Ian Desmond’s drawn out free agency has come to a close, as the Rangers announced today that they’ve signed Desmond to a one-year contract that reportedly guarantees the longtime National $8MM for the 2016 campaign. Desmond, a client of Sports One Athlete Management, will reportedly serve as the everyday left fielder in Texas despite a lack of experience at the position, and the Rangers indeed announced him an an “infielder/outfielder” in their press release. Right-hander Tanner Scheppers has been placed on the 60-day disabled list in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Desmond.
Critics will be quick to point out that Desmond infamously turned down a seven-year, $107MM extension with the Nationals in the 2013-14 offseason. While Desmond undoubtedly has some financial regrets about doing so, the money he apparently left on the table isn’t quite as much as many would assume at first glance. For starters, that contract included his final two arbitration years with the Nats, during which time he earned $17.5MM anyway. Secondly, the contract was also said to include deferred money (as has been the case with virtually every significant Nationals contract offer in recent history due to their ongoing television rights fees battle), further deflating the value of the deal. While Desmond unquestionably comes out behind for the time being, he’ll hope for a big year in Texas and a significantly better result in free agency next offseason.
Throughout the offseason, there’s been talk that Desmond could draw interest from clubs at a position other than shortstop, though there were a number of obstacles that seemed to be standing between Desmond and an agreement with the Rangers. For starters, Texas has repeatedly been said to be averse to adding further payroll, as they’re already looking at what projects to be a club-record payroll north of $145MM. Beyond that, the Rangers will have to surrender the No. 19 overall pick in the 2016 draft in order to sign Desmond. However, if the Rangers make Desmond a qualifying offer next offseason and he turns it down to sign elsewhere, Texas can recoup a first-round pick.
The Rangers picked up the No. 30 overall selection in the draft when Yovani Gallardo signed with Baltimore, though, so they will still have a relatively high draft pick even after coughing up their top selection for Desmond. In turn, the Nationals will now gain the No. 29 overall selection as compensation for the loss of Desmond, who turned down a $15.8MM qualifying offer at the onset of free agency.
That decision, of course, will be scrutinized as well, though it’s easy enough to see why Desmond would bet on himself in free agency. He finished the season one home run shy of delivering his fourth consecutive 20-homer campaign, displaying rare power for a shortstop. And while Desmond’s overall batting line was dragged down by a dismal first half, he did rebound with a .262/.331/.446 second half, during which he homered a dozen times and stole eight bases. Desmond’s defense also came under fire in 2015, but an abnormally large number of his errors (nine) came within the first two weeks of the season, and his glovework settled down from that point forward. While he’s not an elite defender at short, consensus on Desmond has been that he could handle the position, and his bat has typically overshadowed any defensive questions.
It’s easy to say that Desmond “should” have accepted the qualifying offer with the benefit of hindsight, but looking at the matter from a more objective standpoint, it’s often difficult to tell which free agents will thrive in spite of a qualifying offer and which will be hamstrung by the associated draft pick compensation. For instance, at the time qualifying offers were extended, there was little questioning whether Desmond should accept or reject. Even coming off a down season, many expected that Desmond would still secure a solid multi-year pact; conversely, there was an enormous amount of discussion as to whether or not right-hander Ian Kennedy should accept. Kennedy, like Desmond, had a dreadful run early in the season before righting the ship, but most felt it was a mistake for him to test the open market. In the end, though, he landed a five-year, $70MM contract with an opt-out clause — a staggering contract and a firm reminder that predicting the manner in which a qualifying offer will impact a player is no easy feat.
Desmond, then, will end up as yet another data point in CBA negotiations when the MLBPA and the league address the qualifying offer system in the upcoming wave of collective bargaining negotiations. This offseason, the likes of Desmond, Dexter Fowler and Howie Kendrick were all undoubtedly impacted by the draft picks attached to their names in free agency. In previous winters, players like Nelson Cruz, Ervin Santana and Kyle Lohse have each seen their stock dragged down by the qualifying offer as well. There’s a common refrain calling for players to simply accept the qualifying offer, but players spend a minimum of six years (usually more) working toward free agency for the right to no longer be beholden to one-year contracts, and the intent of the qualifying offer was never to drive down the stock of players, but rather to provide teams with compensation for losing their best Major League assets. In that light, the adverse impact on players has indeed been a negative (albeit likely unintended) byproduct.
Earlier this month, we heard that the White Sox, Rays, and Rockies all reached out to Desmond’s camp in recent weeks. In January, the Padres were reportedly giving heavy consideration to signing Desmond before inking Alexei Ramirez. Now, as is often the case with free agents that linger on the market, Desmond will end up with a team that didn’t even appear to be a fit, on paper. However, with Josh Hamilton opening the season on the disabled list, the Rangers saw an opportunity to add a bat with some upside at a relatively low price and will take the chance on Desmond’s glove converting to the outfield at an acceptable level as they look to defend their AL West title.
FOX’s Ken Rosenthal first reported the agreement and the terms (links to Rosenthal on Twitter). MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reported (also via Twitter) that Desmond had passed his physical.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Great move. Looks like the rangers are in it to win it!
