A week ago, we established that the free agent market for left fielders is weak for clubs that can't join the Carl Crawford bidding. The Rays, Tigers, Angels, Braves, Reds, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres, and Giants may be looking for help at the position; let's see what the trade market adds to the picture.
Solid Regulars
If the Nationals re-sign Adam Dunn or add another slugger and feel they can spare Josh Willingham, this offseason would be the time to make a deal. Willingham, 32 in February, posted a solid .268/.389/.459 line in 450 plate appearances this year. He's open to playing first base or the outfield corners and could make around $7MM in 2011 before reaching free agency. He has faced injuries recently, however.
The Royals' David DeJesus played little left field this year, but has extensive experience at the position. The team already picked up his $6MM option for '11. His career-best season ended in July with a torn thumb ligament, just before the trade deadline. If the Royals intend to move him, it may make sense to let him demonstrate good health first.
Baltimore's Luke Scott is another name to consider, though he hasn't played 200 innings in left field since '08. Scott had a strong offensive year and is due a raise on a $4.05MM salary, but there's been no indication the Orioles are looking to move him.
Bad Contracts
If you're willing to pick up a bad contract, the trade market for left fielders presents several options: Carlos Lee, Raul Ibanez, Juan Rivera, and Milton Bradley. Lee's deal would be the toughest to stomach, at $37MM over the next two seasons. His normally respectable numbers fell off a cliff this year at age 34. Ibanez, with $11.5MM remaining, is still a useful hitter. The Phillies might need him if Jayson Werth departs, though. Rivera, owed $5.25MM for '11, may be shopped as the Angels look for more athleticism in left field. He hit just .252/.312/.409 on the season. Bradley says he can coexist with new Mariners manager Eric Wedge, but if not it'll be nearly impossible to find a taker even if the Ms assume most of his $12MM salary.
Out Of Favor?
Nolan Reimold and Gerardo Parra disappointed this year for the Orioles and Diamondbacks, respectively. They could be trade candidates.
Non-Tender Candidates
Scott Hairston, Matt Diaz, Conor Jackson, Ryan Langerhans, Fred Lewis, Laynce Nix, Reggie Willits, Travis Buck, and Lastings Milledge are non-tender candidates. Melky Cabrera has already joined the free agent ranks. The non-tender candidates figure to be trade bait prior to the December 2nd deadline, especially borderline cases like Lewis, Diaz, Milledge, Nix, and Willits.
Summary
Willingham, DeJesus, and Scott would greatly improve the market for left fielders if made available. Otherwise you're looking at bad contracts and players hoping to bounce back or establish themselves.
Maybe the Padres could go after BJ Upton to play center and lead off for them?
That could be an interesting trade. Maybe a change of scenery is what he needs, also.
Good idea, but who would the Padres give up that the Rays would want? Maybe Bell. Would the Padres trade Ludwick? The Rays could use some offense.
I could see Kyle Blanks involved in a deal if the Rays don’t want to sign a 1B this year. He is still an interesting player and doesn’t have a role in San Diego, trading Bell would also be possible, though he has been such a great pitcher and leader in San Diego, he’d be hard to lose. I wish both of these teams would add a little payroll, especially the Pads because they could be a very intriguing team if they add a few bats.
He made not have a role as of today but with Agonz a FA after 2011 that could easily change. They might move him this winter in fact and Blanks could be their starting 1B. As far as Bell is concerned I don’t think they would want to take on his salary.
The Braves will make a splash this off season. Wether through trade or signing a big name free agent.
I’m not sure we need all that much or will make all that much of a big splash this offseason. Remember we made the playoffs without Chipper and garbage from LF, CF, and SS while Escobar was there. As long as we can get averagish production and good defense from LF/CF the solid pieces on the team like Heyward, McCann, Prado etc and an excellent overall starting and relieving staff will carry the Braves far.
Plus I think the Braves won’t be in the market for a left fielder unless one really makes a ton of sense from a cost/value sense and will play McLouth/Diaz there and look for an actual MLB centerfielder unlike a hurt Schafer, slumping McLouth, awful Cabrera, or high K% Ankiel.
True, but that was also with career years out of Prado and Infante. It’s pretty obvious Infante regresses a great deal, and while Prado is certainly capable of another very good year, expecting a repeat of 2010 is unrealistic. Also, Wagner is retiring and Saito is gone. I realize the Braves have strong young arms in the pen, but losing those two is still significant. Also can’t expect a sub-3.00 ERA from Hudson again, though that can be counteracted by a full year of Jurrjens and progression from Minor.
