The Daily Grind - 11/26

On today's Daily Grind, we'll take a look at another top-tier free agent who is still without a team.

Mega agent and overall schmuck Scott Boras, when asked about the perceived lack of durability of Jacoby Ellsbury, said "[Ellsbury] is a very durable player. He just has to make sure that people don't run into him." That's true, as most of Jacoby's injury history to this point is comprised of collisions with other players. Still, in both 2010 and 2012, he played in less than 80 games (74 in '12, and a paltry 18 in '10), and even though the season in between, 2011, was a monstrous year for him that saw him hit 32 long balls (by far a career high, he's never before or since topped 9 in a season), score a career high 119 runs, knock in a career high 105, and garnered him a second place finish in MVP voting behind Justin Verlander, he hasn't come close to those numbers in the following 2 seasons, and it's doubtful he ever will again. They say that once a ballplayer shows a skill, he owns that skill, but I'm willing to bet that 2011 was an anomaly. Still, Ellsbury owns a career .350 OBP, and a player like that would be valuable in any lineup regardless of his diminished power. And, of course, there's the speed. Ellsbury owns three stolen base titles, 2013 and back-to-back ones in 2008-09, when he stole 52, 70 and 50 respectively. In every season in which he's played more than 130 games, he's stolen well over 30 stolen bases. His 162-game averages of 55 steals and 10 caught stealing are extremely impressive. However, Ellsbury will be 30 at the beginning of his undoubtedly huge deal, which is commonly accepted as the point where a player slowly begins to decline, and we all know that speed does not age well. Still, Jacoby is an igniting force and would be great to have on any team, and knowing Boras, he'll get his Carl Crawford-like deal.

It may seem a little hard to believe, but there was a point not too long ago when Dan Haren was a highly sought after, top-of-the-rotation pitcher. In fact, from 2005 to 2011, he was a stud on the mound: he only posted an ERA over 4 once, was a 3-time All-Star, threw more than 200 innings every season, and struck out 200+ from 2008-2010. Surprisingly, he was traded not once, but twice: first from the Athletics to the Diamondbacks, and then to the Angels. Both deals are notable, as the first netted Oakland Carlos Gonzalez and Brett Anderson, while the second saw Patrick Corbin and Tyler Skaggs head to Arizona. However, in 2012 and 2013, his last year with the Angels and his year with the Nationals, he posted ERAs well north of 4.00 (4.33 and 4.67, respectively) while pitching less than 180 innings. Shoulder inflammation was the culprit for most of that, as he had an impressive stretch in the nation's capital to finish last year, and it was apparently good enough to parlay into a deal with the free-spending Dodgers, who just inked Haren to a 1-year, $10 million deal, supposedly to be their number 4 behind the firepower of Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu. There's a vesting option for 2015 if he pitches more than 180 innings, so it'll be interesting to see if he can get there again. This isn't a bad deal, as Haren has considerable experience in the NL West, and for the new Dodgers, $10 million is tip money. If Dan regains his form, this could be a steal.

The Daily Grind - 11/25

On today's Grind, we'll learn that crime apparently DOES pay.

I'm not a fan of Jhonny Peralta. Just wanted to start off with that. It's a selfish reason, since he hit the ball that caused Derek Jeter to shatter his ankle in Game 1 of the 2012 ALCS and consequently caused him to miss the overwhelming majority of the 2013 season. Also, he accepted a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal this past year, so there's that as well. And for all our efforts to show MLB that we, as fans, are not accepting of cheaters and liars, teams around the league are showing us that they don't give a damn about our feelings when they have a chance to sign a player. So, the Cardinals announced last night that they've agreed to terms with Peralta on a 4-year, $53 million deal that has negative implications for the fans, for St. Louis's reputation, and most of all, for Pete Kozma. Kozma looked absolutely dreadful in the Cards' World Series run this past season, committing 2 errors in a Game 1 against the Red Sox that they never really recovered from, losing 8-1 (and, as we all know, the Red Sox unfortunately won the Series in 6 games, but if I pretend that it didn't happen, for me, it didn't happen). Of course, the loss isn't entirely on Kozma, but it opened a few eyes. Pete has never been good with the bat (I'll choose this time to point out that neither has Jhonny, but his .303/.358/.457 last year were all career highs or close enough), but his defense has always been his saving grace. Doesn't appear to be that way anymore. Peralta figures to be a more solid presence both in the field and in the lineup, but nobody really appears to be happy about it.