How is that a great move? Yes Desmond is a good player but the Rangers just gave up a draft pick for a one year contract to put him in a position that he’s never played before. To me this seems like a huge gamble. He might not but I think he’ll be like Hanley Ramirez in the outfield.
Moving a SS to LF worked out well for Boston. Looks like the beginning of a trend.
The difference was Hanley couldn’t play SS even in his minor league days, the guy was always a hitter first and a fielder second. Desmond is at least a league average or slightly below average SS going to the OF. Where he should be bad but not Hanley Ramirez bad.
Way more Athletic than Hanley
And he will actually try. Hanley never cared how bad he was in LF.
Big surprise, the most ludicrous statement about a baseball topic comes from a cardinals fan, smh, you guys are just the worst.
Are you of the opinion that Hanley DID care about his defensive play last year?
Glad to see I’m not the only one that feels this way.
Do you think Hanley tried to learn the outfield? Seriously.
Good move for the Rangers in my estimation. Too much is put on these draft pics versus signing an established player with something to prove. Do you think Desmond is going to kick some ass this year? I do… Glad he is in the A.L. With this bone to pick with every team in baseball that didn’t step up to sign him. I can think of several teams that should have signed him as a second baseman.
They may have picked him up for LF, but he can still play ss. Plus he can find time at 2b and 3b. He can become a zobrist type player with a bit more power. It’s a pretty solid pickup for 8 million.
Keep in mind the Tigers just gave John niese 2/16…..
Jon Niese got 2/16 to play on the pirates? thats interesting
Mike Pelfrey, not Jon Niese.
Good pickup for 8 million…except that they forfeited a first round pick as well.
Mike Pelfrey would’ve never seen that contract if he had a draft pick attached. If Desmond didn’t have a draft pick attached he would’ve gotten a whole lot better than than Pelfrey.
Good point. However, the Rangers just earned an additional draft pick with Gallardo signing with the Orioles. Thus, the move is a very low risk with a potential of huge upside. The Rangers ended up even in losing-earning draft picks and if Desmond has a solid year, they will be again in position for another draft pick by offering him a qualifying offer.
QO is probably going to be gone next year
Yeah, but if the comp pick is further back than their original pick it is not a wash, they fall a few spots in the draft, which could matter.
The difference between picking 19th and 30th is extremely minimal. This isn’t the NFL or NBA.
The players union will highlight this contract as a reason the QO shouldn’t be around anymore. However they won’t highlight the fact that Desmond turned down a huge contract extension a few years ago. The players are getting too greedy and they only have themselves and their agents to blame for not taking the money when it’s offered to them. The QO is almost as much money as the very top superstars get in the NFL and the NBA. It’s not like they are turning down chump change.
Yes they lose the draft pick this year but if they give him a qualifying offer next year, they could get a compensatory pick next year. Their farm is pretty loaded so they can afford losing one pick.
I felt that this was a bizarre move just based on the position change, but you bring up other good points, dwilson.
I agree with you dwilson10. Squeeze the payroll even more only to lose the 16th pick in the draft, take away playing time from up and coming young talent (as well as Hamilton if he can get healthy), and open yourself up to poor defense in left. Move looks great on paper but too many downsides.
Sorry – Gotta disagree with your thought process here. In “most” cases, an Infielder that moves to the OF makes the transition better than usual.
Hanley got his payday and just assumed he would play LF with ease, but the fact is, no position is “easy” – and it takes practice, especially when playing half your games where there’s the green monster,
Hanley is lazy, and has his secured money that he doesn’t really care about fielding. He knows he has to play 1B this year, but then he becomes a full-time DH starting 2017.
Desmond is on a 1 year contract…. He NEEDS to prove his worth for the contract he was expecting to get this year but did not. I expect him to do whatever it takes to make sure he bounces back and gets his big payday come next year.
Its not like Hamilton or anyone you had last year was a great fielder in LF anyways. But here’s a guy that can flat out hit and run.
In his past 4 years (and last year being a down year) he still averaged:
Desmond: 73 Runs / 22 HR / 77 RBI / 20 SB / .265 AVG
If I was a Rangers fan, I’d be very happy with this deal…
I agree…The Rangers had Mike Napoli playing left field for a bit last year. I am sure Desmond will be better than that defensively.
first round draft picks are bigger gambles. some other #19’s include Michael Wacha, Shelby Miller, Andrew Cashner, Roger Clemens who did/done pretty well. But There’s also a bunch of guys like Brett Sinkbell, Chris Lambert, Connor Jackson, James Loney, Mike Fontenot, Tony Torcato, Juan LeBron, Brett WAgner and Eric Christopherson who you probably never heard of. (because they did nothing) With Desmond, the Rangers have a guy who fills an immediate need and while yes….he has no OF experience, Texas needs a RH bat with some pop and Desmond is a guy who has veraged over 20HR the last four years for a reasonable price.
I don’t see this as a great move. I think they are trying to hard to upgrade positions. I say they wait until they can find a guy who actually goes there and is a REAL upgrade. Defence counts too
Think there is any chance he gets to play some short this year given Andrus isn’t good at SS?
Or do they keep Andrus at Short, given the contract he has?
As a Jays fan, I hope they keep Andrus at SS.
Andrus is very good defensively. I can’t imagine Desmond playing any more SS than Andrus’ regular days off or an injury.
I watch nearly every Rangers game since I live in Texas. Andrus is pretty bad at shortstop. That being said, Desmond isn’t great either.
Elvis made some errors on routine plays last year but he also got to almost 100 more balls in play than the next ss. That’s impressive
I don’t know much about Texas to be fair, but he may be getting to more balls simply because his pitchers are ground ball pitchers.
More ground balls in play equals more opportunities
Texas as a team was 20th out of 30 teams in GB% for the 2015 season. League average was 45.3%, Rangers were at 44.2%.
You think Andrus is good defensively? The 7th inning of Game 5 of the ALDS shows otherwise.
You’re going to dismiss his entire body of work based on one game? Do you also think Bill Buckner was terrible?
No, but I was just making a point. I’m a Rangers fan and I saw Andrus say he had improved defensively before 2015 and then I got to see him boot routine grounders, make horrendous throwing errors, etc. all season long.
I’m a Rangers fan too and not a particularly big Elvis fan and agreed, his last season was not good defensively. Prior to that, he was very good and hopefully last season was a wake up call to improve. He also should be batting in the bottom of the order instead of 2nd and the arrival of Choo helped facilitate that. I am just not ready to give up on him based on one poor season.
Hanley Ramirez 2.0….
Lol two completely different players so this comparison doesn’t work
He’ll be as productive as hanley ramirez at best. But its only a one year deal. thanks for the draft pick
Ramirez was ripping the ball before he hurt his shoulder running into Fenway’s wall. Desmond has nowhere near the offensive upside as does Ramirez when healthy and the Rangers coughed up a 1st round pick?
Should have waited until after the draft. Waste.
Why wait until after the draft? Josh Hamilton will be back by then. I agree that it was a mistake to sign him instead of a cheaper option like David Murphy, but it’s not because of an overrated draft pick. The mistake is signing a guy to play LF that has never played the OF before.
Elvis made some errors on routine plays last year but he also got to almost 100 more balls in play than the next ss. That’s impressive
Texas needs a RH bat with some pop. Murphy isn’t that guy and if Texas has the money, why not? Folks have to stop thinking Josh is going to really help anyone, anymore. His injuries are always a problem and he’s three and a half years removed from being a great hitter. At age 35, it’s unlikely he’s going to going to return to 2011 form.
Seriously? Nowhere near the offensive upside when healthy? You can’t use early 20’s Ramirez as a comparison. Ramirez’s last healthy season was 2012 when he was 28. He hit .257/.322/..437 with 24 HR, 92 RBI, 21 SB, 105 OPS+. Desmond 2014 (also 28) .255/.313/.430 with 24 HR, 91 RBI, 24 SB, 103 OPS+. Seems like the upside is damn near identical.
Between 2013-2014 hanley had the 5th highest wrc+ in all of baseball at 157. He hit 308/382/525 in 830 pa’s. So while cherry picking the worst year of hanleys save last year fits your narrative, it is not a good reprensatation of his true talent level.
Hanley Ramirez 2012-2014: .285/.356/.486 39 2B/25 HR/97 RBI/20 SB per 162
Ian Desmond 2012-2014: .275/.326/.462 32 2B/23 HR/81 RBI/22 SB per 162
Offensive upside is always going to favor Hanley, even if he doesn’t have his legs as much anymore (plate discipline and power, baby). Desmond obviously provides greater value defensively, but you literally cherry-picked Hanley’s worst full season of his career to make your point.
The original comment was based on “when healthy” I based my comment on Hanley’s last full season.
You’re using 2 seasons where he played a total of 206 games. Who knows how either of those seasons would’ve played out had he played the entire season.
He was healthy during those 200 + games though, secondly ur when healthy season he only played 125. If you want to knock hanley its durability concerns, when healthy the guy hits.
And when he leaves next year we get a draft pick back, so thanks for year of service
For future reference, please, SOMEBODY answer this question: if he had been forced to sign a minor league deal, would the team still have lost the pick?
I doubt it, because if so, every team would do that to avoid surrendering the pick, granted though they wouldn’t be able to give out the same kind of contracts they have (at least I don’t think anyways, I know teams have given out two-year minor league deals, but nothing more).
No.
No but this would never happen because it wouldn’t benefit the player signing the deal.
lol
Interesting move. Curios to see what he signed for. I have a feeling he will end up with a lot of time at short once Hamilton comes back. The funny thing is his production is not that different than Andrus. The difference in what they are both getting paid will probably be laughable.
I think you will see him all over the field. You are going to have injuries during 162 games. This gives Bannister the ability to rest guys more and sit Moreland against lefties.
Moves like this make your bench deeper so you have flexibility late in games to get favorable matchups.
You have to think more guys are going to take the QO in the future. This is a huge drop off from what he would have got if he just stuck with Washington.
