams (and their fanbases) have already turned their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking a look at the players who’ll be available at each position.
We’re moving to shortstop, where there is one guy clearly above the rest of the pack, though even he comes with notable question marks. The market behind him will be shaped by a couple of key option decisions. Ages listed are for the 2026 season.
Previous entries in this series: catcher, first base, second base, third base
Top of the Class
Bichette will hit free agency at a relatively young age and coming off a strong season at the plate. Apart from an injury-marred 2024, his offense has been consistently above average. Through the end of 2023, he had a .299/.340/.487 line and 126 wRC+. He has never drawn tons of walks but is also tough to strike out. He had a 143 wRC+ in his brief 2019 debut but then was in the 120-129 range in four straight seasons after that.
As mentioned, he struggled badly while playing through a number of injuries last year. The end result was a .225/.277/.322 line and 70 wRC+. This year, until recently, he was healthy and back to his old self. He finished 2025 with a .311/.357/.483 line and 134 wRC+.
There’s no doubting the bat but there are other questions. Bichette’s defense has never been highly rated. Defensive Runs Saved has given him a -19 grade in his career. Outs Above Average puts him at -32. His 2025 season resulted in -12 DRS and -13 OAA. Those numbers from this year were both last among shortstops.
Then there’s the health stuff. Bichette has dealt with lower body injuries in three straight seasons now. Right knee and quad injuries sent him to the injured list late in 2023. Last year, it was mostly his right calf which was causing him problems. This year, he suffered a sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a collision with Yankee catcher Austin Wells, as seen in this clip from MLB.com. He’s now been out more than a month, having missed the end of the regular season and all of Toronto’s postseason run so far.
In recent years, strong everyday shortstops like Willy Adames, Dansby Swanson, Javier Báez and Trevor Story have earned guarantees in the $140-$182MM range. Bichette is a better hitter than anyone in that group was when they hit free agency. He’s also a year younger than they all were. The questions about his defense and health should dock him somewhat but he should still have plenty of earning power. Perhaps not many clubs view him as a viable shortstop but the bat is good enough that it might not matter. Marcus Semien got $175MM to move to second base and Bichette could follow that path.
Two Big Option Decisions
Kim can opt out of the final year of his contract, which would mean leaving $16MM on the table. He isn’t coming off a great season, having hit just .234/.304/.345 for a wRC+ of 82. However, he is at least healthy. Last offseason, he got a two-year, $29MM guarantee even though he was recovering from shoulder surgery and was slated to miss the beginning of the season. He’s unlikely to secure a massive deal, but another two-year deal with an opt-out should be available to him, especially with so few viable alternatives on this list.
Prior to his shoulder surgery, he had a strong run with the Padres. From 2022 to 2024, he slashed .250/.336/.385 for a 106 wRC+ while stealing 72 bases and providing quality defense at various positions. FanGraphs credited him with 10.5 wins above replacement over those three seasons, a pace of 3.5 WAR annually. He didn’t immediately bounce back in 2025 but perhaps he can find a new gear now that he’s further removed from surgery.
Story is arguably in the inverse position of Kim. He had a better season in 2025 but has less of a case for opting out. He had roughly league average offense this year but that includes a slow start after three injury-marred years. Once he got in a groove, he stayed in it. He had a .216/.260/.326 line and 59 wRC+ through the end of May but then slashed .289/.334/.492 for a 124 wRC+ from June onwards. He also stole 31 bases on the year.
However, his defense was graded poorly and he is about to turn 33 years old. He has two years and $55MM left on his deal. Despite his strong season, his age and injury history may scare teams away from investing in him. He may be tempted to trigger the opt-out, as that forces the Sox to decide whether or not to keep him by triggering his 2028 club option. But since his contract looked like an albatross just a few months ago, the Sox might be happy to let him walk. They could try Marcelo Mayer at short and then use Story’s money to re-sign Alex Bregman or add pitching.
Multi-Positional Types
Castro had a solid few years with the Twins but his production cratered at the worst time. He slashed .251/.334/.395 for a 107 wRC+ over 2023 and 2024 while stealing 47 bases and bouncing all around the diamond. His numbers this year were right on that pace until he was traded to the Cubs. After the swap, he hit .170/.245/.240 for a wRC+ of 40. That awful finish will cut into his earning power and he’s not a strong enough defender to be an everyday shortstop anyway. But he can play there in a pinch while also being an option basically everywhere else. He doesn’t have a ton of juice but even light-hitting utility types have value. The Blue Jays gave Isiah Kiner-Falefa $15MM over two years heading into 2024, for instance, and IKF has never had an above-average offensive season.
Speaking of which, that two-year pact is about to expire, meaning IKF will be back out there again this winter. The Jays traded him to the Pirates last year but got him back via a waiver claim here in 2025. He hit .266/.302/.356 for a wRC+ of 84 over the course of the deal but was still worth 2.8 fWAR thanks to his 26 stolen bases and strong glovework at various positions. He’s currently getting a decent amount of playing time from a club on the doorstep of the World Series. It’s not the most exciting profile but IKF is a more viable defensive shortstop than Castro. Considering the lack of options on the market, someone should be able to find a role for him.
Rojas has said he plans to retire after 2026 and hopes that he can stay with the Dodgers for his final season. He’s been pretty solid in the past couple of years, hitting .273/.328/.404 for a 105 wRC+ while continuing to be a viable defender around the dirt. If it’s not with the Dodgers, some other club would be happy to utilize him in a similar bench/utility role.
Minor League Deal Candidates
