'09 Bargain Free Agents- How are they Doing Now?

Well I am back on the road getting ready to settle into a new job. For those of you keeping score at home, this is my third move since this blog started less than a year ago, and it has taken an unanticipated turn- I have gone back to the midwest for a job I had no idea would be there and (hopefully) will be able to settle down in this economy for a little while. While there are some signs of a rebound, no one knows how long it could last or what will happen when the government runs out of our money to spend. It has been hard on all of us in one way or another, and even the world of sports has been affected. There are very few players being handed pink slips, of course, but there have been a host of so-called bargain players that were forced into slow-end contracts at the end of the MLB offseason. I worried at the time that the bitterness engendered from these players over signing low-end deals in bad situations could overwhelm their desire to make the next paycheck bigger. I decided to take a look at some of these players who had to sign deals below their true value and see how they are doing so far this season. Enjoy.

Orlando Cabrera signed on with the Oakland A’s for just $4 million for the season, and I loved the deal at the time. Cabrera, at 34, still hit in the high 200’s range and played excellent defense at a tough position at shortstop. The result so far? The A’s have dragged him down with their offense, as Cabrera has hit a paltry .238 this season, and has been caught stealing 3 times to only 1 successful steal. This is not like him- and it seems like all of the Oakland offensive acquisitions are struggling. It isn’t like Cabrera can get away unnoticed, however- the shortstop is hitting in the leadoff spot.

The other Orlando in baseball had a similar dilemma after Arizona couldn’t keep their hot-hitting second baseman.* Orlando Hudson, in any other offseason would commanda big veteran contract- in fact, this likely was supposed to be his big payday. The bad news is it will have to wait a year, after the $3.8 million deal he signed with the Dodgers. The good news is he is with the Dodgers, who even without Manny have a great number of offensive threats. Hitting in the 3rd spot he has garnered a .424 on base percentage with 20 RBI, along with hitting for the cycle earlier this season! While it has yet to be seen how the loss of Ramirez will affect his production (he is 6-20 at the plate since Manny was in the lineup while the team has lost 4 of 5 games), it is clear that the rising tide lifted everyone’s game on the Dodgers.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention at least one Oriole on this list. Ty Wiggington was a deal that garnered a lot of praise among O’s fans, if for no other reason than it gave another big bat to a lineup that (still) sorely needs more of a power presence. Able to play both corner outfield and corner infield spots, his 2 year $6 million contract was a boon for such a talented utility man who, at age 31, is still in the prime of his career. However, so far Wiggington has not been able to catch on in his part-time role the way he did coming off the bench with his first 4 teams. The career .270 hitter prior to this season, who only had one season hitting lower than .255 in his career, has barely cleared the Mendoza line while hitting in the 6th spot. The O’s don’t have a lot of other options, but they are fortunate that “Wiggy” isn’t a full-time starter at this point in the season.

*As an aside, the economy has given us some very odd contracts. The Diamonbacks (and Hudson) went their separate ways because Arizona simply couldn’t afford to pay him what he wanted. His replacement Felipe Lopez, however, is making just $.5 million less than Hudson wound up with with the Dodgers. Lopez is a quality player so far this eason, but he is no Orlando Hudson.

After Sluggish Start, O's Offseason Surprisingly Successful

Congratulations Orioles fans, after a frustrating start to the offseason, things have certainly picked up. The long quiet after the Hernandez trade left many O’s fans feeling frustrated, as though Andy MacPhail was done and standing pat on a farm system that looked to have way too many young players pulled up before they were ready (particularly with Jeremy Guthrie being the only starting pitcher we were assured of having a starting role). Once again however, with the acquisitions since, Baltimoreans have been left surprised and should be very happy with what they see.

Despite having nothing of value to trade, the O’s managed to bring in former Cubs star prospect Rich Hill, who until recently was projected to become one of the better young pitchers in baseball. He will rejoin former coaches Rick Kranitz and Alan Dunn in attempting to regain his command, which had dropped to Daniel Cabrera-esque levels over last season and into the winter league. However, we at ATH won’t waste your time on stuff you can read on the Sun. We are here for analysis. This is a win-win situation. The Orioles, with the acquisitions of Hill, Dave Pauley, and Koji Uehara and the return of a healthy Matt Albers, Hayden Penn, and even Troy Patton (possibly), now have a glut of pitchers to take up those last starting spots. In fact, so many of them are in their last chance to make the major league roster before having to pass through waivers that this should be one incredible competition in Spring Training. The competition is wide open, and these arms will be fighting for all three spots. Who could have seen this coming back in December? These small moves might not seem like much at the moment, but taken together it looks as though MacPhail has made a series of low-risk, high reward chances on pitchers that might form out into a halfway decent rotation of young arms.

The situation amongst position players should be even more reassuring. No, they don’t have many star hitters, but what they lack in production they make up for in depth. The acquisition of Ty Wiggington and Felix Pie, along with Cesar Izturis and Ryan Freel earlier in the offseason, leaves the Orioles with a stacked bench of veteran talent and young potential. I don’t know where Wiggington will play, or if he will come off the bench and play a utility role, but I can see that Andy is taking the same approach with his position players as he is with his pitchers. He is trying to put as many decent players as he can in spring training to compete and see how it all shakes out. If Aubrey Huff struggles defensively at 1st, or if Melvin Mora’s age starts to show at 3rd, Wiggington will be able to take over there. In fact, even if Brian Roberts is traded (increasingly unlikely but possible), Wiggington could act as a short-term replacement there as well- and not as though the Orioles needed more outfielders, but he could go there too.

But this move could cause some anxiety in the club house, with Luke Scott wanting to start in left despite the acquisition of the talented former top prospect Felix Pie, and Aubrey Huff determined to start at 1st and respond to questions of his defensive capabilities. The Warehouse has put perhaps too many bodies in this competition, and it is possible that in this traditionally positive clubhouse, we could have some disgruntled players come April 1st. Luckily for Andy MacPhail, this will be Dave Trembley’s job to sort out. Hopefully Trembley will have the tools to forge a somewhat respectable club out of the pieces he’s been given.