I was just thinking the same thing, this guy really needs to fire his agent. If it isnt the hundred millions that he lost initially, now another 7 million this year. And then agreeing to a LF position move that will lose him even more in future earnings (20/20 guys are way more abundant in the OF than at SS). I kinda just feel sorry for him at this point.
I don’t feel sorry for anyone making 8 million dollars a year.
Players make their own decisions.
Wow did Desmond judge the market for his services wrong. According to Keith Law the Rangers have a pretty decent farm system so giving up the 19th overall pick shouldn’t hurt too much after all they do get roughly the 30th overall pick for losing Gallardo.
I wonder if Desmond made an agreement as part of signing with the Rangers that they would NOT make him a QO next winter.
That’s not allowed in the CBA. There could be a “handshake” agreement, but not likely.
Then how did Cespedes do it when he signed with the A’s. Teams were not allowed to make him a QO when he became a FA.
I believe that had something to do with Cespedes being an international free agent and was allowed to have it written into his contract that he couldn’t be slapped with a qualifying offer. The same will not be true if he opt outs after this year.
Why would the contract for an international FA be any different than that of any other FA. It’s still a MLB players contract. I doubt that’s was the case as you suggest..
Cespedes wasn’t, for lack of a better term a “tenure” free agent (ie: a player with six years of major league service). He had written into his contract that he had to be released by his team a week or so after the World Series in 2015. As such, he would have become a free agent, but not one subject to the Qualifying Offer rules. As such, his current team would not be allowed to re-sign him after the release until May. His agent and the Mets got MLB to waive that, likely a precursor to a new rule in the next CBA to incorporate this workaround. This makes me wonder how Cespedes’s opt out works, given hat he will still only have five years of service. As he will technically still be under club control for another year, his opt out would have to be a release with no QO. I assume that they can agree to a waiver of the no re-signing released players provision but I cannot see allowing a QO under these circumstances until the next CBA (12/1/2016).
It’s not allowed. Cespedes had a clause in his contract saying the team must non-tender him. Non-tender players can’t receive a QO.
He never had anything in his dealing saying he can’t get a QO, just that he must be non-tendered.
It most certainly is allowable. Cespedes’s contract did not allow the team to make him a QO.
QO’s can only be offered to players who have reached free agency through their 6 years of service time.
Cespedes contract had a non-tender term in it. Thus he reached FA through non-tender instead of 6 years of service time.
Agreed. He had a non tender/release written into his contract. It was to avoid being offered arbitration. Avoiding a QO was a bonus.
In just 15 months he went from being offered a $107M contract to signing one worth $8M. $99 million dollar mistake by his agent on misreading the market. Greed cost him big time.
We can always get the draft pick back if he has a good year and we offer him the QO after this season. Not a bad move, very unexpected though.
Or the potential for a mid-season trade that nets something more valuable than 19th pick. The Rangers’ need for Desmond is probably greatest in the first half of the season.
That is a good point. Although if they are in the race as expected, they will probably try and move him for immediate help at the big league level instead of a prospect..
At most moving him in season gets bullpen help, which is the rangers biggest strength.
I like the move for one year. Next year if Mazara, or Brinson is ready to go you make a qualifying offer to Desmond and get your draft pick back. This is a no lose situation and Desmond will be motivated to have a big year to prove he’s worth the big contract in a weaker free agent class.
A super utility player that can give Beltre, Andrus and Odor a day off. He can DH some and play some left field. Not to mention his right handed bad gives some much needed balance to the lineup. Think of him as this years Napoli except we’ll have him for the entire year.
No completely a no lose situation. What if Desmond accepts the qualifying offer next year.? Then the Rangers would have Desmond at probably twice the cost of this year and have him blocking your ready minor leaguer. No way he gets a QO next year.
You don’t know that. If he has a big year he won’t accept the qualifying offer. If he has a bad year then you just don’t make the offer. The front office makes a lot of money to make that decision and they’re pretty damn good at it.
I was worried that Gallardo would accept the QO this year and we see how that worked out.
Plus he’s a more versatile version of Nap.
I will also give props to ownership for stepping up and giving JD a little money to work with. Didn’t expect that to happen.
T0 everyone saying this is like the Hanley Ramiez signing: 1) The Rangers used Mike Napoli in left field last season 2) Hanley signed for 4 years/88 million.
I wonder if these players ever realize that their agent cost them a lot of money by hyping them up, hoping to cash in on a mega contract? Those who took the QO this year were the smart ones.
How can you definitively say what the ones who accepted would or wouldn’t have gotten? In November, the narrative that just wouldn’t die was that Ian Kennedy was dooming himself by rejecting the qualifying offer. He got $70MM and an opt-out clause.
Desmond lost out on $7.8MM, which hurts, but that’s about the worst-case scenario for any of these players, when best case if that they land enormous multi-year deals. Considering the fact that Desmond already has more than $20MM banked and has plenty of his career left following this season, betting on himself was far from a disastrous decision, even if it didn’t work out.
If you want to criticize turning down the extension, that’s fair (though we don’t know the full details on it). Turning down a QO comes with such a relatively small amount of financial downside, though, and so much financial upside that it’s easy to see why any player would want to test the market.
Probably better than Napoli in left field.
Definitely better than Napoli in left field.