The baseball offseason has been pretty busy so far, but there aren't big signings or trades every day, so in these slow-news times, we've got to focus on the smaller deals that don't get as much fanfare as the bigger ones. With that in mind, the Mets announced a few days ago that they signed former Athletics outfielder Chris Young to a 1-year deal worth $7.25 million. Young used to be an All-Star caliber player when he was with the Diamondbacks, when he and fellow former D-back Justin Upton made a sufficient 3-4 combo in the lineup, pre-Goldschmidt. After being traded to Oakland, though, he became the odd man out in an outfield that consisted of Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, and Coco Crisp. He only appeared in 107 games in 2013, close to a career low, and aside from runs, triples, and stolen bases, every offensive stat he put up was the worst of his moderately short career in the majors. While Young is naturally a center fielder, he'll most likely play in a corner spot, since the Mets have Juan Lagares manning the middle spot and doing quite a nice job with it. This appears to be a bargain signing, but one that could end up paying dividends for the Amazin's on offense; Young did slug 32 homers in 2007 and 27 in 2010. If he can regain his 25-homer power, he would be a nice complement to David Wright and (fingers crossed) Ike Davis.

Continuing with our "Nothing's really happening right now" vibe, the Indians signed David Murphy to a 2-year pact for $12 million, which might be something of an overpay for the long time Ranger. It's true that he's never been a big power guy, which for a left fielder is something we've sort of come to expect, but he manages to get on base at a pretty nice clip, with a career OBP of .337 in 849 games over 8 season, as well as 2 seasons in which he managed a figure over .350. He's never been a full-time player, playing in a career-high 147 games for Texas in 2012, and with an already crowded outfield in Cleveland (with Michael Bourn, Drew Stubbs and Michael Brantley all holding down starting jobs), it's doubtful he'll see more time as a starter than he will as a defensive replacement, pinch hitter, or erstwhile DH (which is also pretty crowded, with the ageless Jason Giambi still in the mix, as well as Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana getting time there as well to keep them fresh). Is a guy like that worth $12 million over 2 years? Well, considering the market, maybe. Still feels like an overpay to me, though.

The Daily Grind - 11/24

On today's Daily Grind, we'll take a look at the second huge swap of this young offseason.

On the heels of the Tigers-Rangers blockbuster earlier this week, we have another major trade to discuss, this one between the Cardinals and the Angels. Los Angeles will receive former World Series MVP David Freese to man third base, which has been a bit of a black hole for the Halos since they sent Alberto Callaspo to the Athletics, and in return, St. Louis is getting toolsy centerfielder Peter Bourjos, a great young player with almost no opportunities to show off his stuff with the Angels' outfield being pretty full. It appears that Randall Grichuk and Fernando Salas will also be changing teams as part of the deal, with Grichuk accompanying Bourjos and Salas coming with Freese. This clears up a small logjam in Los Angeles' outfield, as Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton will probably be joined by either J.B. Shuck or Kole Calhoun, while Bourjos will probably man center for the Cardinals with Jon Jay moving to right full time, almost guaranteeing that they won't resign Carlos Beltran. David will be reunited with his former teammate, Albert Pujols, with whom he won the 2011 World Series when they were both in St. Louis. Will they be able to recreate that magic in Orange County? Sorry, I'm laughing too hard at what I just wrote to continue writing about this.

