Headlines

  • Giants Sign Gary Sanchez To Minor League Deal
  • Padres Sign Jake Cronenworth To Seven-Year Extension
  • Brewers To Promote Joey Wiemer
  • Mariners Acquire Nick Solak From Reds
  • Mets Place Justin Verlander On Injured List
  • Still No Agreement Between Pirates And Bryan Reynolds Due To Opt-Out Clause
  • 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
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • 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

Padres, Jason Bartlett Agree To Two-Year Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 10, 2011 at 4:06pm CDT

The Padres avoided arbitration with Jason Bartlett and agreed to sign him to a two-year deal, the team announced. The sides agreed to an $11MM deal, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock and Bernie Wilson of the AP has the details on the LSW Baseball client (Twitter links). Bartlett earns $4MM in 2011, $5.5MM in 2012 and either $5.5MM or a $1.5MM buyout in 2013.

The agreement buys out Bartlett's final season as an arbitration eligible player and one free agent year. The shortstop, who arrived in San Diego in a December trade, earned $4MM last year and was due for a raise in 2011. Orlando Hudson signed in San Diego as a free agent for comparable money; he and Bartlett will man the middle of the Padres infield for the next two seasons.

After a 2009 season in which he made the All-Star team and batted .320/.389/.490, Bartlett slumped to .254/.324/.350 last year. The 31-year-old has stolen ten bases or more for five consecutive seasons and has a .281/.345/.385 line in parts of seven campaigns with the Twins and Rays. Bartlett was originally selected by the Padres in the 13th round of the 2001 Draft and signed by current Padres amateur scout Lane Decker.

Ryan Ludwick, Heath Bell, Tim Stauffer, Mike Adams and Chase Headley are the Padres' remaining arbitration eligible players, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.

Share 1 Retweet 22 Send via email0

San Diego Padres Transactions Jason Bartlett

Yankees Have Strong Interest In Andruw Jones
Main
Mariners Sign Adam Kennedy
View Comments (60)

Comments

  1. coachofall

    12 years ago

    It’s funny how many people have forgotten that Jason Bartlett can’t field his position and other than a one year outlier can’t hit. Weird deal

    Reply
    • venn177

      12 years ago

      Eh, he put up a middle-of-the-road 2010. Not that he can’t hit, just that he’s an average MLBer. Shouldn’t be getting more than 2-3 million a year.

      Reply
      • truthlemonade

        12 years ago

        Isn’t the average MLB salary over $3mm? I think that a starting shortstop should expect to be paid more than the average salary.

        Reply
  2. dc21892

    12 years ago

    Nice deal by the Padres. Sure up the middle infield to help the young pitchers develop.

    Reply
  3. dc21892

    12 years ago

    Nice deal by the Padres. Sure up the middle infield to help the young pitchers develop.

    Reply
  4. sabernar

    12 years ago

    $11M for a player that can be easily replaced by a minor leaguer? Yikes.

    Reply
    • sourbob

      12 years ago

      In five of his six seasons, Bartlett has been worth 1.8 WAR or more. I wouldn’t consider that replacement level. He had a bad year in 2010, but he had an amazing year in ’09. To these eyes, they essentially cancel each other out.

      I think a 1.8 WAR is a very reasonable expectation. And at these dollars, that is value–something like $9 mil a year of value.

      I think folks are forgetting two things: 1) however our expectations have been skewed by the A-Rod/Jeter/Tejada/Nomar era, a guy like Bartlett is still safely average and worth having around; and 2) for non-star players like Bartlett, looking at their career averages is more useful than getting worked up over fluke up-years or down years.

      Reply
      • SrMeowMeow

        12 years ago

        I would consider 1.8 WAR to be the very definition of not replacement level. 😛

        Reply
        • YourBase

          12 years ago

          Replacement level ranges from 0 – 2 WAR.

        • sourbob

          12 years ago

          While “average players” do indeed start around the 2.0 WAR range and thus you can arguably group guys below that as “replacement level,” it should be noted that as the “R” in “WAR” implies, replacement level is truly around the 0.0 mark. At least in terms of what you could hope to scoop up as, well, a replacement player.

          To wit, if you know about a mess of readily available shortstops at the 1.8-1.9 range, you should probably contact your favorite GM, post-haste.

        • SrMeowMeow

          12 years ago

          I’m late to the party, but I couldn’t resist saying that you are, in fact, 100% wrong.

        • cubsfanraysaddict

          12 years ago

          2 is average, and 16 short stops have averaged >2war in the last 3 years. So expecting around 1.8 WAR from your SS is fine, and is better than most teams situations(only 12 SS were >2 WAR last year).

