While it can be exciting, the off-season is a tough time for fans of Major League Baseball. It can certainly be a long winter without the game, but rumors and costless agent news will certainly keep the hot stove going. The anticipation and lack of knowledge in the off-season is almost as exciting as the season itself. To further explain the details behind this years costless agents some of the MLB staff at VAVEL USA have banded together to bring you up to speed with the 2014 costless agent class. Week by week, the team will publish a new piece details the top available players at each position:
Missy Metz
Mike Carp:
Age 29
2014 Team(s): Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers
2014 Stats: 59 games, 0 home runs, 13 RBI, .175 avg.
Analysis: Mike Carp didn't quite work out how the Boston Red Sox would have wanted it to. They expected him to be a guy that they could rely on. Mike Carp was the opposite. He was a disappointment in 2014. The Boston Red Sox released him then the Texas Rangers picked him up. They were in desperate need of a first baseman. He just wasn't a factor like he was in 2014.
Prediction: The Texas Rangers will resign him. The Rangers are in need of somebody who can play the infield off the bench. Carp can also play the outfield too. The Rangers resign him to come off the bench defensively or as a pinch hitter. He could even start if they needed him too.
Liam McMahon
Billy Butler
Age: 28
2014 Team(s): Kansas City Royals
2014 Stats: 603 PA, .271 BA, 9 HR, 66 RBI, .323 OBP, .702 OPS, -0.3 WAR
Analysis: The Kansas City Royals have announced they have declined Billy Butler’s $8
Million option, and it’s no great surprise. He has played almost exclusively as a Designated Hitter since 2010, but his numbers dropped last season. Butler had a career year in 2012, batting .313 with 29 HR, 107 RBI and a WAR of 3.1. However, in 2013 his numbers dropped to a batting average of .289, 15 HR, 82 RBI and a WAR of 2.2 before they dropped further last season. While certainly still a decent option, Butler does not seem like the long-term franchise player Kansas City once thought he could be. While still a fan favorite, it seems a smart business decision to let him go.
Prediction: Seattle Mariners. Although the Mariners were a much improved team last season, the place where they really struggled most was at designated hitter. Corey Hart batted only .203 with 6 HR and 21 RBI last season, and Butler would represent a clear upgrade.
Daric Barton:
Age: 29
2014 Team(s): Oakland Athletics
2014 Stats: 60 PA, .158 BA, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .234 OBP, .410 OPS, 0.0 WAR
Analysis: Barton has been a bit part player since 2010, and even then he only hit for an average of .273, 10 HR and 57 RBI. Since then, he has really struggled with injuries and slumping. He was designated for assignment early this season, and really doesn’t seem like a tempting or exciting pick-up for any team. If he is picked up by any team, expect that it will be a cellar-dweller who is looking for a veteran presence.
Prediction: When looking at bad teams he may sign for, I’m tempted to just pick the Arizona Diamondbacks given that they were the worst team in baseball last season. However, given that Paul Goldschmidt was their sole really good player I don’t see them looking to bring in another first baseman. Therefore we turn our eyes to the Texas Rangers. The second worst team in the bigs last season, and last season they operated a first baseman by committee, starting three players more than 40 times. They could use a veteran presence, and if Barton is to go anywhere, this is a decent bet.
Raymond Bureau
Adam LaRoche:
Age: 35
2014 Team(s): Washington Nationals
2014 Stats: 586 PA, 26 HR, 92 RBI, .259 BA, .362 OBP, .817 OPS, 2.2 WAR
Analysis: After four years with the Washington Nationals, LaRoche had his $15-million mutual option declined, making him a costless agent. Do not feel too sorry for him, though, as the team paid him a $2-million buyout, and he is sure to find a new team after a very productive 2014 season. He also had a .993 fielding percentage, committing only seven errors in 136 games at first base. He was very consistent for the past three years, averaging .256/.346/.458, 26 HR, 85 RBI, .804 OPS, and 2.4 WAR.
LaRoche may not get a long-term deal, but a two-year contract makes perfect sense. He provides power that his position normally commands, and he is a top-notch defender. His biggest negative is the strikeout, but he cut that total down to 108 this past season, and his overall production more than makes up for it.
