Over the next two weeks, I’ll examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams in the AL East, on a position-by-position basis.
The players at each position will be ranked in relation to their peers within the division, with each team being assigned points based on where their player ranks in comparison to the other players.
Today, the series continues with a look at the first basemen.
If there’s one time of the sports year that everyone watches like a hawk, it’s MLB free agency. From November until late January (sometimes longer), fans lose sleep over which teams top free agent players will sign with.
Some of these decisions pay great dividends, like C.C. Sabathia when he signed with the New York Yankees. Other times, players regret locking themselves into long-term deals, like when Adrian Beltre signed with the Mariners.
Thus, let’s take a look at this past season’s free agency class. Specifically, the players that picked the wrong teams.
The then Tampa Bay Devil Rays were building something special in the outfield.
In consecutive seasons, the Devil Rays had drafted their entire future outfield. Starting in 1999, they selected outfielder Josh Hamilton No. 1 overall. Hamilton was considered a once-in-a-lifetime player, often being mentioned under the same breath as Mickey Mantle. He was a five-tool baseball player and was the first high school player to go No. 1 overall since Alex Rodriguez five years earlier.
Their second-round pick in 1999 was outfielder Carl Crawford. Crawford was going to play left field and lead off in the future for the Devil Rays.
By 2000, the Devil Rays had completed their future stud outfield with the selection of Rocco Baldelli. The sixth overall, first-round pick was to play center field alongside Crawford and Hamilton and help anchor a Tampa Bay team that looked a few years away from contending with the New York Yankees.
They had the farm system, the talent and the time to devolve their young team lead by their outfield.
By 2002, Hamilton had made it as far as Double-A ball before his drug use and injuries derailed his Devil Rays career. By 2006, Hamilton was no longer with the Rays. Picked up by the Cubs in the Rule-5 draft, Hamilton was immediately traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Eight years after being drafted first overall, Hamilton made his pro debut with the Reds.
Crawford spent three seasons in the minor leagues before making his pro debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2002 where for the next nine seasons, anchored the Rays as their lead-off hitter. Five times in those eight full seasons, Crawford stole more than 50 bases. This offseason, Crawford left Tampa to sign with another AL East division rival, the Boston Red Sox.
And then there is Rocco Baldelli, the missing piece to the Devil Rays future outfield. He was supposed to anchor center field and be mentioned as one of the greatest to ever play. One scout back in 2003 even went as far as to call Baldelli “Joe’s twin,” in reference to Joe DiMaggio.
Baldelli made his pro debut in 2003, where he batted .289 with 11 home runs and 78 RBIs in 156 games and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, Baldelli again put up similar numbers, despite playing in 20 less games.
Baldelli missed the entire 2005 season after tearing his ACL in a pickup basketball game. The injury was followed by a second injury, this time to his elbow, which required Tommy John surgery. Baldelli returned to play during the 2006 season, but couldn’t escape the injury bug.
Hamstring issues forced Baldelli in and out of the lineup in 2007 and over the next two seasons, Baldelli managed to play in just 63 total games. Badelli was, however, left on the Rays playoff roster where he homered and drove in four runs in the ALCS playoffs against the Boston Red Sox. In the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Badelli homered in Game 5, his only hit of the series.
During the offseason, Baldelli was found to have been suffering from a mitochondrial disorder, which may have resulted in muscle fatigue.
By 2009, Baldelli’s career with Tampa was over after signing a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox. Injuries once again forced Baldelli in and out of the lineup, and after the season, Baldelli was let go.
Baldelli re-signed with the Rays in 2010, appearing in 10 total games before being sidelined with injuries. In his first at bat with the Rays since he left, Badelli blasted a two-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles. It was his last home run in the major leagues.
On Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011, Rocco Baldelli called it a career, retiring at the ripe old age of 29 years old, his career cut short by injuries. Baldelli won’t play another game, but he isn’t leaving baseball for good either, accepting a job with the Rays as a special assistant to baseball operations.
Rocco Baldelli had a promising career and so did the Tampa Bay Rays outfield, which earlier this week signed aging stars Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. The thought of signing a 37- and 38-year-old to compete in the Rays outfield was never considered back in 2000.
The trio of Baldelli, Crawford and Hamilton never played a single major league game together and sadly, never will. The sixth overall pick in the 2000 draft was set to anchor center field for Tampa for many years, but instead, had his career cut short due to injuries.
Here’s to you, Rocco. So long, we hardly knew ya.
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Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon are going to be reunited as members of the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays. The former Boston Red Sox stars are aging, yet will be called on to be productive for the 2010 AL East champion Rays, who will take on a new look.
Gone from the roster are plenty of fan favorites. Tropicana Field’s seats will probably still be filled with Carl Crawford, Matt Garza, Carlos Pena, Rocco Baldelli, Jason Bartlett and Carlos Pena jerseys. However, none of those players will be wearing a Rays uniform.
Here is a look at how I see the Rays’ starting lineup on Opening Day.
