Here on February 8th, over 90 free agents remain unsigned. It's time to determine the best available at each position.
Starting lineup:
- Catcher: Rod Barajas
- First base: Russell Branyan
- Second base: Felipe Lopez
- Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra
- Third base: Joe Crede
- Left field: Johnny Damon
- Center field: Endy Chavez
- Right field: Jermaine Dye
- Designated hitter: Carlos Delgado
Rotation:
Bullpen:
- Closer: Kiko Calero
- Right-handed relief: Chan Ho Park
- Left-handed relief: Will Ohman
Honorable mentions: Jose Molina, Hank Blalock, Mike Jacobs, Jonny Gomes, Gary Sheffield, Rocco Baldelli, Todd Wellemeyer, Mike MacDougal, Russ Springer, Joe Beimel
reds take a chance on baldelli
i’d rather resign Gomes ,but it may be time to see if balentein is ready for the job
For a cheap ticket, there are a handful of guys worth taking a shot on.
This might be one of the worst defensive teams anyone could ever field. Crede and Garciaparra can’t field from those positions anymore. Outfield is ugly and the rotation seems like it could all end up on the DL within weeks. Bullpen would be suspect too.
And yet, they could be better than the Pirates.
Endy and Crede would be busy. Wondering if Nomar at 2B and Lopez at SS makes more sense!
That does make a lot more sense I would think. Nomah’s range and arm are not what they used to be, and they never were that great, even in Boston. That was always the counterargument during the Jeter/Tejada/Nomar “who’s best” era. I think we have a clear order now…
Crede can’t field? He had a 23.4 UZR/150 last year.
He can’t field because he’ll dive for a ball and hurt his back again.
He has shown to be a very good defender. He can still field. He will get
hurt but that doesn’t make him a butcher in the field.
I thought Joe Crede was a good defender? Just keep him off of turf.
Endy and Crede are good fielders, they’d be busy covering for bad fielders playing next to them.
All-star team? I’m not sure if that’s the best way to describe this. Take Damon out and all you have is sub par players or has beens.
he’s implying that they were once all-stars..
Maybe not even that…just that they are the best available. Maybe a better name is All-Free Agent Team.
I mean, I hate to sound so awful and blunt about it, but that team seems to me as appealing as the Island of Misfit Toys in Rudolph. Nomar is easily the train with square wheels. Especially at short.
hahahahahah
Tim do you see the Red Sox taking a chance on Wang and there chances on signing that takahashi guy?
I’m not Tim, but just as a Sox fan I would like to see them take a chance on Takahashi, but not Wang. Takahashi sounds like the guy we want as a #6, #7. Old, maybe, but dependable. Also the Sox have a decent reputation with Japanese signings (Okajima, we’ll see this year about Dice-K…Tazawa). Wang, when he was good, was really good, but he really imploded last year. Sure it may have been caused by injury, but that’s a big question mark and if the signing is going to be as a dependable reserve arm, I’d prefer Takahashi. Because with the six pitchers we already have fighting for only five starting slots, we don’t need another guy trying to break that top five, just someone we can trust to throw some spot innings in a jam.
Jeff, do the Red Sox have a spot for Wang? They’d need him to start a while to get any value out of him. I don’t know if the best possible scenario even makes them any better than just using Clay. I guess if he works out a while they could trade him…
I just remember him on the yanks being extremely good when he was healthy and on. i was just thinking as like a john smoltz type signing you know? if we got healthy and could prove it it opens up some options
He was never “extremely good.” He was simply consistent enough to last long enough to win games. His periferals never made him out to be all that good, just solid
Yeah, he’s been above average, but he isn’t anything special. He was only labeled as such because he was one of only two pitchers that were reliable (I consider 2007 Mussina reliable, since his 4.01 FIP and 4.49 xFIP say that his 5+ ERA was more due to the lackluster Yankees defense) for 06 and 07 for a team that lacked good overall pitching.
He lasted and won games, thats what you want/need in a pitcher. in my mind thats pretty good
He was never “extremely good.” He was simply consistent enough to last long enough to win games. His periferals never made him out to be all that good, just solid
I’m just being critical, I like these stories or whatever you would call it. I guess to give myself grief I would say why wouldn’t they be sub par players or has beens, it’s already almost time for pitchers and catchers!
I really wish the Cubs would sign Wellemeyer. he’d be cheap, and would provide more insurance in case Lilly doesn’t come back soon enough or Wells fails.
Speaking for Cardinals fans everywhere, I hope the Cubs do sign him. At least he wouldn’t be starting in St. Louis. Ick!
Entirely possible……………….. The Cubs have been making a point to acquire any player recently who has ever worn a Cardinal uniform……………
So Taguchi
Mark Johnson
Mike Parisi
Aaron Miles
Mike Mahoney
Jim Edmonds
Jason Marquis
Juan Mateo
John Mabry
Tony Womack
You might be better off putting Carlos at short and putting Nomar in the DH. Or, you could plant a tree at short and get the same results and help the environment at the same time. Seriously, the only person I would even consider is Wang on that entire roster.
Feel free to sign a dh anytime now Kenny Williams
This team could do about as good as the Mets last year.
I would switch Felipe and Nomar around probably have better results.
I know its a long shot but I’m still holding hope that the Marlins bring back Delgado to be their left-handed bat off the bench
Hmmm… this lineup or Kansas City? I’d probably go with the free agents as the overall better lineup. Ouch.
Granted, it’s a non-issue with the pitching thanks to Greinke, Meche, Soria, etc. but it’s still semi-amusing to look at. Sorry KC fans, no offense intended… I just always enjoy finding new ways to measure Dayton Moore’s incompetence.
“no OFFENSE intended”
Was that a play on words?
Punny punny, very punny
“no OFFENSE intended”
Was that a play on words?
Punny punny, very punny
I find it surprising that nobody is giving Endy Chavez a shot.
I figured Omar Minaya would have been a lock to give Endy a call, after all this is a guy who’s put up 4 straight seasons with a UZR/150 above 21.2 including a rock solid season last year before he got injured. His bat is below average for a corner OF but it’s adequate at CF and the guy can stick it with the glove.
But nahhhhh, gotta have Gary Matthews JR instead. At least Endy Chavez has a positive skill set, I suppose the only good thing about GMJ is the fact he’s confident and doesn’t acknowledge the fact he sucks horribly.
Didnt Chavez tear all 3 major ligaments in his knee in that collision last year? If he’s not 100% then no reason for a team to sign him yet
He said the other day that he was willing to sign a minor league contract.
He will definitely sign for around the league minimum if he signed a major league deal.
If he’s anywhere close to 100% he’s simply a better player than Gary Matthews JR and a lot of other backup OF’s in the bigs. He’s the kind of guy teams should be looking to sign, there’s actual upside to be had signing and potential for positive contributions from an Endy Chavez rather than a Josh Fogg or drastically overpaying for Alex Cora / Gary Matthews Jr / Henry Blanco.
If Omar actually spent replacement level money on replacement level players he might have been able to sign a pitcher or two.
You, sir, have explicitly demonstrated one of the many reasons why Omar Minaya is not good at signing players.
I give you credit, as most of us find it very taxing to just type “Omar is an idiot.”
I hope the Cards give local boy Crede an invite to spring training – if he shows he’s healthy, keep him around to split time with Freese. Make Freese earn the starting 3B role, don’t just hand it to him.
I agree with the previous comment that Delgado could help the Fish. The rest of that lineup is pretty brutal, although Lopez could contribute for a team that keeps his attitude in check.
Crede, Smoltz, and Lopez could all find their way into Cardinal red at the right price. Of course, a lot of teams would be willing to take those guys on “at the right price”.
Branyan and Blalock might hold some interest along with MacDougal and Springer. While reports are going around that the Cards are done this offseason, I don’t think you write guys off so easily and due diligence is always good practice.
Crede, Smoltz, and Lopez could all find their way into Cardinal red at the right price. Of course, a lot of teams would be willing to take those guys on “at the right price”.
