Before I get into my MLB FA signing report cards, we invite you to take a look back at the first three installments of our free agency series. And thank you all for the incredible response thus far!
1. Top 50 Free Agents
2. 10 Free Agents to Avoid
3. 10 Free Agent Sleepers
Okay, let's get right into it...
Patrick Corbin, SP: 6 years, $140 million from the Nationals
Grade: B-
Corbin is coming off the second breakout season of his up-and-down career -- if that makes any sense -- and of course I like the fact that his strikeout rate was higher than ever before. In five preceding seasons, he had never K'd more than a batter per inning; yet last year he woke up to the tune of 246 Ks in 200 innings.
The question is...how did he do it? According to FanGraphs, his fastball velocity dropped from 92.4 to 90.8. I'd be worried about that if I were considering dropping $140 mil on a pitcher who already had serious arm trouble.
I guess GM Mike Rizzo is making his plan very clear -- if we can't keep Bryce Harper, we're going to focus on winning low-scoring games behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Corbin. Personally, I don't like the plan. Corbin worries me long-term, and I'd rather spend on a few solid hitters to replace Harper and Daniel Murphy over the course of a long season. I wonder if Rizzo will lose his job within the next two or three years.
Nathan Eovaldi, SP: 4 years, $68 million from the Red Sox
Grade: C-
Eovaldi's really never been very good. For a guy who throws in the upper-90s, his strikeout rate is alarmingly poor. It's reassuring that he pitched well in a Boston uniform -- Fenway is generally a pitchers' nightmare -- but it was a small sample size. I'd be worried about injury and poor performance, here. Would never have given Eovaldi more than two years, especially at $17 mil a pop.
Andrew McCutchen, OF: 3 years, $50 million from the Phillies
Grade: F
This has been a bizarre offseason. Harper, Manny Machado, Nelson Cruz and Craig Kimbrel remain unsigned (obviously for monetary reasons), but Corbin quickly gets $140 mil and McCutchen grabs 50.
This is an atrocious move by Phillies GM Matt Klentak. McCutchen is 32 years old and has gotten smaller, weaker and less productive over the years. With the Yankees, he looked like a scrawny little leaguer at the dish, hitting .253 in the regular season and .111 in the playoffs. He simply looked overmatched by a number of big, strong flamethrowers.
Of course, Klentak is aware of what Citizens Bank Park can do for a hitter's confidence -- it's a banbox. Once you get cranking there, you can really start to roll; but I just don't see it from McCutchen. Certainly not for this price, or this amount of years. Maybe I would have done one year for $10 or 11 million.
J.A. Happ, SP: 2 years, $34 million from the Yankees
Grade: B
This could potentially become a three-year deal if Happ throws 165 innings or makes 27 starts in 2020; I guess he trusts Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone and the Yankees' organization. They could potentially just manage his starts and innings in year two.
Either way, Happ pitched very well after being acquired by the Yanks mid-season, going 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and essentially a K per inning. Happ has always been a mellow cat on the hill. He's very difficult to rattle -- and unlike many others, he's been quite successful pitching in the AL East. Between the Yankees and Red Sox's payrolls, and the hitter-friendly parks in New York, Boston, Baltimore and Toronto, the AL East can be a place where pitchers go to die.
But not Happ. In 2016, he was a serious Cy Young contender with the Jays, and last season with the Yanks, he was one of the best pitchers in the league throughout the second half. He's 36 years old, so I'm not ecstatic about the deal, but it's a solid move nonetheless. Hard to get completely burnt by such a steady guy.
Jeurys Familia, RP: 3 years, $30 million from the Mets
Grade: B
I'm not so sure about the pricetag, but I can't really knock this move by rookie GM Brodie Van Wagenen. "BVW" has come in swingin' for the fences, and Familia is clearly intended to be an insurance policy for young, mercurial closer Edwin Diaz. Familia has already shown that he can pitch under pressure in New York, saving 43 or more games twice. He's still only 29 years old, and of course he features that hard, heavy, darting sinker. Familia gets his way into and out of jams as much as anyone. That sinker induces many weak groundballs.
Yes, Familia is a reliever, but this move isn't too dissimilar from what the crosstown rival Yanks did with Happ. You know what to expect from these two veteran pitchers. The contracts are reasonable enough. Both teams should get what they paid for.
Be on the lookout for Volume II...coming soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment