2010 Top 50 Free Agents

Do you see the Mets really signing Holliday, Wolf & Penny? I thought their finances were a little strained after the Madoff scandal?

Do you see Oakland as non-tendering Jack Cust? Why would they go after Thome when Cust is there?

I doubt the Mets get Holliday..
Lmfao @ Baseball09's comment!

With the money they are saving from Cameron, Hardy, and hopefully Looper; you have to figure the Brewers will net one of the higher FA pitchers such as Lackey, Wolf, Garland, or Pavano.

Apparently the cardinals are making some trades because Tim has them going with like a 70 million pay role. I think he could have put a little more thought into these predictions

Here we go:

Holliday, Lackey, Harden to Mets.

That's all they'll do, besides maybe a trade or two.

Holliday will sign a 6 year 100million dollar deal, Lackey will sign something close to that, maybe a 5 year 90 million deal (AJ money), and Harden maybe 2 years 13 million.

That's what I think.

If I was Omar....I'd get those three, and then get Marquis.

We'ld be champions if he pulls this off.

COME ON OMAR DO IT.

Personally I feel the Padres would choose Marlon Byrd over Mike Cameron. Mainly cause of age, Byrd is 5 years younger. Though realistically I dont see the Padres signing either.

For the record, Tim was 13/50 in his last years predictions.

Seriously Mets fans..

You guys are clamoring for Jason Marquis.

Take a deep breath and look yourselves in the mirror. Do you genuinely derive pleasure from being the most second rate team in the bigs?

Lackey is going to want a Burnett type contract. Cashman isn't going to hand that out again. Gotta agree with nut bunnies (hahaha) he splurged last year because this year's class sucks hard.

I highly doubt the Mets sign Holliday. They need to use their money to buy a number of good, solid players to fill some holes, instead of one superstar and change.

I see them signing
Lackey
Marquis
Bengie Molina
Nick Johnson

However, based on the fact that Citi field is a HUGE park, I would sign
Washburn
Marquis
Molina
Johnson
and if the money is there (by not signing Lackey) Figgins

As for Holliday, I see him going to either the Yankees (hopefully) or staying in St. Louis, although I wouldn't be totally shocked if he ended up with the Mets, I just think that's now what they need right now.
I also feel that Lackey will not end up with the Yankees, no way, no how, like many have stated, Cashman signed AJ and CC because he didn't want to sign many players from this FA class. Plus I don't think the Yankees would want to have Lackey's attitude in their recently restored clubhouse, which is the only reason that I think they may not even make a play for Holliday.

Just my $0.02

Airman,

There are Mets fans who want their GM to take the money they themselves spent on tickets and merchandise and give it to Jason Marquis to play baseball for their team.

And they believe this will put them over the top.

If they are going to leave it out over the plate, I'm knocking it out of the park.

aguirrem2, even if it isn't sensible, the mets will get holliday. The mets need to get fans excited about something, and you know deep down, the only reason you don't think the mets get holliday is that u want the yankees to get

I would hope the Giants would add another bat along with Nick Johnson.

A combination of Johnson/Dye, Johnson/Nady, or Beltre instead of Johnson would be nice.

Of course getting Jason Bay alone would be terrific as well

"6. Maybe trade for Oliver Perez. He still has good stuff and I think Dave Duncan could definetly help him. The Mets would have to eat alot of his salary, but he could be a salary dump so they could sign someone like Lackey or Bay."

Mets fans can only pray the Cards front office feels the same way as you do.

"Here we go:

Holliday, Lackey, Harden to Mets.

That's all they'll do, besides maybe a trade or two.

Holliday will sign a 6 year 100million dollar deal, Lackey will sign something close to that, maybe a 5 year 90 million deal (AJ money), and Harden maybe 2 years 13 million."

If Holliday is fine with 6/100...he'll be wearing Cardinal Red next season.

