Just over a year removed from the 2015-16 offseason, nine of the top ten contracts handed out last winter are already looking problematic, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Only Johnny Cueto turned in a vintage season in the wake of signing his pricey deal with the Giants last winter, while the other nine (David Price, Zack Greinke, Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija, Wei-Yin Chen and Mike Leake) ranged from slight to complete disappointments in their first seasons with their new teams. Injuries played a role in several of these down years, which is perhaps even more ominous for the teams that have tens of millions in remaining commitments to these players. While this winter’s free agent market wasn’t as star-studded as the last, the lack of early returns on many of the 2015-16 investments could be another reason — beyond the new CBA, luxury tax concerns or a simple lack of elite talent — that teams were far more reluctant to spend over the last few months.
Some more from around the baseball world…
- Kelly Johnson has received interest from the Blue Jays, Braves and Reds about a minor league deal and non-roster invite to Spring Training, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link). Johnson, however, is still holding out in the hopes of landing a Major League contract. Atlanta’s interest in a reunion with Johnson has been well-documented, though Cincinnati and Toronto are new names as suitors. The veteran utilityman would fit as a needed left-handed bat and versatile bench piece for both the Reds and Jays.
- The Reds also have Ryan Raburn and Desmond Jennings in camp on minor league contracts, and their track records mean more to manager Bryan Price than their Spring Training performance necessarily does, the manager tells MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other media. “Hopefully with the Raburn, Jennings group of experience and even [Hernan] Iribarren with his background, you want to have at least one of those guys if not two of them on the club to lend that experience,” Price said. The skipper’s further comments about valuing experience and versatility could be another hint as Cincinnati’s interest in Johnson, though that’s just my speculation.
- After a wild offseason that saw Richie Shaffer become property of five different teams, he may now be emerging as a candidate for the Indians’ Opening Day roster, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian writes. Shaffer is hitting very well in spring action and his ability to play first base, third base and both corner outfield slots serves him well on a Cleveland team that is looking for flexibility with Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley both facing DL stints to start the season.
- Then again, it’s pretty rare for a player to win an Opening Day job with a big spring unless he’s already in a general manager’s plans, ESPN’s Jim Bowden writes (subscription required). As GMs Dayton Moore, Jerry Dipoto and Thad Levine all tell Bowden, teams tend to have a set timeline for their minor leaguers and many non-roster invitee veterans are around to provide depth. “Intuitively, we know that 10-15 innings pitched or 40-50 plate appearances do not represent a significant amount of performance from which we should make meaningful changes,” Levine explained. “That being said, when a player’s performance is married with work ethic, character and a clear sense that he will enhance the team’s chemistry, the temptation to alter plans becomes real.”
Shaffer has looked real good so far. Solid defense, and even some power. I’d rather have him than Austin Jackson. But I won’t be surprised if Zimmer makes the team.
If the Jays are looking at Kelly Johnson, then they must have some doubts that Devon Travis is gonna be able to start the season with the team. If they sign him, that may spell the end of any shot that Ryan Goins may have at making the team, unless they want to carry 3 middle infielders on their bench to start the season.
Regardless of whether Travis starts the season with the team or not I have no problems with the Jays looking at Johnson as a depth piece. I would definitely take him North over Goins. While Goins is a gifted defender he has proven time and time again that he cannot hit nor reach base consistently at the major league level. And with Darwin Barney already on the team as a plus defender it’s understandable the Jays are looking at another bat for the bench. I would actually be more optimistic of the Jays chances if Goins stays in Buffalo.
I believe Goins is out of options and would have to pass through waivers to get to Buffalo hence the Jays looking at Johnson probably on a minor league deal.
No reason to believe Goins wouldn’t safely clear waivers. He’s 29 and can’t hit.
Only in Toronto where fans would worry about losing a player on waivers like Ryan Goins.
From what I’ve seen reported Travis is progressing well and is running without problems now
I doubt the the Giants regret the Samardzija signing, He;s a durable innings eater, with sub-4.00 ERA expectations. And even though he’ll won’t be in any CY debate, with FA dollars going up every year, I’m guessing they will be content with the remaining years.
Can see that also. he’s consistent #2-3 over last several years. zimmerman should also come back from injury to continue as a solid #2 type, unless he’s all of a sudden fallen off of some cliff. Ditto AL East proven Chen.
Price might end up missing a season and a half to TJ eventually, but for a 7y pitching contract to some 30YO? That’s pretty much par for the course.
Upton, leake and heyward are the ones with potential bust written all over them. heyward and Upton for poor performance after early career success and leake with the Cardinals thinking he could step it up a notch with them.. I doubt it will ever happen for a pitcher who never had any out pitch to begin with.
Leave was signed to provide innings and isn’t paid as anything more than a veteran back end starter. He is only going to be considered a bust by people who have expectations higher than the team of what he is (mostly because they refuse to acknowledge that you don’t get a veteran 4-5 starter for less than 10-15 mil any more).
I don’t think I would worry too much about Upton. He started last season dreadfully after switching to a new league. Through June 1 he had a 51 wRC+, 36.3% K%, .106 ISO and 3 HR in 201 PA. He then appeared to make the needed adjustments. From June 1 on, he had a 128 wRC+, 24.9% K%, .272 ISO and 28 HR in 429 PA. Those numbers are very similar to the numbers he put up from 2013-2015 and more in line with what I would expect for this upcoming season as an established, above average MLB slugger entering his age 29 season.
Why is Jeff Samardzija on this list after having logged a career high WAR?
David Price said he didn’t like his results last season, but should he be criticized after logging a sub-4 ERA and leading the league in innings pitched, his second highest WAR seasoon since 2012?
