2008 MLB Free Agents Rumors

Best Available Free Agents By Position

Let's go position by position and name the best available free agent at each. Here's the current list. Catcher - Damian Miller. There's just nothing out there; teams moved fast on catchers this year. First base - Mike Lamb. Some might say Tony Clark, but I'll take the guy who gets on base a little bit at the expense of a few home runs. Lamb's platoon splits are inconsistent; I'm not sure how he'd handle 500 ABs. Brad Wilkerson is another intriguing option here. Second base - Tadahito Iguchi. Solid guy who won't hurt you, especially if he can be..   Continue Reading

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Free Agent Starting Pitching Stat Leaders

The Baseball-Reference Play Index is an awesome tool for just $29 per year. Read all about it here. Let's look at the statistical leaders for starting pitchers. Looking for a good strikeout rate? K/9 Leaders, min 50 IP Freddy Garcia - 7.76 Bartolo Colon - 6.89 Jason Jennings - 6.45 Roger Clemens - 6.18 Looking for good control? BB/9 Leaders, min 50 IP Carlos Silva - 1.60 Jeff Weaver - 2.15 Rodrigo Lopez - 2.38 David Wells - 2.40 Bartolo Colon - 2.63 Kyle Lohse - 2.66 Roger Clemens - 2.82 Andy Pettitte - 2.88 Freddy Garcia - 2.9   Continue Reading

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Free Agent Offensive Stat Leaders

The Baseball-Reference Play Index is an awesome tool for just $29 per year. Read all about it here. The B-Ref PI now allows for filtering by 2007 free agents. So, it's easy to find statistical leaders. Looking for power? SLG Leaders, min 300 PAs Barry Bonds - .565 Aaron Rowand - .515 Geoff Jenkins - .471 Sammy Sosa - .468 Brad Wilkerson - .467 Jose Guillen - .460 Mike Lamb - .453 Luis Gonzalez - .433 Mike Cameron - .431 Shawn Green - .430 Cliff Floyd - .422 Looking for OBP? OBP Leaders, min 300 PAs Barry Bonds - .480..   Continue Reading

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2008 MLB Free Agent Review

Here's a look at the current free agent class, and here's my 2008 Top 50 Free Agents predictions. Let's go through each position briefly as a review before things kick into high gear tomorrow. Catchers Big Fish: Jorge Posada Possible Bargains: Michael Barrett, Ramon Castro First basemen Big Fish: None Possible Bargains: Tony Clark Second basemen Big Fish: Luis Castillo Possible Bargains: Tadahito Iguchi Shortstops Big Fish: None Possible Bargains: Alexei Ramirez Third basemen Big Fish: Alex Rodriguez, Mike Lowell Possible Bargains: Mike Lamb, Corey Koskie Left fielders Big Fish: Barry Bonds Possible Bargains: Milton Bradley, Brad Wilkerson Center fielders..   Continue Reading

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Elias Rankings Released

This is like Christmas for baseball nerds like me. The Elias rankings are out - here's the AL and here's the NL. I've updated the 2008 MLB Free Agents post to reflect those who are off the market and also added Types. And here's a look at which first round picks are protected and which aren't. Random thoughts: The Yankees could get nice consolation prizes in the form of first-round picks if they lose Jorge Posada or Mariano Rivera. For example if the Mets sign Posada the Yankees get their #22 overall pick. If the Phils sign Rivera the Yanks..   Continue Reading

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Southpaw Relievers

Let's take a look at the available free agent relievers this winter. The number following the player is his 2008 age. Jeremy Affeldt (29) - There seems to be a growing sentiment that Affeldt will get paid decently this winter. He's had a big-time walk problem in recent years and didn't correct it in '07. A low hit rate kept his ERA under 4.00...he could be a bust. He made $1.25MM in '07 but could get some kind of silly three-year Scott Schoeneweis deal. Joe Kennedy (29) - Interesting year for Kennedy, who pitched for Oakland, Arizona, and Toronto. He..   Continue Reading

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Sunday A-Rod Recap

I hate to post about the same guy twice in a row, but there's been a flurry of Alex Rodriguez speculation on this fine October Sunday. To break it down, here's a brief recap: The New York Post reports the Yankees are expected to make an offer to prevent A-Rod from free agency. However, the offer will approach neither $300MM nor 12 years. I think this is both expected and a smart move by the Yanks because... Nick Cafardo likens Scott Boras' approach toward marketing A-Rod's "Iconic Value" to the exaggeratory strategy he took with Daisuke Matsuzaka. And Johnny Damon,..   Continue Reading

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Marlins Would Benefit Most from A-Rod

Chris Isidore of CNNMoney.com analyzes the viability of a $300MM contract for Alex Rodriguez and the likelihood of him still being in the Bronx. Isidore writes: "A-Rod could produce $48 million per year in revenue and asset appreciation for the Yankees, allowing the team to pay him $34 million in salary, along with a 40 percent luxury tax, and still break even." Isidore dispels the notion that the YES Network is actually doing better with A-Rod in pinstripes by pointing out a significant decline in viewership since his acquisition in '04, and that YES fetches most of its profits from..   Continue Reading

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Koskie to Return as Free Agent

Here's a feel good story from The Star Tribune: Third baseman Corey Koskie has fully recovered from the post-concussion syndrome that sidelined him for half of the 2006 and the entirety of the 2007 seasons. Doom and gloom loomed earlier this month as the Brewers declined his $6.5MM option and retirement seemed a legitimate possibility for the big Canadian. Koskie has recovered from his persistent headaches and can be considered an official free agent in the weak 2008 third base market at the moment consisting of Pedro Feliz, Mike Lamb, and Mike Lowell. The 34 year old hasn't played 100..   Continue Reading

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Tomohiro Nioka Could Come To MLB

Tomohiro Nioka is a 31 year-old shortstop for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan. He's starting to generate a little buzz as a possible MLB crossover this winter, especially given the weak free agent shortstop market. Nioka will be a free agent this winter (no posting fee required). I haven't seen any recent quotes indicating that he wants to come over here, but he did say "I'd most definitely consider playing in the Major Leagues" back in 2003. The Daily Herald's Scot Gregor notes that the White Sox could opt to pursue Nioka over Juan Uribe. The Sox have had success..   Continue Reading

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