2058 NL Albatross List
Mar 1, 2021 9:27:56 GMT -5
AstrosGM_Shane, Rich - Former GM, and 6 more like this
Post by MetDaMeats on Mar 1, 2021 9:27:56 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
I’m making the executive decision that retaining Steve Mathis’s salary doesn’t count as an Albatross. EXECUTIVE POWER IS MINE AND MINE ALONE!
Atlanta Braves
*** (New) Anibal Gabriel (SP)
*** (No change) Carlos Gutierrez (SP)
*** (New) Dave Flynn (3B)
*** (No change) Johnny Smith (2B)
*** (No change) Oliver de Kok (CF/RF)
** (No change) Dave Jamison (3B)
Carolina Warhounds
**** (New) Edgar Salazar (CF)
*** (No change) Kong Kuang (RF)
** (No change) Hal Young (SP)
Chicago Cubs
*** (No change) Masaaki Fujimoto (SP)
** (No change) Juan Silva (CF)
Cincinnati Reds
Cincy has gone from one of the biggest spenders in the league with a payroll of $230 Mill in 2054 to a team with a $47 Mill payroll. That’s some severe belt tightening, right there.
Los Angeles Dodgers
*** (No change) Steve Byrd (SP)
Miami Marlins
** (New) Al O’Brien (RF)
** (New) Berhanu Pnyango (SP)
** (No change) Jorge Fuentes (CF)
** (+1 star) Wen Zhui (SP)
Milwaukee Brewers
** (New) Jaime Mejia (OF)
* (New) Kenny Ibarra (SP)
* (New) Walt Perez (SP)
Montreal Expos
No albatrosses at all in Canada this year. Maybe it’s climate change?
New York Mets
*** (New) Paul MacLean (3B)
** (New) Mike Aitkenhead (RF)
* (No change) Pepe Quintana (SP)
Philadelphia Phillies
***** (No change) Dan Turner (LF)
**** (+1 star) Henry Alexander (SP)
Pittsburgh Pirates
*** (New) Bruce Boyer (2B)
*** (New) Jorge Gonzalez (3B)
*** (New) Tony Guerra (SP)
San Diego Padres
**** (No change) Taro Takahashi (2B)
*** (+1 star) Manny Sanchez (SP)
** (No change) Kata Okada (DH)
** (New) Lorenzo Hernandez (C)
* (No change) Jim King (SP)
San Francisco Giants
* (No change) Alfonso Salgado (3B)
* (New) Bill White (LF)
* (No change) Jake Moore (SP)
St. Louis Cardinals
I don’t love the Raul Canto contract but I’m just not in the mood to make it an Albatross. Yet again, my laziness has served to benefit the great state of Missouri.
Washington Nationals
**** (+1 star) Julian Robles (SP)
** (No change) Gerald Callahan (RF)
* (New) Aureliano Cervantes (SS)
* (New) 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
I’m making the executive decision that retaining Steve Mathis’s salary doesn’t count as an Albatross. EXECUTIVE POWER IS MINE AND MINE ALONE!
Atlanta Braves
*** (New) Anibal Gabriel (SP)
- $97.45 Mill through 2062.
- Did I make him an offer in free agency? Sure! The allure of a viable starting pitcher in his mid 20s is hard to ignore. But take a look at the 5 year tenure of Tom Stephan on the A’s if you want to see why I avoid this kind of bidding war. Eventually it becomes impossible for a guy to meet the demands of his contract.
*** (No change) Carlos Gutierrez (SP)
- $26 Mill through 2059.
- $13 Mill player option in 2060.
- I’m beginning to think his seasons in Milwaukee were, if not aberrations, then the upper limit of what we can ever expect from Guti. More often he’s a competent innings eater who doesn’t embarrass you and doesn’t impress much either.
*** (New) Dave Flynn (3B)
- $32.46 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.
- Dave Flynn is an almost identical player to his teammate Dave Jamison. My best guess is that Atlanta is going to slot him in at second base. My instinct is that this batting profile is going to less successful (from a WAR perspective) when it isn’t being used at third. But that’s just a guess.
*** (No change) Johnny Smith (2B)
- $42.8 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $30 Mill through 2062.
- He hit for average and led the league in triples but I just can’t shake the feeling that this is a weird skill set for a designated hitter. Am I just a biased fool like the NBA players who couldn’t accept the underhand free throw shot? Maybe. Now I will hang my head in shame.
*** (No change) Oliver de Kok (CF/RF)
- $36 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 think we can confidently identify the type of player de Kok is these days. He’s a defensive outfielder with a solid swing against righties that requires a platoon partner. Those guys are pretty common in free agency and thus the upper-tier contract just doesn’t fit him anymore.
** (No change) Dave Jamison (3B)
- $85.727232 Mill through 2062.
- He slots in well at third. He hardly ever walks but hardly ever strikes out either. I think that’s a pretty solid tradeoff for a guy at a weak position.
Carolina Warhounds
**** (New) Edgar Salazar (CF)
- $39 Mill through 2059.
- Player opt out after 2059.
- $39 Mill through 2061.
- $19.5 Mill vesting option in 2062 after 500 PAs.
- Normally I don’t rank a new signing with this many stars because that feels judgmental. Also, full disclosure, I rarely know what I’m talking about. But this is a hefty chunk of change to shell out to a a defensive centerfielder with injury issues. Admittedly, he has some pop against righties… But it just all feels like it might result in a career ending injury. Like Roberto Serrano 2.0.
*** (No change) Kong Kuang (RF)
- $42 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $13 Mill through 2061.
- $13 Mill vesting option in 2062 after 140 games.
- Sometimes you have to take a glass-half-full attitude about things. I see him as an average outfielder with the capability to have some amazing outlier seasons, rather than as a star outfielder who often has disappointing seasons. Or… Wait. Are those equally bad? I’m confused now.
** (No change) Hal Young (SP)
- $30 Mill through 2059.
- Carolina traded two interesting pitching prospects to acquire Young. However, since both of the prospects were both fragile, I can understand taking a less risky journeyman like Hal instead of gambling on their development and continued health.
Chicago Cubs
*** (No change) Masaaki Fujimoto (SP)
- $81 Mill through 2060.
- $27 Mill team option in 2061 with a $6.75 Mill buyout.
- Of course, the year I point out that he’s never broken 4 WAR in a season, he puts up 4.6. I feel like my baseball authority is being challenged here. Well you know what? He’s never broken 4 WAR twice in a row! Let’s see him do that!
** (No change) Juan Silva (CF)
- $32 Mill through 2059.
- Strikes out a TON. But made more contact last year than he ever has in his career. I’m not overly optimistic he can repeat it, but I have to admit, he really showed me something out there. To repeat though, he strikes out a TON.
Cincinnati Reds
Cincy has gone from one of the biggest spenders in the league with a payroll of $230 Mill in 2054 to a team with a $47 Mill payroll. That’s some severe belt tightening, right there.
Los Angeles Dodgers
*** (No change) Steve Byrd (SP)
- $36 Mill through 2057.
- Spent all of last year on the DL with a torn back. When you see something like a PCL or a UCL there’s a bit of mental distance between the name and the painful event. But not for Byrd. Nope. This pore bastard just tore his back. Damn.
Miami Marlins
** (New) 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.
- O’Brien is one of those players who is becoming increasingly rare these days: An outfielder who doesn’t need a platoon partner. Is it just me, or are a significant number of players utterly anemic against either righties or lefties? The number of platoon players in the league seems to be growing rapidly.
** (New) Berhanu Pnyango (SP)
- $52 Mill through 2061.
- Player opt out after 2061.
- $13 Mill through 2062.
- This is going to be an interesting test case. Can having two perfect pitches (and two above average ones) make up for putting very little movement on the ball? My instinct is no, but I’m fascinated to find out.
** (No change) Jorge Fuentes (CF)
- $37.5 Mill through 2060.
- Seriously, though. Fuentes should be hitting between 35 and 45 homers every year. Its frustrating that he's not playing at that level yet. But then I have to remind myself that he’s only 28 and he’s got plenty of time to get into gear.
** (+1 star) Wen Zhui (SP)
- $29 Mill through 2059.
- $14.5 Mill player option in 2060.
- Had an off year in to 2057. It’s within his range of prior results, but could be a signifier that age is catching up to him… Or maybe absolutely not? I will say, he hasn’t had a really excellent season since coming to Miami.
Milwaukee Brewers
** (New) Jaime Mejia (OF)
- $115 Mill through 2062.
