February Free Agent Watch: Useful Role Players Available to a Good Home

If you were looking to reunite the 2019 Yankees for some reason, you could get a jump on rounding them up using our Free Agent Tracker. Based on our Depth Charts projected WAR for the upcoming season, four of the top 10 unsigned position players logged playing time with that 2019 squad, which in that season of the juiced ball hit more homers (306) than all but two teams in major league history. That tally of free agents doesn’t even include DJ LeMahieu, whom they released last summer and still owe $15 million for 2026. Several other Yankees of more recent vintage dot the list as well. Does everybody else know something that Brian Cashman doesn’t?

Perhaps, but that’s outside the scope of this article, and you’re going to have to wait a few paragraphs for those names. With the calendar having flipped to February, and pitchers, catchers, and World Baseball Classic-participating position players all due to report to spring training next week, it’s worth taking a look at the most notable free agents still searching for landing spots. Just one of the position players still available cracked our Top 50 Free Agents list, but several of the others are capable role players. I’ll take a look at the best of them here, and round up the pitchers — a group that includes three starters from our Top 50, including fourth-ranked Framber Valdez — in my next installment.

I’ll generally be working in order from highest projected WAR to lowest, though I’ve grouped some of these players — generally the ones coming off a combination of injuries and subpar performances — at the end. And yes, I’ll get to those 2019 Yankees along the way.

Marcell Ozuna, DH (1.5 projected WAR)

The 35-year-old Ozuna placed 31st on our list after a season in which his performance took a drastic nosedive. After totaling 7.9 WAR with 79 home runs and hitting for a 148 wRC+ in 2023–24 for the Braves, he slipped to 1.2 WAR, 21 homers, and a 114 wRC+ (.232/.355/.400). It’s not hard to find indicators of his collapse, from declining bat speed (averages of 74.0 mph in 2024, 72.9 in ’25), exit velocity (from 92.2 mph to 89.9), and quality of contact (from a .402 xwOBA to .351) to a spike in walk rate (from 10.8% to 15.9%, third in the majors behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto) as he drastically cut back his swing rate (from 46.8% to 39.4%).

All of those changes are interconnected, and all but the bat speed dip ranked among the four largest in the majors. It’s no mystery as to why, because in June the Braves revealed that Ozuna was playing through a tear in his right hip labrum. “I’ve been kind of slow because I don’t want to rotate, because my hip is kind of shut down a little bit. I had a tear (in the) right hip, so I just… keep battling. I’m trying to help my team,” Ozuna said at the time. He still played in 145 games, though for the second year in a row didn’t log a single inning in the field. He didn’t undergo offseason surgery, so it’s not hard to surmise that teams are looking for an indication that he’s ready to roll. This weekend’s signing of Eugenio Suárez shook loose a report that the Pirates are interested in adding Ozuna to their lineup, which is much improved but could still use more thump. Other contenders who could benefit from an upgrade at DH include the Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Padres, but even if he signs with a non-contender, he could be flipped at the deadline.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B (0.9 projected WAR)

After shoring up his Hall of Fame credentials during a six-year run with the Cardinals, Goldschmidt spent last year with the Yankees on a one-year, $12.5 million pillow contract. While trading power for contact, he started the season hot, batting a sizzling .338/.394/.495 (148 wRC+) with six home runs and a 15.1% strikeout rate through the end of May, but thereafter he hit just .226/.277/.333 (69 wRC+) with four homers and a 21.5% strikeout rate.

During that skid, Goldschmidt lost playing time to Ben Rice, starting just five of the Yankees’ final 20 regular season games against righties. That’s understandable, given that he hit just .247/.289/.329 (74 wRC+) against them, compared to .336/.411/.570 (169 wRC+) against lefties. As he heads into his age-38 season, a reduced role as a platoon bat with solid defense is probably the way forward. The Cubs’ Michael Busch, the Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz, the Guardians’ Kyle Manzardo, and the Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino all stand out as lefty-swinging first basemen whose teams would benefit by pairing them with a reliable lefty-masher.

