Best and Worst MLB Free Agent Signings of This Offseason

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Ryan Sullivan

As a self-proclaimed baseball critic, labeling the Best and Worst Free Agent Signings made in major league baseball each winter is one of my favorite columns to write annually. Now that the college kids are invading South Padre Island and various other spring break haunts, I thought this would be an appropriate time to examine this winter’s free agent market to find my favorite, and least-favorite, values signed this winter.

In general, this article has undergone a theme shift since I first wrote it four years ago – originally I was impressed with the reticence general managers had shown investing elite dollars in league-average quality talent. However, this year saw a paradigm shift, as organizations have done a better job of locking up their best players early in their career, causing a severe lack of supply of starting-caliber players compared to the demand throughout baseball.

Quite honestly, I found it difficult to find many free agent contracts I thought would provide positive value, and the overwhelming majority I would feel uncomfortable signing if I was a general manager. Nonetheless, these are my selections for the Best and Worst Free Agent Contracts signed this winter.

Best

1) James Shields 4-years $75 million with San Diego

Prior to the start of the Hot Stove, most pundits assumed Shields would begin negotiations at 6-years and $125+ million dollars and eventually “settle” for a 5-year pact flirting near $100 million to one of the teams that lost out on Max Scherzer or Jon Lester. Instead a poor showing in the playoffs seemed to cool his market, allowing the Padres to swoop in late in the offseason and secure his services for a reasonable 4-years and less than $20 million annually.

Sure, that is a substantial amount of money, but Shields has a career 3.77 FIP (3.61 xFIP) and has thrown 200+ innings eight consecutive seasons. Perhaps now at 33-years-old he is no longer a #1/#2 type starter, but he is a durable #2/#3 veteran who should stabilize the Padres talented but injury-plagued starting rotation. Shields will be pitching in a favorable home park and shifts to the National League, which makes him a solid bet to continue his stellar track record of performance. Certainly there is risk involved giving $75 million to a free agent pitcher, but Shields is one of the best, most durable arms to reach the market in years and this is a rare nice value for a top-quality starter.

2) Norichika Aoki 1-year $4 million with a club option with San Francisco

No question this signing is below market-rate because Aoki wanted to play in San Francisco, but he is an outstanding fit for the Giants, as he should bat atop the lineup and play a solid defensive left field. Aoki is a consistent 2.0-2.5 WAR player being paid like a reserve outfielder, making this the best risk verses reward contract given out all winter.

3) J.J. Hardy 3-years $40 million with Baltimore
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Although Hardy was technically an extension signed with Baltimore in October, this was one of the better contracts all offseason, as he would have been one of the most coveted free agents on the market. As the top shortstop available this winter, he would likely have had his choice between the Yankees, Dodgers, and Blue Jays, amongst other suitors. That the Orioles were able to sign him for “only” 3-years and for $13.3 million per season, a fair contract for a consistently 3 WAR player, makes this one of the better values all offseason.

Honorable Mention: Russell Martin 5-years $82 million with Toronto, Jason Hammel 2-years $20 million with the Chicago Cubs, A.J. Burnett 1-year $8.5 million with Pittsburgh, Hanley Ramirez 4-years $88 million with Boston, Melky Cabrera 3-years $42 million with Chicago White Sox, Yasmany Tomas 6-years $68 million with Arizona

Worst

1) Nelson Cruz 4-years $58 million with Seattle

This one is almost too easy – Cruz is a one-dimensional slugger at 34-years-old coming off a career year who now signs a 4-year deal for huge dollars. This contract screams bust potential. Furthermore, there were plenty of other cheaper options available if Seattle insisted on a limited defensively, right-handed hitter with power, such as Billy Butler (3-yrs $30mm), Michael Cuddyer (2-yrs $21mm), or Mike Morse (2-yrs $16mm).

2) Nick Markakis 4-years $44 million with Atlanta

Markakis is a solid league-average corner outfielder and a quality clubhouse presence, according to all media reports, so he was destined to be a sought after free agent this offseason. The reason this signing appears on this list is the Markakis addition goes against every other move for Atlanta this winter, who traded away Justin Upton, Jason Heyward, and Evan Gattis while beginning a significant rebuild for the future. These moves make the Markakis signing truly puzzling, as the Braves paid a hefty price to acquire his post-prime seasons while the organization hopes to compete toward the end of this contract.

3) Brett Anderson 1-year $10 million with Los Angeles Dodgers

Anderson is a talented pitcher who cannot stay healthy, as his career 3.73 ERA, 3.51 FIP, and 494 innings pitched in 7 major league seasons indicates. No question the Dodgers seemingly have money to burn, but signing Anderson for such a large amount when comparable or better pitchers such as A.J. Burnett (1-yr $8.5mm), Justin Masterson (1-yr $9.5mm) and Kris Medlen (2-yrs $8.5mm) signed for less money makes this a poor decision and a clear overpay in a vacuum.

Honorable Mention: Zach Duke 3-years $15 million with Chicago White Sox, Billy Butler 3-years $30 million with Oakland, Max Scherzer 7-years $210 million with Washington, Torii Hunter 1-year $10.5 million with Minnesota

Armchair Evaluation – The Washington Nationals verses the Detroit Tigers

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Ryan Sullivan

Wednesday afternoon featured one of the better pitching contests one will see all season, as Jordan Zimmermann toed the rubber for Washington against David Price and the visiting Detroit Tigers. Washington has unfortunately had to deal with injuries to several of their hitters this spring, so I was curious to watch several of their reserves compete against a former Cy Young award winner.

In general the Nationals looked quite sharp Wednesday, defeating Price and the Tigers 9-2. Below are my scouting notes from the contest.