        • cubsfanraysaddict

          12 years ago

          2 is average, and 16 short stops have averaged >2war in the last 3 years. So expecting around 1.8 WAR from your SS is fine, and is better than most teams situations(only 12 SS were >2 WAR last year).

      • SrMeowMeow

        12 years ago

        I would consider 1.8 WAR to be the very definition of not replacement level. 😛

        Reply
  5. Karan

    12 years ago

    Decent deal. 3yr/15M for an above average SS is a good deal for the Padres.

    Reply
    • $1529282

      12 years ago

      What about Bartlett, other than possibly his speed, qualifies him as “above average.” His defense has gotten worse each season of his career, and aside from a short rookie season (.335) he’s never posted a wOBA higher than .319 or an OPS above .699…

      I realize that the deal is basically only projecting Bartlett to be a 1.0-1.5 WAR player, which isn’t a terrible bet, but it’s hardly a good deal, especially not when a superior player (Hudson) signed for the same amount as a free agent.

      Reply
      • disgruntledreader

        12 years ago

        THANK YOU! While I agree that the price for what you can reasonably expect out of him isn’t too horrible, the problem is that the Padres can’t afford to be spending the going rate on 1-2 WAR players on the open market. Is there anyone who seriously thinks it’s markedly more likely that Bartlett will be capable of 1.5 WAR in 2012 than Everth Cabrera?

        Reply
        • sourbob

          12 years ago

          ZIPs/ODDIBE has Bartlett at 80% odds of being average or better, with a 52% chance of being very good or better. It has Cabrera at a 59% chance of being average or better, with a 27% chance of being very good or better.

          So yeah, I’d say people say Bartlett is probably a substantially better bet.

        • sourbob

          12 years ago

          ZIPs/ODDIBE has Bartlett at 80% odds of being average or better, with a 52% chance of being very good or better. It has Cabrera at a 59% chance of being average or better, with a 27% chance of being very good or better.

          So yeah, I’d say people say Bartlett is probably a substantially better bet.

        • Amish_willy

          12 years ago

          “the problem is that the Padres can’t afford to be spending the going rate on 1-2 WAR players on the open market” – Sure they can. When your roster, as well as good majority of your core is constructed with players with fewer then two years of service time (i.e. they’re cheap!), the Padres can easily afford to fill their holes with guys like Hudson & Bartlett at the salaries they commanded.

          For any Padre fan that is filling “bla” about this signing, it’s worthy to take a trip down memory lane at the SS’s the team has fielded the past 15 or so years. Chris Gomez was their starter for the better part of four years (on some good teams) and he was like a weaker hitting Bartlett with less range and zero speed.

          We welcome a middle of the pack shortstop with open arms.

        • padresfuture

          12 years ago

          There is no doubt that Bartlett is more likely to post a 1.5 war than Evereth.

    • $1529282

      12 years ago

      What about Bartlett, other than possibly his speed, qualifies him as “above average.” His defense has gotten worse each season of his career, and aside from a short rookie season (.335) he’s never posted a wOBA higher than .319 or an OPS above .699…

      I realize that the deal is basically only projecting Bartlett to be a 1.0-1.5 WAR player, which isn’t a terrible bet, but it’s hardly a good deal, especially not when a superior player (Hudson) signed for the same amount as a free agent.

      Reply
    • coachofall

      12 years ago

      above avg? You realize he was essentially the same player as Yuniesky Bettencourt last year?

      Reply
      • sourbob

        12 years ago

        Their 2010 WAR are similar, it’s true. But Bartlett’s 0.7 represented his lowest total since becoming a regular. Betancourt had to improve by 2.3 WAR to get to his 0.6 total, his highest since 2007. I think most folks would pencil them in at closer to their career averages going forward. That would be less than a half WAR for Yuniesky and somewhere north of two wins for Bartlett, even after omitting his fluke year from calculations.

        Reply
        • coachofall

          12 years ago

          That is still not “above avg”

        • Karan

          12 years ago

          True he had a down year last year. But, he was a 5.0 WAR player the year before. Its not a fluke since he had reached 2.5 and 3 WAR in previous seasons. Even if he is a 2 WAR player then he is going to give value for money and if he remotely resembles his 2009 performance then its a steal. The point I was trying to make is that the Padres didn’t break the bank and have a veteran SS who’s still only 30 years old.

        • sourbob

          12 years ago

          He’s 31, and I *would* call the 2009 season a fluke. But I still pretty much agree. He only has to be worth around 1.0 WAR to justify the deal and he seems likely to double that, on average.

        • dc21892

          12 years ago

          Good seasons don’t happen on accident. Whether or not he can find what made him succeed again is yet to be seen.

        • sourbob

          12 years ago

          Even if you feel the “above average” part is an oversell, it’s no more misleading than the Betancourt comparison. Still, as I pointed out below, Bartlett has a 1.8 WAR or higher in 5 of his 6 seasons as a regular. That would make him fairly league average and worth much more than his contract will pay him.