Rangers AAA team could potentially be loaded for the entire year if Brinson,Gallo and Mazara, are all blocked from regular playing time at big league level could Profar end up stuck in AAA for the bulk of the year too, or does he have a bench role? If Lemoine/Matuella can progress through the system fast post injuries, my god Round Rock might be must watch baseball.
This is just a gut feeling but I keep reading that teams want to see Lucroy show he’s healthy in spring training before they make a move for him. Its possible that the Brewers want to see that Profar is healthy the same way. Might be a match there. Obviously it would take more than Profar but it seems like a possibility.
I think Profar and one more from their top 10 prospect list would be a nice return for Lucroy.
I don’t know who the other piece would be but I don’t like the top ten prospect lists. There are several teams who probably don’t have one player that would make another teams top ten so its hard to look at it that way.
A team with a glut at one position might not value a highly regarded player at that position as much as another team would.
In a perfect world Profar stays healthy and takes SS away from Andrus who then retires. Lol. I can dream can’t I?
I doubt the Brewers would go after Profar. He only has two years left of control from what I remember and the Brewers won’t be good in those two years so it that would be a pretty pointless move for the Brewers. Rumor is they want Gallo
Well they’re being a little unrealistic if they are going after Gallo. I’m by no means a Gallo fan boy but he holds enough value to headline a package for a bigger fish than Lucroy.
They would be wise to take Profar who is a superior talent and sign him to a team friendly deal that eats up a few of his free agent years.
I don’t think asking for Gallo is unrealistic at all. Now the Rangers might not do it but definitely not unrealistic. Lucroy was 4th in the MVP voting two years ago before he suffered a ton of injuries last year. He’s getting paid 10 mill combined for the next two years, thats laughable considering he’s one of the best catchers in the game when healthy. A significant prospect of Gallo, Mazara or Brinson I think would need to be the headliner. I guess we will see.
It takes two to tango on contracts. Signing Profar right now to an extension is stupid because he hasn’t proven anything. . And if he does have a breakout year who knows if he will want to resign. Getting Profar is almost pointless for the Brewers. Unless he was a secondary piece
washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2014/…
“The Nationals offered Desmond a contract extension last offseason that would have paid him $107 million over seven years, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. The contract would have included the two-year, $17.5 million deal Desmond signed last January, meaning Desmond would have made $89.5 million over five would-be free agent seasons. The deal also would have included deferred money, decreasing its true value.”
-circa 2013
Apparently his best skill is leaving money on the table. Could’ve had 7 years $107 mil but turned it down. Then turned down 1 year $15.8 mil. Now has to settle for 1 year $8 mil. That’s gotta hurt.
I believe this is a good move for Texas.
Yo Des, fire your agent. Sports One has hosed you twice with their market assessment.
All his value comes from being a SS – that bat in the OF is borderline replacement level, Terrible move for him, but he’s made a bunch of those in his career.
I highly doubt playing outfield for a year is going to affect his value that much. IF he produces with the bat, he’ll get paid next year.
He’s played almost 8,000 innings at SS in his career; one year as an outfielder won’t make teams think he can’t be an everyday SS. I can guess with 99% certainty that he’ll still market himself as a SS next year (unless he’s ridiculously good in the outfield). The only thing that’s REALLY going to matter for him this year is the bat.
All that being said, he clearly is a horrible decision maker judging by his track record. I’d be looking for new representation.
As a Nats fan I can say that Desmond is way more athletic than Hanley and he was considered one of the hardest working guys in the organization. He is capable and willing to do the work to be good at LF. He definitely strike out too often and is prone to mental errors in the field but that won’t be as much an issue in LF.
From the Rangers perspective they’re probably getting an above average player (despite his flaws) who can fill a number of roles and be a leader in the clubhouse. And they’re getting it for only $8m.
True, they lose a draft pick but they picked up a draft pick with Gallardo. And if Desmond plays well this year then they can give him a QO and either gain a pick back next year or get his services again which would make this balance out at something like a 2 year deal for $24-28m depending on what the QO ends up being next year.
What are the odds that Desmond get’s traded at the deadline? because Mazara could be ready
I think depends on how Desmond performs. The return for Desmond wouldn’t probably be that great, maybe a late inning bullpen guy. Not sure that the bullpen will be the Rangers problem. Personally if the Rangers think they are in it to win it they are not going to rush Marza unless he is destroying AAA pitching.
Make the QO a 3 years minimum offer. in order to “qualify”..That would be a competitive offer and show that the team losing the player actually lost something they wanted. Such offers would become less frequent and teams would still be fairly compensated with a pick
Is there any reason to remain a Halo fan? Open to any informed opinions.
If the angels were to sign him, they would of given up their first round pick which they can’t take the risk of losing after eppler traded newcomb and ellis which put them to have the worst farm system in baseball.
Besides, he’s not a ‘speed and glove’ man. Scioscia wants those at every position…including DH. That’s why the Angels…even with Trout…will be a bore to watch…as they were through most of the 2000’s…slicing through anemic competition in the AL West then getting annihilated in the first round of the playoffs because they had a pop gun (1960’s Dodgers) offense. How much longer before Arte announces another 10 year extension for Mike??