It may seem odd that an organization loaded with two of baseball’s top under-25 superstars, a young but effective starting rotation, an everyday lineup capable of wearing down opposing pitchers while playing stellar defense and a minor league system teeming with elite prospects would receive so little positive press during the offseason.
Due to free agency losses of stars Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena and two elite bullpen arms in Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano, along with the trades of popular starting pitcher Matt Garza and defensive wiz Jason Bartlett, this is the exact position Tampa Bay Rays general manager Andrew Friedman has found his club heading into the 2011 season.
Surely only an idiot could believe the Rays have a chance to compete in the AL East, what with their payroll about one-tenth of the combined salaries of their rivals, the Yankees and Red Sox.
The Rays lost a lot of talent this offseason, but Friedman, the former investment banker, is a genius when it comes to acquiring assets on the cheap and shoring up holes in cost-effective but competitive ways.
The package signing of two of Boston’s former self-proclaimed idiots (and Scott Boras clients) Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, for a combined $7.25 million over one year, is just the latest in Friedman’s assembly line of efficient moves.
Most projections have Ramirez, who is coming off a hernia injury, valued anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 WAR next season (1.6 WAR in 2010 over 320-plus at-bats, a career worst) as a full-time DH and hopefully not a clubhouse cancer.
With a contract for only $2 million (he’s still owned $15 million in deferred payments by the Dodgers over the next three seasons) and using the base value of $4 million = one win, a healthy Manny Ramirez could be one of the best bargains/steals in baseball by the end of the season.
Johnny Damon is perceived to be a much safer bet, but to have a much lower upside than Ramirez. His contract will pay him $5.25 million during the season, which is also a bargain at his projected 2.0 WAR (1.9 in 2010, second worst season of career).
Additionally, Damon provides manager Joe Maddon with more flexibility due to his ability to play first base and left field, though his arm/defense will prove to be a major liability in comparison to the otherworldly defensive talents of Carl Crawford.
Should either player continue to decline, their contracts will still likely break even at worst. An added plus with the one-year deals is that should the Rays find themselves lagging in the AL East come the end of July, either one or both players could provide a net gain in the form of prospects coming back via trade.
I doubt, however, that Tampa Bay will find itself lagging much at all.
The Rays’ starting rotation is above average and, as I mentioned earlier, very young. It will only continue to improve. David Price (25), Jeff Niemann (27), James Shields (29), Wade Davis (25), Andy Sonnanstine (27) and top MLB pitching prospect Jeremy Hellickson (23) need to take over the bullpen’s previous role as the backbone if this team has a chance to compete.
The lineup could be fierce, but likely not as potent as the everyday nine that the Red Sox and Yankees will send out. B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist need to bounce back after disappointing seasons, and Evan Longoria needs to assert himself as an elite power threat, not just a defender. Should anyone get hurt, the first player called up will likely be Desmond Jennings, the top outfield prospect in all of baseball.
In the bullpen, the addition of Kyle Farnsworth, who has been hated on for so long that he’s become underrated, and the return of J.P. Howell from labrum surgery should help deflect some of the negative attention surrounding the losses of Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit and Dan Wheeler.
By saving money on cheap deals for players like Damon and Ramirez, Friedman has provided himself with flexibility to add relievers and continue to strengthen the bullpen—the area that has given the Rays an advantage over most opponents since their 2008 turnaround.
With Friedman having room to add payroll, personnel flexibility for manager Joe Maddon, a stockpiled farm system and 12 picks in the first three rounds of the 2011 draft, the Tampa Bay Rays will be competitive for the foreseeable future.
For 2011, with Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon on board, the Rays will have a new attitude and a different swagger.
Go ahead, be an idiot and give the Rays a chance. I’ll bet they can’t wait to prove you right.
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Does any other MLB fan find it weird when a team goes out and buys former superstars, seemingly anticipating that putting them back together will magically bring back the spark from seven years before?
It’s happening again this year, and it’s certainly not the first time that two World Series champions have played on entirely different teams together. It’s just weird to have it happen in the AL East and for it to not be the Yankees doing the purchasing.
Today it was announced that Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon (2004 World Series Champions) will be joining the recently depleted/farmed out Tampa Bay Rays. It’s not unrealistic that Tampa Bay would sign a few players (practicality says they needed to do so after losing the talent they let walk out the door over the offseason for nothing in return), but this is not the Tampa way.
As a Red Sox fan in Minneapolis, I take a lot of guff: “They’re just like the Yankees” tends to be the weapon of choice from the loyal Twins fans up here. I don’t understand the argument, and this latest move by the Rays emphasizes the point that I attempt to make every time I am forced to defend a contender in the AL East that doesn’t have the highest payroll. If you want to contend in a competitive division, money must be spent. The difference between the Red Sox and the Yankees, is the Red Sox spend money to keep talent, whereas the Yankees spend money to acquire talent.
