More than 30 new free agents entered the pool tonight as the non-tender deadline passed. A few of the more interesting names:
- Ty Wigginton, 1B/2B/3B/LF. I don’t know what the Astros are going to do at third base now, but they decided they couldn’t afford Wigginton. The 31 year-old hit a strong .285/.350/.526 in 429 plate appearances. He probably doesn’t mind reaching free agency early in a weak third baseman market. The Indians and Twins still have vacancies.
- Joe Nelson, RP. Wow…a 2.00 ERA still gets you non-tendered in Florida. He’s not that good, but he had a huge strikeout rate and is definitely a useful reliever.
- Daniel Cabrera, SP. This guy was once considered very nasty to face, at times posting big strikeout and groundball rates. With a fresh start, who knows.
- Joey Gathright, Willy Taveras, OF. For a couple of burners their recent plus/minus ratings in center field are poor. And you can’t steal first base.
- Jonny Gomes, OF. He’s got pop, and destroyed lefties outside of this year. That’s about it though.
- Takashi Saito, RP. Dominant big league numbers, but he’s a huge question mark after having platelet-rich plasma injected into his elbow in an experimental procedure. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie.
- Tim Redding, SP. Probably good for a sub-5.00 ERA as a fifth starter.
- Chris Capuano, SP. The Brewers may re-sign him. Capuano had his second Tommy John surgery in May. He was a useful mid-rotation guy in 2005-06.
