Intriguing Free Agents for the Braves

[Gman]

Here's a list of the available free agents from mlbtraderumors.com and some of my opinions on them. There's a few who I think are good fits for the Braves and could become steals as the slow FA market moves into Jan/Feb. But mostly I see nothing but platoon options. There's others that I don't like much for various reasons. Feel free to pick your favorite diamonds in the rough out of this list 2010 Free Agents (http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/12/2010-mlb-free-a.html)

Fernando Tatis (35) - Type B: Nice fit for the Braves bench. Has a solid RH bat with power and reportedly plays good defense at 3b and is serviceable at 1b, and corner OF. Nice compliment to Infante who would then be the middle-infield backup and plan-b at 2b if Prado falls off. Tatis isn't an answer at any permanent spot unless the questions are: Who will platoon with the low-cost lefty hitting 1b Wren picked up for cheap and who will backup Chipper?

Vladimir Guerrero (35) - Type B, not offered arb: It's possible some AL team will pay him more than the Braves should just because of the DH but there aren't many DH holes out there and Vladdy has said he'd like to play the field in 2010 to prove he can still do it. So, if he falls thru the cracks and can be had on a one year 5 mil or less I'd take a shot at him. He might have a big year in him if you could live with a guy who'll probably only give you 120-130 games max. I think with McLouth, Diaz, Schafer and later Heyward the Braves could give Vladdy the days off he'll require. I think he'll be much cheaper than Dye and is a type-b so no draft picks lost. Vladdy has always had balky knees but it was a torn pec in spring training and not the knees that ruined his season. If he's over that he could surprise a lot of people who are associating last years decline to knees and age.

Troy Glaus (33) - Type B, not offered arb: I mentioned him in a prior post so I won't belabor it here. I'm thinking he'll be a nice steal if he comes at under 2mil for one year. He was rock solid at the plate in 2008 for the Cardinals but then finally needed to get the shoulder fixed last year. If the x-rays and MRI's are decent he'd be a great fit on the bench in much the same ways as I mentioned for Tatis (ie. 1b platoon and a backup for Chipper)

Marlon Byrd (32) - Type B, offered arb: He's been a .750 OPS guy away from that little park in Texas the last 2 yrs and close to a .900 OPS guy at home. Someone is going to pay for the average between the two and get burned. He also hits righties better than lefties which is not what the Braves need from a RH bat. He's a Matthews Jr. waiting to happen IMO.

Mike Cameron (37) - Type B, not offered arb: I'd be afraid he'll go Reggie Sanders on us. Wouldn't take much of an age-dropoff to slip to a .700 ops guy. But he does put up a consistent .900 OPS against lefties. The problem is will he come cheap enough to platoon in RF with maybe Schafer for one season? I doubt he's ready to accept platooning.

Marcus Thames (33): Not a bad option for a RH platoon OF. Has had some big OPS against lefties prior to last years .800 effort. Not a bad age. Don't know about his glove but he's never made much money (unlike Cameron and Dye) so he could come cheap as the winter progresses. He could do for the Braves what Gomes did for the Reds last year which would be good value for 3mil or less.

Jonny Gomes (29): A real masher against lefties. BC would probably figure out what limited sub-set of righty pitchers he can handle. Reports on his glove work are not good so he'd need to hit alot to add value.

[Middle Man]

Anyone know the scoop on Garrett Adkins? Is there some logical reason for his big drop-off? I know he's played a lot at both 3B and 1B - anyone know if his defense is any good?

[luvdembravos]

His defense isn't anything to write home about and I’ve read somewhere that he needs a change of scenery ... but what better scenery does a hitter need than Coors field?

[HaRdCoReBrAvEsFaN]

I figure Atkins will end up in STL esp if Holliday stays...

[The Rap]

I don't like anyone on the list. All old and big question marks IMO.

[Lauren T.]

His defense isn't anything to write home about and I’ve read somewhere that he needs a change of scenery ... but what better scenery does a hitter need than Coors field?
Maybe clubhouse chemistry would work better without him? Maybe he needs a change of scenery for personal reasons, and it has nothing to do with his hitting. I'm good at my job, but I'm so bored I could :banghead: most days.

[Devil Wears Prado]

The only ones I'd be interested in that list are Vlad and Marlon Byrd. Vlad's best fielding days are way behind him, however, and Marlon Byrd will be asking for premium money. I'd rather not pay him $7MM to maybe even $9MM a year.

EDIT: Actually... $7MM is right around where I'd want to pay him. No more than that though.

[bravos4evr]

Yeah, I beat Vlad will rebound with his bat, but I dread the idea of a Vlad, Diaz, Mclouth OF defense! He seems to be a perfect candidate to play RF 2-3 days a week and DH the rest of the time.

