Last of the Free-Agent Pickings-- C, 1B, and SP
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 17, 2010 4:46 PM PST
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PrintSo it looks like we're probably set at SS and 2B if all goes well with the Hudson signing and the Bartlett trade. Good? Yes.
The problem is that we don't have a starting first baseman or backup catcher. Moseley is in the mix for fifth starter, but I have a feeling he'll fill the Tim Stauffer "flex" role at long reliever/spot starter, so I'm a bit uncertain there too. Not good.
This glorious list, courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors dot com, shows us all the remaining free agents on the market at our positions of need, with stats from last season. Let's hear some thoughts on these guys.
FIRST BASE: (Not a going concern anymore with the signing of Brad Hawpe, but just for funzies...)
Garrett Atkins-- .214/.276/.286, 1 HR, 9 RBI in 140 AB with Baltimore Signed with Pittsburgh
Russell Branyan-- .237/.323/.487, 25 HR, 57 RBI in 376 AB with Cleveland and Seattle
Troy Glaus-- .240/.344/.400, 16 HR, 71 RBI in 412 AB with Atlanta
Mike Hessman-- Sub-Mendoza with the Mets, don't even bother
Nick Johnson-- Sub-Mendoza with the Yankees, don't even bother
Casey Kotchman-- .217/.280/.336, 9 HR, 51 RBI in 414 AB with Seattle
Adam LaRoche-- .261/.320/.468, 25 HR, 100 RBI in 560 AB with Arizona
Derrek Lee-- .260/.347/.428, 19 HR, 80 RBI in 547 AB with the Cubs and Atlanta Too pricey.
Fernando Tatis-- Sub-Mendoza with the Mets, don't even bother
Willy Aybar-- .230/.309/.344, 6 HR, 43 RBI in 270 AB with Tampa Bay
Jorge Cantu-- .274/.320/.446, 11 HR, 56 RBI in 472 AB with Texas
Mark Kotsay-- .239/.306/.376, 8 HR, 39 RBI in 327 AB with the White Sox
Mike Sweeney-- .252/.321/.444, 8 HR, 26 RBI in 151 AB with Seattle and Philadelphia
CATCHER:
Josh Bard-- .214/.276/.357, 3 HR, 10 RBI in 112 AB with Seattle
Bengie Molina-- .249/.297/.326, 5 HR, 36 RBI in 377 AB with San Francisco and Texas
Gregg Zaun-- .265/.350/.392, 2 HR, 14 RBI in 102 AB with Milwaukee
STARTING PITCHER:
Brian Bannister-- 7-12, 6.34 ERA, 77 K, 23 starts/127.2 IP with Kansas City
Jeremy Bonderman-- 8-10, 5.53 ERA, 112 K, 29 starts/171 IP with Detroit
Doug Davis-- 1-4, 7.51 ERA, 34 K, 8 starts/38.1 IP with Milwaukee
Justin Duchscherer-- 2-1, 2.89 ERA, 18 K, 5 starts/28 IP with Oakland
Jeff Francis-- 4-6, 5.00 ERA, 67 K, 19 starts/104.1 IP with Colorado
Freddy Garcia-- 12-6, 4.64 ERA, 89 K, 28 starts/157 IP with the White Sox
Braden Looper-- 14-7, 5.22 ERA, 100 K, 34 starts/194.2 IP with Milwaukee (2009)
Rodrigo Lopez-- 7-16, 5.00 ERA, 116 K, 33 starts/200 IP with Arizona
Kevin Millwood-- 4-16, 5.10 ERA, 132 K, 31 starts/190.2 IP with Baltimore
Carl Pavano-- 17-11, 3.75 ERA, 117 K, 32 starts/221 IP with Minnesota Too pricey.
Brad Penny-- 3-4, 3.23 ERA, 35 K, 9 starts/55.2 IP with St. Louis
Andy Pettitte-- 11-3, 3.28 ERA, 101 K, 21 starts/129 IP with the Yankees Too pricey.