As the hot stove slowly starts to heat up, we finally have our first big signing of the offseason. Brian McCann was a staple in Atlanta since he was called up, and quickly became one of the best offensive catchers of the last decade. His 172 home runs are the 6th most all-time for a catcher in their first 9 seasons, and his game-calling abilities have been invaluable to a Braves staff that seems to magically churn out young phenom after young phenom. However, with last year's emergence of El Oso Blanco, Evan Gattis, it became blindingly obvious that McCann would most likely not be a part of his hometown team's future plans. With that in mind, the Yankees, who have needed serious stability and power behind the plate since the days of Jorge Posada (and even Russell Martin) are long gone, swooped in and snatched McCann off the market with a 5-year, $85 million contract to jump leagues and join the Bronx Bombers. There's an option for a 6th year that could push the total value of the deal to $100 million, meaning Brian could become the first catcher since Joe Mauer (who's not a catcher anymore, as of Opening Day 2014). The deal, while already infuriating most of my friends here in Atlanta, does make sense for both sides: McCann gets a lucrative deal with a team that, for all its woes as of late, is still a possible contender, and the Yankees get a left-handed power hitter to wreak havoc on that short porch in right field. Even though McCann is well traveled behind the plate already, he could stay fresh by getting some DH time, and might even transition to first once Mark Teixeira's megadeal is complete after 2016. Sorry, my fellow Atlantians, but we knew this was coming.

Relievers have long been known as the most important, yet least noteworthy, players on a team. Well, a pretty good reliever over the past few years has resigned with the team he's had quite a bit of success with, so we're going to give him his due on this blog. Javier Lopez has been extremely effective since a trade from the Pirates sent him to the Giants, who just re-upped with the lefty to the tune of 3 years and $13 million. Not only has he been on the roster for both of San Francisco's World Series titles in the past 4 years, but he hasn't posted an ERA above 2.50 since 2009, and has appeared in over 65 games every season in that same span. While his strikeout numbers are comparatively low, he has a knack for finishing games (in non-save situations, that is), and as a left hander, his presence in the bullpen is vital. This is a no-brainer for a team that could use more stability when it comes to pitching, even if the terms may be a little outrageous for a 35 year old lefty specialist.

The Daily Grind - 11/23

On today's Daily Grind, we'll start with a look at what is, by far, the most intriguing free agent this offseason.

Robinson Cano is one of the top second basemen in baseball today. This is not now, nor has it ever been, a question. He hits for average and power, he can field and throw beautifully, and he does these things so well that you don't even mind that he doesn't run particularly well on the basepaths (in 9 years, he has 38 stolen bases out of 66 attempts, not exactly Henderson-like). He's durable, having played in 159 games or more per year since the beginning of the 2007 season. Still, the million dollar question...rather, the $300 million question, is if he's worth the largest guaranteed contract in baseball history. And the answer is not difficult to arrive at; it's a loud, resounding "Absolutely not". He recently turned 31, and if we've learned anything from the monstrous contracts given to Alex Rodriguez (twice), Albert Pujols, and even Josh Hamilton, it's that high-risk, high-reward signings of players in their early 30s are often the former far more than the latter. Cano is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, but that doesn't mean he'll be producing at the same, elite level when he's 35, much less at 38. Now, a 7 year deal for $220 million? Hell, even the suddenly cost-conscious Yankees could abide that. But it seems that Cano and his new agent, rap mogul Jay-Z, aren't backing down from their expectations of a contract 3 years longer and at least $80 million higher. The Tigers or Nationals could swoop in and make this a moot point, but as it stands now, it appears to be a staredown between the most powerful financial entity in baseball and its most prolific current star.

It's a surprisingly good market for free agent catchers this offseason, with Brian McCann, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and A.J. Pierzynski all up for grabs amongst teams sorely needing backstop help. One notable catcher, though, will be returning to the only organization he's ever known. The Phillies managed to lure longtime game caller Carlos Ruiz back to Philadelphia with a 3-year, $26 million contract. The move is a smart one, even though the Phils really do need to get younger; sure, Ruiz is 35, but he's intimately familiar with Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and the rest of the pitching staff, which is a quality in a backstop that's invaluable to the point of being unquantifiable, even with all the sabermetrics at our disposal today. Beyond that, Ruiz still adds a good bit of value at the plate when he's not behind it, as he's only a year removed from a 2012 campaign that ended with a .325/.394/.540 line with career highs in home runs (16) and RBI (68), and for a catcher, that's not bad. Ruiz apparently had a shorter, less lucrative offer on the table from the Rockies, but the Phillies were willing to go longer as far as guaranteed years, as well as adding an option for a 4th year in what would be Ruiz's age-38 season. If Carlos is still calling the shots behind the plate when he gets to that option, Philadelphia will be in worse shape than we already think they will be. Still, this is a good move for a team that needs to give their fanbase something to smile about.

