Last offseason we watched as many established veterans, some former All-Stars, settled for one year contracts in the tough economic climate. Some players were just holding on for one last year, others were looking to earn themselves a multi-year deal after proving their worth in 2009.
Let's discuss how these players have performed, and whether or not they've put themselves in position to land that big contract after the season. Here's some players who fit the bill:
- Bobby Abreu: .299-.399-.441 in 308 plate appearances. The Angels are paying him just $5MM this year, but he'll turn 36 in Spring Training.
- Rocco Baldelli: .289-.349-.487 in just 83 plate appearances. Still just 27, Rocco's guaranteed only $500k but has an incentive laden contract.
- Jon Garland: 4.81 ERA in 16 starts. After making $7.25MM this year he has a mutual option worth $10MM in the offseason. He'll turn 30 in September.
- Orlando Hudson: .294-.362-.425 in 357 plate appearances. He's making $3.38MM this year with bonuses, and will turn 32 in the offseason.
- Felipe Lopez: .303-.359-.411 in 326 plate appearances. He'll earn $3.5MM in 2009, and is still just 29 years old.
- Carl Pavano: 5.56 ERA in 16 starts. He's guaranteed $1.5M but has over $5MM in incentives in his contract. He'll turn 34 this winter.
- Brad Penny: 4.79 ERA in 15 starts.At age 31, he's making $5MM.
So what do you guys think, have any of these players earned themselves a multi-year contract?
