The Rockies and outfielder Drew Stubbs have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.825MM contract, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (on Twitter). That salary is just $125K north of the $5.7MM figure projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.
Stubbs a client, of Lagardere Unlimited, enjoyed a strong overall year in his first season with the Rockies. The 30-year-old hit .289/.339/.482 with 15 homers, 20 steals and average defense in center field, making him a well-rounded player and resulting in roughly 2.5 wins above replacement.
Like nearly any player, Stubbs isn’t without his flaws. He posted a vastly higher OPS against left-handed pitching (.944) than right-handed pitching (.757), and the majority of his damage was done in the hitter-friendly confines of Denver’s Coors Field. At Coors, Stubbs slashed a hefty .356/.388/.611 with 12 of his 15 homers, but on the road he hit a sub-par .211/.288/.333.
This agreement brings to an end Stubbs’ final trip through the arbitration process, as he’ll be a free agent next offseason as he heads into his age-31 campaign. In spite of the significant platoon and home/road splits, another sound season would position him well on next year’s free agent market. Clubs in hitter-friendly parks of their own, in particular, could be drawn to his combination of defense, power and speed.