LaRoche has career totals of .264/.340/.472, 243 HR, and 838 RBI for five different teams. He won the National League Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in 2012 with the Nationals, but, surprisingly, he has never made an All-Star team.
Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers desperately need a first baseman, getting only 56 RBI from three different players in that position in 2014. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Brewers beat writer Todd Rosiak said on October 1 that the Brewers will likely “pull out all the stops” to find a steady first baseman and that LaRoche “may be the guy” they seek. La Roche may not get the $15 million for 2015 that his option would have paid, but spreading that salary over two years is very possible.
Bryan Schwartz
Mark Reynolds:
Age: 31
2014 Team(s): Milwaukee Brewers
2014 Stats: 433 PA, .196 BA, .287 OBP, .394 SLG, 22 HR, 45 RBI, 47 R, 122 SO, 0.7 WAR
Analysis: After a down 2013, Mark Reynolds had an even worse 2014 campaign. The righty slugger did hit 22 home runs in Milwaukee, though struck out 122 times in only 433 plate appearances. That has been the downfall with Reynolds throughout his entire career. The slugger always has impressive power numbers, but seems to strike out almost all the time. Reynolds lead the National League in strikeouts four years in a row (2008-11). As of right now, Reynolds is not an everyday player anymore with his low batting average and high strikeout numbers. Fortunately for him, he should be able to land a deal as a platoon first baseman, or designated hitter.
Mark Reynolds, now entering his ninth major league season, will be an intriguing fit for multiple teams as a platoon bat or designated hitter. Reynolds can play first, third and hit for power which will land him a one year deal with a team looking for a right handed compliment to a big left handed hitter.
Prediction: 1 year, $6 million deal with the San Francisco Giants
Reynolds is the perfect fit for the defending-World Champions as a compliment to Giants’ first baseman Brandon Belt. With Michael Morse expected to leave in costless agency, the Giants will have a void in their power department and bench. Reynolds has the power that they will miss without Morse, and can play first against the tough lefties (for Brandon Belt). He can also be signed as insurance at third base if San Francisco fails to resign Pablo Sandoval.
Ricky Salvatore
Corey Hart
Age: 30
2014 Team(s): Seattle Mariners
2014 Stats: .203 BA, .271 OBP, .319 SLG, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 255 PA, -0.5 WAR
Analysis: Corey Hart had a sub-par season in 2014. In fact, it was his worst season in which he played at last 25 games. He was injured for 94 games, whether it be a bruised knee, hamstring strain, or sore forearm. However, don’t let his 2014 statistics dissuade you about how good of a player he is. In 2012 (he did not play in the MLB in 2013), Hart had an OPS of .841 with 30 home runs and 83 RBI, both the best of his career aside from 2010. He also played 149 games in 2012, which he is most certainly capable of doing in 2015.
While Hart’s WAR was -0.5, it was the first time it dropped below zero since 2006. His WAR has never been below zero in seasons that he played at least 90 games. If Hart manages to play 90 games for whatever club he is with in 2015, statistics say he will be a valuable asset. In the seasons that he has played at least 90 games (2007-2012), Hart has hit a total 116 home runs, or 23.2 on average.
Prediction: Corey Hart will be a valuable veteran member of whatever team signs him this offseason. If he remains healthy, the Hart of the order will greatly improve.
Colton Swanson
Lyle Overbay
Age: 37
2014 Team(s): Milwaukee Brewers
2014 Stats: .233 AVG, .347 OBP, .429 SLG, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 258 PA, -0.3 WAR
Analysis: The Brew Crew has been looking for an answer at first base ever since Prince Fielder left a few years back. They thought maybe, just maybe, Lyle Overbay could be the answer. Overbay underachieved in 2014, hitting only 4 homeruns. For a player that averaged about 15 homeruns a year, 4 was not the number the Brewers were looking for. A player with a career .266 average was also not what the Brewers received in 2014. Overbay certainly was not the answer for the Brewers.
Prediction: Milwaukee Brewers. While Overbay did not perform the way the Brewers could have hoped, he would at least still be considered a good veteran presence. Sure, he’s not the player he used to be, but he could very well handle starting at first base and post decent numbers. Do not rule out retirement as well.