2057 NL Albatross List
Dec 10, 2020 8:44:18 GMT -5
Texas Rangers, Tim_GiantsGM, and 7 more like this
Post by MetDaMeats on Dec 10, 2020 8:44:18 GMT -5
Arizona Diamondbacks
** (New) Alec Carras
** (New) Hal Young (SP)
Atlanta Braves
**** (+1 star) Ray Dickey (SP)
*** (No change) Carlos Costello (SS)
*** (New) Carlos Gutierrez (SP)
*** (New) Johnny Smith (2B)
*** (New) Oliver de Kok (CF/RF)
** (+1 star) Bruce Boyer (2B)
** (New) Dave Jamison (3B)
Carolina Warhounds
*** (New) Kong Kuang (RF)
*** (New) Roberti Serrano (LF)
*** (+1 star) Sifaks Ben Hassi (1B)
Chicago Cubs
*** (New) Masaaki Fujimoto (SP)
** (No change) Juan Garcia (SP)
** (No change) Juan Silva (CF)
Cincinnati Reds
For information about Gerald Callahan’s contract, see the Washington Nationals. I know you wanna see it.
Los Angeles Dodgers
*** (New) Steve Byrd (SP)
Miami Marlins
** (New) Jorge Fuentes (CF)
** (+1 star) Robert Hall (3B)
* (No change) Wen Zhui (SP)
Milwaukee Brewers
* (New) Jorge Salazar (1B)
* (New) Walt Perez (SP)
Montreal Expos
I am a lazy, lazy man. Far too lazy to try to build a case that any Expos are Albatross-worthy.
New York Mets
*** (New) Paul MacLean (3B)
* (New) Pepe Quintana (SP)
Philadelphia Phillies
***** (No change) Dan Turner (LF)
**** (No change) Octavio Macias (2B)
*** (No change) Henry Alexander (SP)
Pittsburgh Pirates
I’m sure Pittsburgh loves Dave Peterson, but I don’t think the Pirates are going to miss his contract much at all.
San Diego Padres
**** (+1 star) Taro Takahashi (2B)
** (-1 star) Kata Okada (DH)
** (+1 star) Manny Sanchez (SP)
* (No change) Jim King (SP)
San Francisco Giants
**** (+2 stars) Pedro Perez (SP)
* (No change) Alfonso Salgado (3B)
* (No change) Jake Moore (SP)
St. Louis Cardinals
No. I thought about it a while and I can’t justify making Jimmy Miller an Albatross. It’s just not an expensive enough contract.
Washington Nationals
**** (+1 star) Alonso Bravo (SP)
*** (+2 star) Julian Robles (SP)
** (New) Gerald Callahan (RF)
** (New) Alec Carras
- $15.75 Mill paid by the Angels through 2059.
- $29.25 Mill pad by the Diamondbacks through 2059.
- $14 Mill player option in 2060.
- Now that the Angels are paying 35% of his salary, this seems like the exact right price for Carras. On occasion I make polite requests that a team spend their hard earned PBL credits to change a player’s nickname. I would consider it a personal favor if he could be dubbed Alec “Father” Carras. The spelling’s not quite right, but it would bring me joy.
** (New) Hal Young (SP)
- $48 Mill through 2059.
- I took a long, hard look at Young this offseason. I was determined not to sign him if it was going to cost me a Comp pick. But if I had signed him, I would have gone no higher than the money he’s getting in this deal.
Atlanta Braves
**** (+1 star) Ray Dickey (SP)
- $23.5 Mill through 2058.
- $11.5 team option in 2059 with a $3.75 Mill buyout.
- Strange, but true. He’s the only 30-something guy who I’ve ever seen have a stat increase after a traumatic yearlong injury. He’s a real trooper. I just don’t know if he can still pitch.
*** (No change) Carlos Costello (SS)
- $23.4 Mill through 2058.
- $8.32 Mill player option in 2059
- $2 Mill MVP award bonus.
