The free agent market has been very kind to infielders so far, and now it sounds like Jerry Hairston Jr. is poised to cash in. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Dodgers, Giants, and Brewers all have interest in the utility man, and Milwaukee has already offered him a one-year deal.
Hairston, 35, hit .270/.344/.383 in 376 plate appearances for the Nationals and Brewers last season, and he was Milwaukee's regular third baseman in the playoffs. He has significant experience at every position on the field other than pitcher, catcher, and first base, and has shown enough offensive ability to play everyday for periods of time. The Giants and Brewers need middle infield help, and the Dodgers could use him all over the field.
Mark Ellis ($8.75MM), Clint Barmes ($10.5MM), Aaron Hill ($11MM), Willie Bloomquist ($3.8MM), and Jamey Carroll ($6.75MM) have all signed two-year deals this offseason, essentially setting for the market for Hairston. He's coming off three straight one-year deals worth $2MM+.
Glad to see the Braves aren’t listed here.
agreed
More signings like these, less elite prospects in the draft. Go MLB!
I’ve read that Colletti only has $10m to go after one or two starting pitchers, but I guess giving $8m and 2 years to Jerry Hairston couldn’t hurt.
Hell yes that hurts when you’re current rotation is Kershaw/Billingsley/Lilly/Eovaldi/Eveland…
The good news is he’ll backload it so that it pays the league minimum this year, $6M next, and then deferred payments for $500K each from 2020-2022
You read that rumor here. It is just that, a rumor.
He is about as close to a perfect utility player as your gonna find. Solid hitter, experienced, a little pop, a little speed, plays every position, great guy, and a competitor. I’d love him in St.Louis.
hes been a giant killer..so i guess it could only help if we sign him?
I think you got confused with Scott Hairston.
ahh good call..hate that guy lol
Marlins?
Of course the Marlins are interested. Every rumor this offseason has read like this … “Team A, Team B, and the Marlins are interested in Player X.”
Every team could use a Jerry Hairston on the bench… he gives a manager tons of flexibility. He has played every position but C and 1B in the majors and he has above average speed as a pinch runner.
You may even catch lightning in a bottle and he could have a decent offensive season.
Same goes for Willie Bloomquist. I really wanted the Rangers one of the two last season.
Jerry Hairston is a legitimate utility man, Willie Bloomquist on the other hand was below replacement level last year, same as the year before.
Probably a better option than Juan Uribe…
A statue would be a better option…
Speaking of lightning in a bottle …
i think the Dodgers should sign Kuroda or another pitcher firsts then go after Hairston or any other utility man.
I’m sure Hairston wouldn’t mind waiting until Kuroda makes up his mind about where he wants to play next season.
im sure he wouldnt but we should sign a sp firts to make our rotation better then go after a utiliy man like hairston
So if the good utility players are off the market by then, we can blame Ned. Right?
If all of the offers turn out to be similar in money and years, I’m hoping the time he spent in Milwaukee will persuade him to stay with us. I think he truly enjoyed his time here and he is a very valuable player to have on the bench.
He’d be an offensive upgrade over Crawford, but I’d rather put the money on Beltran, Cuddyer or Willingham.
ur a giants fan so ill say no offence..but duh
Way to add to the discussion!
no problemo
Give me Crawford over him. The way the market is playing out, he’ll get $4-5M a year.
depends on what other moves we make. Crawford is an automatic out, so we’ll need something big in the OF.
Most definitely. I just don’t think giving the market money for MI’s to Hairston is smart. Signing Beltran will make everything better.
Agreed, his bat leaves something to be desired. But I feel like he gives the Giants something that they’re not going to get unless they sign Rollins or Reyes, someone who can actually field the shortstop position. Yeah, he was an automatic out last year but how many extraordinary, run-saving plays did he make in the field as well ? I feel like the additional $3-5M that a guy like Hairston will make outweighs any benefit that he brings over what the Giants have in house already. Go with Crawford, then take the Hairston cash and go after someone who will make a real difference in this lineup.
It’s pretty nutty with the infielders this off season. Teams seem to be getting really excited about .240 hitters and shelling out way too much money for them. You’d think Jack Wilson and Clint Barmes were MVP’s by the way everyone was reacting. The Giants do need a shortstop, but how many more millions is it worth to have Hairston over Crawford? What’s it going to be? $2 million more for every .01 over .240?
Jerry Hairston would be a great fit for any team that needs middle infield help. He is a perfect utility player. Can do a little bit of everything.
agree…