Free Agency, Rule 5, Other BS

On the first day of free agency this season, there was a collective groan from the owners, when everyone realized that the pitcher pool was severely lacking. But, there was a surplus of bats to be had, and the bidding wars began.

The biggest winner/loser of free agency was the Tucson Toros franchise. They picked up two Type B free agents in Doug Erving and Justin Rivers, which meant only giving up two late 1st rounders at #43 and #55. Erving is a decent bat, while Rivers is a slugger, who has hit 25, 35, and 20 HR's respectively in the first three seasons. Erving was probably a little bit more expensive than mjdato had hoped, but he and Rivers will contribute to the ML squad this season. Meanwhile, the Toros have 8 selections in the first 100 of the draft this season, with 5 of those coming in the first 50. Although, that meant losing players like Wolf Young, Ronald Leiter, and Albert Hayes. All three are past all-stars, but will contribute to other teams this season. Hopefully Tucson drafts well, and makes up for losing those players.

Geoff Trout was an interesting pickup by Pittsburgh. 31-years-old, and spending his last 2 1/2 seasons in the friendly confines of Coors Field, one could argue that his statistics are a bit inflated, and he might or might not be worth the 5-year, $56 million contract that he was signed to. Midre Lopez was also signed by Pittsburgh, which means they have no draft picks until #109 this season. Hopefully they plan on spending some money in the IFA market.

The lowly Chicago Machines made a little bit of noise with the signing of Dave Burnett. They are now down to just that first overall pick, as they had to give up the top pick in the 2nd round. How has Burnett never been on the DL? Look at that health rating! Did I just jinx him?

Another big winner/loser in free agency was Pawtucket. Are they so loaded, that they can allow three Type A free agents to walk away? Or is their day in the sun over for now? Well that's another column for another day. But allowing Keith Gates, Pablo Gonzalez, and Kyle Doyle to walk away does not scream "we're ready for the World Series." But we shall see.

In the Rule 5 Draft this season, a handful of teams were very active, while the vast majority saved their money and watched TV all day. Only around half of the league took part in the draft, with five teams only making one selection, and San Antonio and Cincinnati each took five picks, the most in the draft. Highlights included Chicago taking Dave Allen, a decent catcher, who might be better used at 1B or DH, but he was a bargain. Marshall Wallace went next, a decent pitcher whose overall rating is a bit inflated due to his high health. He posted a 12-5 record at AAA last season, but is he ready for the big leagues? How did Dave Howell drop all the way to San Antonio? I don't think the Psychosis are complaining. Posting a 36-20 record at AA the last three seasons, Davey has progressed nicely each season, and even if he isn't ready to be a starter in the ML right now, he's only 22-years-old, and should be a solid starter in a season or two.

The big losers in the R5D were Durham and Texas (lost 4 players each), Cheyenne, Salem and Tampa Bay (3 players each), and Atlanta, Buffalo, Colorado, Huntington, Montgomery, and St Louis (2 players each). Will any of these teams be hurt by losing those players? Will any of the drafting teams get significant help from these players? I encourage you to let me know, and I'll write about it.

Now that spring training is starting up and all of the offseason happenings are over, let's hope that the daily chatting will die down a little bit, and we can get on to some baseball. There are awards to be won, titles to be claimed, and a big trophy waiting for someone to take it home!!