I think the Pirates will sign a corner OF. Marlon Byrd or Mike Cameron could be a fit. Personally I don't like the RIck Ankiel idea. They need someone that is capable of playing everyday and might have some value in a trade if Tabata proves he is ready to be an everyday Major Leaguer. I would like to see them sign a starter but I doubt that. Rich Harden is a very interesting guy he could be a low risk high reward guy for someone unfortunatly not us.

The reason we Met fans want Marquis is because he's an innings eater.

He's valuable, and I would not mind him IF we already signed a dependable Number 2.

Also, everyone is freaking out about Citi, it's not THAT big. I mean, it's not CBP or Yankee, but it's not like WOOOOOAH.

Uh...Tim, so do the Cards just not sign a big bat for LF then? Looks like you have all the potential impact OF bats signing elsewhere.

You know its a bad FA class when Pettitte is #6 and Beltre is #9

LOL! This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Really? Do you think the Mets, Phillies, Red Sox, Diamondbacks are going to sign that many FA's?

Giants only sign Nick Johnson? Astros sign nobody?

Nice try, but I don't think that this list is even close to what's going to happen.

What about the Reds going after Orlando Cabrera? Seems good to me.

I see the Yankees signing Jason Bay and bringing back Johnny Damon. Matt Holliday will go to the Mets. And the Red Sox will be playing Jeremy Hermdia in LF.

I know these are just predictions, but some of them are awfully silly. Smoltz isn't going anywhere, he'll sign a 1yr contract with the good old Cards and then retire. We better hold onto Holliday but I'm starting to have my doubts on that one.... who knows where he'll land this offseason. I mean who saw him going to the A's of all places last year haha?

I know Tim said that this doesn't take into account trades, but this can't be right for the cardinals since they have nothing left to trade. All of their work will be done in free agency, so that is why I think these predictions are SO innacurate

I know it sounds pathetic, but I'd be pretty stoked if the Padres only signed Cameron from this FA class.

Hopefully he stays in Padre payroll land with the annual Cameron special of around 7-8 mill, but we might be priced out with such a high ranking on this FA list.

@RealisticMetsFan: Wow, that's got to be the most ironic monicker I've seen here in a long time. Gonzo or Fielder? Where do you think the Mets get even HALF the trade value for either of those?

I'm a Mets fan, and would be happy if they could sign a top left fielder (one of Holliday, Bay, Cameron, or Dye, despite defensive issues with Bay and Dye), a couple of decent starters (they may need to take chances on Harden, Sheets, Penny, and/or Bedard in addition to someone like Lackey or Wolf), and a first baseman for a year or two (Johnson or even Matsui), until Ike Davis arrives.

None of that's a given, of course, but they need to bide their time and work to rebuild their mostly barren farm before they can think of making any significant deals.

I see the Yankees signing Jason Bay and bringing back Johnny Damon. Matt Holliday will go to the Mets. And the Red Sox will be playing Jeremy Hermdia in LF.

Posted by: wigwamwarrior | November 08, 2009 at 11:57 PM

You sir are crazy. Hmm.. I guess the yankees sign Holliday and Lackey AND Bay and shoot while they're at it steal Wakefield and Wagner and the Red Sox can just play AAA players. You are obviously a yankee fan.

Hermida is nothing more than a backup and a good insurance policy. It's the Red Sox not the Marlins. And yes, I'm a die-hard Sox fan and I know all the ins and outs as far as the players and such because I know people in the organization. Bay will resign, the big thing is that the $60 Mill isn't going to cut it, 4 years will though. The final agreement will be 4 years $70 million. I agree with Tim that Chapman will sign with the Red Sox, because he knows he will make the biggest difference for the Red Sox. They will play him in AAA for the entire year, with a September call up a sure shot. I agree that Scutaro will sign with the Sox based on the money he will be offered. However this time around they won't have to worry about blocking him from the Yankees, which I've always said realistically adds $4 Mill per year because of that. Wakefield has been on the year-to-year plan for a long time now. I'd personally rather see Holliday sign than Bay for the Sox and yes I know Bay has proven he can play in Boston, but Holliday is overall a stronger player. I also agree with Harden at a base of $5 Mill with incentives that could earn him an additional $3 mill. When you come off an injury plagued season you cannot expect more than that, and you're basically playing for your next contract. Something that I think is small but neat if you think about it, is to sign Nomar to a deal to be a utility IF. He can end his career right where he started it. I disagree with Matsui ending up in Seattle because Ichiro doesn't like him, and Ichiro is basically Ichiban Numbah One.