Ramón Urías, 3B/2B (0.9 projected WAR)

From 2021–24, Urías was a reliable part-time contributor in the Orioles infield, racking up about 350 plate appearances per season and hitting for a 107 wRC+ (.260/.327/.405) without dipping below 98 during that span. He fell off last year, setting across-the-board career worsts while batting .241/.292/.384 (87 wRC+) for the Orioles and Astros, losing seven points of wRC+ in September alone as he slumped and lost playing time. He still played strong enough defense at second and third base that his 1.1 WAR actually exceeded his 2024 mark (0.9), which he accrued while posting a 114 wRC+ — though to be fair, he did take an additional 90 plate appearances in ’25. He’s not somebody you’d want playing every day, but he’s got some pop (11 home runs in each of the past two seasons), versatility, and platoon value as well, as he’s hit for a 121 wRC+ against lefties over the past two seasons.

Nathaniel Lowe, 1B (0.8 projected WAR)

If you prefer a lefty-swinging first baseman at this juncture, Lowe is your best bet. From 2021–24 with the Rangers, he was a reliable regular, averaging 2.7 WAR per year while batting a combined .274/.359/.432 (124 wRC+). Traded to the Nationals in December 2024, his production cratered; he hit just .216/.292/.373 (86 wRC+) through 119 games before being released in mid-August. He quickly caught on with the Red Sox, who had cycled through several first baseman in the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending knee injury, and after making some adjustments to his setup — moving a few inches closer to the plate, closing up his stance slightly, shortening his stride a bit — Lowe hit a much more representative .280/.370/.420 (114 wRC+) in 34 games. Though he still had one one more year of arbitration eligibility, the Red Sox DFA’d and then released him in November in order to add several players to the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft.

Historically, the 30-year-old Lowe has held his own against lefties and played pretty solid defense — he even won a Gold Glove in 2023, though he was just three runs above average by both DRS and FRV — but he did neither last year. After putting up a 121 wRC+ against lefties from 2021–24 (compared to 125 against righties), he slipped to .168/.240/.265 (41 wRC+) with a 29.8% strikeout rate in 171 plate appearances against them; the Red Sox gave him only 18 plate appearances in that context. He also slipped to four runs below average by both DRS and FRV. He could still be a fit for a team like the Marlins, whose projected platoon of righty Christopher Morel and lefty Graham Pauley ranks 29th in our Depth Charts projections, and there are a few other notable teams within the bottom five of those rankings — namely the Diamondbacks, Brewers, and Padres — whose lefties are weighing them down as well.

Gary Sánchez, C (0.8 projected WAR)

Finally, we get to the first of those 2019 Yankees! Sánchez logged just 30 games last year with the Orioles due to inflammation in his right wrist and a sprain of the posterior collateral ligament in his right knee; when available, he hit .231/.297/.418 (100 wRC+) with five home runs in 101 plate appearances, right in line with his .220/.307/.392 (97 wRC+) with 11 homers in 280 plate appearances for the Brewers in 2024. He’s got pop — his projected .426 slugging percentage is the second highest among this group of unsigned players, while his .201 ISO is first — but his defense has fallen off, though I’d be wary of reading too much into last year’s metrics from 175 1/3 innings behind the plate. As backup catchers who can occasionally DH go, he’s got his uses.

Miguel Andujar, OF/3B (0.8 projected WAR)

Another 2019 Yankee! Andujar finished second in the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting after bopping 27 homers and putting up 3.9 WAR, but a torn labrum in his right shoulder cost him all but 12 games of his sophomore campaign, and between injuries and inconsistency, he never regained a foothold in their lineup. He’s bounced around of the past few seasons, and while splitting last year — his age-30 season — between the A’s and Reds, he hit .318/.352/.470 (125 wRC+) with 10 homers in 341 plate appearances. Admittedly, those numbers were so far ahead of his .261 xBA and .373 xSLG that he topped the leaderboards in terms of his overperformance relative to both metrics. While his numbers are propped up by a few cheap home runs down the left field line, he’s not exactly a poor man’s Isaac Paredes; his 15.3% pulled air rate was below both the major league average (16.7%) and his own rate from his rookie campaign (22.7%). If he could get back to elevating the ball with greater consistency, he might sustain this rebound to some degree. His small-sample defensive metrics at third base and left field are brutal, but as a DH who can fake it at a corner spot occasionally, he’s worth a look.