Branyan and Blalock might hold some interest along with MacDougal and Springer. While reports are going around that the Cards are done this offseason, I don’t think you write guys off so easily and due diligence is always good practice.
chan ho park is not gonna be happy with this list. he doesnt want to be a bullpen guy (whine). he turned away offers to re-up with the phils because he wanted to start, and the phils (and any other relatively intelligent franchise) would want to keep him in the bullpen where his ERA was amazingly better. oh well…personally if i were his age i would probably have taken a bullpen job on a contending team where ive had recent, relative success, over a POSSIBLE starting job on a losing team…as of Feb 8th its a bad choice, but i guess we shall see what happens to mr. park
I wonder what the payroll for the 25-man roster would be. You could probably have this team for about $40M + incentives here and there.
Just for fun, I’m going to guess the Unsigned All-Star team for February 8, 2011:
Starting lineup:
Catcher: Jason Varitek
First base: Frank Catalanotto
Second base: Kaz Matsui
Shortstop: Julio Lugo
Third base: Eric Chavez
Left field: Jody Gerut
Center field: Mark Kotsay
Right field: Jose Guillen
Designated hitter: Andruw Jones
Rotation:
Hiroki Kuroda
Jake Westbrook
Dontrelle Willis
Josh Fogg
Freddy Garcia
Bullpen:
Closer: Kyle Farnsworth
Right-handed relief: Aaron Heilman
Left-handed relief: Arthur Rhodes
I’ve got a hard time believing that Kuroda and Westbrook won’t be signed by then. I think guys like Bronson Arroyo and Kevin Millwood are more likely to be jobless. I also think a better closer will be around still. Fuentes, Gregg, Wood, Frasor, Downs, and Dotel are all candidates, I’d say. Matsui and Lugo sound right on; might think Overbay at 1B…
I think Gerut and Jones will get signed. Same with Vtek. Kuroda and Westbrook for sure and Im sure someone gives Willis a look.
As long as Jones is still on LAD payroll and signing wiath CHW for 500k, he is worth a gamble and will probably be signed.
Willis will sign with STL for next to nothing after taking DET for a ride the past 2 years and will be a legit number 5. Way to go Dave Duncam, you are the potter, Willis is the clay.
That free agent team may actually be better than the nationals, pirates, reds, and mets!
uhm the reds have a pretty good team this year im not sure how your going to bash them there better then any of those team metioned
MacDougal would be the closer on such a team. They left out Hank Blalock too.
Line-Up:
1. LF Johnny Damon
2. 2B Felipe Lopez
3. DH Carlos Delgado
4. RF Jermaine Dye
5. 1B Hank Blalock
6. 3B Joe Crede
7. C Rod Barajas
8. SS Nomar Garciaparra
9. CF Endy Chavez
Bench:
C Jose Molina
1B/3B Russell Branyan
IF Rich Aurilia
OF Jonny Gomes
OF Garret Anderson
Rotation:
Cheng-Ming Wang
John Smoltz
Jarrod Washburn
Pedro Martinez
Braden Looper
Bullpen:
Chan Ho Park (Long Reliever)
Joe Beimel
Ron Mahay
Chad Bradford
Dave Weathers
Kiko Calero (Set-Up)
Mike MacDougal (Closer)
Probably because…
Calero > MacDougal and Branyan > Blalock.
Blalock and Nomar: Toss up at SS. Wow.
Ohman was injured and hurt last year. How was he ahead of an above average reliever in Joe Beimel?
I must be going crazy because I thought the Mariners signed him.
I must be going crazy because I thought the Mariners signed him.
I call the cardinals sign felipe lopez 1yr 4m-5m. He’ll play at 3rd.
Maybe they bite at half that and he’ll be util. infielder. Platoon with Skip and Freese, if needed corner outfielder and middle infielder. But really with Lugo, the Cards don’t have much need of his services outside of 3b (which a guy like Crede would probably do more effectively).
Maybe they bite at half that and he’ll be util. infielder. Platoon with Skip and Freese, if needed corner outfielder and middle infielder. But really with Lugo, the Cards don’t have much need of his services outside of 3b (which a guy like Crede would probably do more effectively).
I call the cardinals sign felipe lopez 1yr 4m-5m. He’ll play at 3rd.
Probably worth noting that “rotation” certainly isn’t an “opening day” rotation – with none of Pedro, Johnny, or Wang ready to go on 1 April…
MLB network was talking about this exact same list the other day.