- Costello and Boyer being injured in the same year was a bad beat for the Braves, though it didn’t slow down their path to the playoffs. Of course, when they got there they ran into the Milwaukee buzzsaw. Actually, now that I think about it, the Milwaukee Buzzsaw would be a pretty good team name. Maybe minor league hockey?
*** (New) Carlos Gutierrez (SP)
- $38 Mill through 2059.
- $13 Mill player option in 2060.
- Guti is a talented pitcher, but I think the thin air in Colorado was a little much for him. I don’t imagine the longballs will be as much as a problem in Hotlanta, where the altitude is much more pleasant. In fact, I imagine most things are much more pleasant there.
*** (New) Johnny Smith (2B)
- $53.6 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $30 Mill through 2062.
- A classic Atlanta bat (in the mold of Costello and Boyer) if I’ve ever seen one. However, I do wonder if the high average, high walk player transfers as well to DH as it does to middle infield. My guess is no, but then again, I’ve never really tried it.
*** (New) Oliver de Kok (CF/RF)
- $54 Mill through 2058.
- $18 Mill team option in 2060 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- $20 Mill team option in 2061 with a $5 Mill buyout.
- I considered trading for him this offseason, but I couldn’t quite pull the trigger. Time will tell if that was a mistake. I love his defensive ability but my instinct was that he’ll never reach those 7, 6 or even 5 WAR heights again. Maybe I misjudged this one.
** (+1 star) Bruce Boyer (2B)
- $30 Mill through 2057.
- $30 Mill player option in 2058
- Promised role: Starting lineup.
- $6 Mill MVP award bonus.
- $2 Mill All star award bonus.
- Was on pace for another great year, but those injuries took a bit of a toll. One of these years he’ll hit under .300 and I’ll whine about him, but until then there’s nothing really to complain about. I HATE when there's nothing to complain about!
** (New) Dave Jamison (3B)
- $95.327172 Mill through 2062.
- The quickest way to get me grumpy is to sign a contract with values that aren’t round numbers. I have to sit and type in every digit into my calculator like a chump. Seriously? He’s making $23,887,872 in 2062? Did he just put his foot down and refuse to sign unless he got that extra 872 bucks?
Carolina Warhounds
*** (New) Kong Kuang (RF)
- $56 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $13 Mill through 2061.
- $13 Mill vesting option in 2062 after 140 games.
- Based on his stats I would expect his OBP to be about where it is (the .390s range) with a lower average (.240 to .250). But instead, his average has tended about 40 to 50 points higher than that. Why does he seem to be so good at something he shouldn’t be? I’m just not sure. All I know is, I voted for Kuodos.
*** (New) Roberti Serrano (LF)
- $33 Mill through 2058.
- $16 Mill vesting option on 2059 after 550 PAs.
- My initial thought was that Serrano probably still has some skill left in the tank, but he wasn’t worth losing a comp pick over. Then I decided to check my facts. Lo and behold, the Warhounds won the second overall pick in the draft lottery so they were comp protected. Savvy move, Carolina! Savvy move.
*** (+1 star) Sifaks Ben Hassi (1B)
- $34 Mill through 2058.
- Player opt out after 2058.
- $87.5 through 2063.
- $17.5 Mill player option in 2064.
- I’m concerned his 2054 performance was a major fluke. But then again, he’s not making so much that it’s going to be a real problem for the team if he "only" puts up 3 to 4 WAR each season. Not ideal, but not team decimating. The only problem is the number of years he might be locked in. If he doesn’t opt out, of course.
Chicago Cubs
*** (New) Masaaki Fujimoto (SP)
- $108 Mill through 2060.
- $27 Mill team option in 2061 with a $6.75 Mill buyout.
- By far, the best free agent pitcher available last off season. However, it was a pretty weak offseason so I’m not sure if that means too much. This is definitely the higher end of a contract that you’d expect for a guy who has never broken 4 WAR in a season.
** (No change) Juan Garcia (SP)
- $31 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.
