State of play: NL first baseman

Taking a look at which NL teams will need to upgrade first base this offseason.

By Connor Moylan Nov 11, 2013, 9:00am EST

The free agent market at first base is thin this offseason, with few starting-caliber players available to sign. There are still some solid platoon and role players who will be looking to help a new team in 2014.

Most NL teams appear to have a starting first baseman lined up for next season, but some could still use a new starter or an extra bat off the bench. The current state of NL first basemen is listed below, with players slotted at the position they would likely field if their respective teams made zero changes during the offseason.

Team	Starting 1B	Next in line	Comments
Atlanta Braves	Freddie Freeman	Joey Terdoslavich	Freeman turned in the best campaign of his young career, batting .319/.396/.501. He will be arbitration eligible for the first time this winter.
Miami Marlins	Logan Morrison	Greg Dobbs	Morrison missed nearly half the season with knee injuries and struggled when healthy. Mark Canha could get the chance to prove himself in the majors during 2014.
New York Mets	Ike Davis	Josh Satin	Lucas Duda, Wilmer Flores and Daniel Murphy could all see playing time at first base in New York next season. The Mets may move one of their first basemen during the offseason.
Philadelphia Phillies	Ryan Howard	Kevin Frandsen	Darin Ruf could also serve as a platoon partner for Howard. Philadelphia still owes him $75 million over the next three seasons.
Washington Nationals	Adam LaRoche	Tyler Moore	LaRoche regressed after a strong 2012 season, one of many Nationals players who disappointed in 2013. Scott Hairston could also platoon with LaRoche at first.
Chicago Cubs	Anthony Rizzo	Mike Olt	Olt may start at third base, which could shift Luis Valbuena to a utility role. Rizzo will see the lion's share of playing time at first base, regardless of who backs him up.
Cincinnati Reds	Joey Votto	Neftali Soto	Soto could be a trade target for a team looking for a first base upgrade. Votto led the NL with a .435 OBP last season.
Milwaukee Brewers	Juan Francisco	Sean Halton	The Brewers may re-sign Corey Hart, who missed the entire 2013 season recovering from knee surgery. Milwaukee first basemen combined for the lowest fWAR in the majors last season.
Pittsburgh Pirates	Garrett Jones	Gaby Sanchez	Pittsburgh will look to upgrade first base during the offseason. The team could re-sign Justin Morneau to platoon with Jones.
St. Louis Cardinals	Matt Adams	Allen Craig	Adams hit well enough in 2013 to earn a starting job, but may come off the bench again in 2014 if St. Louis adds a right fielder during the offseason or if Oscar Taveras earns a starting role in spring training. For now, let's assume Adams would start at first and Craig would start in right if the Cardinals had to play tomorrow.
Arizona Diamondbacks	Paul Goldschmidt	Eric Hinske	Goldschmidt turned in an MVP-caliber campaign, leading NL first basemen with 6.4 fWAR. Arizona has Goldschmidt under team control through 2018, with a club option for 2019.
Colorado Rockies	Michael Cuddyer	Ryan Wheeler	Cuddyer is slated to replace Todd Helton, but could move back to right field if the Rockies acquire another first baseman. Wilin Rosario could also spend time at first.
Los Angeles Dodgers	Adrian Gonzalez	Scott Van Slyke	Jerry Hairston, Juan Uribe and Michael Young could also provide corner infield depth, depending on who the Dodgers re-sign. Gonzalez, however, is firmly entrenched as the starter.
San Diego Padres	Yonder Alonso	Kyle Blanks	Jesus Guzman and Tommy Medica could also spend time at first next year. Alonso was one of many Padres players who were plagued by injuries in 2013.
San Francisco Giants	Brandon Belt	Brett Pill	Buster Posey may also log some innings at 1B. Belt could move to left field if the Giants add a first baseman during the offseason.