Former Kansas City Royals infielder Ben Zobrist still hasn’t signed as a free agent this winter. But it’s looking more and more like Zobrist will end up signing in the very near future. According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Zobrist’s market is “likely to become more defined” this week.
Sources: Zobrist market likely to become more defined in next few days. Willingness to guarantee fourth year likely will be deciding factor.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2015
And there is no shortness of suitors for Zobrist’s services. Rosenthal listed three of his top pursuers, and all are in the NL East – the Mets, Nationals, and Braves.
Zobrist #Mets’ No. 1 target, sources say. #Nationals also in, along with #Braves, #SFGiants, others. #Royals not expected to offer same $$$.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2015
The 34-year old Zobrist has played every position on the diamond aside from pitcher and catcher over his ten seasons in the majors, but his primary position has been second base, where he’s played 4,825 1/3 innings (more than twice as much as his second most-played position, right field). All three of the aforementioned NL East teams have potential openings at second base.
The Mets seem content to let playoff hero Daniel Murphy walk as a free agent following a regular season in which he hit .281/.322/.449 with 14 homers. Murphy declined the Mets’ qualifying offer this winter, and since Zobrist comes without draft pick compensation, he’s arguably a better value overall. Washington gave most of their playing time at second base this season to Danny Espinosa, who bounced back to hit .240/.311/.409 with 13 homers, but he was simply wretched offensively in both 2013 and 2014.
And then, there are the Braves. According to Rosenthal, Atlanta’s interest isn’t just based on what Zobrist can do on the field, but also how he can help the Braves off the field. BRING ON THE VETERAN PRESENCE!!!
#Braves’ interest in Zobrist apparently stems from desire for him to serve as model for younger players as they enter new ballpark in ’17.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 29, 2015
The Braves *could* use an upgrade at second, even ignoring the ridiculous qualifiers about the intangibles Zobrist could bring to the team. Atlanta’s primary second baseman in 2015 was rookie Jace Peterson, who scuffled his way to a .239/.314/.335 line, homering just six times and stealing 12 bases at an unsightly 54.5% clip. The 25-year old could be an important contributor in the future, but Zobrist would definitely represent an upgrade in the short term. He could also end up filling in across the diamond for the Braves, who don’t really have any contributors locked in to third base, left field, and center field.
Zobrist has an interesting skillset – he’s a plus defender, a versatile player, doesn’t strike out much, always walks at a solid clip, and has decent power. He didn’t really show any signs of slowing down in 2015 at age 34 with the A’s and Royals, hitting .276/.359/.450 with 13 homers, 62 walks, and 56 strikeouts while playing second, third, left, and right field. The switch hitter also continued his career-long pattern of bludgeoning lefties, hitting .329/.409/.517 in 171 plate appearances.
Because of all this demand, Zobrist is likely going to get that fourth year he desires, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the average annual value of his contract exceeds $12 million. He made just $7.5 million in 2015, the final year of an option-laden four-year deal he signed with the Royals in 2010. Now poised to cash in, Zobrist won’t come cheaply this winter.
