The last time Carlos Delgado hit the open market, he signed a $52MM deal with the Florida Marlins. Five offseasons later, Delgado's in line for a considerably smaller deal and the Marlins are expected to spend more conservatively. The Puerto Rican slugger is returning from hip surgery that may limit his ability to play the field. He'll face competition from free agent first basemen and designated hitters, most notably Adam LaRoche, Hideki Matsui and Vladimir Guerrero.
Delgado has been a slightly below average defender in recent years without being a major liability, according to UZR/150. He isn't the offensive force he was in the early part of the decade with the Blue Jays, but he recovered from a tough start to hit 38 homers and post an .871 OPS in his last full season, 2008. This year, he had a .914 OPS before getting hurt in May and he's now just 27 homers away from 500.
So if you cheer for one of the many teams that could use a first baseman or DH, would you want your club to add Delgado? He's never been much of a defender, is returning from hip surgery and turns 38 next season. But he shouldn't be too expensive and he can still hit. The Mariners, Orioles, Braves, Mets and D'Backs are among the teams that could fit. Do you want your team to sign Delgado?