DeRosa+Valverde wouldn't be bad. I'd love any combination of Valverde/R. Soriano+DeRosa/Beltre

and this is just giving mets fans some hope. it won't happen!! and if it does, the players they do sign will probably get hurt and miss the whole season. or be like oliver perez where he wishes he did get hurt and miss the season.

Love this time of year. Looking forward to what you've got planned for us this year, Tim.

But I gotta say, some of this stuff ain't gonna happen, but you already knew that. :-)

Tigers aren't gonna get Smoltz. Smoltz is either gonna come back to the Cards, or he's going to retire.

I could see Wagner with the Cubs though. They need a bullpen arm, and he'd be pretty cheap (for them anyway). But any speculation that the Phillies are interested in bringing him back can go right out the window. I don't think you realize just how much the players hate him. He wouldn't fit in with that clubhouse at all.

I do like where you are going with the A's though. Once again, an aging DH that everyone wants to give up on is available, and Oakland will take their chances. It worked out with Frank Thomas, so maybe it could work with Jim too.

If the Nationals were smart, they'd make a play for Troy Glaus at 1B. I'm not sure how that would work out defensively, but for a 1 year deal with an option, I think Troy would be willing to show the rest of MLB that he's okay and can still hit.

The Yankees will sign all 50!

baseball09's comments crack me up! hahaaha

The Yankees do NOT need to sign Lackey or any other "prize" starting pitcher. They already have CC and AJ and are paying them accordingly. What they DO need is someone reliable and that can throw some innings. They simply don't need to throw huge amounts of cash here...

1. CC
2. AJ
3. Pettitte
4. ________
5. Gaudin/Hughes/Joba/Wang

I would prefer a decent #3 pitcher (a healthy Wang would be perfect) which would slide Andy to #4 but, wishful thinking.

If the Yankees should have learned its that they can't have TWO spots (40%) dedicated to un-proven pitchers. One spot, yes with options. If Hughes fails, try Joba/Wang/Gaudin...

Bullpen is OK, starting with Mo, set-up by Joba/Hughes (whoever isn't starting). Lefties are Marte and Coke. Robertson over Bruney with Aceves in long relief. Solid bullpen!

Line-up: Not much tinkering needed except they need Matsui more than they need Damon as Matsui protected A-Rod. Posada/Swisher/Cano as a #5 hitter? #6, yes. #5, no.

Unless a better opportunity arises, I don't see why the Yankees are unwilling to resign both Damon and Matsui. When Posada/Rodriguez/Jeter need to DH, Matsui gets a day off. As seen in the playoff and regular season, Matsui responded well to rest.

No need for Chapman or Lackey. Holliday, only if they lose Matsui as they need to make up the RBIs. And keep Damon while AJax gets ready.

See, not all Yankee fans want ALL the FAs. =P

Matsui is a far inferior all around player to Holliday .367wOBA vs. .400wOBA career, Holliday is ~+10 fielder using a running 3 year avg, and Matsui may or may not be able to play the OF for more than 100 games and if he plays that many healthy he is a -15uzr/150 LF'er. To put it in easier to understand terms, Matsui has been worth 12.8 WAR since '03, Holliday has been worth about that much in the last 2+ years (twice as much as Damon too). The Yankees have the philosophy of getting not just good players but elite players, and Holliday is certainly that, and is without a doubt a better option than waiting on my man Crawford who will not age gracefully. Also I think you're right about Lackey, maybe a Sheets/Bedard flier with Hughes/Joba waiting for an injury would be smart instead?

I see Molina signing a two year deal with the Mets.