Mike Tauchman, OF (0.7 projected WAR)

Tauchman established himself at the major league level with a strong showing for the 2019 Yankees, then flopped the following two years. He then spent 2022 in the KBO, where he posted .289/.366/.430 line and rebuilt his value enough to return to the majors after a year abroad. He signed on with the Cubs in January 2023, and after a pair of solid seasons on the North Side — during which he hit a combined .250/.360/.372 (109 wRC+) with 15 homers, 13 steals, and 2.7 WAR in 751 plate appearances — he moved across town to the White Sox last year, and performed similarly (.263/.356/.400, 115 wRC+). His nine homers (in 385 PA) was his highest total since 2019, while his 1.4 WAR is the highest mark of any position player still unsigned at this writing. Unfortunately, his season ended on a down note, as a torn meniscus in his right knee — likely sustained in late July — shut him down in late September and led to surgery.

The lefty-swinging Tauchman, who turned 35 in December, doesn’t hit the ball all that hard, but he’s got excellent plate discipline, plays solid defense, and is pretty much platoon-neutral. He could help many teams as a fourth outfielder; late last year, he said he wanted to return to the White Sox, but it’s OK to hope that better options arise.

The Rest

A small handful of free agents projected for 0.7 or 0.8 WAR also caught my eye, but each underperformed during the 2025 season while also missing substantial time due to injuries, which helps to explain why they’re still on the market. Consider this the lightning round.

Second baseman Thairo Estrada — yes, another 2019 Yankee, I wasn’t kidding — totaled 6.3 WAR with a 103 wRC+ and good defense for the Giants in 2022–23. Injuries to both wrists and other body parts have limited him to 135 games and a 65 wRC+ since then, including just 36 games for the Rockies last year. He’s still just 30 years old and should fit somewhere.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins was a genuine thumper for the Phillies, hitting .242/.353/.492 (126 wRC+) from 2017–22 before missing all of ’23 due to a torn left ACL. He’s spent the past two seasons getting the bulk of the playing time at first base for the Brewers, but was limited to 90 games and a .237/.332/.416 (109 wRC+) line with 12 homers last year, missing two months with a sprained left thumb. During his absence, he was nosed out of a job by midseason acquisition Andrew Vaughn, and the Brewers declined their end of an $18 million mutual option in November.

Infielder Luis Rengifo, who turns 29 on February 26, was enjoying a breakout age-27 season season in 2024 (.300/.347/.417, 118 wRC+, 1.5 WAR in 78 games) when a right wrist injury derailed him in early July, prompting him to undergo season-ending surgery for the second straight year; his 2023 season was cut short by a ruptured left biceps tendon in early September. Though he played 147 games last year, he hit a dismal .238/.287/.335 (73 wRC+) with zero WAR. He’s a solid defender at second, shakier at third base, and able to spot in the outfield as well, so I’d expect him to catch on somewhere. If returning from wrist surgery was at least partly responsible for his putrid performance at the plate, he could be a good buy-low option now that he’s a year removed from the procedure.

Despite meager performances for the Mets since being acquired from the Nationals ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, 32-year-old lefty-swinging outfielder/DH Jesse Winker became something of a fan favorite for his high-energy style. An oblique strain and lower back inflammation limited him to 26 games and a .229/.309/.400 (95 wRC+) performance last year before he was shut down in early September, but he owns a 120 wRC+ for his career. Winker could be a solid option for teams looking for a strong-side platoon bat. He’s a career .274/.376/.460 (128 wRC+) hitter vs. righties, compared to his .210/.323/.340 (88 wRC+) line against southpaws.

I’ll be back with the pitches in my next roundup.