Justin Upton had a down year, but how reasonable is it to worry when he launched 22 home runs in 68 games in the 2nd half, tying a career high total in home runs?
Greinke also still competed with a 2.3 WAR. That’s a lot more than the rest of the Diamondbacks starters can say. What’s actually problematic is however much they’re investing in the hot dumpster fire burning up in the front office.
They ensured any progress Greinke makes in 2017 will offset by their incredible winter where they not only waved goodbye to Welington Castillo and hired not one, not two, but THREE below average fill-ins; they slathered the icing on the offseason cake by adding an underachieving pitcher who has talent [of which there are many] at the expense of their team leader in WAR, that likely would’ve been even more valuable if they hadn’t moved him from his natural position at shortstop who never would’ve been available to them before a unimaginable tragedy led to a decline in numbers that is almost certainly behind him.
At the end of the day, after stacking bundles and truckloads of paper in their safe, the owners hate these big contracts so much because their the only items on a payroll they can actually see without a microscope. It’s embarrassing how desperately they want to change the narrative and make minor league deals the major league standard of business.
“Hot dumpster burning up in the front office” – this comment just won this feed….
While I applaud the expansive criticism of the Diamondbacks, I think it is silly to say the Greinke contract is not a big albatross because he had a decent year last year. Signing him to that type of contract at that age necessitated a Cy Young caliber season last year to bring back any type of decent return.
And for the Segura trade, they gave up two remaining years of control of a guy who just had a career year for like 10 years of control for two guys who have recently been and are still well regarded as prospects. Makes a lot of sense to me (though they gave up Haniger as well, who is apparently good, so that turns it a bit.)
I’m just saying he wasn’t so bad to the point where anyone in that front office should spend any time weeping about it when nobody has acknowledged the gallons of molten lava are pouring in the windows of their office space.
Still nobody can explain why they just let Welington Castillo walk, I’m surprised they didn’t hold a special press conference to announce the signing of Josh Thole in hopes that maybe just one person flipping through the channels would catch a glimpse of their excitement and start the ball rolling toward October.
And you characterize the trade VERY favorably for Arizona. I know they got two talented players. They could have gotten two talented players in other ways, and those guys aren’t exactly ‘sure things’, Walker is less accomplished than Shelby Miller, and if Haniger doesn’t turn out in a big way then the move just looks comical.
By the way, Jean Segura has been a solid contributor his whole career, and saying 2016 was a career year is underselling the breakout year he had in 2013 that looked like that of a budding superstar, and then his kid died, and adding insult to injury, he had turned down a contract extension very recently that would have been a huge financial weight off the shoulders in a catastrophic time and it was bothering him…it all makes sense to me, NOT to the Dbacks, they were working the phones selling him like a hot potato.
Seguras circumstance are as good of an explanation ive ever seen for a player suddenly scaling back for a couple years before he arrives back on the scene again for good. Oh yeah, and he still played pretty decent and showed up to the ballpark for no less than 140 games every year since 2013. Segura is an underrated player and the Diamondbacks sold high on a guy because he was high, not because it was a beneficial move to the club.
We all know where KJ will end up come August…
Like I’ve said before..the Reds have truly become pathetic. Both with this Manager and front office. If anyone disagrees please explain why not!
Maybe they should trade Votto for one of those “package of prospects”…..while they still can?
Because they can’t
He has a no trade clause and has said he won’t waive it
I think he’d waive it in a heartbeat to go to any winning ballclub, the Reds can’t get piddly back for him though with so much owed to him.
He loves Cincy and has a no trade clause so that is highly unlikely IMO.
Not sure how their interest in Kelly Johnson or the comments about wanting a veteran presence on the bench makes them “pathetic.”
That wasn’t an answer to my question. What makes them pathetic is their trades,contracts handed out under this ownership/FO,and drafting. This was once one of the top franchises in MLB..and please don’t fall back on the small market sword.
Which trades are you talking about? They robbed San Francisco and Miami in the leake/Latos trades. They got a top prospect for Bruce. They got good pieces for Frazier and half a season of Cueto. The only one they haven’t got good value was the chapman one and that was because of circumstances out of their control
How is it they robbed Miami. We’ll see on that Giants trade..with a poor defender and the second half teams figuring him out. Dilson Herrera(is not a top prospect) and what they got for Frazier is a joke. How was Chapman circumstances out of their control(they didn’t have to deal him that early..could of waited and gotten more)!
DRAKE HAHAHA
“Just over a year removed from the 2015-16 offseason, nine of the top ten contracts handed out last winter are already looking problematic.”
But, let’s make Cutch “a Pirate for life”, right Yinzers?
Baseball is a young man’s game again. Almost no players over 30 end up being worth the contracts given to them.
As long as teams maintain the current level of initial control over players, baseball doesn’t need a salary cap. Small market teams are protected from making these epic mistakes by budget.
Good for Richie Schaffer. Go Tigers!
Seriously Toronto, Kelly Johnson? Nooooooooo…..
They robbed the Marlins by sending them a toast Mat Latos for Desclafani and minor league catcher Chad Wallach. Not exactly sure how Wallach is doing but Desclafani has been a very solid pitcher. Worlds better than what Latos morphed into after leaving Cincy.
While Walt and company certainly havent done themselves any favors in certain trades…not all of them have been bad. The Miami trade was good. So was the Alfredo Simon trade. Leake was good. Jury is out on Frazier still. The only real one that looks lopsided is the Chapman deal.
A big part of the problem has been the timing of the trades. They should have traded Cueto, Frazier, and Chapman all about a year earlier than they actually did.