Trans-STRAT-ctions X
By Joe Harder - Guest Writer
02/25/2009
No longer free
RHB Joe Crede, 30, signed a one-year deal with the Twins. He’s had two back surgeries in two years, but if he stays healthy he provides a credible power threat in the midst of a lefty-dominated lineup. The post was going to be split between lefty Brian Buscher, who doesn’t hit lefties, and righty Brendan Harris, who hits lefties better, but now both will lose time to regular Crede. One interesting note is that Crede was much better last year against righties, .289 vs. .122, so if that holds, and management figures that out, Harris may still get playing time. Buscher takes the short end of the stick.
SHB Orlando Hudson, 31, signed with the Dodgers. If healthy he’s a productive second baseman (.367 OBP and .450 slugging percentage, and better against righties), and in the 2008 card set, he’s still a 2b-1, but there was talk that his defense was declining even prior to his injury last year. And watch out for those ground ball A’s on his card.
LHB Garret Anderson, 37, signed a one-year deal with the Braves. Career .296 hitter doesn’t draw many walks (.327 OBP), but has had double digit home run totals for the last eleven years in a row. His days of high twenties or better (which he did from 2000-2004) are probably going, going, gone at this stage of his career, but in this year’s card set he’s plus ten clutch, has a modicum of power against righties, and his 3 defense and +1 arm won’t kill you in left field.
LHP Tom Glavine, 42, signed a one-year deal with the Braves. Glavine has had some incredibly productive Strat cards, and threw my team’s one and only no-hitter, but that’s been years. What this move mostly does is push Jorge Campillo, 30, to a relief role until someone falters.
RHP Jason Isringhausen, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Rays, who invited him to Spring Training. Isringhausen is potentially in line for saves if Troy Percival falters, but I would have thought that’s what holdovers Grant Balfour (0.89 WHIP, four saves), Dan Wheeler (0.99 WHIP, thirteen saves), and Joe Nelson (1.19 WHIP, 1 save) are for (all of whom have good cards in the set). J.P. Howell , though he got no specialist lefty saves last year, had a solid 1.13 WHIP, saves even went to Lance Cormier (1) and Jason Hammel (2). Finally, newcomer Brian Shouse (1.17 WHIP, 2 saves for the Brewers and a key player in Ned Yost’s firing) adds to the mix of candidates if Percival goes down. All of this is probably more relevant in Rotisserie baseball, unless you use closer rules. I’m most psyched about Balfour, whom I own, and Howell, who is a free agent in our card set.
RHP Kris Benson, 34, signed a minor league contract with the Rangers, who invited him to Spring Training. Pitching in Texas is tough, and Benson has been shelved since 2006, so the odds are not good here. The more interesting question is whether he would take a minor league assignment if offered one, and whether his wife Anna, once named the “hottest M.L.B. wife” by FHM magazine, would accept a similar demotion.
RHP Brian Schlitter, 23, invited to Spring Training with the Cubs. Big (6’ 5”, 240 lbs.), young, and hard-throwing, Schlitter “was the door prize from the Phillies for taking Scott Eyre off the Cubs’ hands,” according the Baseball Prospectus 2009. In high A last year, beginning in Clearwater, he struck out 58 batters in 48-2/3 innings, giving up only 39 hits, and achieving a 54% ground ball rate. He struggled with control, however, walking 21, but surrendered only one dinger in this pitcher’s park. When he moved to Daytona, a hitter’s park, he struck out nine in 8-1/3 innings, but also gave up nine hits and three walks. Perhaps because his grounder rate decreased to 40% in those innings, his BABIP against rose from .306 to .400, but at least he didn’t give up a home run. His overall line - 57 innings, 48 H, 67 K, 24 BB, 1 HR, 2.21 ERA, 1.26 WHIP. Might be worth keeping an eye on, though of course he’s not carded this year.
Updates and one I missed
RHB Kevin Millar, 37, signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, who invited him to Spring Training. You see twenty home runs last year, and think “not bad for a guy who turned thirty-seven late in the season,” but don’t be fooled. His slugging percentage was under .400 against both lefties and righties, and his overall OPS was .717. I’d be much more excited about former Jays’ prospect Josh Phelps, 30, who is a non-roster invitee to Spring Training with the Giants, and in the mix at first base with Travis Ishakawa and his one good minor league season, Pablo Sandoval, who looks like he will play more at third this year, and Richie Aurilia, a good guy, but 2001 was a loooong time ago.
LHP Odalis Perez, 31, released by the Nationals. This is not a good sign, but at least it clarifies which “O. Perez” left-hander you want to make sure to draft first (knock Odalis’s down another notch, though Oliver still received the earlier nod for youth as well as current card value).
Major League free agents still to sign:
Starting pitchers
Paul Byrd, Pedro Martinez, Mark Mulder, Kenny Rogers, Curt Schilling
you probably don’t want any of these
Relief pitchers
Joe Beimel, Juan Cruz, Will Ohman, Dennys Reyes, Rudy Seanez, Al Reyes
Some of these are worth considering for their 2008 cards at least.
Catchers
Paul LoDuca, Ivan Rodriguez
I’ll pass, though I once owned LoDuca for about a fortnight.
Infielders
First base - Doug Mientkiewicz, Richie Sexson
You might like Mientkiewicz’s nice on base, positive clutch, 3b-3 (albeit an e41), and 1b-2e4, but recognize he is 35. “Big Sexy,” as his owner in my league likes to call Sexson, still bopped lefties last year and at least isn’t a 1b-5, unlike Giambi, but it’s unclear where (or if) the 34 year old will land. He hasn’t had an overall slugging percentage of .500 or more since 2006. He did slug .623 vs. lefties with the Mariners last year, but fell to .455 after he moved to the Yankees, while still maintaining an OBP that way of .387.
Second base - Ray Durham, Mark Grudzielanek
Durham will likely retire; RHB Grudzielanek,38, can hold a candle to Mientkiewicz in length of name (12), vowel-consonant split (5-7), number of Z’s and K’s (1 each), and being a defensive 2, but D.M. struck out only 28 times while drawing 44 walks and is better against righties, whereas M.G. struck out 41 times and walked only 19 and hits lefties better.
Shortstop - Orlando Cabrera
He’s gotta sign somewhere, doesn’t he? For 2008, he’s got a decent little card, a ss-2e17, low 30’s on base, slightly negative clutch…but he’s 34 and carries a career .322 OBP.
Outfielders
Manny Ramirez, Jim Edmonds, Jay Payton
Where will Manny end up, and will he be motivated? Dodgers are still the odds-on favorites. Edmonds has low on base but decent power against righties, and has dropped to a cf-3. In deep leagues you might be able to use Payton’s of-3 and speed off the bench, but he’ll go undrafted in my league.