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D'Backs Interested In Loretta

According to Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune on Friday, the D'Backs have second baseman Mark Loretta on the radar and have spoken to his agent.  Loretta has his eye on a full-time job.  Loretta accepted the Astros' offer of arbitration last year when he couldn't find a starting gig.  Loretta is again a Type B free agent; will the Astros offer arbitration this time?

Loretta, 37, hit .280/.350/.383 in 297 plate appearances while playing below average defense.  He earned $2.75MM, the result of a lost arbitration case.


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Loretta is a solid player. He'll give you a solid OBP and a little defensive versatility. At this point though I don't know if he really should be playing everyday, he doesn't really provide much power or upside anymore. I could see him being a good fit on Arizona though, where they have some good upside hitters already and just need a solid player who isn't a hole in the lineup, which Loretta surely isn't.

I've always liked Loretta. He is a solid player, not the best range, but still gets the job done and plays his position smart. After his year with the Sox, I had hoped for them to resign him and put Pedroia @ short.....would have been cheaper than Lugo.......hope Dbacks can make something happen. He would be a solid vet for a team of young players.

Aww... I love Loretta, ever since he was in an Astros uniform. He was fun to watch with our "5 wise men" ( Ausmus, Loretta,Erstad,Blum,Newhan) I would love to have him back but now he will ask too much for a bench player. And the Astros have a younger/Cheaper version of Loretta in David Newhan. And Newhan is better defensively also.

So hopefully he'll do good with what ever team he goes to.

Astros most likely won't offer Loretta arbitration because he's likely to accept it and they would be way overpaying for a bench player. They would still have Blum and Newhan around too.

I think the Astros will offer Loretta arbitration and He will sign with the D'Backs. Loretta is a solid player on the bench, but I think he will go to Arizona for more playing time.

I think Astros offer him arbitration too. Most likely he won't accept it. If he does he is protection for one their worst signings Kaz Matsui who can't stay healthy.

As a D-Backs fan I think I would pursue Ramon Vazquez (.365 .430 .290 )first as Loretta (.350 .383 .280) is aging and may just want a short contract, and only be a quick fix. Whereas Vazquez is only 32 I believe, so he could potentially play for the D-Backs for a longer period. However, he'll probably require more money than Loretta, who is nearing the end of his career. Unfortunetly, neither could come close to replacing O-Dog.

Loretta would leave more money for the D-Backs to attempt to resign Randy Johnson and maybe get a reliable arm to replace Juan Cruz in their bullpen who other than Chad Qualls was really their only reliable relief pitcher. And it will leave more money for the large amount of draft picks this recieve from all their type a/b free agents.

"Astros most likely won't offer Loretta arbitration because he's likely to accept it and they would be way overpaying for a bench player."

I hardly think what he was paid this year was out of line with the market and what he offers.

"As a D-Backs fan I think I would pursue Ramon Vazquez (.365 .430 .290 )first as Loretta (.350 .383 .280) is aging and may just want a short contract, and only be a quick fix. Whereas Vazquez is only 32 I believe, so he could potentially play for the D-Backs for a longer period. However, he'll probably require more money than Loretta, who is nearing the end of his career."

Vazquez doesn't have near the track record of consistency that Loretta does. He had his best year in 2008, but he has never produced close to that before. The only advantage Vazquez has is what side of the plate he swings from and Loretta's poor platoon split. Actually, having both of those guys on the bench wouldn't be a bad idea.

Loretta's a good bench guy and can play a few positions in a pinch, but I'd hate to have to rely on him for an extended amount of time.

He clearly is no longer a starter, as the past few years when he did play everyday it seems his number declined as the summer grinded on....

"Loretta's a good bench guy and can play a few positions in a pinch, but I'd hate to have to rely on him for an extended amount of time.

He clearly is no longer a starter, as the past few years when he did play everyday it seems his number declined as the summer grinded on...."

Obviously Loretta is no longer a top tier second baseman, but a .350 OBP is hard to ignore, as is the ability to play all over the field.

"?I've always liked Loretta. He is a solid player, not the best range, but still gets the job done and plays his position smart. After his year with the Sox, I had hoped for them to resign him and put Pedroia @ short.....would have been cheaper than Lugo.......hope Dbacks can make something happen. He would be a solid vet for a team of young players."


I agree, i wish thats what they had done..

I don't disagree with most of what's on here, but what's the deal with the Loretta hate? "below average defense"? He made 4 errors at 4 different positions over 532 chances. What's "average"? 2 errors? Also, in that zone thing that was invented for infielders, he ranks favorably with other second basemen, just not sure about where that commment came from.

As far as Newhan being younger and cheaper - he's definitely cheaper, but not that much younger - 35. Also, he's a Boras guy, which most teams aren't big fans of.

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