It’s also pretty obvious that Infante won’t be playing as much next year, so regression won’t apply as he returns to his super-utility role.
Prado is on the rise and has been the last few years. He’s entering his age-27 season, and it is FULLY realistic to expect 2010 numbers, and better.
I agree completely about Prado. He’s shown signs of being a solid hitter and as his playing time increased so did his numbers. He’s the real deal.
Also, when you consider that Prado was playing hurt from early August and onward..his numbers could have been even better for 2010.
Curtis Grander for some of that high cieling minor league pitching…
You won’t be getting much of it. Granderson’s numbers weren’t that good outside of NYS. Plus he’s getting a raise and some teams actually operate on a budget.
Luke Scott says hello.
What about Jason Bay?
Until the Mets prove they’re all for signing and trading for pitching, I believe this offense stays in tact.
basically, 7 out of 8 position players will remain the same.
at most the new GM might tinker with the bench or sign a SP like Vasquez ( who i think would have a sub 4.00 ERA at Citifield )
i wanna see met fans faces if the mets win 90 games and 85% of the team were from the Omar Minaya era.
basically, 7 out of 8 position players will remain the same.
at most the new GM might tinker with the bench or sign a SP like Vasquez ( who i think would have a sub 4.00 ERA at Citifield )
i wanna see met fans faces if the mets win 90 games and 85% of the team were from the Omar Minaya era.
I think if some team wanted to take on the last 3 years of his deal, that something could happen. I do think Bay is an ideal candidate for a rebound, even in Citi, but that’s a lot of money, the Mets don’t have a ton of financial flexibility right now elsewhere, and with Lucas Duda, Fernando Martinez, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, you could have a nice internal competition for that job. With Duda probably having the edge right now.
If I’m Frank Wren, I maybe give Reimold a look, especially considering he’s under team control up to 2016. A right-handed OF is on the shopping list, and Reimold certainly has the potential to bounce back.
He could bounce back, but he is already 27 and his BABIP was pretty high compared to his LD% in 2009. It’d be a risk, for sure.
Considering what has transpired out in the ole 7 spot for the Braves, they should be as creative as possible in trying to fix it.
Reimold’s 2009 BABIP was .316, this doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. I also like his pretty decent BB rate. Yes he is already 27, but the Braves need to look any and everywhere to kill that black hole out in LF.
.316 isn’t particularly high until you see his 14.4 LD% from that year, so some regression was to be expected if he couldn’t boost his LD% up. And I agree that we should be creative in trying to fix our holes, but I think we can do a little better than taking a flier on Reimold.
We’re also talking about a guy who hasn’t even had a full MLB season’s worth of plate appearances.
And I’m not saying the Braves should get Reimold and call it a day. I think maybe you go out and sign Burrell and then possibly trade for Reimold as well. 2 right handed OF’s is what I believe Frank Wren should be shooting for. Unless of course they get a big fish (Werth), but that’s not likely to happen.
And we’re also talking about someone already in his prime years who was horrible this past year. The fact that he hasn’t played a full season in MLB shouldn’t excuse him from being ass the entire year. And why would you go out and get two guys that are defensively limited to LF?
The fact that he hasn’t played a full MLB season doesn’t excuse him from being horrible for the entire 2010 season. His best month was May, where he posted a .695 OPS.
As for the Burrell/Reimold idea, why acquire two guys limited defensively to LF? That doesn’t make any sense.
Reimold was “horrible” for all of 131 plate appearances in 2010. I think the Orioles gave up on him too early at the MLB level. A change of scenery could help.
Burrell actually posted a positive dWar this year. I realize this is most likely a fluke, but he’s not as bad as most people believe him to be. And considering we’ve had a terrible defensive LF in Melky/Diaz/(fill in whoever), why not at least try and get one that can hit?
Reimold had a down year in the minors too, only posting a .738 OPS. And it’s not that I’m anti-Burrell, I’d like to have him, I’m just curious as to why you’re saying we should get TWO guys that are defensively limited to LF.
Burrell is as bad as most people think he is. One outlier year doesn’t change the fact that he’s been well below average his entire career.
Again…change of scenery. Worked out for Andres Torres, wouldn’t you agree?
Burrell has a career -1.3 dWar, below average sure, but not WELL BELOW average for his entire career, especially when you consider the Braves are currently employing a career -3.3 Nate Mclouth who has played in far less games then Pat Burrell.
And I am saying get two guys because we should be trying to maximize our depth at a position that we have not had any quality play from since Ryan Klesko.