- A lot of people tune me out when I blather about DHing players who are wrecked. And they’re right to do so. I have no idea if the WAR you lose from not being in the field makes up for the WAR gained by avoiding injury. But Mejia is going to be an interesting test case. And I’m ALWAYS happy to gamble with Milwaukee’s money.
* (New) Kenny Ibarra (SP)
- $87.14 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.
- I love front loaded contracts on star pitchers. If the dollar amount on this contract were reversed I would probably have this ranked at a worse star rating. But even if the Brewers notice skill degradation, Ibarra will probably still be tradable even toward the end of the deal.
* (New) Walt Perez (SP)
- $30.66 Mill through 2059.
- Promised role: Starting pitcher.
- The only good thing about seeing a guy like Perez signed so very cheaply is the knowledge that eventually Milwaukee is going to have to shell out max cash or get rid of him. You might think it would be difficult to survive on sour grapes alone, but you’d be surprised how quickly you get used to having your face stuck in a permanent pucker.
Montreal Expos
No albatrosses at all in Canada this year. Maybe it’s climate change?
New York Mets
*** (New) Paul MacLean (3B)
- $74 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $50 Mill through 2062.
- $25 Mill player option in 2063.
- Let’s say I told you a player, let’s call him Paul, earned 4.4 WAR last year while making $24 Mill. Let’s say another player, call him Mac, hit .228 last year while making the same amount of money. Which player would you rather have? And if you saw through my carefully disguised riddle you may understand how confusing it is to evaluate third basemen these days. What does it even mean to get value at that position?
** (New) Mike Aitkenhead (RF)
- $58 Mill through 2059.
- $29 Mill player option in 2060.
- As an outfielder he ranges from unexceptional to outright bad. But he was undoubtably the best bat available this off season for anyone who lacked the prospect depth to pay for Jorge Salazar. Be honest now. There was a cross-town bidding war and the Mets took this opportunity to stick to the Yankees, didn’t they? I just get the feeling that’s this is how it went down.
* (No change) Pepe Quintana (SP)
- $45.01 Mill through 2060.
- $15.67 Mill team option in 2061 with a $4 Mill buyout.
- Although I won’t say he’s the best pitcher out there, he is the only one in the PBL with a perfect changeup and three other above average pitches. It’s almost enough to make me ignore his injury history. Almost.
Philadelphia Phillies
***** (No change) Dan Turner (LF)
- $131 Mill through 2060
- Promised Role: Starting Lineup.
- NO TRADE CLAUSE.
- He keeps raking. I won’t pretend the homerun power isn’t impressive. But its just not enough to deserve more than $40 million dollars a year. At half this price, he’s doing just fine. But players making stratospheric money are held to a higher standard. Perhaps even an impossible standard.
**** (+1 star) Henry Alexander (SP)
- $136 Mill through 2062.
- $28.07 Mill team option in 2063 with a $8.6 Mill buyout.
- He’s entering into the peak of his contract while he’s been playing some of the worst baseball of his career. Last year’s injury wiped out half his season. At 36 years old I don’t have a ton of hope that his health is going to improve. He’s got the potential to jumpstart his performance but time is running out.
Pittsburgh Pirates
*** (New) Bruce Boyer (2B)
- $97.4 Mill through 2062.
- $19.48 Mill vesting option in 2063 after 450 PAs.
- Last year was the first full season in his entire career where he batted under .300. All right. Technically, he was only 2 points under .300, but it still counts! This is a guy whose bread and butter is .330 and above. I think he can bounce back but when his contact starts slipping his value will drop precipitously.
*** (New) Jorge Gonzalez (3B)
- $90 Mill through 2062.
- $18 Mill team option in 2063 with a $4.5 Mill buyout.
- Isn’t it always the way? You trade for a star player, you sign him to a hefty extension, then he immediately craps the bed. Now, I’m not incredibly worried that he’s going to soil his sheets again in 2058. But I really hate seeing a third baseman put up replacement level WAR. It freaks me out. Blind men are putting up 2 WAR playing the hot corner in the PBL.
*** (New) Tony Guerra (SP)
- $57.5 Mill through 2062.
- There’s a lot to like about Tony. He’s got decent movement, three strong pitches, he’s durable, and hasn’t put up and ERA over 3 in the past 3 years. As a reliever. And that’s my big issue. I’m worried that he doesn’t have the stamina to be a true starter.
San Diego Padres
**** (No change) Taro Takahashi (2B)
- $57 Mill through 2060.