I think a fairly low risk move by the Rangers. Adding Desmond right handed bat balances out Fielder, Moreland and Choo. Beltre was the only real right handed hitting threat. The Rangers are definitely trying to position themselves to win now.. Hamilton, Choo and Beltre are getting any younger. Gallo remains a question mark as to whether he can consistently hit and Marza is very young. Personally I think the Rangers are make it or break it time.
Rangers 2016 world series champs!
Texas is truly built around the sum of their parts. This is a reasonable gamble at that price (8 mil plus draft pick). I like the flexibility it creates for a team on the cusp of doing great things.
Good move for the Rangers… His errors at short were usually brainfarts and poor throws to first, but his range and arm were both plus, so he should be fine for left field… And for those who don’t think his bat plays in the outfield, his numbers from 2012-2014 are virtually identical to Cespedes
Really interesting, considering that Fowler and Desmond both had to sign less for what the QO was you have to wonder if more players will be taking that QO more than in the past (That is if the QO does not go away).
I think the QO is a good thing, BUT they need to have different classifications of the FA getting them. For example, guys like Fowler and Desmond should have been classified that the pick given up is a 2nd round or later or something like that.
I agree. Every year we see these fringe players being hurt by not taking the QO and in effect thinking they are going to do better. The media keep writing these articles about how a player is screwed by the QO system (which of course needs to change) but the reality is they were offered a fat sum of money, they decided to roll the dice and lost. I don’t feel sorry for them one bit.
Ian Desmond and Dexter Fowler are players who have amassed some pretty good numbers in their 7 year MLB careers and were looking to cash in big this offseason, only to fall victim of their qualifying offers and a highly competitive free agent market. Each settled for one year deals with teams that figure to be major players during the regular season and in the playoffs. Both will be playing the 2016 season as 30-year olds who are still in the prime years of their careers. They will now have an opportunity to not only become premium free agents in a lesser class next offseason but also have a decent chance to do so with a World Series ring.
My question is this: How did the White Sox, a team allegedly in an “all-in to win” mode for 2016, one with a reputation for frugality and a horrible record of drafting and developing position players in the past decade, manage to pass on two players who might have made them the team to beat in the A.L. Central and American League this year? The Cubs re-signed Dexter Fowler with an already loaded outfield while sacrificing a compensatory draft pick they would have gotten had another team done so, because they now deem winning as their ultimate goal. The Rangers sacrificed their #19 first round draft pick to sign Ian Desmond for one year to play a position he has never manned before because they also deem winning as their ultimate goal. Meanwhile, the White Sox have a top-10 protected first round pick and signed neither despite having a need in their lineup for more offense, a shortstop and an outfield upgrade…because apparently, and despite what they claim, they do not deem winning as their ultimate goal.
The Sox are not a Desmond or Fowler away from being considered the favorites in the Central let alone the AL.
The White Sox did real well this off-season. Not many holes in their team and they should be able to compete in the AL Central.. Royals got weaker – should be an interesting division.
White Sox:
1B) Abreu
2B) Lawrie
SS) Rollins
3B) Frazier
C) Navarro / Avila
LF) Cabrera
CF) Eaton
RF) Garcia
DH) LaRoche
SP) Sale / Quintana / Rodon / Latos / E. Johnson / Danks
Not Desmond OR Fowler, Desmond AND Fowler. Sites like Fangraphs and ZIPS that rely on advanced analytics and tend to be conservative in team win projections might disagree with your assessment. At last check, they had the White Sox at 81 and 83 wins, within a few games of their projected A.L. Central leaders. Adding two players with conservative 2-4 WAR value each over the replacement level players they would replace could have put the White Sox into their top prediction slot by opening day, pending other developments within the division during spring training.
“Team to beat” hahahahahaha
You read into the projections WAY too much. Yeah the White Sox might have a good year but how often are the projected records correct ? Not very often. Just cause they are projected to be good doesn’t mean they are actually going to be that good.
What better way is their to project a player’s value or a team’s prospects for a coming season than advanced metrics, which tend to be very conservative and aren’t predicated on personal bias?
I’m telling people this. They won’t actually sign him. Just like the Orioles with Fowler, the Nationals with Bud Black and the Dodgers with half of baseball this offseason.
Desmond himself has favorited and tweeted thanks to people wishing him luck in Texas, so…
I’m not convinced by that at all
Good deal for Texas at 8 mil. I knew Texas would be willing to lose the pick once they got the compensation pick for Gallardo. Cubs beat out Baltumore & Texas for Fowler. My hunch is the Gallardo physical holdup is why Texas signed Desmond & not Fowler.
What do you guys think about this. Play Desmond in left field and when Hamilton comes back put him at first base and if he does good there trade Mitch Moreland and get a pitcher in return?
Desmond passed physical. Deal is soon to be announced officially.
Desmond bet on himself twice–when he turned down the extension, and when he turned down the QO. Good for him for taking the chance. Now, of course, he has to live with the ramifications, but he’s made $23M so far, he will collect another $8M for this year, and if he plays reasonably well, is set up for a nice contract in 2017. If he falls completely on his face, he will still have earned over $30M from baseball. It could be worse…
Wow, we need more people like you in world
I wouldn’t bet any money on him performing that well
Don’t think this fella got very good advice from his agent.
