The Underground Insight 2.25.08: Sifting Through the Bargain Bin
Posted by JD Koziarski on 02.25.2008
In an offseason where players like Torii Hunter, Sean Casey, and Scott Linebrink got absurd contracts, not every team blew a bunch of cash on players who don’t deserve it (and some did, but also made good moves). Many players were plucked out of the bargain bin, and they’re sure to help their new teams in 2008.
Buy Low, Reap the Rewards
If I have learned anything this offseason, it's that Major League Baseball general managers don't understand the true value of defensive ability. Sure, they'll all quote the old axiom of being strong up the middle. And some might even put the idea into practice. But here's the reason it's clear that teams still don't get it.
Adam Everett – 1 year/$2.8M – Minnesota Twins
See that? Adam Everett, arguably a top 10 defensive shortstop in the history of baseball, signed for a paltry $2.8 million. Here's the simplest way to break it down: Everett, although a completely useless offensive player, is so good defensively at the most important offensive position that he is quite likely to be worth as many wins this year as Miguel Tejada. Tejada, the guy who replaced Everett in Houston, is due $26 million over the next two years. And the Astros gave up a bunch of players and cut Everett loose to get Tejada. Why?
Mike Cameron – 1 year/$7M, plus 2009 option for $10M – Milwaukee Brewers
Again, why don't teams like great defensive players who play important defensive positions? Cameron, despite his age, is one of the best in the business. Even though he'll miss the first part of the season after a failed PED test, he'll still roam center field for long enough to be worth well over the 1.5 WAR (wins above replacement) he's getting paid to produce. The Padres replaced him with Jim Edmonds, so it's not a total loss for them. But, still, Cameron will certainly help a Brewers team that hopes to contend in an awful division.
Tadahito Iguchi – 1 year/$3.85M, $0.65M in performance bonuses – San Diego Padres
Gotta give the Padres a little love for this one. The truth is that Iguchi isn't a great player. He's adequate defensively. He has a decent OBP, and in PetCo he'll probably slug no better than .400. But he's not going to make more than $4.5 million this year and for a free agent, that's a tremendous bargain. Iguchi is getting paid to be less than 1 WAR, and if he plays a full season I don't see how he could possibly be worse than that.
Brad Wilkerson – 1 year/$3M – Seattle Mariners
Alright, so the Mariners organization is generally pretty dumb. The Bedard trade was bad, the deals for Vidro, Sexson, and others have been miserable. They gave Ichiro a bajillion dollars and I'm not really sure why. Oh, and they gave Carlos Silva a 4-year, $48 million deal when comparable pitchers are signing minor league deals. But I love the Wilkerson signing. I wish I could explain why Wilkerson was such a failure in Texas, but I can't. The guy can hit. A lot. Even if Wilkerson puts up the same numbers he did the past two years, at only $3 million he's worth it. He's also a guy who I can see being a solid left-handed bat that gets moved at the deadline when Seattle is out of realistic contention.
The Minor League Deals – Brendan Donnelly, Morgan Ensberg, Trot Nixon, Shannon Stewart, Mike Sweeney, et al.
Has anybody noticed what a bizarre offseason this has been when it comes to solid veterans? They're all having a helluva time finding work. The craziest one from those five is Shannon Stewart. He didn't accept the A's arbitration offer because, after a very solid (and healthy) 2007, he was almost certainly going to get a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal. Except it never came. And this weekend he finally accepted a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training with Toronto. But he'll make the team. In fact, I think all 5 players I listed, plus many others, will win jobs as minor league invites. It happens every year, but because of the trend of sticking with home-grown, young, cheap players over vets in their mid-30s, this year will see an abnormal number of 33-35 year old players on bargain basement deals making big contributions. And every team who picked up s Sweeney or Ensberg will reap the rewards.
Sweeney will probably only platoon. Nixon isn't more than that at this stage of his career, either. Stewart returns to Toronto where he enjoyed the best years of his career. Donnelly is still a very effective reliever, and Morgan Ensberg is one of those guys who has had a very solid, underrated career (because he has a low average and strikes out. Walks and power be damned!). And there are others. I encourage you to check out which veteran players are roaming around your favorite team's spring training. Will Shingo Takatsu return to the majors with the Cubs? Can Brady Clark find a spot as a backup in the Mets outfield? Will Tomo Ohka, Odalis Perez, Kris Benson, and Bartolo Colon resurrect their careers with their new teams?
Even if they don't, it's worth it for teams to take a flier out on these players. If they bust out, there's no loss. But if they succeed, they'll be the steals of the 2008 offseason.
