Could Brandon Drury Be a Team’s Best Option at Third Base?

You might be part of a fanbase that is constantly refreshing the newsfeed in hopes of an Alex Bregman update. Not only is Bregman a great player, but the free agent options at third base are, well, underwhelming. Gio Urshela and Josh Rojas are off the board, leaving Yoán Moncada as one of the last available options aside from Bregman.

We know what Urshela and Rojas are. We might not know what level of player Moncada can be, but we do know he’s often injured and inconsistent. This brings me to the bounce-back candidate that I keep coming back to, Brandon Drury.

Before I go any further, I need to make one thing clear. Drury had an absolutely abysmal 2024 season. In fact, his -2.1 fWAR ranks last among all individual Angels seasons of the past 30 years. His power dropped off, his defense worsened, and his swing flattened out.

Personally, however, I value a larger sample size and cannot just assume Drury’s days of being a productive player are behind him.

Drury’s Offense

Despite the dreadful season, I think Drury is the perfect buy-low candidate for a team with at-bats to give.

Early last season, Drury sustained a hamstring injury that kept creeping up again throughout the year. That could have played a role in his diminished production. In a contract year, Drury continued to play through the injury but ultimately was limited to just 97 games.

In that 97-game, injury-riddled season, Drury posted a .169/.242/.228 slash, good for a 34 wRC+. It was a far cry from the standard he had established over the two seasons prior.

As you can see, Drury was a different player in the two seasons prior to 2024. His quality of contact fell off a cliff, resulting in his power disappearing.

However, he was not chasing at more pitches out of the zone or swinging and missing at a higher rate. Do we really think his ability to impact a baseball disappeared overnight? I say no.

Even if his numbers from his peak are not the standard going forward, I would think Drury can, at the very least, provide value as a platoon bench option.

Across 910 plate appearances versus lefties in his career, Drury has posted a .744 OPS and .450 slugging percentage, making him a viable option against southpaws. Using him off the bench, in advantageous situations, might be the perfect recipe to get the most out of him.

It would be reasonable to that his injury played some role in his lack of production. Maybe it was just an off-year. Regardless of the reason, Drury has shown he can be a better player than he was with the Angels last season.

When you scan rosters across the league, you’ll find plenty of teams that could use a player who hit 26 home runs as recently as 2023.

Drury’s Defense

If the idea of an offensive bounceback doesn’t do it for you, how about versatility? Drury has the ability to play third, second, or first while also moonlighting as a shortstop or corner outfielder in a pinch.

At this point in his career, I’d say third, second, and first are his most likely fits. In 2022, his glove graded out around league average across the board. He posted 5 OAA at second in 2023.

Defensively, he’s useful enough to not just feel like a warm body in the field, but a respectable defender.

From a roster construction perspective, being a righty bat that can play around the infield makes Drury a quality bench player or stopgap starter. Even in his worst season (2024), he graded out just below average at second and first. He could be the kind of quality bench player who can fill in due to injury, poor performance, or a lefty on the mound.

No one is going to confuse Drury with a Gold Glover, but you can do much worse. I also think him getting more reps in the corner outfield can only help. While his arm might leave his new team wanting more, increasing his versatility would help him stick on a roster and make late-game decisions easier for his manager.

If he’s an option to play more outfield, several more lefty-heavy teams suddenly become a fit.

Contract and Fit

If you look at what is left on the free agent market, you won’t find many one-year options with more upside than Drury. Each comes with their own red flags, but I believe in one-year deals to fill out a roster instead of giving multi-year deals to questionable players.

I think a team can sign Drury on a prove-it deal for a few million and see if a healthy offseason helps him find his form. A one-year deal would also make him more manageable and attractive as a deadline trade candidate if that situation arises.

Any team that misses out on Bregman will need to pivot towards much weaker options. The same can be said for teams that whiff on Pete Alonso. While Drury is a fraction of the player, he does have two 25+ home run seasons recently and would come at a fraction of the price.

Would you rather have Anthony Rizzo, Ty France, Brendan Rodgers, or Paul DeJong? I think I would go with Drury. Ha-Seong Kim and Jorge Polanco should be higher priorities, but they’ll come at a higher price and likely on a multi-year deal.

If the Cardinals move Nolan Arrenado, they could look for some insurance behind Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Thomas Saggese. Drury could turn into a nice trade chip for a St. Louis team that is going down the rebuild path.

The Mariners could use a bat, especially if they move Dylan Moore or want competition for Ryan Bliss and Samad Taylor. The Nationals, Royals, and Tigers could also factor in depending on the rest of their offseasons.

As names start to come off the board and trades take place, I think Drury’s market will get some attention. You are not going to find many players with his production over the past few years readily available. Considering the terms and money it will likely take, there’s not a lot of risk and plenty of reward if all goes right.