2059 NL Albatross List
May 23, 2021 7:11:34 GMT -5
Rich - Former GM, Tim_GiantsGM, and 2 more like this
Post by MetDaMeats on May 23, 2021 7:11:34 GMT -5
LEGEND:
* A great contract. No need to worry.
** Has some downside, but could make you look pretty smart.
*** A few red flags that could go either way.
**** This contract may be having a negative impact on the team.
***** Severe Albatross potential on every level.
Arizona Diamondbacks
** (New) Coy Williams (C)
Atlanta Braves
**** (+1 star) Anibal Gabriel (SP)
*** (No change) Dave Flynn (3B)
*** (No change) Carlos Gutierrez (SP)
*** (No change) Johnny Smith (DH/2B)
** (No change) Dave Jamison (2B/3B)
Carolina Warhounds
*** (No change) Kong Kuang (RF)
*** (-1 star) Edgar Salazar (CF)
* (No change) Miguel Angel Andrade (LF)
* (-1 star) Wen Zhui (SP)
Chicago Cubs
*** (No change) Masaaki Fujimoto (SP)
Cincinnati Reds
Cincy will take your bad contracts for picks! FEED THIS CITY YOUR ALBATROSSES!
Los Angeles Dodgers
*** (New) Alfredo Pereira (SS)
*** (New) Jack MacGruder (LF)
Miami Marlins
** (New) Joseph Farr (CF)
** (No change) Al O’Brien (RF)
* (-1 star) Jorge Fuentes (CF)
Milwaukee Brewers
* (New) Raul Ferrer (2B)
* (No change) Kenny Ibarra (SP)
* (-1 star) Jaime Mejia (OF)
Montreal Expos
Montreal has a lot of contracts ending this year so maybe I can get some Albatrosses next year? Please?
New York Mets
**** (+1 star) Paul MacLean (3B)
*** (+ 1 star) Mike Aitkenhead (RF)
** (+1 star) Pepe Quintana (SP)
Philadelphia Phillies
***** (+1 star) Henry Alexander (RP)
***** (No change) Dan Turner (LF)
** (New) Francisco Rivera (SP)
Pittsburgh Pirates
**** (+1 star) Jorge Gonzalez (3B)
**** (New) Manny Sanchez (SP)
*** (No change) Bruce Boyer (2B)
San Diego Padres
**** (No change) Taro Takahashi (2B)
* (-1 star) Lorenzo Hernandez (C)
* (No change) Jim King (SP)
* (-1 star) Kata Okada (DH)
San Francisco Giants
*** (+2 stars) Bill White (LF)
* (No change) Jake Moore (SP)
* (No change) Alfonso Salgado (3B)
St. Louis Cardinals
This is a very young Cards team. Vicente Lopez is their elder statesman at the ripe old age of 31. And a young team is a cheap team. At least for a little while.
Washington Nationals
* (No change) Aureliano Cervantes (SS)
* (No change) Jose Varquez (3B)
* A great contract. No need to worry.
** Has some downside, but could make you look pretty smart.
*** A few red flags that could go either way.
**** This contract may be having a negative impact on the team.
***** Severe Albatross potential on every level.
Arizona Diamondbacks
** (New) Coy Williams (C)
- $10.11 Mill through 2059.
- $10.11 Mill player option in 2060.
- The catching market is rough. Normally a guy like Coy would be a backup. But in this economy? No way. I think he starts for the World Series champs.
Atlanta Braves
**** (+1 star) Anibal Gabriel (SP)
- $77.96 Mill through 2062.
- He spent most of last season in the minors and this year he’s pitching relief in spring training. Some unfortunate stat drops have made this particular gamble look a little unfortunate. However, I want to see what he does with a full year in the majors before I make any final declarations.
*** (No change) Dave Flynn (3B)
- $21.64 Mill through 2060.
- $10.82 Mill team option in 2061 with a $3 Mill buyout.
- $10.82 Mill team option in 2062 with a $3 Mill buyout.
- Had a torn hammy that came out of nowhere last year. I think he could still be a solid value pick, but he needs a full season to really light pitchers up.
*** (No change) Carlos Gutierrez (SP)
- $13 Mill through 2059.
- $13 Mill player option in 2060.
- Guti had a rough year last year which he capped off with a torn UCL. He should be back in action by April. However, sometimes those severe injuries have some nasty long-term effects. My guess is he’ll be back eating innings soon enough, but I think his days of peak performance are over.
*** (No change) Johnny Smith (DH/2B)
- $30 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $30 Mill through 2062.
- He lead the league in triples again! What a quirky skill to possess. He’s certainly an unconventional DH, but he’s not too bad there. He might even slot in at first depending on how deep the Braves are at the position.
** (No change) Dave Jamison (2B/3B)
- $74.207232 Mill through 2062.
- Last year, he spent most of his time at second base. Theoretically, he should be solid at the position but defense is a fluky thing. In a league that’s starving for third base talent I think trading Jamison is a viable option. I think there’s room for a Jamison trade that nets Atlanta a true second baseman and a little extra on top.
Carolina Warhounds
*** (No change) Kong Kuang (RF)
- $28 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $13 Mill through 2061.
- $13 Mill vesting option in 2062 after 140 games.
- Look. It’s actively offensive to me that he hasn’t been nicknamed “King.” Come on. Kong “King” Kuang? This is preordained by forces greater than you and I!
*** (-1 star) Edgar Salazar (CF)
- $19.5 Mill through 2059.
- Player opt out after 2059.
- $39 Mill through 2061.
- $19.5 Mill vesting option in 2062 after 500 PAs.
- The Albatross List can tend to bring a lot of negativity into the lives of PBL GM’s and I want to change that. I’m going to give Edgar Salazar his due. He had a decent year last year. Enjoy your star drop Edgar! You earned it.
* (No change) Miguel Angel Andrade (LF)
- $76.75 Mill through 2063.
- Player opt out after 2063.
- $40 Mill through 2065.
- When your number one overall pick meets his potential, you’ve got two choices: Trade him away, or back up the Brinks truck. I won’t say trading your young stars always goes poorly, but the results are frequently disappointing. So, nice signing there ‘Hounds! I highly doubt you’ll regret it.
* (-1 star) Wen Zhui (SP)
- $14.5 Mill through 2059.
- $14.5 Mill player option in 2060.
- Zhui isn’t exactly dirt cheap, but he’s a solid bargain when you consider the going rate for a competent PBL starter. Could be traded easily, even at age 35. How’s that for positivity!
Chicago Cubs
*** (No change) Masaaki Fujimoto (SP)
- $54 Mill through 2060.
- $27 Mill team option in 2061 with a $6.75 Mill buyout.
- Fujimoto has a pitching profile that is very similar to Wen Zhui's. He’s been pitching a little better than Zhui recently but he’s been doing it at twice the price. Those things kind of average out.
Cincinnati Reds
Cincy will take your bad contracts for picks! FEED THIS CITY YOUR ALBATROSSES!
Los Angeles Dodgers
*** (New) Alfredo Pereira (SS)
- $88.41 Mill through 2061.
- Player opt out after 2061.
- $88.41 Mill through 2064.
- Here is a short summary of Alfredo’s career: Drafted by the Brewers. Traded to the Dodgers. Traded back to the Brewers. Signed again by the Dodgers. I think the problem is that he can’t bring himself to choose between his movie career and eating bratwurst. In all fairness, it’s a difficult choice.
*** (New) Jack MacGruder (LF)
- $64.36 Mill through 2062.
- MacGruder and Pereira were the two most expensive free agents of this offseason and arguably the best players available, as well. To my mind, they were both solid players but two guys who I’d prefer to grab at a discount. Well, the Dodgers don’t cotton to that philosophy. Time will tell how the investments turn out.
Miami Marlins
** (New) Joseph Farr (CF)
- $24 Mill through 2060.
- A more than reasonable price for a middle infielder with strong defensive capabilities. However, he never quite got into the groove after his sprained knee in 2058. This continues the pattern of Miami trading for a star player and watching them immediately underwhelm. I, for one, blame Florida Man.
** (No change) Al O’Brien (RF)
- $56 Mill through 2061.
- $14 Mill team option in 2062 with a $3.5 Mill buyout.
- $14 Mill team option in 2063 with a $3.5 Mill buyout.
- The hip strain that knocked O’Brien out of the Marlins lineup for nearly the entire season was a devastating blow. But we can’t ignore that Al then came back to hit an otherworldly .417 in the 103 at bats where he was healthy. That’s nuts!
* (-1 star) Jorge Fuentes (CF)
- $25 Mill through 2060.
- There you go! I knew this guy would wake up eventually. If he can knock in another 40+ next year it’ll be in line with the production I expect from him. Don’t disappoint me, young man!
Milwaukee Brewers
* (New) Raul Ferrer (2B)
- $100 Mill through 2063.
- $20 Mill team option in 2064 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- $20 Mill team option in 2065 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- I whine about defense a lot. Part of that is because one of the things that can optimize or improve a contract is determining how to squeeze every little bit of value out of a player. None of that matters here. Ferrer is so good, and the Brewers lineup is so stacked, that you can just stuff him at a position he stinks at and he can still throw out 7+ WAR. I find it borderline offensive.
* (No change) Kenny Ibarra (SP)
- $62.14 Mill through 2061.
- $17.08 Mill team option in 2062 with a $6.25 Mill buyout.
- $15.4 Mill team option in 2063 with a $6.25 Mill buyout.
- Promised role: Starting pitcher.
- One of only three players in the PBL with a perfect Knuckle Curve. Additionally, he’s the only player with a perfect Knuckle Curve and a perfect Curve. Imagine standing in the batter’s box, not knowing if the ball is going to dive out of the strike zone or dance its way out. It must be truly terrifying.
* (-1 star) Jaime Mejia (OF)
- $95 Mill through 2062.
- The first year of Mejia’s DHing experiment seems to have gone quite well. Everyone’s favorite player, Duane Hansen, will tell you how difficult it is to put up decent WAR when you’re not in the field. But Mejia OPSed a league leading 1.003 to prove that a wrecked superstar can be super valuable if you keep them healthy.
Montreal Expos
Montreal has a lot of contracts ending this year so maybe I can get some Albatrosses next year? Please?
New York Mets
**** (+1 star) Paul MacLean (3B)
- $50 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $50 Mill through 2062.
- $25 Mill player option in 2063.
- He freaks me out. He could put up another 2 WAR next year. Or 4. Or 6. I simply have no idea what to expect.
*** (+ 1 star) Mike Aitkenhead (RF)
- $29 Mill through 2059.
- $29 Mill player option in 2060.
- There’s no denying Aitkenhead’s power. But the difference between his transcendent season and his decent seasons is OBP. And he simply can’t be relied upon to earn enough bases on balls to reach his career highs again.
** (+1 star) Pepe Quintana (SP)
- $30.34 Mill through 2060.
- $15.67 Mill team option in 2061 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- Does anyone know what happened to Pepe last year? For the most part, his stats are in line with his with his previous results except for a -0.1 Win Probability Added. The only thing I can think is that he started giving up a lot of unfortunate homeruns with men on base? Maybe? I’m truly stumped.
Philadelphia Phillies
***** (+1 star) Henry Alexander (RP)
- $107.2 Mill through 2062.
- $28.07 Mill team option in 2063 with a $8.6 Mill buyout.
- Wow. I’m kind of stunned to see that Alexander spent last year as a reliever. He was pretty good too. But with Alfredo Sanchez down in Cleveland, Henry is only going to be the second most expensive reliever in the game. Sorry!
***** (No change) Dan Turner (LF)
- $88 Mill through 2060.
- Promised Role: Starting Lineup.
- NO TRADE CLAUSE.
- So this is it. My last Albatross List to feature Dan Turner. This is kind of an emotional moment for me. We’ve been together for so long. I’ll miss you, “Rats.” Unless… Wait. The Phillies could offer him an extension, right? Don’t crush my dreams, Philadelphia. You know what you have to do.
** (New) Francisco Rivera (SP)
- $56.6 Mill through 2062.
- Player opt out after 2062.
- $112 Mill through 2066.
- $43 Mill player option in 2067.
- Doomsaying is for dweebs. Rivera is one of the best pitchers in the game right now. You’re never going to get the right amount of trade value for a guy like him, so the only option left is to pay the guy.
Pittsburgh Pirates
**** (+1 star) Jorge Gonzalez (3B)
- $72 Mill through 2062.
- $18 Mill team option in 2063 with a $4.5 Mill buyout.
- Now I’m legitimately worried about Gonzalez. Maybe he misses Canada? Send him on a quick trip to Niagara Falls and let him get it out of his system before he has another Mendoza line season.
**** (New) Manny Sanchez (SP)
- $40 Mill through 2060.
- $18 Mill team option in 2061 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- $18 Mill team option in 2062 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- Okay. This took me a second. Since Tony Guerra (and his $40 Mill over 4 years) was traded for Sanchez, this was nearly a cash neutral deal. That being said, the Cy Young superstar isn’t going to have much to offer except fan interest. But I guess if you’re stuck spending the money anyway, you may as well get something for it. Additionally, now the money comes off the Pittsburgh books in 2 years instead of 4. I guess that has value, as well.
*** (No change) Bruce Boyer (2B)
- $77.92 Mill through 2062.
- $19.48 Mill vesting option in 2063 after 450 PAs.
- Phew! He was back over .300 for the 2058 season. That reasserts a little order in my chaotic universe. Part of me still wonders if he can get back to hitting over .350 again. I’d like to see it.
San Diego Padres
**** (No change) Taro Takahashi (2B)
- $38 Mill through 2060.
- $19 Mill player option in 2061.
- What am I gonna do? Complain that Taro is a bad second baseman? Again? I have to possess more trenchant insights than that. Maybe some technical analysis of his UBR or his wRC+? All I have to do is dig deep and I’ll find it. I know there’s something interesting to say about this man… Oh, I give up. He’s a bad second baseman.
* (-1 star) Lorenzo Hernandez (C)
- $62.4 Mill through 2061.
- $24.96 Mill team option in 2062 with a $6.24 Mill buyout.
- $24.96 Mill team option in 2063 with a $6.24 Mill buyout.
- Naw. If you can even moderately hit for average at the catcher position then you’re worth $20 million. It’s a barren wasteland out there.
* (No change) Jim King (SP)
- $30 Mill through 2059.
- $30 Mill player option in 2060.
- I wouldn’t have thought it was possible but the Padres have to genuinely consider whether they want to extend King past his 36th birthday. That’s dangerous territory but if you carefully apply team options then you can squeeze a couple extra seasons from your star pitcher without locking yourself into an unshakable commitment. But then, what do the Padres do if he opts out?
* (-1 star) Kata Okada (DH)
- $40 Mill through 2060.
- $20 Mill team option in 2061 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- $20 Mill team option in 2062 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- I wonder how long Okada can keep chugging along. He’s about 200 homers away from making the top 10 all-time HR list. Five more strong seasons would get him there but those are hardly guaranteed.
San Francisco Giants
*** (+2 stars) Bill White (LF)
- $45 Mill through 2061.
- $15 Mill team option in 2062 with a $3.75 Mill buyout.
- $15 Mill team option in 2063 with a $3.75 Mill buyout.
- Admittedly, I think his 0.8 WAR season in 2058 was an aberration. But man, I really would like to do a comparison of the WAR players earn in Milwaukee vs. what they earn the year they get traded elsewhere. It feels like it’s always a precipitous drop.
* (No change) Jake Moore (SP)
- $30 Mill through 2060.
- $15 Mill team option in 2061 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- $15 Mill team option in 2062 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- $1.25 Mill bonus for 180 IP.
- Jake Moore is boring. When he wins he wins, there’s nothing spectacular about his game. When he loses (as he did often last year), there’s nothing extraordinary about his failures. This man does not interest me!
* (No change) Alfonso Salgado (3B)
- $101.5 Mill through 2062.
- $24.5 Mill team option in 2063 with a $6.7 Mill buyout.
- $24.5 Mill team option in 2064 with a $6.7 Mill buyout.
- 2058 was a surprisingly rough year for Alfonso. There’s got to be something I can do to help. How about I allow San Francisco to get his pesky contract off their books by trading him to me. No, please. Don’t applaud. That’s just the kind of giving person I am.
St. Louis Cardinals
This is a very young Cards team. Vicente Lopez is their elder statesman at the ripe old age of 31. And a young team is a cheap team. At least for a little while.
Washington Nationals
* (No change) Aureliano Cervantes (SS)
- $123 Mill through 2064.
- $21 Mill team option in 2065 with a $5.75 Mill buyout.
- $2 Mill MVP award bonus.
- Cervantes is great. But what really interests me is who the next big Washington contract is going to be. My bet is on either SP Ismael Garcia or SP Mike Hernandez. These days, it’s expensive to keep young starting pitchers in town.
* (No change) Jose Varquez (3B)
- $178 Mill through 2065.
- Blah blah blah. You think I’m going to talk about how great Varquez is, do you? Well you’re wrong. Let’s talk Raymond Page instead. He’s 42 years old, in the last year of his contract, and still managed to add another 40 homers to his resume last year. How much money does a team hand out to a guy with skill, but who is clearly nearing the end of the road? Also, please don’t tell Duane Hansen I asked anyone that question.