Marlon Byrd just reeks of "never will do that again" ness..... I would rather pick u pa younger guy under control via trade or just a stopgap and focus on getting a bopper at 1b ( I am warming up to the idea of Delgado, he can still hit a ton)

[Wahoo]

Yeah, I beat Vlad will rebound with his bat, but I dread the idea of a Vlad, Diaz, Mclouth OF defense! He seems to be a perfect candidate to play RF 2-3 days a week and DH the rest of the time.

Marlon Byrd just reeks of "never will do that again" ness..... I would rather pick u pa younger guy under control via trade or just a stopgap and focus on getting a bopper at 1b ( I am warming up to the idea of Delgado, he can still hit a ton)


Quoted for truth.

[Dreamscape]

Yeah, I beat Vlad will rebound with his bat, but I dread the idea of a Vlad, Diaz, Mclouth OF defense! He seems to be a perfect candidate to play RF 2-3 days a week and DH the rest of the time.

Marlon Byrd just reeks of "never will do that again" ness..... I would rather pick u pa younger guy under control via trade or just a stopgap and focus on getting a bopper at 1b ( I am warming up to the idea of Delgado, he can still hit a ton)
*sees his Delgado plan gaining in popularity.*

Excellent.

[KB 34]

I'd rather play Julio Franco at 1B than Delgado. He may not hit but he won't be an injured loser and certified jerk who also gets to start 162 games because he's old. If the options for 1B dry up that bad, how about playing Diaz there? I've never figured out why Diaz hasn't been given some time there in the past.

[Andy G.]

KB, where is that coming from? Delgado was hurt last year. It's not like he misses a significant amount of time every year. He's never stopped hitting. Even last year he had an OPS above .900 before getting injured. I don't know the specifics about his injury and his health at this point in time, but what reason is there to believe he won't be healthy next season? He's played a lot of games since becoming a Met. He had a down year in '07, but he came back from it by playing 159 games and hitting 38 homeruns.

YEAR AGE G AB H 2B 3B HR BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS OPS+
2006 34 144 524 129 30 2 38 74 120 .265 .361 .548 .909 131
2007 35 139 538 139 30 0 24 52 118 .258 .333 .448 .781 102
2008 36 159 598 162 32 1 38 72 124 .271 .353 .518 .871 127
2009 37 26 94 28 7 1 4 12 20 .298 .393 .521 .914 141

If the Braves sign him, he won't start a bunch of games because he's old. He'll start because he's a very good hitter. Like I said, I don't know the specifics about his health, but unless we have very good reason to doubt that he'll be healthy going into the season, I don't think signing Delgado would be a bad thing at all.

Make room for me on your bandwagon, Dream.

[Dreamscape]

Look, there is a chance that Delgado will suck monkey balls next year, but let's look at what we do know. The guy has always been able to hit. Sure, his defense is a question mark, but the Braves can bring in a guy to help that department. But, in the NL, you sometimes have to take a chance on a defensive liability and really, the one spot you can do that is first base since you don't have the DH. He had his hip surgery early on and there was talk he could have returned had the Mets actually been in it.

Sure, I would just love to sign a surefire player.

When I win the lottery, I'll throw Liberty $20M to go get Holliday.

But for what the Braves actually have, a player like Delgado is worth the shot.

[luvdembravos]

When I win the lottery, I'll throw Liberty $20M to go get Holliday.

Surely, you can find better ways to squander your money? ;)

[warefreak]

I'm also on the bandwagon.

I would love if we could get Vlad at RF and Delgado at 1b. Perfect for 1-2 years for Heyward and Freeman to come up and take over...

*edit - Also trade Javier Vasquez to the Brewers for Gamel and Lawrie for when Chipper retires and Lawrie for a backup 2b/C! (thought you'd all love that as I'm sure somebody was waiting for me to put it in there!)

[bravestud]

I haven't understood why Delgado hasn't been a top target of ours from day one. If he's healthy, he's almost a sinch to post a .850+ OPS. And until last year, he had been incredibly durable. His risk for injury may be higher now that he's older, but if you can get him at a reduced cost you can live with that risk knowing there's a better than 50-50 chance he's going to give a power-starved lineup at least 30 home runs.

[Gman]

I haven't understood why Delgado hasn't been a top target of ours from day one. If he's healthy, he's almost a sinch to post a .850+ OPS. And until last year, he had been incredibly durable. His risk for injury may be higher now that he's older, but if you can get him at a reduced cost you can live with that risk knowing there's a better than 50-50 chance he's going to give a power-starved lineup at least 30 home runs.

Not sure what is going on with Delgado. He was supposed to be playing in the Dominican Winter League for the Gigantes by now, but so far he hasn't appeared. From what I read, he didn't bounce back well from hip surgery like ARod, Lowell and Utley. At 37 he's going to be a big gamble if teams can't at least get a look at him in winter ball. He should be cheap! But, it'd be a big risk to rely on him for anything at this point.

[Dreamscape]

From what I read, it said Delgado would play in winter ball in mid-December. No particular date and it is mid-December after all.