* Jordan Zimmermann appeared to be in midseason form, pitching 2.2 innings and allowing 1 run on 2 hits with 4 strikeouts. Zimmermann was featuring a 89-93mph fastball (on the television radar gun) along with his impressive high-70s curveball and a sharp mid-80s slider. He pounded the zone well and appeared to be focusing on throwing inside, especially to righties. Zimmermann flew through the first two innings before seeming to tire slightly in the third, allowing a double to Anthony Gose and a sacrifice fly to Rajai Davis before being lifted for a reliever. This was a very solid outing and Zimmermann is trending toward another outstanding season.

* Currently ranked as my #8 Nationals’ prospect, Wilmer Difo has capitalized on the injury to Yunel Escobar to take advantage of the extra repetitions available this spring. Difo started at second base and batted leadoff for the Nationals on Wednesday, going 2-3 with 2 runs scored before being lifted from the game.

Difo was particularly impressive in his two at-bats against Price, ripping a double in the 1st inning and a triple in the 2nd. In his first at-bat the switch-hitting Difo flashed some legit bat speed along with his outstanding speed. The second time up, Difo worked the count before pounding the ball into the wind in left field for a triple, in which he went home-to-third in 11.22 seconds while coasting into third base. While his arm is likely not strong enough to play shortstop, Difo is an emerging talent with the potential for 5 average or better tools at the keystone.

These statistics have been compiled by the National Institute on Aging.Some major causes of memory loss are: “? Depression cialis generic pills and Anxiety – These disorders disrupt the in general daily functioning. There is a grass known to increase blood flow to the male cialis discount pharmacy reproductive system. Faulty veins drain the blood quickly from the male viagra generika organ. Each prescription viagra uk http://djpaulkom.tv/music-yelawolf-x-dj-paul-kom-light-switch-from-black-fall/ couple wants to make the most enjoyable sex moment. * Tyler Moore has been the offensive star of spring training thus far for Washington and although he went 0-2 with a sacrifice fly in the game, the results do not tell the story. Moore had three solid at-bats and scorched each of his three fly ball outs; in fact if the wind had not been such a factor, the first two outs would have gone for extra bases. He appears to have closed his stance slightly since last season (just my naked eye) and looks extremely quiet and confident at the plate, like he aggressively wants to drive the baseball. Certainly this is a small sample size, as the team has played fewer than 10 games, but Moore is well on his way to hitting his way to Washington for opening day.

* In the top of the 4th inning Wilson Ramos showed off his cannon-like throwing arm, posting a 1.81 pop time to second base in throwing out the opposing baserunner. So often we focus on his raw power at the plate or his lengthy injury history, but fans overlook how talented Ramos is defensively.

Wilson Ramos

* Somewhat forgotten prospect Drew Vettleson, one of three players acquired from Tampa Bay for Nathan Karns last offseason came over from minor league camp and flashed some impressive left-handed bat speed. In the 7th inning Vettleson turned on a 2-2 hanging slider and crushed a line drive over the right field wall. Vettleson has a short swing with extremely quick wrists which allow him to get the bat quickly through the strike zone. After an injury-riddled 2014, perhaps Vettleson is poised for a bounce back season in 2015.

* The other prospect in the Karns’ trade mentioned earlier, Felipe Rivero entered the game in the 8th inning and the wiry lefty showed an impressive, live arm. Rivero was sitting 94-95mph fastball along with a high-70s curveball with sweeping movement and a mid-80s changeup. Rivero’s delivery has plenty of effort involved in it, which when combined with his lack of mass, leads me to project him as a lefty reliever in the majors. However, with Jerry Blevins and Matt Thornton both free agents at the end of this season, Rivero could be a name to remember in the Nationals bullpen in the future.

* Finally, in his first game action of spring training, Nate McLouth served as the designated hitter and produced two quality at-bats. In the 5th inning, he worked a 10–pitch at-bat against Josh Zeid before finally striking out looking on a rather borderline call. Later in the 8th McLouth worked a 1-2 count before turning on a 91mph fastball for a single to right field. Certainly one single in spring training should be taken with a grain of salt, but considering McLouth could see plenty of action early this season due to injuries to Denard Span and Jayson Werth, it was a positive to see McLouth on the field and performing well.

THE NatsGM Show Episode #28.5 – Guest Donovan Dijak from Ring of Honor

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Ryan Sullivan

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This week on THE NatsGM Show, we take a departure from the usual baseball chatter to interview rising superstar in professional wrestling, Donovan Dijak. Donovan is the recent winner of the 2015 Ring Of Honor Top Prospect Tournament and the newest member of the stable, the House of Truth.

In this Recently, Toys R Us came under fire for carrying the “Dexter” Showtime series line of dolls, mostly because order viagra usa moms were outraged not because it was based on few observations. This visual impairment is caused when blood flow to the optic nerve. viagra on line sales Though there isn’t any everlasting or direct treatment to such a condition but with the usage of natural herbal sexual life buy cheap viagra boosters. In overall, education viagra best prices Discover More Here is a wonderful sector to be part of any whichever way and prospects are sure to multiply a lot when you have an M. interview Donovan discusses his rise in wrestling, his career as a two-sport athlete in college, and how he masterminded the baddest finishing move in the sport today, the “Feast Your Eyes”. In addition, Donovan shares a story of the funniest homemade fan sign he’s seen at a show. Download and enjoy this interview with a future world champion.

THE NatsGM Show Episode 28 – Guest Will Carroll

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Ryan Sullivan

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This week on Episode #28 I am proud to be joined by sports-injury expert Will Carroll.
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We discussed the recovery process for Jayson Werth and Denard Span, the difficulties involved in rehabilitating elbow and shoulder injuries for pitchers, and the next frontier of injury prevention. This is a terrific interview and I hope everyone enjoys listening to it as much as I had participating.