With the exception of Yasiel Puig, the last of the big-name free agents - Josh Donaldson, Nicholas Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna - have come off the shelf over the past couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean the cupboard is bare when it comes to finding help among the still-unemployed. While it's not likely that any of the remaining free-agent position players has an MVP-caliber or even All-Star-worthy season in store, teams can still find useful parts for their bench, or even their lineup, most likely at a bargain price.
Here are five such players, listed alphabetically:
Brian Dozier, 2B
After a pair of monster seasons in which he bashed a total of 76 home runs and was worth a combined 11.4 FanGraphs WAR in 2016 and 2017, Dozier's past two campaigns have been disappointments. He played most of the 2018 season with discomfort in his right knee stemming from a bone bruise suffered in April and aggravated in May. While his 2019 season was healthier and somewhat better, his final numbers were rather pedestrian (.238/.340/.430, 20 HR, 99 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR). That said, the campaign wasn't a total loss even if he was relegated to bystander status during the Nationals' championship run. Dozier dug his way out of a deep early-season hole, hitting .259/.370/.481 with 13 homers from June 1 onward.
Dozier is competent defensively, he can take a walk and he's still got power. Entering his age-33 season, he's exactly the type of veteran who increasingly has been getting squeezed in the job market, but he has a pretty good shot at being at least average in 2020 and should provide enough bang for the buck to be worth a one-year deal. He'd make sense in Boston or Texas if those teams have designs on contending, and frankly, he likely will outproduce Starlin Castro, who replaced him in Washington.
Matt Duffy, INF
Injuries have wrecked two of Duffy's past three seasons. He didn't play at the major league level at all in 2017 due to a left Achilles injury and was limited to 46 games last year due to a recurrent left hamstring injury that was linked to a back problem. He hit just .252/.343/.327 (88 wRC+) with one homer and -0.3 WAR in 169 plate appearances with the Rays. All of that might make him worth dismissing if not for his strong 2018, during which he hit .294/.361/.366 (107 wRC+) with four homers and 2.5 WAR. No, he's not the most power-oriented player in the game, and in fact rarely elevates the ball, but his combination of on-base skills, good defense (5.5 UZR/150 for his career at third base) and versatility (he has experience at second base and shortstop) makes him a useful bench piece.
Brock Holt, INF
Holt's defense at second base is solid enough for him to play there regularly, but versatility is his calling card; he can play all four infield positions as well as both outfield corners, not that you'd want him handling shortstop for more than a couple of days without coming up with a better solution. He has produced at an above-average clip in each of the past two seasons, with a .297/.369/.402 (103 wRC+) line and 1.3 WAR in just 295 plate appearances last year. While Holt was dreadful against lefties in 2019 (45 wRC+ in just 64 PA), he owns a 91 wRC+ against them for his career, compared to 94 against righties, which is to say that platoon splits shouldn't be a concern. Even with rosters expanding to 26 players in 2020, he can help make the most of a short bench.
Matt Joyce, OF
Joyce had a rather weird-looking stat line last year, in that he played 129 games for the Braves -- that after passing through the hands of the Indians and Giants in spring, and yeesh, look at the outfield production they got, particularly in the first half -- but made just 238 plate appearances. He started just 39 games (30 in right field, four in left, five as DH) but pinch hit 85 times; while he wasn't particularly good in the latter capacity, he nonetheless finished with an overall line of .295/.408/.450 with a 128 wRC+, seven home runs and a 16.8% walk rate. The 35-year-old lefty rarely hits against same-side pitching, but he's well-suited for a platoon, particularly as he has posted at least a 129 wRC+ against righties in three of the past four years and owns a 122 career mark against them. His defense isn't a selling point, but it won't kill you. He gave the Braves 1.2 WAR for the $1.25 million he made last year; surely some team can find room for a similar return this season.
Hunter Pence, OF/DH
After closing his run in San Francisco with two injury-wracked seasons that produced a combined 79 wRC+ and a net of 0.0 WAR in nearly 800 plate appearances, Pence appeared as though he might be done, but a remade swing, starting with a more upright stance and a less coiled load, paid major dividends, as did a move to the Rangers' hitter-friendly park in Arlington. Pence hit a robust .297/.358/.552 (128 wRC+) with 18 homers and 1.8 WAR (tops among all remaining free agents) in 316 plate appearances for Texas and even made the AL All-Star squad. Still, groin and lower-back strains limited Pence to just 83 games, none after Aug. 22, and the fact that he played just 24 games in the outfield may limit him to AL teams, particularly as he heads into his age-37 season. Still, he can help somebody, perhaps the Indians (who are 23rd in the FanGraphs depth chart rankings in right field) or even the Rangers, with whom he could share right field and DH duties with Shin-Soo Choo.