Headlines

  • White Sox To Sign Elvis Andrus
  • Tarik Skubal Undergoes Flexor Tendon Surgery
  • Joey Votto To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery On Rotator Cuff
  • Rangers Fire President Of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels
  • Athletics Release Elvis Andrus
  • Braves, Michael Harris II Agree To Eight-Year Extension
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Helping Jermaine Dye Find Work

By Tim Dierkes | March 29, 2010 at 4:30pm CDT

Why is Jermaine Dye still a free agent?  Let's run through the reasons:

  • He's 36 years old, leading some to speculate that a permanent decline set in last season.  It's true that Dye was useless at the plate for the season's final two months, but we're talking about fewer than 200 plate appearances.  Veteran hitters have bounced back from worse.
  • He's an indisputably poor defender.  In a February interiew with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Dye had yet to fully come to grips with this fact: "No doubt, I've probably slowed down a little bit (defensively), but not enough to not be getting (attractive) offers."  Dye talked about his willingness to play first base or left field. 
  • He's been asking for too much money.  Dye already turned down offers of $2MM and $3MM.  Pride may be an issue.  In the Rosenthal article Dye talked about how "it's not about money with me" but "there are still guys getting money that I feel I'm better than."

Solutions:

  • Embrace a designated hitter/fourth outfielder/pinch-hitter role.  Dye's former teammate Jim Thome gracefully accepted a reduced role and salary after a season comparable to Dye's.
  • Dye needs swallow his pride, drop his price, and take a minor league deal.  It's not fair, but he probably wouldn't need to spend a ton of time in the minors.  Two of his former employers, the White Sox and Royals, could use a good backup plan at DH. 

On August 1st, Dye was hitting .281/.357/.533 with 23 home runs in 389 plate appearances.  He had an $11.5MM salary and a starting right field job.  Eight months later Dye is reportedly considering retirement; that would be a shame.

Share 1 Retweet 0 Send via email0

Uncategorized Jermaine Dye

Brandon Moss Designated For Assignment
Main
Helping Jarrod Washburn Find Work
View Comments (33)

Comments

  1. EdinsonPickle

    12 years ago

    It really is a shame that he doesn’t have a job at this point as Opening Day creeps closer and closer, but in the end while it may not all be his fault a lot of it is. He has to be realistic about his situation. He is a 36 yr old player coming off of a season in which he hit under .200 in its final two months, and he can’t play defense at all. He had to have seen this coming especially with the market the way it is. I really hope he can find a gig because he still has something left in the tank, and as Tim said it would be a shame for him to retire.

    Reply
    • Guest

      12 years ago

      He should have accepted the Cubs $3MM offer when he had the chance.

      Reply
      • EdinsonPickle

        12 years ago

        Definitely, As a Cubs fan I wouldn’t have minded having him on the roster either, and I’m sure that Dye wishes he would’ve taken that deal when he had the chance.

        Reply
        • painhertz

          12 years ago

          I’d rather have Colvin, thanks. Dye’s just more of the same…old, fading former talents.

  2. Ferrariman

    12 years ago

    i would like to see him as a backup plan at DH for the rays. or if/when crawford is moved midseason, he can play left as it won’t matter sense the rays won’t be in a playoff hunt at that point.

    Reply
    • Guest

      12 years ago

      Or a team that simply has a left-handed DH…I could see the Orioles as a nice fit. Same goes for the Blue Jays, A’s, or maybe a pinch hitter for the Diamondbacks.

      Padres?

      Reply
  3. bjsguess

    12 years ago

    This is a great example of the market over-correcting. There are tons of players that will contribute less in ’10 than Jermaine Dye. I’ve been hoping that he would accept a 4th outfielder/DH role for my club. He can still swing it.

    The Twins were brilliant with Thome and whomever signs Dye will not regret it.

    Reply
  4. AnnvilleHammer

    12 years ago

    It’s sad to see, but at this point in his life, two or three million dollars is nice for a gig where he’ll have to get off the bench 3-4 times a game, maybe just 2-3 days a week.

    Reply
  5. Guest

    12 years ago

    Marcus Thames is really struggling this Spring. Could the Yankees be a player for Jermaine Dye?

    Reply
    • Yankees10

      12 years ago

      I would gladly take him.

      Reply
  6. formerdraftpick

    12 years ago

    I’ll hire Jermaine Dye.

    Reply
  7. formerdraftpick

    12 years ago

    He can easily fit into the heart of the lineup for the Pirates, but that sends Clement back to AAA. The Pirates probably won’t do that. However, in leftfield or rightfield for the Yankees. Wow, that would be a killer lineup.

    Reply
  8. westcoastwhitesox

    12 years ago

    As a Sox fan I have to say the guy is getting a bad rap on his defense. It was statistically poor, but I don’t recall any games in which the Sox lost because of his defense. Also, he’s always been a pretty streaky hitter and would often have extremely hot and cold months at the plate which averaged out to quite a bit of production…last year was no different.

    He’ll be a bargain for whoever picks him up.

    Reply
    • Jason_F

      12 years ago

      He might not have dropped fly balls or let balls scoot right by him, which would be the only ways he would explicitly lose a game for you. The point of the defensive statistic I’m assuming you are referring to (a staggering AVERAGE of -22.2 UZR/150 over the past 4 years), is that he doesn’t get to balls that competent outfielders would normally get to. In the case of balls to the outfield that dropped instead of being caught, those are outs that turned into base hits. That’s a big deal.

      I’m not saying he won’t be a bargain to whatever team picks him up, but I am saying that that team should be in the American League…and his cleats should very, very rarely touch the grass in right field.

      Reply
  9. Yankees10

    12 years ago

    Its an absolute shame that a WS MVP cant get signed. That alone should have had him signed by now.

    Reply
  10. NotWerthTheRiske

    12 years ago

    right field in Washington is all open for you dye

    Reply
    • Yankees10

      12 years ago

      That would be the best place for him to sign. Willie Harris is expected to start if the season started today right?

      Reply
  11. dickylarue

    12 years ago

    Stunned that Dye has no team, but Marcus Thames is probably going to make the Yankees opening day roster.

    What did he do, punch a little girl asking for an autograph or something?

    Jason Giambi, who can’t do anything defensively has a job in the NL for crying out loud.

    Fernando Tatis has a roster spot with the Mets over this guy?

    Unbelievable.

    I know his price was high, but the games start to count soon and he should be on a roster by now.

    Reply
    • EdinsonPickle

      12 years ago

      Thames was willing to accept a minor league deal though, and I’m sure the Yanks would’ve loved to sign Dye if they weren’t already pushing budget after trading for Vasquez and picking up Granderson.

      Giambi has a job as a pinch hitter in the NL because he did well in that role last year and is a left handed hitter.

      The only reason Tatis has a spot is because he can play third.

      I do see what you’re saying though, and there are worse ways to use a roster spot than on Dye.

      Reply
  12. Brian M

    12 years ago

    Someone should right an article on how bad contracts and the rise of inflating salaries have forced players to retire early. This can be taken from a post-steriod era perspective as power only threats are now viewed as less valuable than in years past.

    Reply
  13. sign2010

    12 years ago

    The Giants seriously need some power in their lineup. They’re trying to decide between Schierholtz and John Bowker to play rightfield, but neither can really hit. Their lineup is very weak.

    Maybe Dye is waiting for someone to get hurt. Teams need to get more desperate.

    Reply
  14. Guest

    12 years ago

    It’s disappointing to see him without a job.
    His defense is terrible, but it frustrates me that some terrible defenders get huge money, and their defense gets pushed to the side and forgotten, yet they seem to have been really harsh on Dye.

    Reply
  15. Bravoboy10

    12 years ago

    Yuniesky Betancourt can get a starting job and Jermaine Dye can’t? Something is really wrong with this picture

    Reply
  16. Ferrariman

    12 years ago

    he can play on my sister’s softball team. i think we can make room. but he’ll have to except a payment of bubblegum and lemonade.

    Reply
  17. chisoxfan3

    12 years ago

    …

    Reply
  18. sign2010

    12 years ago

    There are a lot of teams this year with bad hitting outfielders. Very few home run hitters. No instant offense. I see lots of boring baseball coming up. Lets make up some new stats to show that.

    Reply
  19. chisoxfan3

    12 years ago

    Several reasons why Jermaine does not have work are in play, although he hit .250 almost 30 hrs, he hit way under .200 and looked done after the All-star break. That combined with him wanting a starting job keeps him from getting a gig. Yes, he is better then marcus Thames and other weaker bench bats mentioned, but I don’t think he would take those jobs if offered. It’s sad really, but in a way I’m happy, I’m a white Sox fan, and my son’s favorite player (only 7) is JD, loves him, has his jersey, knows his stats, tries to hit like him etc. It would have hurt for him to see him on another team, this is such a happy ending in my small family if he never plays again.

