A look at Eduardo Nunez’s free agent profile.
With 2018 upon us, many of the MLB’s top free agent have yet to find homes, in what has been without a doubt one of the slowest hot stove seasons in recent memory. Today, we look at the free agent case for super utility player Eduardo Nunez, as he attempts to find a new home.
Nunez, 30, came up with the New York Yankees in 2010 at the age of 20. As a minor leaguer, Nunez was a top prospect and was projected by many in the Yankees front office as the successor to Derek Jeter at shortstop. In 270 games in New York from 2010-2013, Nunez was unable to stick around as a regular, hitting .267/.313/.379, with 10 HR, 76 RBI, 201 hits, 102 runs, and 48 stolen bases. Despite his defensive versatility today, Nunez struggled to find a defensive home with the Yankees, topping out with a .953 fielding percentage at shortstop during the 2013 season, and a .944 fielding percentage at third base in 2010. In total, between second base, shortstop, third base, and the outfield, Nunez made 42 errors, which equated to an error every 6.43 games with the Yankees.
After losing out on a utility infielder position with the Yankees during spring training, Nunez was designated for assignment and later traded to the Minnesota Twins on April 7, 2014. From 2014-2015 with the Twins, Nunez appeared to be nothing more than a utility infielder, appearing in 144 games, and hitting .265/.299/.406 with 8 HR, 44 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. However, Nunez was finally made an everyday player with the Twins and broke out by hitting .296/.325/.439 with 12 HR, 47 RBI, and 27 SB in 91 games en route to his first All-Star appearance. After being traded to the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline, Nunez finished 2016 with a final line of .288/.325/.432, with a career-high 16 HR, 67 RBI, 40 SB, and 73 runs scored.
The starting third baseman for the Giants heading into 2017, Nunez excelled in the first half, appearing in 76 games and hitting .308/.334/.417 with 4 HR, 31 RBI, and 18 SB. For the second year in a row, Nunez was moved at the trade deadline, this time to the Boston Red Sox. Upon moving to the Red Sox, Nunez took over the leadoff spot for the AL East contender and improved upon his first half, hitting .321/.353/.539 with 8 HR, 27 RBI, and six stolen bases in 38 games. For the season, Nunez hit .313/.341.,460 with 12 HR, 58 RBI, 33 2B, and 24 SB, setting new career highs in doubles, AVG, SLG, and OBP.
Coming off of the best two seasons of his career and in the middle of the prime of his career at age 30, Nunez represents an interesting free agent case. In his eight years in the MLB, he has only played over 100 games three times; 112 games in 2011, 114 games last season, and a career-high 141 games in 2016. Additionally, Nunez, a career .282 hitter, does come with a career .320 OBP, a low mark for a player whose game revolves around his speed.
However, Nunez does represent a unique blend of speed and power, having averaged 14 HR and 32 stolen bases over the past two seasons. While he is still not great at any one position, Nunez is still incredibly versatile in the field, having appeared at second base, shortstop, third base, and both corner outfield positions this season.
With Zack Cozart, an infielder coming off of a career year offensively and with a strong defensive reputation, having signed with a three-year, $38 million contract with the Angels earlier this offseason, it can be expected that Nunez will get something in the range of three-years, $30-36 million from potential suitors. While Nunez could receive offers from a variety of teams, if I was his agent, I would pursue a deal with the club where it all began: the New York Yankees.
Currently, the Yankees had openings at second and third base, with Ronald Torreyes and top prospect Gleyber Torres expected to fill the positions. With Nunez, the Yankees could fill either hole, allowing Torres more time to develop in the minor leagues if needed, or allowing Torreyes to return to the utility infield role where he thrived in 2017. Additionally, Nunez does has his highest career fielding percentage of any infield position (.971) at second base, and would provide the Yankees with speed in what is projected to be a power-heavy lineup. Even if it is only for one or two seasons, a reunion with Eduardo Nunez could make a ton of sense for the Yankees in 2018.
