A good free agent signing!
Dave · November 27, 2006 at 4:46 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Not surprisingly, the bargain of the offseason so far belongs to Mark Shapiro and the Cleveland Indians, also known as The Best Run Organization In Baseball.
The Indians signed David Dellucci to a 3 year, $12 million contract. Dellucci isn’t anyone’s savior, but he’s a very effective LH bat with across the board skills. He’s had his injury problems and just turned 33, but for $4 million, he’ll provide the Indians with an above average left fielder. Like the Jacque Jones signing last winter, this is a contract the Mariners should have been very willing to hand out in their search for “left-handed sock”.
This is the worst news of the offseason so far. Dellucci would’ve looked good here.
That leaves us Bonds and Drew as the only clear upgrades to Broussard on the free agent market. And the trading block doesn’t look much better.
There goes another pick for the M’s lineup for next year. Not too many folks for us to sign at this point.
Here’s to the hope that we have some good trade talks in progress.
Everyone’s saying Drew to the Red Sox at this point. Which leaves Barry, who apparently doesn’t want to leave Cali.
Say hello to Ben Broussard, full-time DH!
Cleveland. Too bad it’s not us.
In 244 AB vs righties he posted a .299/.375/.529 line.
Crap.
Barry will come here if we give him the $15 million he wants. Oakland and SF aren’t going there. Texas might. Besides, its not like there’s a better way to spend that kind of money. He’ll probably earn the team that much in ticket sales anyway.
I’m surprised Dellucci has bounced around as much as he has. I guess the Rangers’ lineup was crowded with sluggers when he was there and the Phillies still seem committed to Pat the Bat in LF, but Dellucci seems to have done nothing but hit every place he’s been, and he’s been relatively cheap. Good for Cleveland.
Wow, that’s shrewd. But odd. In what world is David Dellucci 40 percent as valuable as Gary Matthews Jr.?
…but Dellucci seems to have done nothing but hit every place he’s been…
I don’t think I’d apply the “does nothing but hit” tag to a guy with a .267 career EQA. I mean, this is a good contract, but let’s not get carried away here.
any word if he is platooning, or starting?
Further evidence that the link between skills and contracts is getting weaker, not stronger.
But Dellucci has never played in a World Series, so clearly he doesn’t know “how to win”. That’s why Everett > Dellucci; Aurilia > Dellucci; and Spiezio > Dellucci.
…or something like that.
Will we ever find out socks?
*our
Could be we have … more details from the Bloomquist deal:
Willie Bloomquist and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a two-year contract worth $1,875,000, tearing up the final season of his previous deal.
Bloomquist had been scheduled to earn $875,000 next year. The new contract calls for a $100,000 signing bonus, $825,000 next season and $950,000 in 2008, the final year before he is eligible for free agency.
He can also earn an additional $25,000 for 275, 325, 375 and 425 plate appearances next year, and $50,000 for 525 and 575. In 2008, he would earn $75,000 for 450, 500 and 550 plate appearances.
Now if that isn’t incentive to sock someone, I don’t know what is.
Bargain.
Woulda made that deal in a second.
Go go Shapiro go!
Well true about the EQA, but I like his power and ability to come off the bench. Last year with the Phils, they only used him for 264 ABs. And look who we gave 250 ABs to as our utility outfielder. And then signed to an extension through 2008. That .267 EQA looks pretty good right about now…..
Now if that isn’t incentive to sock someone, I don’t know what is.
Would have been pretty funny for incentives based on stolen bases. Then they really would be “money bags”.
Well true about the EQA, but I like his power and ability to come off the bench.
Sure. Over his career, he’s hit something like .208/.272/.315 against LHP and .271/.359/.468 against RHP, so if you’re platooning him even just a little bit, he’s got more offensive value than his career EQA would suggest. I guess I just tend to associate the “does nothing but hit” label with guys like Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, etc., who can post a .300+ EQA year after year with astonishing regularity.
Some additional clauses from Willie’s deal:
An additional $25,000 for 275, 325, and 375 references by Rick Rizzs or Dave Valle during the season
$50,000 for 25, 50, 75 or 100 dirty uniforms
$75,000 for starring in a Mariner TV commercial(s)
$75,000 for each article praising your Willie-nacity
$5,000 for each radio caller demanding that you get more playing time
$50,000 annual bonus for not disclosing your secret lifetime contract with the team
Dellucci is terrible versus lefty pitching so I’d assume that he’ll platoon with Jason Michaels.