Serves him right, greedy pig
Guarantee of over 100 million not too long ago and now one year and 8 million. Wow, just Wow!
He ain’t hitting like that, but he could make a good stash and trade for the first part of the season if you get him at the right time
I guess Desmond really isn’t all about the money, huh?
For that price, if the Giants don’t get better production from their left field spot/backup infielders they will probably kick themselves for not taking a flyer on him. Already lost their first rounder, and something tells me he is going to be much better than Pagan.
Here’s an idea for handling this in the next CBA. At season’s end if a team offers a qualifying offer and the player does not accept:
1.) Team losing player gets compensation pick at end of first round (like today)
2) Team signing player loses first round pick but instead picks up a pick after the losing team’s compensation pick — in reverse order of.standings (if a team with 30th overall pick signs a QO player they would get the very last compensation pick)
This scenario still “punishes” the signing team without unduly punishing the player.
Or these players who are borderline talent could take their 1 year $16m deal and attempt to improve their stock.
1/16 isn’t bad money, these players have just done a poor job judging the market.
Guarantee of over 100 million not too long ago and now he’s playing for,one year and 8 million. Wow, just Wow!
A few years ago, Nelson Cruz turned down a QO from the Rangers and wound up playing for something like six million bucks less than he would have earned from Texas. Baltimore got a bargain! Cruz of course had a great year for the O’s and wound up getting big $$$ from Seattle so it worked out for him. Desmond’s signing could be the same for Texas. Forget the draft pick they lose. If the Rangers succeed and Desmond has a good contract year, he’s easily worth some high school kid who might have a what —30% chance of becoming a good MLB player? It could still be a big win for Texas and if the Rangers are struggling, they could still flip Desmond to another team down the line. If Ian doesn’t do well, Texas loses a little but Desmond loses a LOT more.
If he gets a 4/75 after this year, you could argue he received the same or better money than that Nats offer a few years ago.
Who needs “hindsight” to say Desmond should have accepted his qualifying offer? With the season he produced, the only people living on fantasy island thinking that he would get a better deal on the open market were Desmond himself and his agent. You can’t change stupid and that is what he is. .
Did you not see the part about his second half numbers? .262/.331/.446 with 12 HR, 38 RBI and 8 SB. Those are solid results, ESPECIALLY for a shortstop, so he had every reason to bet on himself, and since he’s only 30, he’s still young enough to sign a pillow contract and get the deal he wants next year without it detracting too much from his value. And a lot of people pegged Desmond for a nice contract, including the writers here at MLBTR, who projected him to get a 5 year, $70 million deal. He bet on himself and he lost, but that doesn’t make him stupid.
“Hindsight” is always 20/20, including in this scenario. Ian Desmond had a bad first half but finished the season strong, not something many of his mates in Washington could say as the team imploded down the stretch. He also averaged a 3.8 WAR annually over the past 4 seasons while collecting 3 Silver Slugger Awards to go along with an All-Star selection at a prime position like shortstop. He is also still just 30 years old and was easily the top free agent player available at his position. Desmond also came with good marks as a teammate and clubhouse presence.
Btw-A poor full season from Jeff Samardzija in 2015 didn’t prevent him from cashing in on a large multi-year contract and he was hardly in the top tier of starting pitchers who were available this offseason. Like Desmond, Dexter Fowler Howie Kendrick, “Shark” also came with an attached qualifying offer which didn’t impact his signing anywhere near the degree of the others. Other non-pitchers who had the stigma of a QO also fared much better, including Jason Heyward, Alex Gordon and Justin Upton and Chris Davis.
“Hindsight” is indeed 20/20, even in regard to qualifying offers and free agency…and specifically Ian Desmond.
Heyward, Gordon, Upton, and Davis are all better players than Desmond. And 2 of those players resigned with the team they finished the season with
All the free agents mentioned in my comment had the stigma of qualifying offers attached to them, not just the last four you cherry picked from my comment to make some sort of point regarding who might be deemed “better” players and then, who the signed with???
Jason Heyward and Chris Davis were the only two who received contracts that matched or approached their pre-offseason projections. Heyward initially had numerous suitors, with his destination ultimately coming down to a battle between division rivals, won by the Cubs. Davis really had no “acknowledged” competitors for his services and ultimately appeared to come down to Scott Boras havoing the Orioles bidding against themselves. Alex Gordon and Justin Upton signed for considerably less than expected, with Gordon returning to his former team “reportedly” at a discounted price.
Jeff Samardzija was brutal in 2015 but got paid nonetheless, pretty much in line with earlier projections. Ian Desmond, Dexter Fowler and Howie Kendrick all settled for contracts that fell far short of anyone’s expectations, be it baseball insiders or from their own camps.