Nate Robertson-- 6-8, 5.95 ERA, 63 K, 18 starts/101.1 IP with Florida
Ian Snell-- 0-5, 6.41 ERA, 26 K, 8 starts/46.1 IP with Seattle
Jarrod Washburn-- 9-9, 3.78 ERA, 100 K, 28 starts/176 IP with Detroit and Seattle (2009)
Brandon Webb-- 0-0, 13.50 ERA, 2 K, 1 start/4 IP with Arizona (2009) Signed with Texas
**A note about Webb. His disastrous 2009 campaign was only one year removed from his 22-win Cy Young season. Lack of a decent sample size in the meantime precludes any ability to judge by his recent performance.
Todd Wellemeyer-- 3-5, 5.68 ERA, 41 K, 11 starts/58.2 IP with St. Louis
Personally, I think Webb, Garcia, and Francis would be excellent candidates for a good year in San Diego, and Branyan or Sweeney would be acceptable at 1B. Zaun might be the best choice for a backup catcher.
This FanPost was written by a member of the Gaslamp Ball community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gaslamp Ball managers or SB Nation.
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Chris Young!
I’m hoping they bring CY back on the premise that he goes into the season as a back end type guy. He seemed to like it here, his style of pitching works well here, and he already has a lot of fan support here. Also, we know what he is capable of when he is healthy.
Latos
Harang
Richard
Stauffer
Young
With Moseley/LeBlanc/Leubke waiting in the wings for when/if stauffer and CY get hurt. That is a pretty high upside rotation with good depth.
For 1B Lee is really the most attractive player, but Glaus seems more realistic somehow. If he can handle the position defensively, I think for the price you could get him at Glaus might offer the most upside. LaRoche is an underrated hitter as well, but as a lefty im not sure how well he would do in Petco and there was also a report that he wanted a longer term deal. A rebound guy and defensive wiz like Casey Kotchman would be interesting if this team had any other fire power, but since they don’t really I think the potential of Glaus makes the most sense and the price would likely be right.
As long as he's just keeping the seat warm.
Hopefully Gigantor and/or Rizzo comes along very quickly, because I dunno if I would entrust an everyday spot to any of the veterans on that list. As I’ve said before, my preference is Kotsay, but I doubt that will happen.
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 17, 2010 6:23 PM PST up reply actions
I am all for Blanks getting a shot later in the season...
I would prefer if Rizzo stayed in the minors all year since he will be only 21 years old, and since he is not on the 40 man so he isn’t chewing up an option year. Its for long term interest of the club to delay arb clock since he is so young.
Blanks needs sometime in the minors to figure out his swing, after that we have to give him a shot to make an impact, and see what he can do. Kotchman can’t hit worth his weight, but has a great glove, might work only if we are willing to accept to expect nothing from him offensively.
This year should be about figure out who is and isn’t in the clubs long term interest. And gathering assets that help in that regard.
I want us to sign Gregg Zaun
solely because I’ve liked him ever since he signed a card for me before a game at AAA Rochester back in ’94.
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"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev
I'm fine with Branyan
as for pitching, lot of those guys will be there come january/february, could probably get a good deal then. Can’t imagine Jed was thinking Garland would be there when we got him.Out of all those Bonderman or Francis are the most intriguing for me, guys with something to prove and good stuff too.
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I think a guy like Francis would be a great fit in Petco, and may fly under the radar enough that Jed snags him later
Don’t know about Bonderman. He’s got a career ERA of 4.89 and is several years removed from his best numbers. But then again, given a chance in a pitcher’s park like this, why not? After all, Harang is definitely not coming off a great season either.
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 18, 2010 4:53 PM PST up reply actions
Surprised Brandon Webb is still available...
I know he’s coming off shoulder surgery, but he’s only three years removed from his Cy Young season. Was the shoulder worse than anyone first thought?
by charmeljun on Dec 17, 2010 9:58 PM PST via mobile reply actions
I think we're already out of the running on that one.
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/17/source-brandon-webb-nearing-decision/
Either way, there’s no way we’re going to be able to match what the Cubs/Nationals would be offering.
"I don't think about the things I say. You guys are the ones who think about it."
by surferfromSD619 on Dec 18, 2010 12:49 AM PST up reply actions
we should steal Adrian Beltre from the Angels and ask him to play first or cabrera. If not, LaRoche is an excellent defensive 1B and hits 20 hr on avg
you know that guy on jersey shore I don't know about his situation but mine is I'm Awesome!
Do you have the $100m or so it will take to sign Beltre?
Because the Padres sure don’t.
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"How appropriate! You fight like a cow!"
Faceless slider-tossing goofs FTW.
by Zach (maestro876) on Dec 18, 2010 10:29 AM PST up reply actions
I’d be fine with either LaRoche, Branyan, or Kotchman.
Wherever Bengie Molina goes, a WS seems to follow … just throwing that out there.
The rumor in Frisco was that they were afraid Bengie would get in a snit
if they brought up ROY Buster Posey. The Giants had to trade Bengie to avoid the bad clubhouse atmosphere when Posey arrived. That doesn’t sound like a good addition to me.
by wegotballsley on Dec 18, 2010 10:28 AM PST up reply actions
I'm pretty sure the delay in bringing up Posey
was entirely about delaying his arbitration clock. The trade of Molina was to clear his salary and make room for Posey. Plus he sucked.
My name is Guybrush Threepwood, and I'm a mighty pirate.
"How appropriate! You fight like a cow!"
Faceless slider-tossing goofs FTW.
by Zach (maestro876) on Dec 18, 2010 10:29 AM PST up reply actions
If you're going to automatically rule out Nick Johnson...
do it because of injury history, not production. Guy’s got great numbers. Even batting under .200 (in a very small sample) last year, he still had a higher OBP than anyone on the Padres not named Adrian Gonzalez (R.I.P.).
by Dalton on Dec 18, 2010 3:31 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
So, ignore his avg. because of SSS
but do pay attention to his OBP despite SSS?
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"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev
by TheThinGwynn on Dec 18, 2010 4:32 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Throw them both out and look at his career numbers.
But he clearly didn’t lose his eye at the plate last year is all.
Okay, I chose injury history as a good reason to rule him out.
"Never have a motto, that's what I always say" - Me
http://marcel-oehler.marcellosendos.ch/comics/ch/1986/05/19860506.gif
I think he is a better fit for the AL also
He can platoon DH and 1B
You should ignore batting average
because it’s a terrible measure of offensive skill.
My name is Guybrush Threepwood, and I'm a mighty pirate.
"How appropriate! You fight like a cow!"
Faceless slider-tossing goofs FTW.
by Zach (maestro876) on Dec 19, 2010 3:15 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Speaking as an outsider I think I'd prefer Glaus in Petco.
Seems to me that in a pitchers park you’d want to focus on OBP more than anything else, and of the options on your board, Glaus has the best. Nick Johnson would also be an option, but you’d be counting on him to stay healthy until Blanks comes up.
Following that logic, Gregg Zaun would be your best catching option, and I can honestly say I’m surprised he put up a .350 OBP last year at his age.
Of the pitchers, I’d love to see J Duke in San Diego, but he seems like he’s the pitching version of Nick Johnson. Jeremy Bonderman could probably benefit from Petco, and Kevin Millwood would be a better pitcher out of the AL East, Boston, New York, and Toronto beat him like a drum last year.
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I think Millwood might be juuuuust a skotch out of our price range
What’d you reckon his price is?
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 19, 2010 6:23 PM PST up reply actions
I don't think Millwood has much say in what his price is
After the fiasco in Baltimore he should be looking at a Beltre-like deal to recoup value, and that’s where Jed can take advantage.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
by TheLoneDavid on Dec 19, 2010 9:45 PM PST up reply actions
Okay, Jed said he's done with the pitching acquisitions.
He also said he had offers out to several first basemen. But he didn’t even mention backup catchers, and he’d said earlier he expected Hundley to get about 95 starts. That leaves 67 other starts to fill, not including the post-season (I’m an optimist).
That makes me concerned. This off-season has moved so fast, there may be no January bargains left by Christmas. I hope Jed’s zeroing in on a first baseman and has something going for backup catcher we don’t know about. I’d hate to see Oscar Salazar at first and a rookie behind the plate for over a third of the season.
Done with pitching acquisitions? Me no likey
[citation needed]
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 19, 2010 10:26 PM PST up reply actions
Me neither
Latos, Richard, Harang, LeBlanc, Stauffer ? Do I have that right?
I'd be alright with picking up Cantu to play first.
He can fill the spot until either Blanks or Rizzo are ready, and if Headley doesn’t figure it out this year we can ship him off and shift him over to third until either Forsythe or Darnell are ready to be promoted.