And $200,000 for keeping that photo of Bill Bavasi in a hot tub with the Mariner Moose out of the press.
Manny is the man the Mariners need. Assuming Sexson would be part of any trade to Boston, this lineup looks pretty good:
Ichiro
Beltre
Manny
Ibanez
Johjima
Broussard
Lopez
Snelling
Betancourt
And if Snelling is really as good as the Doylers claim, he can move up to second or sixth by June 1.
Are we agreed? Build the deal around Sexson, Soriano and Adam Jones. Got that Bavasi? Good.
I see no reason to send Adam off to get two years of Manny, especially given our current State of the Rotation.
Anyway, I’m hardly a “Doyler” but I’d rather see him in second than Beltre, who doesn’t even make sense there.
Check out Beltre’s numbers batting second last year:
Batting AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
#2 258 49 80 23 3 13 50 22 3 48 2 1 .310 .367 .574 .941
Small sample size? Perhaps… though 258 at bats seems significant to me. Maybe, hitting second, he doesn’t try to kill the ball so much, and tries to go to right field more often.
I am gonna make a shirt that says “I less than three when Adrian bats second”
Because I do.
I’m not contending that he’s done worse in that spot in the lineup, although it isn’t the largest sample by a good margin. I’m simply saying that I don’t think he’s as suited for the spot as Snelling is.
In all honesty, I believe that over a good period of time, true differences for batters when placed in different lineup positions would be minimal. It would mostly have to do with who is in front of them (on base at the time) and who is to follow after them. The actual # of the spot means nothing to expected performance in and of itself. There is obviously random variation which can account for some difference, and then the true difference based on who is around the the batter.
So overall, I’d put Snelling at #2, since I think his skills are better suited to it than are Beltre’s. Assuming the 9-man lineup you had, I might go:
Ichiro
Snelling
Beltre
Ramirez
Ibanez
Johjima
Broussard
Lopez
Betancourt
Of course, the odds that the Mariners get Manny seem to be too low to really consider that, anyway.
Too bad to see Dellucci go.
I’m starting to think that other than Schmidt the M’s may not be able to sign anyone of import. The perception around baseball may be that the M’s have to win or will be blown up by a new GM and Manager next year. Not all players would avoid a situation like that, but it may be having an effect. That added to travel and the fact that thier rotation was so bad last year it sucked itself empty. Growing pains and all, but Felix sucked too.
I would be upset seeing the M’s give up Jones or Clement to Boston for Manny. We gave up our last Stud MiL catcher to Boston and Morrow can’t be traded yet. The only way I could see the M’s getting Manny otherwise is by trading Ichiro. The same way Jones is worth more than 2 years of Manny, the haul of kids the M’s could potentially get for Ichiro is greater than 2 years of Manny. I’d offer a Sexson/Ibanez/B prospect(s) package if I thought this was the right direction. Getting Manny is a ‘we can win right now’ move and this doesn’t look like a win right now team. Sure if you can add 3 aces I see this team having a shot of making the World Series, but it’s hard to do that when there’s no true Ace FA and you focus on trading all your chips for a bat when you have 1 SP you like, 1 SP you’d like for 1/3 the money and 3 empty spots in the rotation. I’d rather hear about trading for Zambrano, which is probably less likely to happen, but at least fills a gaping hole in the team. Any large trade should include SP coming back whether it be old or young. Jason Jennings looks like a good idea. Putting young pitching in the minors looks like a good idea. Trading the youth out from under a rebuilding team for a bat for 2 years (at HUGE payroll cost), when that team’s looking for 3 Starters only to get an extra (If he doesn’t stink up his contract year at the Safe) type A player compensation pick when he signs with NY in 2009 does not sound like a good idea. No thanks to the Manny idea. I’d love to watch him play for the M’s, but the move doesn’t make sense right now.
…and the fact that thier rotation was so bad last year it sucked itself empty.
You’d think attendance would have been better.