I think the giants will have a very busy yet patient offseason. I think they will sign Bay first (top sox at 4yr. 65-70mil). Wait on Johnson but eventually snag him. Then who ever is left as the cheaper veteran option between Penny and Uribe they will resign...

Even if the twins don't sign Beltre, with the additon of Hardy and the emergence of Kubel and Young their lineup is going to be one of the strongest in the AL next year...

few points first tb is likely keeping crawford there fans love him and they didnt trade kazmir if they didnt have a plan to keep crawford.as for this year i sure hope boston dont sign scutaro for 3 years as they have a nice but young ss in there minors i agree with bjguess its an open market i personaly cant wait to see what bud does with making a salary cap or something like that after this deal is up something will happen though to make it more fair holliday is going to the mets or cardinals possible the redo sox and lackey would be nice for the rangers or the dodgers as a true ace bay would be good with the giants as will someone like nick johnson.i think hideki matsui is gonna be a dh just not in the al east the white sox or royals could use him who knows for sure what will happen enjoy the last few years before the salary cap have a nice night

The only way the Mets sign Holliday is if Bernie Madoff gives Fred Wilpon a copy of the map to the hidden treasure he stole from...Fred Wilpon.

As for the Giants, they'll do what they do every offseason - panic and overpay someone who's best years are behind him.

Wow. Terrible article. For the most part, I really enjoy this site. But this one just sucks. You might as well have picked the names from a hat. I don't know why you felt a need to do this. You do a great job of reporting all of the rumors. Was it so slow that you felt you needed to make some of your own?

the brewers have said they are interested in lackey, washburn, harden. i think washburn comes home to milwaukee and 1 a top tier pitcher comes to the crew. every1 knows that were 2 starters from a world series potential team.

With regards to Wilpon, I believe he has said his charitable foundations were hit hard by Wilpon, but not his own cash. No way to know if that's true, but that's what he's put out there.

Not surprised to see a lot of people disagreeing with this list, but overall I think most of the signings make sense.

Don't see the Dodgers signing Lopez, though. If we're not going to have much money to spend this offseason, then almost everything we spend is going towards pitching. We have 2B options in house.

I think Berdard will be the #1 guy on our radar. Our #5 spot could go to any number of free agents, Garland makes as much sense as the next guy. It'll be interesting to see if we look to go the trade route as well.

I like the Nick Johnson signing for the Giants. It's a good enough pick up to make then content, but not good enough to make me fear them. Nice...

Not to put too fine a point on this, but if you're correct, the Cardinals are apparently trying to put together a team good enough to compete for a title at AAA?
There's a lot of money coming off of the Redbird's books, and while it is true they need to reserve a nice chunk of it if they intend to resign AP, I would be pretty disappointed if the "major" move they made was to resign Piniero, who in all likelihood will be this years Jeff Suppan.
I do still think Holliday will go to whoever gives him the most money, as he just seems like a guy motivated solely by greenbacks-he rebuffed Colorado when they rolled up the Brinks truck, and then hired Boras in reply-says a lot about a guy.
But we shall see...

I don't see the Yankees signing Lackey, although I do see them as a player in driving up the cost for him. I'm fairly confident Lackey will eventually land back in an Angels uniform. The Angels are close to Arte's dream of a World Series champion and letting Lackey goes means taking two steps back, particularly with this crop of free agents.

It's too early to tell about Chone Figgins. I think the Angels would love to have him back, but probably not at more than $8mil per year. The Angels are safe if they let him go since they have Brandon Wood waiting patiently for his turn. We'll see.

Tim, you have Rafael Soriano going to the Angels. I hop you are right about this. Darren Oliver will be playing next year, but he hasn't yet signed with the Angels, so Soriano could take his spot nicely if Oliver does indeed leave. I'd also like to see Billy Wagner signed for a two year deal and insert him as closer. Move Fuentes to seventh inning role.