The Royals made a pretty interesting move recently, signing former Angels starter Jason Vargas to a 4-year, $32 million deal. Vargas is by no means a power pitcher, as his "fastball" usually tops out around 87, but he still manages to miss bats with his curveball and, most importantly, his changeup. If nothing else, Vargas does have the ability to eat innings, having topped 200 in 2011 and 2012, his last two years with the Mariners. That will go a long way in preserving that great Kansas City bullpen, and will help Vargas fit right in with de facto ace James Shields. Beyond those two, the Royals will most likely rely on talented young hurlers Yordano Ventura and Kyle Zimmer (or they may even give Danny Duffy another look) to slot into their rotation, as well as forgotten man Jeremy Guthrie, and it's doubtful that they'll resign Ervin Santana after extending him a qualifying offer following an unexpectedly solid 2013. Vargas's home run numbers are cause for concern, though: even in pitcher's parks like Safeco Field and Angel Stadium, he has averaged 0.99 HR/9 or higher (and in a few cases, far higher) in 3 of the last 5 seasons. While Kauffman Stadium is somewhat detrimental to power hitters, it is by no means a place that a guy who gives up so many long balls wants to be. If Vargas can keep his impressive ground ball percentage (40.2 percent the last 2 seasons), he might just be what the Royals need to keep working towards ending their long postseason drought.

In closing, we here at TBF would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of former MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner, who lost his battle with brain cancer late Thursday night at the age of 51. Weiner's accomplishments and impact on the game cannot possibly be understated, as he negotiated the latest collective bargaining agreement, which extends the longest period of labor peace between MLB and the players' union in history. Beloved by players and front offices alike, Weiner's time as the representative for the players has left an indelible mark on the game. He will be missed.

The Daily Grind - 11/22

Welcome to the second day of The Daily Grind, friends. Let's start off today with something we've discussed far too often.

Alex Rodriguez's lawsuit against Bud Selig and MLB probably isn't going the way he thought it would. Surprising, sure, that a liar and a cheater isn't getting his way in a court of law (that's where liars and cheaters normally flourish). Earlier this week, A-Rod stormed out of the courtroom when it was reiterated that Selig wouldn't have to testify, which is why COO Rob Manfred has been representing MLB in this suit. I know it's hard to believe that the commissioner of baseball may have more pressing matters to attend to than its biggest crybaby star looking to pin the blame for his transgressions on someone else, but this is truly a new low for a player who we all thought would rank in the top 5 all time. It really is sad that such a Cooperstown-worthy career is now shrouded in so much controversy and negative perception, but the truth is that Alex brought all of this upon himself. He did steroids, he got caught, he admitted as much, then he did them AGAIN, he lied about it, but now he wants people to find him trustworthy and is suing baseball for trying to stick him with the punishment he deserves. It almost makes you feel bad for the Yankees.

Although it was a moderately slow offseason before the blockbuster trade a couple of days ago, there have been some signings that have already made a few waves. Marlon Byrd, last year's "Holy Toledo, where has he been?" story, parlayed his impressive 2013 season with the Mets and Pirates into a 2-year, $16 million pact with the Phillies. For Byrd, it's a great signing for good money in a career that has been less than memorable outside of middling stints with the Rangers and Cubs and a 50-game suspension for a failed drug test in 2012. For the Phillies, it's a confusing move for a team that was already far too old at nearly every position and nothing to get excited about in the minors. Still, a player who put up the numbers that Byrd did last season (.291/24/88, with 5 triples just for good measure) would certainly be able to justify the kind of contract he got if he repeats said stats, so it's not a given that this deal is automatically a bust...it just looks that way right now.