Over/under on when we sign Villone, the team’s most valuable pitcher in 2004, to be our 4th starter?
but Felix sucked too
Absolutely! I mean right off of the top of my head I can think of at least one other pitcher in the AL who had a better xFIP…his name was Johan something or other….
His GB% of 57% wasn’t nearly high enough (two guys were better i the AL-Wang and Westbrook-I mean if you can’t be better than those guys at something, you must be bad). Finally, his 8.3K/g was atrocious (that Johan guy, Schilling and Bonderman were better-whats up with that Johan guy anyway?). Felix was definately overpaid last year…..
Geez, I spend the evening arguing with Reds fans about why Dunn won’t be traded for Johnson, Church, and Patterson and why its absurd to suggest that Dunn should only be traded for someone like Pujols I come home to USSM for this….
Well thats as snarky as I can get.
Ron Villone
Date: December 15
Contract: 6 years, $148 million, no trade clause, 1,000 Wiis
I’ll start: sooner on the date, over on the contract
The Times has an article that has details on Willie’s deal. 2 years, 1.875 mill. with bonus payments for # of at bats.
Fox Sports is such a joke. Here they have an article on Igawa, but the word Tigers from Hanshin Tigers links to the Detroit Tigers.
I never thought it would be that difficult to properly link with supposed professionals who are paid to make articles print-worthy.
Anybody else think Cliff Floyd might be a cheap source of left handed sock? I know he was pretty bad this year but a move to DH ought to prolong his career.
Ya know…the way this FA market is going…sign Villone, and also Authur Rhodes, Darin Erstad, Bengie Molina, Adam Kennedy and all other ex-Angels and 1995 Mariners. Guaranteed we could do worse.
Cliff Floyd = Carl Everett 2K6.
2K7, even.
>Josh
Though they definitely should check their links and such being professionals and all, those links are probably generated automatically.
Anyhow, though I love to imagine having Manny in the Ms lineup, its soooo unlikely….
Bring back 1995 Mariners, you say? I am sure Chris Widger could be had for the right price. Rizzs would likely salivate over the thought of having him for a third go-around.
Couldn’t be much worse than Rivera?
Carl Everett 2K6? Is that a videogame? I don’t see that one making it past the ESRB.
I wonder, is Cliff Floyd a better choice than Trot Nixon at this point? Which would cost more?
But Dellucci has never played in a World Series, so clearly he doesn’t know “how to winâ€. That’s why Everett > Dellucci; Aurilia > Dellucci; and Spiezio > Dellucci.
Actually, he’s played in the 2001 & 2003 series…
Any word on the Kei Igawa bids? Any indications that the M’s at least made an offer?
It looks like we’ll over extend to Schmidt to appease the average fan. Sign Tomo Ohka for the Japanese fan base. Maybe land Cliff Floyd to a Frank Thomas circa last year deal?
This would be the best I could hope for at this point.
Any word on how Jeff Schmidt would be as a mentor to younger, more influencial pitchers? Maybe then I cold see the value of having him around the Org for the next five years.
FWIW, apparently the Tigers are looking at Villone, and Cliff has suitors in the Cubs, A’s and Orioles …
hmmm.
“In a deal that would fill the Angels’ need for a power hitter but that would come with a steep price, the Angels and Chicago White Sox have discussed a trade that would send infielder-outfielder Chone Figgins and pitcher Ervin Santana to Chicago for third baseman Joe Crede and pitcher Freddy Garcia, baseball sources said Monday. The sources said no trade was imminent and other players probably would be included in any deal should negotiations progress.”
“According to The San Francisco Chronicle, the Cubs have offered free-agent starter Jason Schmidt a three-year deal worth $44 million. ”
Um..yeah. That’s too much, and that’s just a starting point.
Jason Schmidt, doctor.
Damn those Cubs. They’re spoiling it for everyone else.
Dellucci’s numbers don’t seem to show him to be a “left-handed hitter with sock.” He’s an above average left-handed hitter but no sock.
Um, so he didn’t hit 29 home runs in 2005?
Hey Dave, I haven’t seen this for awhile so maybe you have an old link. Can you put up a quick rosterbation of what you think will be our roster come 07 season. I’d be curious of what you thought as of today?
Jim,
2005: 29HR
2006: 13HR
Career average over 162 games is 15HR
I don’t think Dellucci has sock. And I would even say that 4M/year is bit of a good deal. But not a killer deal.