In order to amass the team that Theo Epstein has over the last 10 years, talent acquisition had to take place, but talent retention and development also took place. I don’t see the same technique employed by the Yankees nor the Rays. After the 2007 World Series, the Red Sox had some decisions to make – they let Alex Gonzalez walk, but they retained staples (home-grown staples) like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, etc.
Of course, not all of the talent of the 2004 and 2007 squads was drafted and developed, Manny, Papi, Curt Schilling, ‘Tek and the gang were acquired through trades and free agency – but it was a balance.
The Yankees transaction history from this offseason alone could easily take an article to chronicle, but the song remains the same in New York – the core four plus the highest paid free agents of any given year.
I thought the Rays were more like the Red Sox (develop and retain) than the Yankees (catch and release, then buy). With these signings today, coupled with the exit of solid talent such as Carl Crawford and Rafael Soriano, I begin to wonder about the managerial know-how of their front office.
I’m not complaining mind you, as a Red Sox fan, I’d love to see Tampa and the hipster doofus that is Joe Maddon fall into last place where they belong, but it is sad to see a team that took the division from the Yankees last year (with one of the smallest payrolls in the league) go from the top to the bottom.
Perhaps it is too early to speculate, but given the performance of Manny and Johnny in 2010, I think it’s safe to say the 2011 Rays can only hope for the same outcome as the Red Sox of 2004 enjoyed.
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With most of the top free agents now signed and teams starting to take shape as we approach spring training, I thought I would share my pre-pre-season perspective on the relative strengths, (and weaknesses), of all 30 major league teams.
I have broken the article down into three installments, and will publish one of the segments each day this weekend. Part I (yesterday) covered the three teams I view as the weakest in baseball… Part II (today) covers the teams in the middle of the pack… Part III (tomorrow, MLK Day) will preview the 10 best teams in baseball.
Without further ado, here is how I see things:
The Boston Red Sox effectively dominated the Winter Meetings, landing both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez.
Their lineup is loaded, and have a deep rotation looking to have a bounce-back year in 2011. The Yankees, meanwhile have stood steadfast, and have yet to make a significant move besides re-signing Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.
With the AL East’s balance of power currently shifted in Boston’s favor, the Yankees will no doubt strike back, resuming baseball’s Cold War. Here are 10 possible moves the Yankees can make to turn back the tide:
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Florida Marlins are hammering out a deal with lefty reliever Randy Choate.
The 35-year-old left-hander pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays last season and had a 4.23 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 44.2 innings. Used in smart matchup situations, he limited left-handed batters to a .202 batting average in 138 plate appearances.
Choate was labeled a Type B free agent this offseason, and he’ll net Tampa Bay a supplemental-round draft pick when he signs with the Marlins or any other team for that matter.
The Florida Marlins have changed their direction from a team who made only subtle moves in 2009. This offseason the Marlins have traded Dan Uggla to the division-rival Braves for Mike Dunn and Omar Infante, signed catcher John Buck to a three-year, $18 million contract and snatched Javier Vazquez from the pitching thin free-agent market with a one-year deal.
The Marlins attempted a three-team trade that would’ve involved dealing Ricky Nolasco and Leo Nunez in order to acquire 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke, but talks fell through.
Additionally, the club’s early moves centered around dumping their return from the Miguel Cabrera trade by dealing Cameron Maybin to the San Diego Padres for bullpen help in relievers Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb.
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It has been widely reported that the New York Yankees have engaged in talks with free agent Carl Crawford because they consider him a potential “plan B” should they fail to sign the apple of their eye, pitcher Cliff Lee.
What has not been mentioned at all, however, is the possibility that New York might also be considering the speedy outfielder as a “plan B” should Andy Pettitte decide to retire.
And why wouldn’t they?
If Crawford really is considered a backup plan in the event that Lee doesn’t sign on, why on earth wouldn’t he be just as good a backup plan—if not better—in the event that Pettitte decides to retire?—And by the way, it’s sounding more and more as if that is exactly what Andy Pettitte intends to do.
Think about it.
The thought behind Crawford serving as a “plan B” for Lee was that the Yankees would take the majority of the money set aside for the lefty ace and give it to Crawford, then use one of their current outfielders—most likely Nick Swisher or Curtis Granderson—to acquire a starting pitcher.
If Pettitte calls it a career, the Yankees are still one pitcher short of a rotation even IF they sign Lee.
However, they would be in better shape—who wouldn’t rather have Lee than Pettitte next year, given the option?
The Yankees could then deal one of their outfielders—we’re betting on Swisher—for a starting pitcher to fill in at the 4-hole behind CC Sabathia, Lee and Phil Hughes.
The money the team was ready to pay to Pettitte—at least $12 million—combined with Swisher’s 2011 salary—$9.1 million—would easily cover the salary for Crawford.
And don’t forget, Crawford is a guy the Yankees—especially Cashman—have pined over for YEARS now, and he’s EXACTLY the type of player—super athletic, fast, great defense—the Yankees GM has been targeting in the post-PED era.
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