More Free Talent
This morning, Baseball America published a list of minor league free agents. You’ve probably heard us talk about freely available talent or replacement level talent before, and these guys are basically the definition of freely available talent. For any team that’s willing to put in a bit of work, figure out who on the list has some abilities and could help their major league club, there are values to be found.
Here are a few suggestions.
RHP J.D. Martin
OF/1B Todd Linden
RHP Jack Cassel
OF Val Pascucci
LHP Royce Ring
RHP Chris Booker
Doyle!
Martin is a command specialist who throws strikes and has a good enough change-up to miss bats occasionally. He came back from a long series of arm injuries to carve up Double-A, and while his stuff makes him more of a swing-man/long relief type, he could potentially turn into an okay #5 starter option.
Linden is one of those classic tweeners; a guy with just enough bat to kill Triple-A but not enough to earn a job as a corner OF/1B, especially since he’s not a great defender. But he’s a switch hitter, he can take a walk, and has at least gap power. If anyone’s a candidate to pull a Ryan Ludwick and develop late, it’s Linden.
Cassel is Carlos Silva – his fastball tops out at 88, he’s got a sinker that gets an average amount of groundballs, he doesn’t have an out pitch, but he tries to make up for it by pounding the strike zone. Maybe you don’t think we need two Carlos Silva’s, but at the very least, he should stand as a glaring example of how stupid it is to throw money at veteran guys whose best skill is “eats innings”. Cassel’s every bit as good, and unlike Silva, he doesn’t cost $48 million to sign.
Pascucci is a right-handed Todd Linden with worse defense. He can hit a fastball a long way, though, and he’s good enough to be someone’s platoon partner.
Ring is a former first round pick with a nasty curveball and a sinking fastball that gets a lot of grounders. His command is a problem, but he’s got two major league pitches and he’s left-handed. For a team short on bullpen lefty’s, he’d be a nice NRI to spring training.
Booker is one of the most extreme up-in-the-zone pitchers you’ll ever see, which leads to both a ton of strikeouts and a ton of home runs. On top of that, his command also sucks. But you need relievers in Triple-A, too, and there’s worse things to have down there than a guy with a career K rate of 12 strikeouts per nine innings. He probably won’t figure out his command problems, but it’s worth a minor league contract to find out for sure.
And, I don’t think I have to say anything about the last guy on the list. Just put him in Tacoma and let us go root for him in person again.
You mention a lack of viable bullpen lefties. We do have Thomas and Jimenez to work with, neither of which are ideal options, but what’s been going on with O’Flaherty? Have his back issues flared up again to the point where we can no longer consider him viable or is there a new pitching-related injury that I didn’t catch wind of?
Jimenez’s lack of a breaking ball makes him more of a ROOGY, honestly – lefties are always going to eat him alive. So I wouldn’t consider him part of the picture.
O’Flaherty’s supposedly going to be healthy headed into 2009, but given that he missed basically the entire year, and hasn’t been the picture of health during his career, I’m not sure we want to count on him. He’s more of a bonus at this point.
Well, given some of Z-man’s early statements regarding managers and the fact that he’s already signed an independent league player (OK, he knew the guy but still), I think some of these guys might actually get a look.
It would be foolish to pass up the chance to sign the the Patriots’ starting quarterback’s brother. That’s gotta be worth 5000 tickets at the gate right? No? Oh.
I’d like to see Ring and Linden brought in if possible.
It would be foolish to pass up the chance to sign the the Patriots’ starting quarterback’s brother. That’s gotta be worth 5000 tickets at the gate right?
Nice. Just have him change his name to Jack Brady.
And, I don’t think I have to say anything about the last guy on the list. Just put him in Tacoma and let us go root for him in person again.
Screw Griffey – give us REAL nostalgia!
I was thinking more like:
Edgar Martinez (the other one)
Bret Boone
Jesse Floppert
Emiliano Fruto
Pokey Reese
Julio Mateo
Yosanda Ibanez
John Halama
Ben Broussard
If we sign Doyle and Fruto (also on the list), can we get back the $12 million or whatever we paid Vidro and wipe the past two years from our collective memories?
Dave,
How would you compare Dennis Raben to Linden? They seem, at a glance, to have similar skillsets – poor contact, good eye, good power, average D at 1B. Is there anything separating them aside from Linden’s 400-odd MLB at bats and more advanced age? And if the answer is no, might a rebuilding team be better served by assigning the younger player with more potential to AAA/Tacoma Shuttle?
And, of course, signing Linden would mean the Mariners would meet their Lincoln-mandated quota of having at least one player from the Kitsap area on the team. Therefore, it’s a no-brainer that he comes here.
And as long as it appeases Howie and allows our GM to get the real work done, I’d be plenty ok with it.
Of the M’s free agents I’d like to see them bring Travis Chick back. He seemed to pitch well towards the end of last year with WTN and Tacoma. He seems worth bringing back since he’s only 24
If I remember right, Pascucci was in the Mariners farm system many years ago.
To me, Ring makes the most sense of anyone on the list- you always need another lefty with a pulse and two average ML-offerings.
Maybe, while we’re at it, we can bring Damaso Marte back- the Yankos have declined his option.
So… is Linden about what Jack Cust was before the A’s signed him?
don’t forget– we got Jose and Pepe for that money and talent.
I love the yearly MiLB free agent lists…
I like the Linden suggestion a lot; you can’t get a better AAA insurance policy than this guy.
My list would include:
RHP Marcus McBeth – A’s prospect, traded to Bos/Cincy and never really got a shot last year (23 games with Cincinatti, but still less than 20IP). High velocity, big K guy out of the bullpen.
3b Peter Ciofrone – a vet of the Pads system, he simply went off last year in Portland. Was that a 400+ AB fluke? Quite possible, but…free!
1b/DH Nate Gold – Power hitting 1B… may not be a great player, but we really don’t have many players like this in the system. He’s been regressing, so maybe he’s not any good anymore or maybe he just needs a change of scenery.
Finally, wouldn’t mind giving Yorman Bazardo another shot. Decent GB rates, meh K rates, not great, not bad.
No, I don’t believe Pascucci was ever in the M’s system.
“Jimenez’s lack of a breaking ball makes him more of a ROOGY, honestly – lefties are always going to eat him alive. So I wouldn’t consider him part of the picture.”
Maybe it’s just because I’m in the freely-available talent mood, but you know who’d make a fascinating platoon partner with Jimenez? Chris Jakubauskas.
The indy-league vet came on after returning from injury, and K’d almost 21% of opposing batters while walking about 6%. Since he’s another change-up guy, he’s got the same reverse splits – they’re actually even more extreme.
In 46 1/3 IP v. lefties, he k’d 45 and allowed only 9 walks (1 HR allowed) for a 2.68 FIP. He was pedestrian against righties. He’s been very hit or miss in winter league ball so far, but he’s still doing much better v. Lefties. So – if you’d like to maximize your bullpen at no cost, have the RHP Jakubauskas as a change-of-speeds LOOGY and leave the LHP Jimenez to face righties. The M’s of old would never, ever consider this, of course.
Old friend Jesus Guzman was also released. He had a rather interest season at AA Midland, hitting .364/.419/.560 in 341 AB. (He was injured midway through the season.) He’s also following that up with a torrid VWL, where’s he’s second in the league with a 1.345 OPS.
He’s seems like a capable utility infielder defensively, having spent time between second and third this season. At one point there was talk that he may have the inside track on the starting 3B spot in Oakland if Chavez couldn’t go. Surprised they released him.
In a similar (yet less productive) vein, the Rays released Joel Guzman.
Re: “Pascucci in the M’s” system question.
You’re right, I checked. Never was. There must have been an oversized Italian-name OF in the system I got Pascucci confused with, or something.
And put me on board for bringing back Bazardo, if only because his name is so much fun to say.
Here’s my off-the-wall suggestion:
John Van Benschoten.
As a hitter.
He was a hell of a raker in college.
Maybe he could pull an Ankiel.
[did not read the post]
Dave, what is your take on Josh Kroeger OF/1B?
An interesting note about Cassel, from his Wikipedia page:
“In a strange coincidence on September 7, 2008, Jack replaced injured teammate Wandy Rodriguez in the first inning at Colorado only hours after his brother Matt replaced injured teammate Tom Brady in the first quarter of the season-opening game vs Kansas City.”