2055 NL Albatross List
Jun 17, 2020 11:39:01 GMT -5
AstrosGM_Shane, Rich - Former GM, and 5 more like this
Post by MetDaMeats on Jun 17, 2020 11:39:01 GMT -5
Arizona Diamondbacks
*** (New) John Ross (1B)
Atlanta Braves
**** (No change) Alberto Ramirez (SP)
*** (New) Bruce Boyer (2B)
Carolina Warhounds
* (No change) Lorenzo Hernandez (C)
Chicago Cubs
*** (New) Juan Garcia (SP)
*** (-1 star) Juan Silva (CF)
*** (No change) Billy Jenkins (LF)
Cincinnati Reds
**** (+1 star) Gerald Callahan (CF)
*** (No change) Alfonso Tellez (LF)
*** (No change) Miguel Valentin (SS)
** (No change) Hisamitsu Kanegawa (1B)
Los Angeles Dodgers
**** (New) Jason Jenkins (1B)
*** (New) Jim Tuttle (SP)
Miami Marlins
** (New) Jose Cabral (3B)
** (No change) Lee Peterson (2B)
** (New) Robert Hall (3B)
* (New) Al O’Brien (RF)
* (New) Wen Zhui (SP)
Milwaukee Brewers
* (-1 star) Carlos Gutierrez (SP)
* (-1 star) Jose Nunez (SP)
Montreal Expos
*** (+1 star) Roberto Rodriguez (SS)
** (New) Johnny Smith (2B)
New York Mets
***** (New) Jorge Molina (2B)
Philadelphia Phillies
**** (+1 star) Fred Caballero (SP)
*** (No change) Dan Turner (LF)
*** (-1 star) Henry Alexander (SP)
** (-1 star) Octavio Macias (2B)
Pittsburgh Pirates
*** (No change) Dave Peterson (LF)
San Diego Padres
*** (+1 star) Kata Okada (DH)
*** (New) Taro Takahashi (2B)
* (No change) Jack MacGruder (LF)
* (-1 star) Jim King (SP)
* (-1 star) Manny Sanchez (SP)
San Francisco Giants
**** (+1 star) Dana Brassard (SS)
*** (No change) Alberto Perez (C)
* (New) Jake Moore (SP)
St. Louis Cardinals
*** (New) Roberto Serrano
** (+1 star) Tony Padilla (CF)
Washington Nationals
** (+1 star) Chris Allen (CF)
* (No change) Julian Robles (SP)
*** (New) John Ross (1B)
- $36.75 Mill through 2056.
- $12.25 Mill paid by the Nationals through 2056.
- It’s always been easy to dream about Ross’s skills and his potential to be a top tier bat. However, there are few players in the PBL as unreliable as him. Three replacement level years in DC can attest to that.
Atlanta Braves
**** (No change) Alberto Ramirez (SP)
- $19.5 Mill through 2056.
- $10 Mill player option in 2057.
- The good news is that he has three strong pitches, solid movement, and tremendous stuff. The bad news is that he’s going to need all those skills in order to pitch himself out of walk trouble. I’m not convinced he still has what it takes to pitch competitively in the PBL.
*** (New) Bruce Boyer (2B)
- $114 Mill through 2057.
- $30 Mill player option in 2058
- Promised role: Starting lineup.
- $6 Mill MVP award bonus.
- $2 Mill All star award bonus.
- This is a hefty chunk of change ($6 Million MVP bonus? Cripes!) but I actually don't mind shelling out big bucks for at top free agent as long as the contract is short enough. All post season long I've been wondering what was going on with Boyer's contract and now the truth comes out at long last. The real loser here is the Padres, who apparently missed out on a comp pick because Boyer doesn't know how to count.
Carolina Warhounds
* (No change) Lorenzo Hernandez (C)
- $45 Mill through 2057.
- $19 Mill player option in 2058.
- Promised Role: Starting Lineup
- Never transcendent but always consistent. I have no complaints about this deal. So, I will use this spot to say that giving Jeremy McNeil a vesting option was clever. Getting out of the last year of a contract is one of life’s underrated joys.
Chicago Cubs
*** (New) Juan Garcia (SP)
- $68 Mill through 2058.
- $17 Mill team option in 2059 with a $4.75 Mill buyout.
- $17 Mill team option in 2060 with a $4.75 Mill buyout.
- Garcia liked the Midwest so much, he had to come back! Though he’s traded in Millwaukee bratwurst for Chicago deep dish. Darn it. I didn’t have very many interesting observations about Garcia in the first place and now I’ve just made myself hungry. Mmmmmm. Bratwurst.
*** (-1 star) Juan Silva (CF)
- $80 Mill through 2059.
- You know, this might be the best-case scenario for a undeveloped guy receiving a big league contract. He definitely needs to be part of a platoon ASAP, but otherwise I think he’s become a solid investment in only a year’s time. Sometimes gambles pay off!
*** (No change) Billy Jenkins (LF)
- $33 Mill through 2056.
- $15 Mill team option in 2057 with a $4.75 Mill buyout.
- Still has value, but I don’t like the way his defensive skills are eroding. He can probably hang in there as a corner outfielder for a while, but I think he’d make a disappointing first basemen or DH.
Cincinnati Reds
**** (+1 star) Gerald Callahan (CF)
- $198.2 Mill through 2059.
- $1.5 Mill MVP award bonus.
- It was a strange first year for Callahan in Cincinnati. He hit more homeruns than at any point in his career but peaked in strikeouts as well. Meanwhile, he posted the worst average he’s ever put up in the majors. This doesn’t spell doom for the Reds, but unless he starts putting up superstar numbers the boatloads of cash he’s receiving are going to weigh down the team for a while.
*** (No change) Alfonso Tellez (LF)
- $54 Mill through 2056.
- His tenure in Ohio has been disappointing. That being said, I believe everyone’s tenure in Ohio is pretty disappointing.
*** (No change) Miguel Valentin (SS)
- $63.96 Mill through 2057.
- A guy like Alfonso Tellez has the kind of homerun potential that will make you ignore than he needs a platoon partner. Miguel Valentin, on the other hand, does not. It makes it very tricky to justify his hefty contract.
** (No change) Hisamitsu Kanegawa (1B)
- $65.68 Mill player option in 2057.
- $13 Mill team option in 2058 with a $3.25 Mill buyout.
- Promised role: Starting lineup.
- $2 Mill MVP award bonus.
- His stay in Cincy has been extended at a reasonable cost. But the hard truth is that he’s not an outfielder any longer, and probably won’t be much of a first baseman either. He still has what it takes to DH, but it’s hard to ignore that he’s declining as a batter as well. At least his price point is declining too.
Los Angeles Dodgers
**** (New) Jason Jenkins (1B)
- $45 Mill through 2057.
- $15 Mill team option in 2058 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- $16 Mill team option in 2059 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- He’s always had top tier power. But if a guy routinely has an OBP under .300 it almost doesn’t matter if he can hit 30 plus homers. The word “almost” is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Let’s just say I’m skeptical.
*** (New) Jim Tuttle (SP)
- $48 Mill through 2057.
- $16 Mill team option in 2058 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- $16 Mill team option in 2059 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- Promised role: Starting pitcher.
- Tuttle was, arguably, the best free agent starter on the market this offseason. I’m used to seeing the Dodgers throw down massive contracts to grab the best guys, so just paying sticker price for Tuttle feels comparatively tame.
Miami Marlins
** (New) Jose Cabral (3B)
- $32.19 Mill through 2058.
- Player opt out after 2058.
- $27.32 Mill through 2060.
- $15 Mill team option in 2061 with a $3.75 Mill buyout.
- $15 Mill team option in 2062 with a $3.75 Mill buyout.
- I love his defensive abilities and he’s signed rather cheaply. So the question I have is, would it be a good idea for Jose to opt out? My instinct is no. I think this might be the best contract a guy like him will ever sign, even if he does put up gold glove caliber work at shortstop.
** (No change) Lee Peterson (2B)
- $36 Mill through 2057.
- $12 Mill team option in 2058 with a $3 Mill buyout.
- $12 Mill team option in 2059 with a $3 Mill buyout.
- You know, he’s only ever been a slightly above average second baseman, even in his best years. I just think we might be heading into the period where is glove becomes a liability.
** (New) Robert Hall (3B)
- $53 Mill through 2058.
- $15 Mill team option in 2059 with a $3.75 Mill buyout.
- He walks a ton, but his real value comes from playing third base, where I’d describe his defense as borderline. If he starts being a liability at the hot corner, he’s not going to be a super attractive batting option at first, no matter how many bases on balls he takes.
* (New) Al O’Brien (RF)
- $34 Mill through 2057.
- If O’Brien had been available in this year’s free agency, I say he’d be making double this contract at double the length.
* (New) Wen Zhui (SP)
- $72.5 Mill through 2059.
- $14.5 Mill player option in 2060.
- Have you noticed that most stars who get traded to the Marlins tend to have a tough year? Maybe it’s the humidity. In any event, despite a mediocre 2054 performance, I still find this contract to be a minor miracle. This is way too cheap for a guy this skilled.
Milwaukee Brewers
* (-1 star) Carlos Gutierrez (SP)
- $58 Mill through 2059.
- $13 Mill player option in 2060.
- He’s the right age and making the right money. The only thing missing has been a record of performance. So the question is, was last year’s 3.7 WAR effort a sign of skill development or just a result of him starting a league-leading 36 games? I’m honestly not sure.
* (-1 star) Jose Nunez (SP)
- $30 Mill through 2057.
- Promised role: Starting pitcher.
- Don’t look now, but somewhere along the line Nunez went from being Millwaukee’s subpar number 2 starter to their overqualified number 4. This rotation got dangerous last year.
Montreal Expos
*** (+1 star) Roberto Rodriguez (SS)
- $18 Mill through 2056.
- I keep going back and forth on Roberto. This year I’m down on him because his shortstop defense is looking rough, and the spot at second base seems to be occupied by Johnny Smith. Playing out of position is going to sap his value.
** (New) Johnny Smith (2B)
- $70.35 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $30 Mill through 2062.
- I’m very torn. If you're going by his glove then he should be playing at first base. But he has the batting profile of a middle infielder. It seems like no matter where you put him, you’re losing a little. And although this contract would be a drop in the bucket for a lot of other teams, it is a major extension for Montreal. Tough choices all around.
New York Mets
***** (New) Jorge Molina (2B)
- $60.975 Mill through 2057.
- $20.325 Mill paid by the Padres through 2057.
- Well guys, this is a new one on me. Molina got traded to San Diego last year and promptly won a ring with them. But since the Mets are retaining the vast majority of his salary, he’s the first player to be a major albatross for a team that’s already let him go. I mean, the Padres are paying him less than 7 Mill per year, so I can’t put him on their list. Since he’s the highest paid player on the Mets while providing them with zero production of any kind, he has to be upgraded to an automatic 5 star albatross. It’s actually a fascinating situation.
Philadelphia Phillies
**** (+1 star) Fred Caballero (SP)
- $94.7 Mill through 2057.
- Fred has never earned less than 2 WAR in a year where he pitched a full season. Until last year. It’s tricky to celebrate his league-leading 0.9 BB/9 without being incredibly worried by his league-leading 38 homeruns allowed. I’m concerned this could be the new normal for his late 30s.
*** (No change) Dan Turner (LF)
- $222 Mill through 2060.
- Promised Role: Starting Lineup.
- NO TRADE CLAUSE.
- Mark this down as the last year that Dan Turner can get away with hitting sub .250 without it really crushing Philadelphia’s chances in the NL East. From here on in his contract is his just too cumbersome for the team to thrive without a superstar contribution to match his superstar salary.
*** (-1 star) Henry Alexander (SP)
- $196.8 Mill through 2062.
- $28.07 Mill team option in 2063 with a $8.6 Mill buyout.
- My thought process: “Wow. Alexander’s a great pitcher. Why in the hell would I ever give him 4 Albatross stars? DEAR GOD, HE’S SIGNED FOR HOW MANY YEARS?” Anyway. After that all the blood rushed to my head and I had to lie down for a little while.
** (-1 star) Octavio Macias (2B)
- $93 Mill through 2057.
- $30 Mill player option in 2058.
- Right now, he’s the Phillies highest paid player. Last year, he was the Phillies best player. You like to see those two things go together. Though I have to admit I wouldn’t have guessed Macias had a 6.5 WAR season in him and, frankly, I’m still baffled about how he managed it.
Pittsburgh Pirates
*** (No change) Dave Peterson (LF)
- $80 Mill through 2056.
- $40 Mill player option in 2057.
- If the Pirates agreed to retain a large part of his contract, I think he could make a solid DH for most any team in the league. But Pittsburgh would have to eat at least $20 million a year in order to make a deal like that happen. In that sense, he reminds me a lot of Ciaravella. Still producing, but also restricting his team's options.
San Diego Padres
*** (+1 star) Kata Okada (DH)
- $120 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.
- Another semi-frustrating year for the Padres big DH as he spent a month and a half on the DL. But you know, any season that brings home a world series ring can’t be all that frustrating.
*** (New) Taro Takahashi (2B)
- $112 Mill through 2060.
- $19 Mill player option in 2061.
- Well, the good news is that Taro has never had a full year of service where he has batted under .300. The bad news is that he doesn’t belong at second base. I suppose if he averages .370 again he can play wherever the heck he wants. I just wouldn’t bet on that happening.
* (No change) Jack MacGruder (LF)
- $44.4 Mill through 2057.
- $14.8 Mill team option in 2058 with a $3.7 Mill buyout.
- $14.8 Mill team option in 2059 with a $3.7 Mill buyout.
- He was one of the guys on the Padres that actually seemed like he might be slumping a little. Except when you win the World Series, regular season slumps get flushed down the memory hole.
* (-1 star) Jim King (SP)
- $90 Mill through 2057.
- Player opt out after 2057.
- $60 Mill through 2059.
- $30 Mill player option in 2060.
- You win a Cy Young, you lose an albatross star. Those are the rules.
* (-1 star) Manny Sanchez (SP)
- $114.848 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.
- It’s easier to lead the NL in strikeouts when Sarsa-Dengal Robienayai is playing in Colorado instead of Millwaukee. To be clear, I’m not saying it’s easy. Just easier.
San Francisco Giants
**** (+1 star) Dana Brassard (SS)
- $54 Mill through 2057.
- The Giants’ decision to start platooning him was a smart move. It’s a hard choice to make when he’s costing the team so much money, but it was the right one.
*** (No change) Alberto Perez (C)
- $27 Mill through 2056.
- Promised role: Starting Lineup.
- I was looking at his stats and thinking, “Wow. I can’t believe a guy with such a great throwing arm has never caught more than 8 guys stealing in a year.” And then I realized I was looking at the number of time he had BEEN caught stealing, not caught someone else. Anyway, I’m in a shame spiral now.
* (New) Jake Moore (SP)
- $94.5 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.
- I cannot find anything interesting to say about Jake Moore. Great pitchers with reasonable contracts bore me to tears. Do something interesting, why doncha!?!
St. Louis Cardinals
*** (New) Roberto Serrano
- $55.072 Mill through 2056.
- $13.768 Mill paid by the Red Sox through 2056.
- $2.5 Mill bonus for 550 PAs.
- $2.5 Mill MVP bonus.
- $1 Mill All Star bonus.
- Well, between platooning and injuries, St. Louis probably isn’t going to have to worry too much about his plate appearance bonus kicking in.
** (+1 star) Tony Padilla (CF)
- $48 Mill through 2057.
- $18 Mill team option in 2058 with a $4.5 Mill buyout.
- I’m trying to imagine the mechanics of a guy with 9 speed, 9 stealing, and 3 base running. The best I can figure is he would just keep trying unsuccessfully to stretch doubles into triples. It’s at times like these I wish the game kept track of how many rundowns a player gets caught in.
Washington Nationals
** (+1 star) Chris Allen (CF)
- $42 Mill through 2056.
- NO TRADE CLAUSE.
- $1 Mill MVP Bonus.
- Well, Chris Allen finally had a mediocre season. I suppose it had to happen eventually. For the first time I’m asking myself whether the Nats should let him test free agency in 2056. I mean, that’s a crazy idea, right? Right?!?
* (No change) Julian Robles (SP)
- $144 Mill through 2059.
- For all his other skills, his changeup is about as bad as it can be and still be a viable third pitch for a starter. Wait. I don’t know why I’m badmouthing him. I think I’m just straining for something insightful to say. INSIGHT DENIED!