- When you think about it, he’s almost Fujimoto’s pitching double except with a changeup instead of a splitter. Twinsies!
** (No change) Juan Silva (CF)
- $48 Mill through 2059.
- During the pandemic I’ve been watching a lot of This Old House. Which is why I have decided that Juan is one of the Silva brothers and is going into contracting when his baseball career is done. It’s good to have a backup plan.
Cincinnati Reds
For information about Gerald Callahan’s contract, see the Washington Nationals. I know you wanna see it.
Los Angeles Dodgers
*** (New) Steve Byrd (SP)
- $54 Mill through 2057.
- I don’t hate this contract. But if he’d been a free agent this offseason he’d have gotten $10 Million more per year. Sometimes you just have to time your unemployment better. That's a lesson I have spent all of 2020 considering.
Miami Marlins
** (New) Jorge Fuentes (CF)
- $50 Mill through 2060.
- Although he’s come close in the past two seasons, I don’t think he’s had a year where he's been running on all cylinders quite yet. He’s nearly there, but I don't think we've seen the best he has to give. Yet.
** (+1 star) Robert Hall (3B)
- $30 Mill through 2058.
- $15 Mill team option in 2059 with a $3.75 Mill buyout.
- Years where you can blame poor performance on injury or age still stink. But at least you have something to blame. What do you make of a season like Robert Hall’s 2056 where he was just… Kind of bad for no reason? Since I don’t like existing in a world with inexplicable phenomena, I’m going to blame mischievous elves. Stupid mischievous elves.
* (No change) Wen Zhui (SP)
- $43.5 Mill through 2059.
- $14.5 Mill player option in 2060.
- He has led the league in games started twice in a row. I guess that’s a good thing? It’s a little akin to winning the Annual Award For Having Breakfast the Most Times. Sure, it’s not a bad thing. But as superlatives go, it’s pretty darn lame.
Milwaukee Brewers
* (New) Jorge Salazar (1B)
- $52 Mill through 2060.
- $12 Mill team option in 2061 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- $12 Mill team option in 2062 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- The Brewers have some crazy luck. For everyone else a player's stats either take a nosedive after the first long term contract is finalized, or else the team has to pay out the nose after the massive season occurs. Milwaukee signs a guy for 6 years and THEN he has a 9.3 WAR season. They dodged both nose-related issues!
* (New) Walt Perez (SP)
- $45.79 Mill through 2059.
- Promised role: Starting pitcher.
- If I had to put them in descending order of talent, I’d probably list Milwaukee’s starting 3 as Ibarra, Perez and Arrerondo. But all three are very skilled, and so close to each other talent-wise, that determining their order in the rotation is more of an academic exercise than anything else.
Montreal Expos
I am a lazy, lazy man. Far too lazy to try to build a case that any Expos are Albatross-worthy.
New York Mets
*** (New) Paul MacLean (3B)
- $96 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $50 Mill through 2062.
- $25 Mill player option in 2063.
- I do not believe that Paul MacLean is a 7 WAR player but he’s definitely being paid like one. Also, does anyone else feel like his last name is missing a C? MacClean makes sense, like McClane or McCain… But MacLean feels off somehow. I think I’m declaring his last name to be cursed.
* (New) Pepe Quintana (SP)
- $58.68 Mill through 2060.
- $15.67 Mill team option in 2061 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- You hate to see a guy get injured in spring training, but it doesn’t change the fact that this contract was the right move. A cheap, easily tradable deal for a star pitcher is always the right decision.
Philadelphia Phillies
***** (No change) Dan Turner (LF)
- $167 Mill through 2060.
- Promised Role: Starting Lineup.
- NO TRADE CLAUSE.
- I promised full red alert until he bats over .250 and I’m holding myself to that vow. So, RED ALERT! It’s hard to complain about a 51 HR season, and yet, I have somehow found a way!
**** (No change) Octavio Macias (2B)
- $30 Mill through 2057.
- $30 Mill player option in 2058
- It’s nice to see a few more walks from Macias. That being said, it’s definitely time to fire the hitting coach in Philly, right? I really don’t see any reason why both Macias and Turner should be hitting .230.
*** (No change) Henry Alexander (SP)
- $160 Mill through 2062.
- $28.07 Mill team option in 2063 with a $8.6 Mill buyout.
- Look. I tried to figure out if there was a pattern which differentiated his good years from his bad ones. I looked at all the pitching stats. Even the crazy ones like rWAR that I don’t understand. And I can categorically say I have no idea what he does differently during bad seasons. Every so often he just goes full dumpster fire. I can’t explain it.
Pittsburgh Pirates
I’m sure Pittsburgh loves Dave Peterson, but I don’t think the Pirates are going to miss his contract much at all.
San Diego Padres
**** (+1 star) Taro Takahashi (2B)
- $76 Mill through 2060.
- $19 Mill player option in 2061.
- Another year, another defensive abomination from Takahashi. Part of me almost hopes he’s doing this on purpose to see how badly he has to field before folks stop caring that he hits over .300 on the regular. Like, is this is all some Kaufmanesque performance art?
** (-1 star) Kata Okada (DH)
- $80 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.
- There we go. Kata’s back to batting like he normally does. I got a little worried there for a second.
** (+1 star) Manny Sanchez (SP)
- $80 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.
- Last year’s injuries might have taken a toll on his ratings. I think we might have seen the last of the grand productive days. And Sanchez is a little pricey for an innings eater.
* (No change) Jim King (SP)
- $30 Mill through 2057.
- Player opt out after 2057.
- $60 Mill through 2059.
- $30 Mill player option in 2060.
- You know what? If I’m Jim King, I opt out at the end of the season. Even at 34 I think he makes more in free agency than the 90 Million he’s currently signed up for. It’s fun gambling with the lives of others! I should try this more often!
San Francisco Giants
**** (+2 stars) Pedro Perez (SP)
- $39 Mill through 2059.
- $12 Mill team option in 2060 with a $4.5 Mill buyout.
- $12 Mill team option in 2061 with a $4.5 Mill buyout.
- Uh oh. This went south fast. He hasn’t been injured, so my guess is that ratings regression just caused him to lose the competition for 5th starter last year. He’s not expensive enough to be a real problem, but you still hate to see it.
* (No change) Alfonso Salgado (3B)
- $135.8 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.
- Nope. Still not emotionally mature enough to talk about Salgado without weeping openly that he could have played for my team. Maybe next year!
* (No change) Jake Moore (SP)
- $60 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.
- We’re at the semi-interesting, statistical fact portion of the Albatross List, where I try to use numerical misdirection to keep you from noticing that I no longer have anything worthwhile to say. Jake Moore has never given up more than one HR/9 in each of his 4 seasons. There. Did it distract you? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
St. Louis Cardinals
No. I thought about it a while and I can’t justify making Jimmy Miller an Albatross. It’s just not an expensive enough contract.
Washington Nationals
**** (+1 star) Alonso Bravo (SP)
- $32 Mill through 2059.
- Yeah. Giving up a league leading 45 home runs is exactly the kind of thing I have been anticipating from Bravo. I’m honestly amazed it didn’t happen sooner.
*** (+2 star) Julian Robles (SP)
- $84 Mill through 2059.
- Wow! His changeup just disappeared. Seriously, it went being a top pitch to barely viable in a little under 2 years. This is really concerning, because now he has a profile that fits a reliever much more than it does an ace starter.
** (New) Gerald Callahan (RF)
- $71.352 Mill paid by the Reds through 2059.
- $47.568 Mill paid by the Nationals through 2059.
- $1.5 Mill MVP award bonus.
- His batting average began to decline ever since he signed to Cincinnati. Maybe a change of scenery will help him reboot. Anyway, with the Reds footing this much of the bill it’s a flier worth taking. If you skipped down here from the Reds section, I hope it was worth it. Now you've ruined the surprise ending! For shame. For shame.