Jonah Keri takes a flier on how the rest of the MLB free agent jam might break out now that the Yankees have signed Masahiro Tanaka. I agree with about two-thirds of it.
David Price will be traded to somebody during the season. The Rays
have seen Clayton Kershaw's, now Tanaka's contracts; they know that, if he has a
good year, he's going to get $20M that final arbitration year, if not more. I can
see Arizona as a possible landing spot, yes. However, other teams could push themselves in the mix, too. Boston wouldn't be a total surprise, nor would the Dodgers.
On the fly balls and Ubaldo Jimenez, hmm, yeah, he might not be a bad fit in Anaheim, and yes, it
is a bit at least on the pitcher friendly side. 3/$45 could be "fair" on
both sides.
I am less certain than Keri about future landing spots on either Kendrys Morales or Nelson Cruz. The Prince Fielder-Ian Kinsler trade let the Tigers upgrade their D, and this would be a definite step backward for a declining asset. Where Cruz does go, I'm not sure. But, Detroit doesn't dazzle. He, like Boston shortstop Stephen Drew, could wind up settling on a one-year pillow back with the home club.
And, per Keri's
analysis, I could see Morales there, but just barely. You hesitate to offer a
longer-term deal, but, with the comp picks, short-term deals aren't
good either, anymore. If I'm the Rangers, I'd prefer to cut a one-year deal with Cruz, I think.
If I'm the Rangers? I see them chasing Bronson Arroyo
before going after Morales. No, he's not Tanaka, but he's a cheap
"filler" without a tender offer from the Reds, so the Rangers don't lose
a draft pick.
Interesting possible on the Rays, on Ervin Santana. Wouldn't be a bad deal if the price is right.
I also wouldn't be surprised to see the Mariners make a run at any of the pitchers on the list.
I also expect sidebar fallout
in, say, 2016. The Cards will start looking at their young guns and
seeing about Allen Craig type contracts on one or two of them -- buying
up not just arb years but, say, 1 or 2 free agent years. So, somebody in the mix of Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha could get some nice extensions in 2016; maybe Trevor Rosenthal in 2017.
A skeptical leftist's, or post-capitalist's, or eco-socialist's blog, including skepticism about leftism (and related things under other labels), but even more about other issues of politics. Free of duopoly and minor party ties. Also, a skeptical look at Gnu Atheism, religion, social sciences, more.
Note: Labels can help describe people but should never be used to pin them to an anthill.
As seen at Washington Babylon and other fine establishments
January 23, 2014
With Tanaka gone, what about other free agent pieces? And #Cardinals contracts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment