Magglio Ordonez was in line for a $15MM salary next year until a July ankle fracture ended his 2010 season. The Scott Boras client is now a free agent; let's examine his stock.
The Good
- Ordonez hasn't posted an OBP below .376 since '06. His power ticked back up to a .474 SLG after a down '09.
- He can handle an outfield corner, as he was on pace for over 1,000 innings in right field before the injury. Ordonez has never played left field in the Majors, but he'd be wise to consider it.
- If Boras thinks Ordonez has a big 2011 in him, he might consider one-year offers.
- Though Ordonez is a Type A free agent, he won't be offered arbitration and therefore won't cost a draft pick.
The Bad
- Ordonez turns 37 in January and has to be considered a health and/or performance decline risk. In regard to his ankle, Boras told MLB.com's Jason Beck, "I think a lot is being made of a standard fracture." If Boras is correct, Ordonez can point to the fact that he's only had one other DL stint since '06, 18 days for an oblique strain in '08.
- Ordonez's outfield defense might give National League teams pause.
- Boras told Beck "there's going to be very strong demand" for right-handed hitters like Ordonez. That's typical Boras-speak, but it's still possible he's aiming for a $10MM salary or multiple years.
The Verdict
Ordonez could return to the Tigers as a complementary piece. He may also draw interest from the Rays, Blue Jays, Athletics, Mariners, or Rangers for a DH-centric role. If Ordonez is viewed as a corner outfielder, the Phillies, Nationals, Cardinals, Giants, Braves, Reds, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Padres could join the mix. Something like two years and $16MM seems possible, unless Boras is more inclined to try to build up value on a one-year deal.
Maggs is like Ortiz now, one-year deals from this point on, but if he’s good in LF, I bet Braves would give him a look.
Agree Braves – 5M 1yr – inc 3M
This is Boras we are talking about. He got, in my opinion, the worse pitcher in baseball, a 3/36 contract. Ramirez a 2/45 contract, and Holliday a 7/120 contract. I think he can get him more than 1/5 plus incentives.
Why? Couldn’t do much more than that for Johnny Damon
Magglio is better than Damon. Look at what he got Beltre after his worst season ever last year. $10m guaranteed. I see Magglio getting 1yr/$8m minimum.
Beltre was a GG caliber defender at a critical position and everyone pretty much figured he would hit some better at a field built for his swing. ordonez is a creaky veteran who has a big “injury risk” tag all over him now and is pretty much a DH, or well below defensive corner OF at best and several years older than beltre. it didn’t take a lot of Boras’s “barking” to get that 10M contract on Beltre, but it may take some real shell game tactics to get half that for ordonez.
If he signs with us I wonder if they put him in right, Heyward in center and then McLouth/Diaz in left. Magglio is comfortable in RF and his arm plays there, Heyward is a better CFer than McLouth and Wren has already said he would be confortable with him there if there was a reason, and McLouths arm and range make him a liablity in CF but his range and glove would make him an above average LFer. It woudn’t be a great defensive outfield but it would be more functional than Melky/McLouth/Heyward like last year.
McLouth isn’t good in CF, but I’m not sure Heyward is better than McLouth. For one, there’s very little sample size with regards to Heyward in CF. Plus, if he was capable of playing CF on a regular basis then I think the organization would have him playing there, or at least given him more innings there in the minors. Wren said he was comfortable with Heyward in CF if there was a need to put him there, but keeping Magglio comfortable in RF is not a reason to do it. I’d rather have the veteran trying to learn the easier OF spot then the new kid trying to learn the harder one. Not to mention that, like the rest of the Braves, Heyward appears to be rather fragile. That speaks more to the Braves’ horrible conditioning team than to Heyward’s physicality, but it’s not something I want to risk either way.Heyward is staying in RF, imo.
If the Braves are really out on Werth and Crawford, then Ordonez and Burrel are the only remaining viable options to fix their OF. Although if they’re willing/able to pay Ordonez $10+ mil next season, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t just go for Werth. He’s not going to be that much more expensive per season, and the Braves will have lots of money freed up come the 2012 offseason.
I’d put money on Ordonez not getting $10MM+ a year. Those days are behind him.
If he’s never played left field then that worries me. But then again, Troy Glaus had played very little first base and I think he did pretty good so maybe position switches aren’t as difficult for a veteran like him. I’d say he’s the best option after Crawford and Werth. Burrell is better suited to DHing now and Damon is on his way there. After those guys you start heading into platoon territory and guys that would be better off as 4th/5th outfielders like Andruw Jones and Austin Kearns. Bad timing for us huh? We’ve got left fielder issues and the market for left fielders is trash except for two expensive guys, one that has never played LF, one that’s Manny and then two that should be DH’s. Maybe Podsednik?
Hell no to Podsednik, he’s trash. His OBP is tied too closely to his batting average, he’s got zero power, doesn’t steal bases at a high percentage, and isn’t good enough defensively to make up for his deficiencies. And there won’t be any issues moving a guy from RF to LF or vice-versa. With the exception of arm strength, the skill set needed to play the outfield corners is the same.
I don’t see the jays having any interest in. He would fit in nice into the line up because he does get on base, but if you have him in left, Snider in Right, Bautista at 3rd, you filled all the positions without adding a lead off batter.