We’re back to evaluating players by home runs? Is this 1988?
yeah, you have to at least factor in the Veteran Leadership, too
in SI, Heyman says “The Hanshin Tigers have accepted the top bid — believed to be about $25 million — for left-handed pitcher Kei Igawa”
I think it was appropriate for Jim to bring up HRs because we are talking about “sock” in the context of Safeco, with a short right field. That’s all.
If you look at Dellucci’s production/plate appearance, he’s right up there with the guys getting the big money this offseason. So yes, he provides “sock” however you want to define it.
Plus, with right handers being the dominant starters in our division (Zito will be gone), he would have been a great fit, even though he doesn’t hit lefties as well as righties.
Plus, and I’m sure msb will mock this based on the previous entry, he actually is a good veteran leader, and is well respected by teammates. I don’t care what you say, that matters…
25mil for Igawa is crazy if true. Good luck to he who again has overspent. I hope it wasn’t us.
I don’t think Dellucci has sock.
Last year, Dellucci’s isolated slugging against RHP was .230. Some hitters who had (overall) about a .230 ISO last season: Justin Morneau, Ken Griffey, Jr, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Raul Ibanez, Miguel Cabrera.
That certainly qualifies as “sock” in my book.
Speaking of sock, Buster Olney seems to think that the A’s want Mike Piazza as their new DH.
Sorry, Dave. I just reached for the closest tool to refute the “no sock” claim about Dellucci. But the ISO stat drives it home pretty well, I think.
Looks like Cards sign Adam Kennedy: 3yrs./$10 million.
.273/.334/.384 last year with the Angels, those numbers will likely go up against NL pitching. I’d say that deal borders on “reasonable.”
Was the sarcasm in my last post not evident?
Reasonable FA Contracts so far:
Mike Mussina
Moises Alou
Jose Valentin
Randy Wolf
David Dellucci
Frank Catalanatto
Adam Kennedy
Wade Miller
Frank Thomas
Roughly in that order. And I don’t hate the Mark DeRosa deal as much as everyone else does, so I might toss him in there as well.
There are good deals to be had for teams who know what they’re doing.
ESPN just confirmed that the winning bid on Igawa was 25 million. The identity of the winning team is still unknown.
Dave, how do you feel about Gregg Zaun’s deal? Two years, $7.5 million for the Uber-Backup Catcher when dozens of capable backstops are floating around as minor league free agents … the mind reels ….
Zaun’s good enough to be a starter, so that deal’s not bad. But he’s 35, so I don’t love giving him a two year deal.
That deal, along with DeRosa, is in the decent category.
It strikes me that perhaps the most dangerous trend this offseason is in offering multi-year contracts to middle relievers, who are usually among the most easily replaceable players in baseball — and historically the most unable to sustain good performances over a number of seasons.
Three years each for Danys Baez and Jamie Walker, and FOUR years for Justin Speier? And now the insane Orioles are reportedly offering Chad Bardford a three-year deal. Wow.
I don’t think you can call the stupidity of one franchise a trend. Three of the four relievers to sign multiyear deals so far have been with Baltimore, and lets be honest, Mike Flanagan isn’t going to have his job much longer.
Cards, Adam Kennedy. Along with Eckstein, they’ve got the market cornered on Anaheim’s short, scrappy infielders.
Kennedy, if it goes down as advertised, seems quite reasonable to me.
Kennedy looks like an average hitter, in league terms…but I’m not sure what his VORP in wins would be over a replacement 2B…anyone help?
Cards, Adam Kennedy. Along with Eckstein, they’ve got the market cornered on Anaheim’s short, scrappy infielders.
Uh. Gomez. Don’t forget Player A…
Kennedy is typically 20 VORP, but 2006 VORP was only 11.
Jack, that’s 20 Vorp over other 2B?
The definition of VORP:
Value Over Replacement Player. The number of runs contributed beyond what a replacement-level player at the same position would contribute if given the same percentage of team plate appearances. VORP scores do not consider the quality of a player’s defense.
I would take Mussina and Wolf off the list of decent FA contracts since neither of them really exercised full market opportunity. IOW, no matter how well run a team was, unless they were in NY or SoCal, you weren’t landing one of those two.