You need to remember the positional adjustments when we’re talking about Burrell and McLouth. Nate is a negative CF while Burrell is a negative LF. There’s a difference.
Torres and Reimold are also two different players. What works for one isn’t always true for the other. I’m not totally against getting Reimold, but I wouldn’t expect him to do much, therefore I think there are better options.
I see no reason to get two guys for one spot like LF when one of them is going to be riding the bench while the other one is playing and has no use other than pinch-hitting and playing LF. That’s a waste of resources.
Again…change of scenery. Worked out for Andres Torres, wouldn’t you agree?
Burrell has a career -1.3 dWar, below average sure, but not WELL BELOW average for his entire career, especially when you consider the Braves are currently employing a career -3.3 Nate Mclouth who has played in far less games then Pat Burrell.
And I am saying get two guys because we should be trying to maximize our depth at a position that we have not had any quality play from since Ryan Klesko.
Delmon Young
Matt Murton anybody?
When he actually got some consistant playing time with the Cubs his first three years, he had an OBP of .350 or higher each year. Now, he has gone over to Japan and set a record for Hits in a season. Considering the pitchers over there throw more junkball and off-speed stuff than 95 MPH fastballs, Murton should be better able to recognize and differentiate fastballs from slow stuff from a Major League pitcher and be better able to hit it.
Plus, he shouldn’t cost very much.
Always liked Matt Murton. I thought people always downplayed his tremendous effort on the field, and I also think of him as a great clubhouse presense. Wouldn’t surprise me if he got a job he deserves in the MLB.
Hey Tim any chance the Twins deal an outfielder? Maybe Delmon Young?
Josh Willingham, or Magglio Ordonez would be the guys Wren should pursue……..Ideally the Braves would get a quality right handed centerfielder, and platoon Mclouth and Diaz(after getting non-tendered and the resigned) in LF…….I’d be okay with that, but what centerfielder??? Matt Kemp, would the dodgers deal him, would the Braves trade somebody like Jair Jurrjens to get him?
Josh Willingham, or Magglio Ordonez would be the guys Wren should pursue……..Ideally the Braves would get a quality right handed centerfielder, and platoon Mclouth and Diaz(after getting non-tendered and the resigned) in LF…….I’d be okay with that, but what centerfielder??? Matt Kemp, would the dodgers deal him, would the Braves trade somebody like Jair Jurrjens to get him?
The Twins could get a better package for Young, but they could cut more salary if they traded Cuddyer who has one year left at $10.5 MM. I know Cuddyer is well liked in Minnesota, so maybe they value his intangibles enough that they aren’t worried about his salary vs. production.
As a Braves fan, I would love for the us to look into Cuddyer. Seems like he is one of the better bats that we could realistically get w/o giving up Jurrjens or Minor. Although, if the Twins were going to trade him, they might be better served to let Cuddyer build some value back up early in the season and then flip him to strengthen some other area of the big league club, or for ‘spects in the (highly) unlikely event that they are out of contention.
I like Cuddyer too, but as you said they value him a lot, and I don’t think the Twins want to trade one of their outfielders…….But they do need pitching, and they have a lot of good hitters with Justin Morneou, Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, and their young 3B is pretty good also, Danny Valencia……They lack a 2B, and a SS, because Hardy might get non-tendered, and O-dog is a FA, they should just resign them both……..Also resign Jim Thome, and trade Cuddyer or Young for pitching………….That scenario fits perfectly with me a Braves fan
I like Cuddyer too, but as you said they value him a lot, and I don’t think the Twins want to trade one of their outfielders…….But they do need pitching, and they have a lot of good hitters with Justin Morneou, Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, and their young 3B is pretty good also, Danny Valencia……They lack a 2B, and a SS, because Hardy might get non-tendered, and O-dog is a FA, they should just resign them both……..Also resign Jim Thome, and trade Cuddyer or Young for pitching………….That scenario fits perfectly with me a Braves fan
The Twins could get a better package for Young, but they could cut more salary if they traded Cuddyer who has one year left at $10.5 MM. I know Cuddyer is well liked in Minnesota, so maybe they value his intangibles enough that they aren’t worried about his salary vs. production.
As a Braves fan, I would love for the us to look into Cuddyer. Seems like he is one of the better bats that we could realistically get w/o giving up Jurrjens or Minor. Although, if the Twins were going to trade him, they might be better served to let Cuddyer build some value back up early in the season and then flip him to strengthen some other area of the big league club, or for ‘spects in the (highly) unlikely event that they are out of contention.
Will the Tigers take a chance on Juan Rivera?
i hope so
Will the Tigers take a chance on Juan Rivera?