"I don't think about the things I say. You guys are the ones who think about it."
by surferfromSD619 on Dec 19, 2010 11:08 PM PST up reply actions
Looks like Hundley will get more than 95 starts
With Johnson as the backup, Hundley’s probably looking at 110 starts now.
Also, no way we pick up another pitcher this offseason. It is:
Latos, Richard, Harang, Stauffer, Leblanc/Moseley/Luebke competing for that last spot and one of them filling the long relief role. Chances are Luebke starts the year in AAA though.
by Antonio Olivares on Dec 21, 2010 10:10 PM PST up reply actions
Based on nothing but dingerz and slugging percentage, I choose Russell Branyan.
This team will be desperate for both next season. We just need a cheap veteran player with a little pop to man the clean up spot at first base for a season or two. Branyan is all of those things.
"Never have a motto, that's what I always say" - Me
http://marcel-oehler.marcellosendos.ch/comics/ch/1986/05/19860506.gif
I second that
For what we have to spend I think Branyan is the best fit. He’s a solid lefty bat to put in the middle of the order, plays a decent 1B and should be somewhere between 1.5-3M which is in our price range.
I know right handed power fits Petco better, but if we sign a right handed 1B then the only left handed starters in the lineup are Venable and sorta Headley.
by Antonio Olivares on Dec 21, 2010 10:19 PM PST up reply actions
Francis/Washburn/Millwood would all be excellent SP choices
As for Catcher, Gregg Zaun is a solid veteran, he can hit decently for a catcher, and even though he’s old it’s Hundley’s team so a backup who can mentor him and fill in on occasion would be great.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: this is Hundley’s year. If he underperforms or gets injured, FO should really look to finding a true catcher for the future. Or we can ask Yorvit to come back for another 5 years or something, lol.
Agree on Hundley
He has yet to show that he can really be effective as a full-time player. Same deal goes for Headley, except that we’ve got prospects who are more likely to be able to replace Headley than we do Hundles. Seriously, who’s our top minor league catcher?
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 21, 2010 12:16 PM PST up reply actions
Jason Hagerty
Hagerty put up very good stats in Ft. Wayne last year. He’s probably 3 years away though.
Luis martinez looks solid too. Decent bat though not much power, good defense. Torrealba might be a good comp for him. His ceiling isn’t as high as Hagerty’s, but he’s much closer. He should be in AAA next year and the majors in 2012.
by Antonio Olivares on Dec 24, 2010 12:45 PM PST up reply actions
Looks like Johnson is the catcher backup they selected
Was a 2009 opening day starter, not anymore. However he’s also filling an every 3rd or 4th day catching role so not sure how much it really matters. Hundley is now the number one guy.
so how many OF's do teams typically carry?
If it is 5, I guess we are set:
Maybin, Venable, Denorfia, Ludwick, Cunningham
With Blanks lurking if he plays well. I just would love to add a Heinske or Fred Lewis type for a bit more depth. Maybin, Cunningham and, to a lesser extent, Denorfia are unknown how they will play out over a whole season. LF killed us for the first half of the season last year, and that, there could have cost us the division.
I did a rough estimate as around $33m committed. Is this close? Seems like we could get one a backup C, a OK 1B and decent OF for $10-12m.
We picked up a catcher in Rob Johnson, but it's unknown as of yet whether he's the #2 C outright
I still want them to pick up Gregg Zaun.
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 21, 2010 11:15 PM PST up reply actions
As for first base, that should be Priority One
and I dunno about adding an outfielder. Maybe, maybe not… depends on who’s on the market and how they’d fit.
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 21, 2010 11:18 PM PST up reply actions
Zaun:
Yes; this.
www.FriarsOnCardboard.blogspot.com
"jbox does not drink coffee, as it makes him clean house big time." ~Kev
by TheThinGwynn on Dec 22, 2010 12:36 AM PST up reply actions
he does have good career hitting numbers
but he is almost 40. old, especially for a catcher. any sense of his defense?
Last year he had a 24% caught stealing rate (6 out of 25), fielding % of .992
221 putouts, only 2 errors, no passed balls. So, somewhat above average in terms of plate defense but not sure about his arm.
BaseballReference.com does say he actually cost his team two runs, though— some kind of advanced defensive metric I’m not familiar with.