- $19 Mill player option in 2061.
- Hey! He was only very bad at second base last year! Normally he’s so abysmal at the position that declaring him very bad is a true triumph. Taro Takahashi, we who are not good at things (but do them anyway despite the protests of those who know better) salute you! Your membership to our club is in the mail.
*** (+1 star) Manny Sanchez (SP)
- $60 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.
- This isn’t an all hands on deck emergency, just yet. He’s still got a little bit of that old craftiness that won him 4 Cy Youngs. But it looks like he’s coming to the end of the line. I almost engaged in a metaphor about horses and glue factories, but no. That’s way to morbid. Anyway, if you have to boil pitchers down into a viscous substance it probably should be pine tar.
** (No change) Kata Okada (DH)
- $60 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.
- Okada has rediscovered his swing and there was much rejoicing from Escondido all the way to the Salton Sea! Seriously though, have you ever had a year where your DH puts up bad numbers? It’s extra crippling somehow since hitting is the only thing they're there to do.
** (New) Lorenzo Hernandez (C)
- $83.2 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.
- Lorenzo Hernandez wasn’t always one of the top 4 catchers in the league. In fact, he used to be a little middle of the pack, though intriguing due to his middle infielder batting profile. But guess what? Catcher attrition has made him one of the top backstops and now he’s gonna get paid like it.
* (No change) Jim King (SP)
- $60 Mill through 2059.
- $30 Mill player option in 2060.
- King did not opt out, and now he’s going to have to settle for the shameful degradation of receiving $90 million dollars. Like a chump. How does he even get out of his rocket-powered bed in the morning and look at himself in his solid gold mirror?
San Francisco Giants
* (No change) Alfonso Salgado (3B)
- $117.1 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.
- Under personality, the game says “He’s the type of player that you’d be happy to have as the face of your franchise.” This is OOTP’s way of trying to make me feel bad. And it’s working.
* (New) Bill White (LF)
- $57.76 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.
- The lesser advertised of the two big bats who were unceremoniously shipped out of Milwaukee. He should never have revealed in his tell-all memoir that he doesn’t care for bratwurst. The management could never forgive such an affront.
* (No change) Jake Moore (SP)
- $45 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’s fine but what’s really interesting is that the Giants are currently paying $39 Million dollars (in three easy installments) to Pedro Perez for him to pitch minor league ball for Philadelphia. I’m not criticizing. Sometimes you have to cut your losses. I just like the idea of Perez being the only minor leaguer in Reading, PA that lives in a mansion and drive a Bentley.
St. Louis Cardinals
I don’t love the Raul Canto contract but I’m just not in the mood to make it an Albatross. Yet again, my laziness has served to benefit the great state of Missouri.
Washington Nationals
**** (+1 star) Julian Robles (SP)
- $56 Mill through 2059.
- And just like that, he’s the most expensive closer in the league. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think he’ll be great at it. But man, that’s the heftiest chunk of change I’ve ever seen a reliever get. Even if it wasn't intentional on the part of the Nationals.
** (No change) Gerald Callahan (RF)
- $47.568 Mill paid by the Reds through 2059.
- $31.712 Mill paid by the Nationals through 2059.
- $1.5 Mill MVP award bonus.
- Yup. Just as I thought. The breeze wafting over the swampy Potomac has filled Callahan’s lungs with the energy he needed to revitalize his game. Imagine how good he’s be if he’d moved to Miami just downwind of the Everglades? He’d be like a god…
* (New) Aureliano Cervantes (SS)
- $139 Mill through 2064.
- $21 Mill team option in 2065 with a $5.75 Mill buyout.
- $2 Mill MVP award bonus.
- Raymond Page enters his the final year of his contract. Who could possibly fill the void left by such a tremendous player if he retires in his 42nd year? Oh, what’s that? The Nats have 2 more budding superstars that have come out of nowhere? Well, isn’t that just peachy.
* (New) Jose Varquez (3B)
- $194 Mill through 2065.
- I am apoplectic with rage that the Nats just seemed to produce the best young third baseman in the league out of thin air. So instead I’d like to talk about Chris Allen. I see you giving him that $1.2 Mill pity contract. But you know what? When Duane Hansen fades away, I’m going to do the exact same thing. I’m not letting him play anywhere other than Colorado. So three cheers to Chris Allen! A National, born and bred! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!