I knew things were going to be bad. I knew the faltering economy was reverberating throughout every facet of American life, but I did not expect to see the MLB offseason to begin with such a whimper. It picked up around Christmas (more proof that having a budget around the holidays is simply futile) and now while the entire baseball world starts looking towards the World Baseball Classic (has anybody seen the roster for the Canadian team, with the utmost sincerity, wow), I am going to take time and reflect on the top ten free signings of this offseason.
1. C.C. Sabathia SP – New York Yankees
The New York Yankees lost Mike Mussina to old age, but bounced back by signing 28-year-old C.C. Sabathia just a year after his Cy Young season in 2007. The Yankees desperately needed to revamp their starting rotation and this is as good a start as they could get. He is entering his prime and should be content with his $11 million in 2008.
He will be the new ace of the staff and could very well take the title of best pitcher in New York away from Johan Santana. I expect a near 20-win season with an ERA around 3.00. This, of course, was the only the beginning…
2. Mark Teixeira 1B – New York Yankees
What? You thought all those rumors you had heard about Brian Cashman learning to put down the check book were true? The reality is the that the Yankees jettisoned a lot of dead weight over the offseason and needed to add some high profile names to make other clubs jealous of the Evil Empire.
First baseman Teixeira was the best hitter of the 2008 class of free agents. He is .300-30-100 guy. This may not seem like a great deal of homeruns to the fan who started watching baseball once steroids made the power numbers astronomical, but in today’s league those are All Star, if not MVP numbers.
3. Francisco Rodriguez Closer – New York Mets
The third pick is not from the Yankees, but the list continues to stay over in New York. The Mets are beginning the tradition of stealing the very best pitchers away each offseason. The majority of the rest of the moves came in house, but this one solidified a bullpen that gave away too many games down the stretch last season.
Francisco Rodriguez will most likely not set the record for saves in a single season again, but he will make any lead beyond the eighth at Citi Field safe. Rodriguez is only 27 and has a career ERA of 2.35. His 62 saves in 2008 were not an anomaly, he is simply that good.
4. Pat Burrell DH – Tampa Bay Rays
Why is a player that hits .250 the fourth best free agent signing of the year? Well, 32-year-old third baseman Pat Burrell is 30-homerun a year kind of guy and his presence gives the Rays three sluggers with first baseman Carlos Pena and third baseman Pat Burrell. The Tampa Bay Rays may have won the AL East, but to repeat they desperately needed some help in the batting lineup.
5. Derek Lowe SP – Atlanta Braves
The Braves are starting to head down a dark path known as rebuilding, but that does not mean they have to subject the pitching as atrocious as last season. The club had the fifth worst staff in the National League. This is an Atlanta fan base that has become fine connoisseurs after nearly two decades of excellence.
Derek Lowe is old, 35, but can hold his own on the mound. The pitcher-friendly Turner Field should be kind and help him have another season with an ERA just above 3.00. He is signed to a four year, $60 million contract and will serve as a good teacher and solid bridge as the next generation of Atlanta pitchers make their way to the mound.
6. Brian Fuentes Closer- Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels lost a significant part of their bullpen when Rodriguez took off to the East Coast and the bullpen. They have solid set up guys in Jose Arrendondo and Scot Shields, but they needed somebody to set up. Fuentes managed to keep a 2.73 ERA playing in Colorado, so although he may not approach the new save record, he will have All Star numbers for the Angels as they repeat as AL West Champions.
7. Jason Giambi 1B– Oakland A’s
Jason Giambi’s return to Oakland is not as much the end of Moneyball as a way to keep fans coming to the games. If you want proof that Giambi is not in the long-term plans for Billy Beane look at thee length of his contract, one year. Giambi is going to hit sub .250 with little support, but he could belt 30 homeruns and give the fans a player to identify with. Beane knows how to work on the cheap but he cannot work on a budget of zero, which is what it would have been if the team did not do something to fill the Coliseum.
8. Kerry Wood Closer- Cleveland Indians
The American League Central is up for grabs for any young team ready to make a run or any old team making a last stand. Kerry Woods gives the club its first quality starter since the ‘90s and will go a long way to making the bitterness from last season go away. The Indians may not win the division, but they will not be blowing leads in the ninth inning at Progressive Field.
9. A.J. Burnett SP – New York Yankees
Yes, the Yankees are on here a third time. Not because they were tremendously busy during the offseason, but because nobody else was. A.J. Burnett is a good pitcher to add to the starting rotation that will include Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and Chein-Ming Wang. He has been solid for years and that consistency (an ERA around 4.00 and a double digit win total) will go far to help the Yankees compete for the pennant in their first season at New Yankees Stadium.
10. Milton Bradley RF – Chicago Cubs
Milton Bradley will go a long way to continuing that fine tradition the Chicago Cubs have of self-destructing. This time it will not be a fan in the stands interfering with a foul ball or a sudden inability to hit in the first round that will end the season. It will be the first confrontation between Sweet Lou Piniella and Bradley when one of the two ends having their head rammed into the dugout wall.
Milton is a dynamic player and Cubs fans at Wrigley Field will love his energy until it flies out of control (kind of like watching someone else’s kid versus having your own kid). The pick ruins the locker rapport that has kept this club at the top of the NL Central. This pick is listed among the top ten because of the enjoyment factor it will be to watch the Cubs ship sink for fans around the league not living on the Northside of Chicago. The only worse pick would be to resign Sammy Sosa and speaking of Sammy…
Notable Mentions:
Barry Bonds/Sammy Sosa – Nobody
The best move by the collective MLB is the lack of any interest in two of the players that did perhaps the most damage to ruin the integrity of the game. Steroids spread well beyond the throwing of one World Series, but created a decade of numbers that will throw off the Hall of Fame ballots for the next few decades. Every team and every player was suspect. Baseball should be watched under a microscope with regards to numbers, not performance enhancing drugs.
Ken Griffey- State Department
The world bonds through competitions like the Olympics. There is something about sports that binds people, whether they play with or against each other. A sort of mutual respect is easily cultivated. By sending one of baseball’s good guys with a diplomacy envoy to Latin America the State Department is giving an unquestioned Hall of Fame player a chance to show the best of America and begin our nation’s image healing process.
Two Indian kids – Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates, the only farm league team playing (poorly) in MLB is so desperate for talent and attention that they will take two kids from India and try and turn them into ball players after they just learned to throw a fastball. I saw the story and have absolutely nothing bad to say about the signees, but about the organization. It is the equivalent of an NFL signing the 13-year-old who won the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition to a contract and getting them started on special teams.