The three most logical 3B to build around.

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When one is asked, "Which 3B would you most like to build your team around."  It is not the same question as, "Who is the best 3B in baseball."

For example: Alex Rodriguez is easily one of the five best 3B in the game.  But no one wants to build a team around a player on the wrong side of 30, who is under contract for ten more years at a salary between $20 and $32 million per year.  Even the Yankees wouldn't want that if they were able to choose some of the other younger, cheaper 3B that would be available in this scenario.  And that applies even if Rodriguez was not trying to play while avoiding a future surgery that must be had.

So remember, the three 3B that a team would build around is not necessarily the three best 3B.  Money, age, and the quality of player matter a lot.

On to the three best building blocks at 3B, in order:

• Evan Longoria: Longoria is only 24 and has already established himself as one of the absolute best 3B in the game.  His offense may be what he is most known for among the casual fan.  But Evan is adept with the glove to go along with that amazing ability to hit.  Over the past two seasons, Longoria has the best UZR among all third baseman, in both leagues, at 23.4.  Adding to his reputation as an astute student of defense, he also finished sixth in John Dewan's +/-.  But we cannot ignore that offense.  His mannerisms at the plate have always reminded me a bit of the great Edgar Martinez.  And his offense hasn't been too far behind either.  Adding in the fact that Longoria plays defense, and plays it well, he actually has the potential to be better than Edgar.  Although, those are some lofty expectations that really shouldn't be placed on the kid.  Longoria is currently hitting .312/.391/.588, and his WAR is currently number one in the bigs, right ahead of teammate Ben Zobrist.  The contract is very team friendly as well.  Since Longoria is already great, the six year, $17.5 million deal looks to be absolute genius.  Add in three additional years of club options, albeit at a more expensive price, and the Rays have the best bargain at the position in all of baseball.  A 3B that can rake, play great defense, and is rather cheap.  Hmmm, sounds like the best choice to build around, at least to me.  Not to forget, but Evan's been doing all of this right smack-dab in the middle of the AL East as well.

• David Wright: Wright is one of the ten best position players in baseball, easily.  His Gold Glove gives us a feeling that he is a great defender, but above-average seems more of an accurate description.  Wright, over the past two years, falls well below Longoria in UZR, but Wright is a great player regardless.  His current line sits at .351/.439/.500.  And although he has been lucky on groundballs, as Fangraphs has pointed out, Wright is still a great hitter and very well could have had an MVP to his name by now.  Over the past three seasons, David Wright has been the third best hitter among 3B, behind Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez (acording to wOBA).  And his WAR is actually the best among the position over that three-year period.  One could make a strong case that Wright has been the best 3B in baseball over recent years, although that is debatable with Rodriguez, Jones, and Miguel Cabrera having been around.  His contract is a little more expensive than Longoria's.  So that is an obvious reason why he falls in number two, rather than number one.  Wright is still owed $39 million over the next three seasons, which is still under his value, however, not exactly cheap.  And his contract has a team option for $16 million in 2013, something that should almost definitely be exercised.  Wright may not be great defensively, but he is adequate.  And that offensive prowess more than extends his overall value virtually through the stratosphere.

• Ryan Zimmerman: I must start by saying that Ryan Zimmerman is a pleasure to watch with the glove.  Having seen him in Spring Training, and against the Red Sox recently, that only increases my interest in seeing his glove-work.  Zimmerman has finished second to only Fielding Bible award winner Pedro Feliz over the last three seasons combined (UZR).  And over that same stretch, he has come in sixth among third baseman in +/-.  I know that Zimmerman had an incredible thirty game hitting streak, we all know.  But since then his bat has cooled off a ton, as he has hit only .232/.333/.364 since the incredible stretch.  So the jury is still out on how good of a hitter Zimmerman actually is.  With that being said, we know he is above-average.  And we know his glove is very good.  So what we have is a good player overall.  And the Nationals just locked Zimmerman up to a very reasonable contract extension: 5 years, $45 million.  $9 million a year is probably going to be well under what he could get on the open market.  Even if his bat is simply "better than average."

There you have it, the three 3B I would build a team around.  Evan Longoria, David Wright, then Ryan Zimmerman.  All three are great players, and all three are being paid below what the market would suggest they be paid, if of course, they all hit free agency.