When Tim Hudson's season ended in a gruesome ankle injury in late July, it immediately cast his impending free agency into question. How well could a 38 year old bounce back from a shattered ankle, and more importantly, how quickly? Thankfully, Hudson is already in his normal offseason preparations after having the screw removed from his repaired ankle, and he became the first free agent hurler of note to sign a deal, joining the Giants on a 2-year, $23 million contract. Hudson has been a staple of the Braves' rotation for the past few years, and looking past his numbers while in Atlanta (not that they're bad, with a 113-72 record, a 3.56 ERA, and 997 strikeouts in 1,573 innings), his status as a time-tested veteran was certainly invaluable in the development of the young, talented hurlers in that rotation such as Julio Teheran and Brandon Beachy. It seems strange that the Giants, whose rotation went from one of the best in the game to one of the worst in a matter of 2 seasons, would sign a pitcher at the end of his career to shore up the starting staff, but it's not the worst idea. If Madison Bumgarner can keep producing at his elite level, and if Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum can match him, Huddy will be a fantastic number 3-4 starter by the Bay, just like he was during his time with the Athletics.

Stick around for tomorrow's post, when we take a look at the curious case of Robinson Cano's free agency.

The Daily Grind - 11/21

Here at TBF, we've been a little apathetic over the past few months in regards to keeping tabs on what's been happening in the national pastime. It may have something to do with our main writer transitioning into a new job in the real world, but the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series didn't help.

Still, it's our responsibility to bring our readers (all 6 of you) the up-to-date, hard-hitting analysis you've all come to know and love, which is why we're introducing a new series here called The Daily Grind. Gone are the days of long, winding posts on a single topic (well, not entirely), and in their place, we'll be taking a look at all the goings-on in baseball on any given day with as much voracity as you please. Let's jump right in.

So, as you've probably heard by now, the Rangers and Tigers pulled off a stunner of a trade last night. Detroit sent first baseman Prince Fielder and cash to Texas for second baseman Ian Kinsler in a swap of what many believe to be two untradeable contracts. Forget for the moment that Kinsler's contract is extremely team friendly and Fielder's is also commensurate with his value, this is a move that makes a lot of sense for both teams, on the surface and under it as well. The Rangers get the power lefty bat and first baseman they've been chasing for quite some time now, and they get to give hotshot prospect Jurickson Profar a full-time spot, which can only be good for his expected development into the next Michael Young (hopefully sans the constant position changes). The Tigers, meanwhile, get a large amount of money freed up to use as they please, a solid second baseman who can still hit, run and field well, and the opportunity to negate Miguel Cabrera's horrible fielding at third base by moving him back to the cold corner. It'll be interesting to see if this deal skews into the favor of one team, but as of now, this is a very smart and fair trade.

In other baseball news, Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter quietly announced his official retirement yesterday, after 15 years in the majors. Carpenter spent 6 seasons with the Blue Jays before signing with St. Louis, and although he missed two full seasons (2003 and 2013), he was a true dominator when healthy. He won the Cy Young award in 2005 and finished in the top 3 two other times, and his efforts during the 2011 season that saw the Cardinals improbably win a World Series title will certainly never be forgotten, especially since it appears to have led to the recurring shoulder problems that limited him to 3 forgettable appearances the following season and none this year. He's expected to stay on with the Cards as a special advisor, something that will benefit the electric young pitching in the organization greatly.

Speaking of former Toronto pitchers, the embattled Josh Johnson signed a one year deal with the Padres a couple of days ago in the hopes of rebuilding his value and getting a multi-year pact next offseason. When he was healthy with the Marlins, Johnson had the potential to be one of the best pitchers in today's game, like in 2010 when he led the league in ERA (2.30, also a career best), ERA+ (180, second best of his career), and HR/9 (0.3, by far a career low). However, he's missed time in nearly every season he's pitched with elbow and shoulder problems, and has only made 30 or more starts in just 2 seasons since he first came up in 2005. His home run and fly balls numbers have never been spectacular, but moving to a stadium like Petco Park, notorious for being a haven for fly ball hurlers, might just do wonders for his career. If he can stay healthy and regain his control, this deal could look like a steal for San Diego.

Well, we hope you've enjoyed your first taste of the Grind. We'll be back tomorrow to talk more baseball, shockingly.