Compare to Rob Johnson’s numbers last year:
35% caught stealing (12/34)
fpct. of .990
347 putouts
4 errors
9 passed balls (led the AL)
Worth 0 runs (according to “Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average”)
Overall though, considering Johnson was a pretty crappy hitter even before he injured his labrums and wrist, and Zaun had great offensive numbers for his age last year, I’ll take him before Johnson.
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 22, 2010 1:19 PM PST up reply actions
I think the 33M estimate is low
I think including Bartlett and estimates of arb-salaries we are around 38.5M right now. Which leaves maybe 4M or so for a 1B and probably someone who could backup at SS.
by Antonio Olivares on Dec 24, 2010 12:54 PM PST up reply actions
Interesting post from MLB Traderumours
Many of the examples are former Pads.
I drink therefore I am.
W. C. Fields
Adam LaRoche may be a douchebag
but i’ll happily take him if we can afford him.
"Since we only live once (that we know of) we should focus on enjoying our lives, not stressing to follow every single thing and trend that society impose upon us." - Thom Yorke of Radiohead
by Jonathan Holmes on Dec 22, 2010 5:52 PM PST reply actions
But can Douchey LaDouche play the kind of "team baseball" that the Padres rely on to win?
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 22, 2010 8:03 PM PST up reply actions
hustle, chemistry, leadership, knowledge of the game, fire?
you said it all.
don’t get out as often as possible. whoever that is, i will take them.
I can't defend his numbers with the Rays
But I always felt like he was about to do something, I like his swing, he has a good eye and his defense is so underrated when it really wasn’t that bad, we only used him at 1B and DH here and he was fine. Plus MLBtr says he does well in Petco
Price, Garza, Shields, Davis, Hellickson is too awesome, Niemann for closer?
Interesting
Hawpe had a cannon for an arm in RF but still wasn’t a great OF’er overall. He was somewhat of a Padre killer who had some huge games at bad times against us, if I remember correctly. There was a time that I hated seeing him come to the plate.
What I don’t understand is how Hawpe went from being an all-star in 2009 to being released in just one year’s time. That is an epic collapse we are talking about here.
No matter what his problems might have been, I am thinking that he can still hit.
by partmanpartmonkey on Dec 23, 2010 5:37 PM PST up reply actions
Rox fan here....
I still believe Hawpe can turn it around. He suffered a quad injury and then ran into the wall at Anaheim and injured his ribs and never really turned it around after that. He saw little playing time . He’s always been very streaky, but his streaks are long lasting not up and down for a week… He’ll get on a roll for like a month or two and then fall off. But always ends up with about a .283 average….
I was hoping he was going to be Helton’s back up at 1B, but he found out he was on waivers and then they arranged a release. I wouldn’t put too much stock in his 3 seconds at TB.
I think he’ll be a steal for you guys….
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Yes, as a Rays fan that just posted
In his limited time, it was like he always looked good at the plate and when he played 1B but couldn’t buy a hit. He still would walk though. I think he has plenty left in him.
And I am also happy because his 3 seconds here got us a sandwich pick, i think that’s our 7th pick before the 2nd round with Soriano, Balfour and Qualls due to get us 5 more but anyways….nice pickup. I doubt Barty and Hawpe got too close but I guess they are reunited.
Price, Garza, Shields, Davis, Hellickson is too awesome, Niemann for closer?
I think he’ll be a steal for you guys….
If he produces, sure! I always thought Hawpe was a real bitch to face. Hated seeing him at the plate. If he gets healthy and plays hard, I’m gonna love this signing.
The Padres are good, but make no mistake: we've gotta beef up the linwup.
If I had a nickel from every SBN blog that has banned me, Arrowhead Pride would owe me 5¢.
by StrangeBroP25 on Dec 23, 2010 9:10 PM PST up reply actions
Bard, Branyan, Duchscherer
Bard – He was among league leaders with runners in scoring position on his first tour with SD. Worth a shot. Hundley should catch 3/4 of the season. No more mentoring needed.
Branyan – Injury prone but he hits the long ball (chicks dig that) and Blanks can get some fill in time when Branyan rests 1-2 times per week.
Duchscherer – Bounce back season written all over him.
C.Y would be great but he will likely catch on elsewhere,
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