Shopping for Bargains in February
Spring training camps open in less than 10 days, and there still are several free agents who could make significant contributions in 2010. Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com has assembled an “unsigned all-star team,” which contains a number of players who, with the skills they possess today, might have been paid a pretty penny as recently as two years ago. And they probably wouldn’t have waited until February to sign.
Starting lineup:
Catcher: Rod Barajas
First base: Russell Branyan
Second base: Felipe Lopez
Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra
Third base: Joe Crede
Left field: Johnny Damon
Center field: Endy Chavez
Right field: Jermaine Dye
Designated hitter: Carlos Delgado
Rotation:
Pedro Martinez
Chien-Ming Wang
Jarrod Washburn
John Smoltz
Braden Looper
Bullpen:
Closer: Kiko Calero
Right-handed relief: Chan Ho Park
Left-handed relief: Will Ohman
It’s doubtful Johnny Damon would be looking for work, though the case could be made that his agent, Scott Boras, has probably priced him out of every market he has considered. The veteran outfielder has turned down a few offers that might look pretty attractive right now. In Damon’s case, overpaying for his services might have proved costly. The numbers were good in 2009, but he displayed most of his power at the game’s newest launching pad, the new Yankee Stadium.
Dierkes’ roster of unsigned players contains two other Boras clients, Jarrod Washburn and Felipe Lopez, and he suggests that the agent may have failed them and Damon. Although Boras clients Matt Holliday, Adrian Beltre and others fared well this winter, the offseason hasn’t been anything like last year’s, when Boras negotiated deals totaling $341 million for the likes of Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez and Derek Lowe.
Negotiating a deal worth a guaranteed $5 million appears to be a long shot for either Lopez or Washburn, a Wisconsin native who reportedly turned down a Twins offer for that figure in January. The southpaw is also interested in the Brewers, who gave Doug Davis a $5.25 million contract and aren’t likely to offer that much to sign Washburn. Only Damon has much chance of passing the $5 million mark, but he was asking for far more than that early in the offseason.
The Yankees have signed Randy Winn and Marcus Thames in recent days, and Damon may be forced to take a low-dollar deal from Atlanta or Detroit to stay in the game. That’s not something Jermaine Dye seems inclined to do, after reportedly turning down the $3.3 million the Cubs ended up giving Xavier Nady. The Padres also haven’t met the personal minimum that Dye will accept to return, and Damon faces that same decision.
Both are 36 years old, but Damon seems to enjoy playing too much to leave the game after a solid season. If that’s the case, a Scott Boras client could prove to be one of the bigger bargains of the winter.