2060 NL Albatross List
Aug 16, 2021 9:21:56 GMT -5
Rich - Former GM, Sean_RedsGM, and 2 more like this
Post by MetDaMeats on Aug 16, 2021 9:21:56 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
*** (New) Eli Hickman (RF)
** (New) Tyler Lumby (LF)
Atlanta Braves
***** (+1 star) Anibal Gabriel (SP)
**** (+1 star) Johnny Smith (DH/2B)
*** (New) Mark Burns (SP)
Carolina Warhounds
*** (No change) Kong Kuang (RF)
* (No change) Miguel Angel Andrade (LF)
Chicago Cubs
Look. The team budget is about $50 million this year, and more than half of that is going to a guy playing in Philadelphia. No albatrosses!
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are a young team. And a poor team. They’re the dragging discarded furniture from the street up to your 6th floor walkup apartment, kind of poor. Not that I’d have any experience with that…
Los Angeles Dodgers
*** (No change) Alfredo Pereira (SS)
*** (New) Jack MacGruder (LF)
Miami Marlins
The Marlins have shed every big contract from their books. But hey Miami fans, don’t look so glum! The corpse of Hisamitsu Kanegawa’s going to be your DH!
Milwaukee Brewers
*** (New) Walt Perez (SP)
* (No change) Jaime Mejia (DH)
* (No change) Kenny Ibarra (SP)
* (New) Raul Ferrer (2B)
Montreal Expos
** (New) Jimmy Green (3B)
New York Mets
*** (-1 star) Paul MacLean (3B)
Philadelphia Phillies
***** (No change) Henry Alexander (RP)
**** (New) Bo Moore (SP)
** (New) Franciso Rivera (SP)
Pittsburgh Pirates
**** (No change) Jorge Gonzalez (3B)
*** (No change) Bruce Boyer (2B)
*** (New) Eric Byford (3B)
San Diego Padres
*** (+2 stars) Lorenzo Hernandez (C)
*** (-1 star) Taro Takahashi (2B)
San Francisco Giants
***** (+2 stars) Bill White (LF)
** (+1 star) Alfonso Salgado (3B)
St. Louis Cardinals
The air is crisp, the sun is shining and there’s not an Albatross the be seen for miles! Admittedly, St. Louis is thoroughly landlocked.
Washington Nationals
*** (New) Gerald Callahan (OF)
* (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) Eli Hickman (RF)
- $58 Mill through 2061.
- $26 Mill player option in 2062.
- $32 Mill team option in 2063 with a $8 Mill buyout.
- Promised Role: Starting Lineup.
- Somehow, out under the California sun, Eli Hickman he became a legitimate star. So, I can’t blame Arizona for trading to get him back. But there are signs that he’s reverting to his previous statistical self and now he’s being paid like a California superstar… The man went Hollywood.
** (New) Tyler Lumby (LF)
- $89.92 Mill through 2064.
- $25.32 Mill player option in 2065.
- The kid is fast, sure with the glove, and came in 3rd in HRs last year. Also, in the tradition of Sifaks Ben Hassi, he’s a hurtful Rule V theft. To be fair, he didn’t look like he’d be this good when Seattle let him get swiped.
Atlanta Braves
***** (+1 star) Anibal Gabriel (SP)
- $58.47 Mill through 2062.
- It’s unfortunate, but he barely played last year. Middle relief with the occasional spot start is not the kind of work you want from a man making his kind of money. That being said, I’m not sure if the Braves have a lot of other rotation options. Maybe he starts this year?
**** (+1 star) Johnny Smith (DH/2B)
- $15 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $30 Mill through 2062.
- Johnny Smith would be a solid second baseman. But his poor glovework makes him a liability in the infield. The problem is, with a low power batting profile like his, he doesn’t earn much WAR unless he OBPs .400. He’s done it before, but last year he didn’t even come close.
*** (New) Mark Burns (SP)
- $104 Mill through 2064.
- Player opt out after 2064.
- $18 Mill through 2065.
- $18 Mill player option in 2066.
- Promised role: Starting pitcher.
- I understand the contract size. This is about what it would cost to grab a guy like Mark Burns in free agency. What I don’t like is the contract length. Pitchers in their 30s are way too variable to lock down without some flexibility in the form of team options. Also, he makes me think of Starburns.
Carolina Warhounds
*** (No change) Kong Kuang (RF)
- $14 Mill through 2060.
- Player opt out after 2060.
- $13 Mill through 2061.
- $13 Mill vesting option in 2062 after 140 games.
- Kuang is a mystery to me. He is just slightly above average in nearly every aspect of his game. But he has absolutely no skills that jump out at me. Even his speed is tempered by being caught stealing nearly a dozen times. He’s a true jack of all trades and master of none.
* (No change) Miguel Angel Andrade (LF)
- $64 Mill through 2063.
- Player opt out after 2063.
- $40 Mill through 2065.
- I don’t really have anything to say about Andrade. So let’s talk about Edgar Salazar instead! MAN! What a poorly timed opt out! He left nearly 60 Million in Warhound cash on the table and is unlikely to make a professional squad this year. I think he severely overestimated the market for defensive outfielders that are frequently tormented by nasty injury issues.
Chicago Cubs
Look. The team budget is about $50 million this year, and more than half of that is going to a guy playing in Philadelphia. No albatrosses!
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are a young team. And a poor team. They’re the dragging discarded furniture from the street up to your 6th floor walkup apartment, kind of poor. Not that I’d have any experience with that…
Los Angeles Dodgers
*** (No change) Alfredo Pereira (SS)
- $58.94 Mill through 2061.
- Player opt out after 2061.
- $88.41 Mill through 2064.
- I love what he does at $15 Million. I like it at $20 Million. I’m disappointed by it at $25 Million. And I black out a little when I consider him earning $30 Million. That being said, I was step away from trading for him this offseason.
*** (New) Jack MacGruder (LF)
- $48.27 Mill through 2062.
- Yeesh. Poor old Jack Mac. He signs with the Dodgers and then has the absolutely worst full season performance of his entire career. Do you think… Do you think that maybe the Padres put some kind of curse on him? Oh man. Those SoCal curses are the worst. And they often involve kale juice cleanses.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins have shed every big contract from their books. But hey Miami fans, don’t look so glum! The corpse of Hisamitsu Kanegawa’s going to be your DH!
Milwaukee Brewers
*** (New) Walt Perez (SP)
- $120 Mill through 2063.
- $24 Mill team option in 2064 with an $8 Mill buyout.
- $24 Mill team option in 2065 with an $8 Mill buyout.
- Yipe! That is a hefty contract for a typically frugal Milwaukee team. It’s true what they say. Winning a second world series really changes a man. I miss those scrappy underdog Brewers who didn’t have two pennies to rub together! Those were the days!
* (No change) Jaime Mejia (DH)
- $71 Mill through 2062.
- Mejia has to DH for his health. But man, is it ever a shame to watch a guy with such great fielding abilities just let that skill slowly atrophy. There’s not really another choice here, it just bears mentioning.
* (No change) Kenny Ibarra (SP)
- $39.44 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.
- Oh wow. I don’t think I’d noticed how skimpy those team options are at the end of this contract were. In 2063 he’ll be the best bargain in baseball.
* (New) Raul Ferrer (2B)
- $80 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.
- Ferrer went NUTS last year. He lead the NL in total bases, RBIs, runs, extra base hits, batting average, OBP, slugging, runs created, and WAR! Almost an unfathomably good performance.
Montreal Expos
** (New) Jimmy Green (3B)
- $18.5 Mill through 2061.
- Player opt out after 2061.
- $21 Mill through 2063.
- I have absolutely no thoughts on Jimmy Green as a player. I just thought it’d been way too long since the Expos had an albatross to call their own. Consider this my gift to the city of Montreal, and the province of Québec.
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.
- If I’m Paul MacLean, I take those sweet sweet NY dollars and never look back. If he costs himself $75 million by opting out… That would be tough to take.
Philadelphia Phillies
***** (No change) Henry Alexander (RP)
- $72.8 Mill through 2062.
- $28.07 Mill team option in 2063 with a $8.6 Mill buyout.
- On the plus side, he is a genuinely good reliever. But no reliever should ever get $28 Million dollars unless their pitching causes some form of hypnosis in opposing batters. It would be fun if Henry could suddenly induce the entire Pittsburgh bench to start clucking like chickens. Or put salt in their eyes...
**** (New) Bo Moore (SP)
- $184.2 Mill through 2064.