Heyward, Gordon, Upton and Davis may indeed be better players than Desmond, Fowler and Kendrick, although that in itself would be hard to quantify when comparing the “value” of players who play different positions. I could make a compelling argument that Desmond as a shortstop has more “value” than Davis as a first baseman, for example. How do you gauge the value of Jeff Samardzija in comparison to the rest of the group? Based on WAR, which differs with pitchers and positions players? If WAR was used, “Shark” never had an individual season higher than 2.0, which was Desmond’s lowest personal score in each of his last four seasons. He did that last year while Samardzija posted a 0.2 metric. It seems to me that most would fans and pundits might consider Desmond to be a more “valuable” player than “Shark”, not only in 2015 but throughout the entirety of their careers, yet who got paid and who didn’t?
Point being, all the players I mentioned had one thing in common as FA’s this offseason, a QO. They all have differing degrees of “value” based on the criteria used for measuring it. Whatever that “value” is deemed to be, it was not commensurate or proportional to the dollars each free agent ultimately received in their individual contracts. In other words, is Jason Heyward’s “value” so much greater than Desmond’s”value” to justify an 8 yrs/$184M contract versus a 1 yr/$8M deal. I think not.
Couldn’t have said it any better.
Every conversation now regarding the outcome of this free agency class is pure “hindsight”.
Explain to me the discrepancy in the salaries between players who all had one thing in common this past offseason, the qualifying offer? How can you justify, or reasonably have predicted that Jason Heyward would have received an 8 yrs./$184M contract while Ian Desmond had to settle for a 1 yr/$8M deal? I don’t care what form of measure you might use to value the worth of a player, whether it’s advanced metrics like WAR, scouting reports, past or recent production or any combination of those, there was no way to reasonably predict that Heyward was worth 8 times the years and 23 times the total dollar amount of Desmond. Heyward might be better but he’s not that much better!
How did Jeff Samardzija, a second tier starting pitcher who never surpassed a 2.0 WAR in any individual season and had the worst production of virtually any pending FA in his walk year that resulted in a 0.2 WAR in 2015 still receive a 5 yrs/$90M in comparison to Desmond, the top rated FA at a premium position like SS who had averaged a 3.8 WAR over his last 4 season and despite a “poor” walk year, still managed a 2.0 WAR in 2015?
Perhaps you can reasonably justify it by looking at other factors like market conditions that might include the number of teams who were in need of players at a certain position, which were contenders and who had the financial resources or desire to spend this offseason. This reasoning also fails to account for the way the market eventually panned out. Take the case of two other FA’s who also had the QO in common this offseason, Zack Greinke and Chris Davis. Without the benefit of hindsight, who out there predicted that the Arizona Diamonbacks would have landed Greinke with a 6 yrs/$206.5M contract. His deal in terms of years and dollars wasn’t unexpected, rather it was the team he signed with. Everybody had anticipated Greinke to wind up with a traditional big spending large market club, either re-signing with the Dodgers or inking a deal with the Red Sox, Cubs or Yankees, all teams in need of rotation upgrades. Chris Davis was another example that defies explanation. He was undoubtedly the premier power hitter available this offseason and was expected to get paid. But how did he manage to secure a 7 yrs/$161M contract with no other “acknowledged” suitors this past winter. How many contending big market clubs were in need of a first baseman this offseason? By all accounts, Scott Boras had the Orioles bidding against themselves, just as he did years ago when Alex Rodriguez signed that mega deal with the Texas Rangers. How did Davis wind up with a contract 7 times the years and 20 times the dollars in comparison to a player who like Desmond, who was the top player available at a more premium position, in a market that had more teams in need of a shortstop than a first baseman or DH? I could make a compelling argument that Desmond might actually be a more valuable player than Davis because of his position, athleticism and versatility. Desmond is not only a quality MLB shortstop but has the athleticism to steal 20+ bases and hit 20+ HR’s each year who might also profile at numerous other positions as he ages. Where else would Davis profile other than at DH at the back end of his contract?
I don’t really understand what the Brewers are thinking. They’ve brought a boatload of players to camp to fight for the CF job, but they’re all either failed there before elsewhere (Niewenhuis, Eric Young Jr, Alex Presley), untested minor leaguers (Broxton, Phillips) or guys with some upside that might be better suited in the corner spots (Flores, Liriano).
My guess is they’ll keep both Flores and Liriano because they are out of options, and one of Niewenhuis, Young or Presley. The appeal of a guy like Jacskon for his trade value, might not be all that strong with the Brewer system already having been fortified into a top 10 system.
Keep up man
Remember the last time someone signed a shortstop with the intentions of turning him into a LF? Hanley and the Red Sox sure as hell don’t want to..
I can’t remember a time in the past 10-15 years where a player turned down so much guaranteed money (over $100 million for 7 years, then ALSO turned appx. $15 with the qualifying offer. What a pattern of horrible decisions. Not only should his agent be fired, fans all around the league should boo Desmond every time he steps foot in the batter’s box. How much $$ is enough? Not only is he earning $8 million on a 1 year contract (obviously a lot of money to those who don’t play professional sports) he is going to be an outfielder/utility player moving forward and will never again see his earning potential reach any higher. Athletes all over should use Desmonds horrible decisions moving forward when thinking about negotiating or rating their self worth.
Maybe he was tired of Papelbon.