    That said, I wouldnt be surprised if the Sox brought him back if the DH platoon fails as predicted for a couple mil.. worse deals could be made. This kinda reminds me of Kenny Lofton a few years ago, although older, I could never grasp how he didn’t get a job after such a good year. I guess it was pride for both of them

    Reply
  20. disgustedcubfan

    12 years ago

    Let’s not feel too sorry for Dye. I’ll bet 10 teams would love to have him on a minor league contract tomorrow, but he’s not interested.
    The Cubs offered him a good deal a few months ago and he turned it down.
    I don’t think he’s stubborn or greedy. It seems like he just doesn’t want to play anymore.

    Reply
  21. Dysturbed

    12 years ago

    ^^^Based on what he has said and what others have touched on I don’t think that it’s a matter of him not wanting to play but a matter of him feeling that if a certain caliber of player is making a certain amount of money, a player that can probably do more than them (in this case him) deserves more money. While I understand that stance, there comes a time when people need to realize that even if they’re getting less money than lesser players, they should give in and accept it because it beats the alternative of not playing at all when you supposedly want to. I wish him luck in finding employment. At some point during the season an opportunity will hopefully come his way.

    Reply
  22. johnsilver

    12 years ago

    Not sure what is so hard to understand in Dye’s situation. the guy is pretty immobile in the OF and has 2 really bad knes on top of that if somebody did want to try to stick him out in RF for a prolonged period, like asking fro trouble both range and injury risk.

    The days of giving out mammoth 10M range contracts for these type (Ortiz, Vlad, Dye, Matsui) seems to be history also. The latter 3 just signed for 5M or less i believe this off season and ortiz will more than likely be job hunting this coming off season, regardless of what numbers he puts up during the 2010 season. Players now must be able to at least be of some use in the field to gain a suitable salary and Dye just does not fit that mold any more. Will be interesting to see if Dunn can get much over 10M and even then, more than a couple seasons worth of an extension from Washington. he’s not much better in the field than those 4 previously mentioned and has no health problems.

    Reply
  23. Redhawk

    12 years ago

    Funny how since the end of the “steroid era” we are getting more normal curves of production. Once again, 36 year old hitters are old, like they were 20 years ago.

    Does Dye think there is a $2 million dollar a year job waiting for him out of baseball?

    Reply
  24. Jonny Dollar

    12 years ago

    I think Dye is still going to show up somewhere. So will his bat.

    Reply
  25. barbarino2000

    12 years ago

    I find it hard to believe Dye hit a wall and can never produce again. That can’t be true. He was too good, and when he got hot, he could carry a team.

    Give him a shot at 1B or DH, maybe as a platoon guy. He can still hit, and has big time experience. He just needs to accept that the price will be lower at this point in his life. Hey JD: Don’t dwell over a few bucks. Find a team in the race, and get in there and be an impact. I’d bet you’ve got one more good run in you. Do whatever it takes to get back, and enjoy it while you still can.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    White Sox To Sign Elvis Andrus

    Tarik Skubal Undergoes Flexor Tendon Surgery

    Joey Votto To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery On Rotator Cuff

    Rangers Fire President Of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels

    Athletics Release Elvis Andrus

    Braves, Michael Harris II Agree To Eight-Year Extension

    A’s Shut Paul Blackburn Down For Rest Of Season

    Mets To Promote Top Prospect Brett Baty

    Carlos Carrasco Diagnosed With Low-Grade Oblique Strain

    A’s Promote Shea Langeliers, Release Stephen Piscotty

    Rangers Fire Manager Chris Woodward

    Walker Buehler To Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery

    Orioles Promote DL Hall

    Fernando Tatis Jr. Suspended 80 Games For Performance-Enhancing Drug Violation

    Tarik Skubal Visiting Specialist With Elbow Issue; Expected To Miss Remainder Of Season

    Mariners Designate Ken Giles For Assignment

    Michael Brantley Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

    Tigers Fire General Manager Al Avila

    Matt Carpenter Expected To Miss 6-8 Weeks With Foot Fracture

    Braves Select Top Prospect Vaughn Grissom, Activate Kirby Yates

    Recent

    Braves Have Opened Extension Talks With Dansby Swanson

    Injury Notes: Mahle, Meadows, Walker, Johnson

    James Paxton Diagnosed With Lat Strain

    White Sox Outright Yoan Aybar

    Brewers Designate Jakson Reetz For Assignment

    Mets Claim Yolmer Sanchez, Designate Patrick Mazeika

    Rays Designate Jimmy Yacabonis For Assignment

    Royals Designate Joel Payamps For Assignment

    Phillies Claim Bradley Zimmer

    White Sox To Sign Elvis Andrus

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Cubs Decline To Trade Contreras, Happ
    • Giants Keep Rodon, Pederson
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • MLB Player Chats
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2022
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version