- Now that Dan Turner’s contract is over, the city of Philadelphia can finally relax, firm in the knowledge that there will never be another $50 Million dollar contract on the books… HOLY CRAP! I… I think I need to lay down for a little while.
** (New) Franciso Rivera (SP)
- $48.8 Mill through 2062.
- Player opt out after 2062.
- $112 Mill through 2066.
- $43 Mill player option in 2067.
- Rivera’s the only starting pitcher in the PBL with a maxed out Forkball. Technically, the Rays could force their closer, Bruce Ford, to start games just to spite me. But that’s a long way to go to hurt my feelings.
Pittsburgh Pirates
**** (No change) Jorge Gonzalez (3B)
- $54 Mill through 2062.
- $18 Mill team option in 2063 with a $4.5 Mill buyout.
- I legitimately don’t understand what’s going on with Gonzalez. It’s so hard to find decent third baseman these days that he should be producing 2 to 3 WAR just by showing up to the ballpark. And yet, he finds a way to hit so poorly that his defensive advantages are all but neutralized. It’s demoralizing I tells ya!
*** (No change) Bruce Boyer (2B)
- $58.44 Mill through 2062.
- $19.48 Mill vesting option in 2063 after 450 PAs.
- As his average slowly creeps downward I worry about him more and more. You see, there is an inverse relationship between my worry and his batting average. Look, why don’t I just show you some graphs. I have a whole powerpoint presentation ready to go...
*** (New) Eric Byford (3B)
- $43.79 Mill through 2061.
- $22.8 Mill team option in 2062 with a $6 Mill buyout.
- I loved having Byford on my team until I realized he couldn’t field third base anymore. But I was happy to see he found a landing spot with a new Squad as a DH… Until he immediately tore his meniscus and went down for 3 months. That is rough for everyone involved.
San Diego Padres
*** (+2 stars) Lorenzo Hernandez (C)
- $41.6 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.
- It’s hard to tell if Hernandez had a single off year in 2059, or if his age is starting to catch up with him. His skill is hitting for average. Pure an simple. There aren't a lot of other catchers who can do that these days. But if he becomes a .230 hitter then he’s lost the best part of his game.
*** (-1 star) Taro Takahashi (2B)
- $19 Mill through 2060.
- $19 Mill player option in 2061.
- I pray the Padres don’t give him a huge extension. Not because he isn’t worth it. I just haven’t been able to think of anything to say about him for the past 3 seasons. Keep him off the Albatross list! For my sake!
San Francisco Giants
***** (+2 stars) Bill White (LF)
- $30 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.
- Uh, I’m beginning to think Millwaukee played a dirty trick on the Giants and traded them a Bill White-shaped sack of potatoes instead of the actual player. Seriously! What’s happened to this guy?
** (+1 star) Alfonso Salgado (3B)
- $79.1 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.
- Admittedly, it’s not a tragedy of Bill White proportions, but Salgado seems to have lost a little something off his game. I’m not entirely convinced he won’t return to form, but I’m beginning to become concerned.
St. Louis Cardinals
The air is crisp, the sun is shining and there’s not an Albatross the be seen for miles! Admittedly, St. Louis is thoroughly landlocked.
Washington Nationals
*** (New) Gerald Callahan (OF)
- $60 Mill through 2062.
- $1 Mill MVP Award Bonus.
- I don’t really have any issues with the Nats re-signing old man Callahan. Except that he sounds like the kind of guy who would chase after children for playing around on his lawn. And then, he’d like, trip or something and he’d fall over and his walker would go flying and he’d break a hip, and, like, need to use his life alert bracelet! At least, that’s how I imagine things would go.
* (No change) Aureliano Cervantes (SS)
- $105 Mill through 2064.
- $21 Mill team option in 2065 with a $5.75 Mill buyout.
- $2 Mill MVP award bonus.
- It’s tricky to calculate whether I’d rather have Cervantes on my team of Jotaro Inagaki. Inagki’s bat is slightly better, but he’s older and a little worse with his glove… Yeah. I think I’d pick Cervantes, by a nose. It’s really close, though.
* (No change) Jose Varquez (3B)
- $159 Mill through 2065.
- Every year I reach the end of the Albatross list. I’m tired. I’m grumpy. And then I have to think up something snappy to write about one of the National’s perfect superstar players. WELL, I’M NOT GOING TO DO IT! I refuse to participate. I’m out! It’s nap time! Good day, sir!