          When you can fill a hole with a league average player for 60% of his probable value, I’m calling that a decent move. It isn’t sexy, but it works.

        • sourbob

          12 years ago

          Even if you feel the “above average” part is an oversell, it’s no more misleading than the Betancourt comparison. Still, as I pointed out below, Bartlett has a 1.8 WAR or higher in 5 of his 6 seasons as a regular. That would make him fairly league average and worth much more than his contract will pay him.

          When you can fill a hole with a league average player for 60% of his probable value, I’m calling that a decent move. It isn’t sexy, but it works.

        • coachofall

          12 years ago

          That is still not “above avg”

      • sourbob

        12 years ago

        Their 2010 WAR are similar, it’s true. But Bartlett’s 0.7 represented his lowest total since becoming a regular. Betancourt had to improve by 2.3 WAR to get to his 0.6 total, his highest since 2007. I think most folks would pencil them in at closer to their career averages going forward. That would be less than a half WAR for Yuniesky and somewhere north of two wins for Bartlett, even after omitting his fluke year from calculations.

        Reply
    • coachofall

      12 years ago

      above avg? You realize he was essentially the same player as Yuniesky Bettencourt last year?

      Reply
  6. Karan

    12 years ago

    Decent deal. 3yr/15M for an above average SS is a good deal for the Padres.

    Reply
  7. twins33

    12 years ago

    More proof that Hardy is worth 6-7 million. Better offense and defense than Bartlett.

    Reply
  8. twins33

    12 years ago

    More proof that Hardy is worth 6-7 million. Better offense and defense than Bartlett.

    Reply
  9. Motor_City_Bombshell

    12 years ago

    I feel like this is quite an overpay. I’m a skeptic of this one.

    Reply
  10. Motor_City_Bombshell

    12 years ago

    I feel like this is quite an overpay. I’m a skeptic of this one.

    Reply
  11. Mickey Koke

    12 years ago

    What I have been saying all along, he is not a one year rental. Hopefully Bartlett can have a nice bounce back year and put his nagging injuries behind him that may have hindered his production, both offensively and defensively the last couple years. He will provide the Padres stability at SS, for the first time since Khalil Green. No pun intended

    Reply
  12. Mickey Koke

    12 years ago

    What I have been saying all along, he is not a one year rental. Hopefully Bartlett can have a nice bounce back year and put his nagging injuries behind him that may have hindered his production, both offensively and defensively the last couple years. He will provide the Padres stability at SS, for the first time since Khalil Green. No pun intended

    Reply
  13. $1742854

    12 years ago

    Twins got out at the right time with these two

    Reply
  14. $1742854

    12 years ago

    Twins got out at the right time with these two

    Reply
  15. Sd_brain

    12 years ago

    This deal isn’t that bad. Sure his defense isn’t what it used to be but then again what other choices do the padres have. I would expect and hope his numbers this season to be better than last years. The padres are just adding stability to the position so they can build up Cabrera while at the same time draft and develop an everyday short.

    Reply
  16. sourbob

    12 years ago

    I probably have a soft spot for Bartlett, because I frequently compare his 2007 defensive performance to Edgar Renteria’s 2007 as a perfect illustration of why errors are crap. (For the record, Bartlett had 26 errors that year, but had such superior range that he was worth 8.5 fielding runs above average; Renteria looked solid with 11 errors, but a closer look had him at -4.4 fielding runs.)

    Reply
    • twins33

      12 years ago

      To be fair to Bartlett, I believe he was dealing with a neck/arm injury during at least part of his 2007 season. Unless I’m not remembering correctly, but I’m pretty sure it was that year because I remember it being his last year as a Twin.

      He played through it, but his throws sucked because of it.

      Reply
  17. Threat_Level_RedSox

    12 years ago

    I imagine Jed Hoyer is trying to establish value among his players. He could use this deal a a marker for extentions for younger players heading into there arbitration years. Headley with 3.7 WAR and Latos 3.3 in 2010, could be canidates for team freindly extentions given their impending arbitrations in 2012 and 2013.

    Reply
  18. Threat_Level_RedSox

    12 years ago

    I imagine Jed Hoyer is trying to establish value among his players. He could use this deal a a marker for extentions for younger players heading into there arbitration years. Headley with 3.7 WAR and Latos 3.3 in 2010, could be canidates for team freindly extentions given their impending arbitrations in 2012 and 2013.

    Reply
  19. Mickey Koke

    12 years ago

    Man, what a “fire-sale”.

    Reply
  20. DK57

    12 years ago

    what happened to everth cabrera?

