At first of the offseason, MLBTR took a have a look at the Prime 50 Free Brokers for this offseason. There have been a handful of gamers that we thought of for the record however who simply missed, getting relegated to the Honorable Mentions part. A kind of was Max Kepler.
Kepler, 32 in February, is a man who does plenty of issues effectively however doesn’t actually stand out in anyone explicit space. On offense, he has a little bit of pop however not an excessive amount of. He did hit 36 dwelling runs in 2019, however in hindsight, he could have been one of many beneficiaries of the juiced ball season. His profession excessive other than that’s 24. His strikeout charge normally finishes someplace within the neighborhood of 20%, with a profession charge of 18.6%. League common is normally within the 22-23% vary on this period of baseball. His 9.7% stroll charge can be a bit higher than par, which is commonly 8-9%.
Put that every one collectively and Kepler has a .237/.318/.429 profession batting line and 102 wRC+, indicating he’s been 2% higher than league common total. He’s been a bit higher over the previous six seasons, with a .240/.320/.436 line and 107 wRC+. He might maybe get these numbers up if shielded from lefties extra usually, as he has hit .243/.326/.452 towards righties in his profession for a 111 wRC+, in comparison with a .221/.292/.363 line and 78 wRC+ towards lefties.
Defensively, his contributions have been fairly robust. In over 7,000 proper area innings, he has accrued 48 Defensive Runs Saved and 57 Outs Above Common. From 2016 to the current, he’s really the MLB chief in Outs Above Common in proper area with 57, simply forward of Mookie Betts and his 54. DRS likes Betts way more, giving him 129 for that very same timeframe, however Kepler is fourth behind Betts, Aaron Choose and Jason Heyward.
Kepler additionally has over 1,000 innings in heart area with optimistic scores there as effectively. No membership goes to signal him as a main heart fielder now, given his age and that he hasn’t performed there since 2022, however maybe some groups would think about him an emergency possibility there.
These varied components mix to make a man who doesn’t overwhelm but in addition not often disappoints. FanGraphs has by no means given him greater than 3.9 wins above substitute in a season, which was his aforementioned 36-homer season. In any other case, his profession excessive is 2.8 fWAR. However he has 9 straight seasons of being value at the very least 1.0 fWAR, with seven of these 1.5 or greater, six value at the very least 1.8 and 5 value at the very least 2 wins.
What’s working towards Kepler is that he simply wrapped up a poor stroll 12 months. His missed time resulting from points in each of his knees, moving into simply 105 video games and hitting solely eight dwelling runs. His 5.5% stroll charge was a profession worst by a number of share factors. His nonetheless racked up 4 OAA however DRS had him at precisely league common. As a result of that tough platform, the MLBTR employees felt Kepler can be restricted to a one-year deal within the $6-10MM vary.
What might work for Kepler is that the market isn’t overflowing along with his mixture of abilities. Wanting on the lefty-swinging free brokers, Juan Soto is clearly miles above the sector. Change-hitters Anthony Santander and Jurickson Profar are each coming off good years on the plate however each are thought of poor defenders. Joc Pederson is a lefty who crushes the ball however he’s additionally unhealthy within the area and was restricted strictly to designated hitter duties in 2024. Hyeseong Kim is anticipated to be a light-hitting utility man on the MLB stage. Michael Conforto is probably the closest free agent to Kepler available on the market, although barely inverted. Conforto’s offense and protection have each been near league common lately, however along with his bat barely extra enticing than his glove.
For golf equipment searching for a lefty-swinger who can play the sector with out destroying the lineup, there aren’t too many choices. On prime of that, Kepler shouldn’t price an excessive amount of. His 2024 was tough however the 12 months prior noticed him hit 24 dwelling runs and slash .260/.332/.484 for a 123 wRC+ and a pair of.8 fWAR. He might maybe enchantment to contenders or rebuilding golf equipment that might hope for him to bounce again and switch himself right into a commerce candidate. Groups just like the Mets, Mariners, Blue Jays, Padres, Pirates, Rockies, Marlins and others are attainable touchdown spots.