I’d put him at DH, Lind at 1b, Bautista at 3b. Leaves a spot in the outfield for a lead off hitter.
First, I can’t imagine AA would even place or answer a call from Scott Boras, considering the money he’d want.
Second, Bautista’s RF arm is MUCH more valuable than his 3B fielding. Not to mention Snider’s arm is less than fantastic.
Third, judging by injuries, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be able to reliably make a long-term addition, even if his yearly cost were reduced.
It would be a huge about-face for the direction the Jays are going if they sign him.
Snider’s arm is better then you think, he just needs to learn when to use it and when to hit the cut off.
Bautista isn’t more valuable at rf then at 3rd, because 3rd base is a much more premium position, that is also a lot harder to find even an average fill in. Besides Beltre, which i doubt they target, they have no other solutions at 3rd, unless they bring back EE or roll the dice on Shawn Bowman or Brad Emaus.
Go M´s, Magglio is great, sign V-Mart too and the offense will be betteer
I’d like to see the Dodgers try and sign him.
I’d love for the Phillies to take a flyer on him. He’s just what they need in this lineup. With the way that Domonic Brown mashed lefties in the minors over the past couple seasons, the Phillies may be needing to get a right handed bat in left field some days against tough left handed pitching, not right field. This is the ultimate plan B, in my opinion, if the Phillies fail to resing Jayson Werth. He can be had for less than Werth’s 2010 salary, and could effectively spell Raul Ibanez or Domonic Brown on either corner. The only thing that really worries me is if he can stay healthy.
Haha oh how I wish I my team could have the luxury of classifying signing Magglio Ordonez as “taking a flier.”
Yeah, Magglio won’t take a flier deal to back up a rookie and another vet.
Coming off of a couple of injury plagued seasons, he shouldn’t be all that expensive. I think that an incentive laden deal is in the works for Ordonez, so I don’t see him as anything more than “taking a flyer.” Truth is, health wise, you don’t know what you’re going to get out of him. Any team that gives him the 9MM a year deal he’s looking for would probably regret it.
He is aging, so I agree a team probably shouldn’t pay full price for his average seasons, however, he’s been pretty healthy for most of his career, so I wouldn’t say injuries have demoted him to “flier” level.
He’s still a full-time player in my opinion.
Then we’ll just agree on the fact that he shouldn’t be paid at full price and forget about my bad use of vernacular. Lol. I’d like to believe he’s a full time player as well, but I wouldn’t want to sign him to a guaranteed deal and find out otherwise. If he wants 9MM, he’s going to have to earn some of it through incentives.
Yeah haha
Truthfully, I believe he should remain in the AL…it suits him best.
What injury plagued seasons? Did you even read the topic before posting? Dierkes clearly state that his last DL stint prior to this year was back in 2008 for 18 games and before that in 2006. Just because he hasn’t played 162 games in a season doesn’t mean he was sitting for injury.
Dom Brown did not look very good versus MLB lefites this past season, which is really all that matters. Brown will be an everyday MLB player, but I don’t think 2011 is when that starts.
That said, if you can get Mags for 1 year, I think you use Francisco and Gload to give Ibanez and Mags the occasional days off versus tougher opponents. Brown probably starts the year in Lehigh.
I can’t see the Phils going after him. He’s not going to come at platoon-pricing, and that’s all they’re looking for right now…
IMO the Phils will go after Frenchy on a 1yr deal, then take a good hard look at the OF once Ibanez is gone after 2011. They’ve got to be praying Singleton excels in the OF or Gillies gets his head on straight ASAP, as the 2012 OF crop isn’t tremendously appealing and they’re still going to be a bit short on cash.
If I’m a GM on an AL team, I’m strongly considering this guy. He can hit the ball and always has been able to. And he gets on base. Can’t ask for much more. Days he can’t play the OF, he can DH.
Love to see Maggs back in a Tiger uni at a discounted price
He would be a good fit in Texas
I like him with Oakland or Toronto. Both can give him time at DH and he fits both of their offensive styles. I really think putting him in the outfield full time is dangerous as it increases his chance of injury and the strain it puts on defense. I might even offer him a 2 year deal if he DH’s.
Sure he gets on. But he clogs up the bases. :p
If Detroit could nab him for a one year deal to bring him back and V-Mart, I think that would solidify the lineup immensely.
1. Austin Jackson – CF
2. Will Rhymes – 2B
3. Magglio Ordonez – RF
4. Miguel Cabrera – 1B
5. Victor Martinez – DH
6. Ryan Raburn – LF
7. Jhonny Peralta – SS
8. Brandon Inge – 3B
9. Alex Avila – C
I think that lineup is a competitive one, for sure. Certainly do-able, and along with a bench spot for Brennan Boesch, he’d make a viable option in right on days where V-Mart would catch and Ordonez would DH. I don’t know if the lineup at the beginning of 2011 is going to look anything like this, but I guess that’s what makes the offseason so interesting right? I could also see him signing with the Braves, and Phillies do love to steal away productive ex-Tigers (i.e. Placido Polanco, although he was also a former Phillie), so I see them giving him a long look too. Maybe Oakland too? He’s an intriguing option for a lot of clubs.
I don’t buy that it will cost 2/16 to sign Ordonez.