    Reply
    • Beersy

      12 years ago

      He will be at AAA, hopefully getting his game back on track.

      Reply
    • Beersy

      12 years ago

      He will be at AAA, hopefully getting his game back on track.

      Reply
  21. Beersy

    12 years ago

    If Bartlett hits .280 with 15-20 steals and 20 or so doubles, the Padres will be more than happy with this deal. Not to mention, this deal gives Cabrera at least 2 years to grow at AAA. He was rushed to the Majors and can really use the time to get his game back on track. In 2 years, if the Padres middle infield is Cabrera, of 2 years ago, and Cumberland, of last year before the injury, they will have one of, if not the best, young middle infields in all of baseball. Giving Cabrera and Cumberland 2 years to work together in the minors will be benefical for both team and players.

    Reply
    • MatthewRKeller

      12 years ago

      If Bartlett hits .280 with 25 doubles, his line would probably look something like .280/.320/.355 which would be really pretty bad.

      For a team with a limited budget like the Padres, they’d be way better off allocating this money elsewhere, not on a light-hitting, questionable fielding shortstop.

      Reply
      • Beersy

        12 years ago

        Where should they allocate it? To a 1st baseman or outfielder who was a good hitter in a hitters ball park and won’t be able to reach the fences at Petco. Or maybe a catcher who is going to be over paid. The Padres needed a SS in the worst way and Bartletts’ game will play at Petco. Bartlett will not be the most overpaid or worst SS in the league next year I can assure you of that. Maybe they should have made an offer to Jeter for 4 years at 20 million per, that would have been money much better spent. Not to mention, Hoyer hit on every move he made last year and maybe he knows a little more than the rest of us.

        I also find it interesting that all the “experts” seem to think that Bartlett is a decent fielder, but everybody on this site seems to think he goes out to short with a brick in his glove. I’ll be honest, I don’t get to see many Rays games, but anytime I’ve seen Bartlett in action he’s made all the plays that have come his way. Is it possible that the new ways of judging ones talent are being looked at as the Gospel and actually watching a guy in action has gone by the way side?

        Reply
      • YouDontKnowDude

        12 years ago

        with 20 stolen bases he might as well have 45 doubles. OBP is a little deceptive when someone can run the bases.

        Reply
  22. Beersy

    12 years ago

    If Bartlett hits .280 with 15-20 steals and 20 or so doubles, the Padres will be more than happy with this deal. Not to mention, this deal gives Cabrera at least 2 years to grow at AAA. He was rushed to the Majors and can really use the time to get his game back on track. In 2 years, if the Padres middle infield is Cabrera, of 2 years ago, and Cumberland, of last year before the injury, they will have one of, if not the best, young middle infields in all of baseball. Giving Cabrera and Cumberland 2 years to work together in the minors will be benefical for both team and players.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Giants Sign Gary Sanchez To Minor League Deal

    Padres Sign Jake Cronenworth To Seven-Year Extension

    Brewers To Promote Joey Wiemer

    Mariners Acquire Nick Solak From Reds

    Mets Place Justin Verlander On Injured List

    Still No Agreement Between Pirates And Bryan Reynolds Due To Opt-Out Clause

    MLB, MLBPA Reach Tentative Agreement On Minor League CBA

    Cubs Sign Nico Hoerner To Three-Year Extension

    Guardians, Andrés Giménez Finalizing Seven-Year, $106.5MM Extension

    Guardians, Trevor Stephan Agree To Four-Year Extension

    Boone: Yankees Working On “Potential Deal” To Add Pitcher

    Braves To Extend Orlando Arcia

    Athletics Trade Cristian Pache To Phillies

    Pirates, Bryan Reynolds Continue To Discuss Extension; Start Of Regular Season Reportedly Seen As Deadline

    Daniel Murphy Signs With Long Island Ducks

    Brewers Sign Luke Voit To One-Year Deal

    Guardians Discussing Extensions With Multiple Players

    Cristian Pache Will Not Make Athletics’ Roster; A’s Exploring Trade Scenarios

    Triston McKenzie Shut Down For At Least Two Weeks With Teres Major Strain

    Yankees To Select Anthony Volpe’s Contract

    Recent

    Giants Sign Gary Sanchez To Minor League Deal

    Padres Sign Jake Cronenworth To Seven-Year Extension

    MLBTR Chat Transcript

    Yankees Designate Estevan Florial For Assignment

    Nationals Sign Kevin Plawecki To Minor League Deal

    Luis Urias Out 6-8 Weeks With Hamstring Injury

    2022-23 Offseason In Review Series

    Braves Notes: Rotation, Soroka, Shewmake, Grissom

    Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox

    MLB Investigating Incident Between Fan, Anthony Rendon

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

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Offseason Outlook Series
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2023-24 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • 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