I agree with you Mike. I think that the Yankees would be smart to sign Lackey. You don't know what Pettite is going to be able to do next year, this years performance was nice but he's getting older every year and with age comes injury concerns. The Yankees need to have at least two average to above average pitchers behind Sabathia or else that offense will be carrying a much heavier load than they need to be. Lackey would give them a more solid #2 option than Burnett currently is IMHO.

i agree with richphillies. the wolfpack is still alive and well at citizens bank, after all he was the opening day starter at our stadium in 04, and he is still a fan favorite. Randy Wolf will not go to the mets and have to come into philly on a regular basis.

oh and kudos to bucsox. ive spent many hours lately on this site keeping track of my 'beltre to the phils' logic/desire/prediction, and reading hundreds of posts, thousands of words, i finally heard the word "Pirates." just thought id acknowledge that.

i do hope the mets sign holliday, rather than do the smart thing and get a package of cheaper, non "sexy names" as our GM ruben calls 'em. either way, i still think the braves represent more of a threat to the phils in the nl east. Their payroll, as someone on here recently posted, is going to be increasing. Even without that, braves seem to put an above average team on the field almost every year, and i would be surprised to see them make a big splash.

i don't want to see derosa in philly. beltre is a better fit, although he would command more money. beltre is 4.5 years younger and has better offensive potential over the course of a 3 year deal--which wouldnt even be offered to derosa. Im hoping that because of beltre's injuries, the large market of 3basemen on FA class, and the fact that the phils dont really NEED a power bat 3 baseman, that maybe 8-10 mil will be the range we can pick him up at.

rollins, victorino, utley, howard, werth, ibanez, beltre, ruiz, sickening.

lee,
hamels (he will bounce back),
blanton, happ (both need deals this offseason), moyer (for the 1st part of the season since he's paid for already)
not a super strong rotation but it ll get the job done once again.

***wouldn't be surprised to see the braves make a move for a big righty power bat

Those 5 guys as a guess-timate for the Sox are not a good bunch. Harden would like to see, 7M on a 1 year deal would be fine, even 2 years would be happy with, same with picking up Wake's option Chapman at 20 to maybe 20M is fine, but beyond that it is not goo. Bay at 4/60M is a dead contract waiting to happen and Scutaro at 3/18M is not only a total waste of 18M, but throwing a 1st round pick down the toilet as well, that you would be possibly gaining fro Wagner and Bay, just beyond idiotic on both ends and another Lugo/Renteria waiting to happen, only older!

Boston can let Bay go by, look at a 1 year bat even (not Dye either) via trade, see if McClane will wake up this off season and move Carlos Lee, see if the Nat's might move Dunn even for some young pitching, there are always options, you don't have to give out bad contracts to win, contrary to what this years WS champs always do.

As a Sox fan, I like the idea of signing Harden with what has been mentioned before. Good stats, not going to cost draft picks. And he's pitched in the A.L. and had a pretty good turnout. Another similar option is Erik Bedard. He was an ace in the AL East not too long ago. He just was unlucky with injury. An incentive-laden deal and Boston could have two lefty's in the rotation.

I don't know about Scutaro. He may be "the best available shortstop" with enphasis on AVAILABLE. If he were the best shortstop period, then I'd be going nuts to sign him. I just have a bad feeling about throwing more money at another dead end. I'd rather dave the money and spend it somewhere else with Lowrie plugged in at short and 9th in the lineup. Spend the money some other way. But an interesting thought I had was signing Felipe Lopez to play short. He has played short before and he's still fairly young. I know short probably isn't his best position but it could be possible.

"Cubsfanraysaddict, not to say that cashman isn't intelligent, because he is manning the GM post of one of the most successful teams in recent history, but to say he has improved his decision making is a bold statement considering he played a bunch of hands this year."

I agree. He signed these guys to 5 years, 7 and 8. It's pretty likely that you'll do a whole lot better in year 1 than in year 8. How many FAs looked okay for a short while, and then just a couple of years later, you can't trade them without eating half their contract?

In any case, telling the player where to put his signature on a contract is not exactly rocket science. When Minaya got hired, one of the local NY papers referred to him as a genius for signing Pedro and Beltran, and I'm thinking 'is offering a player more than anyone else all that complicated?'.