Orioles Sign Nelson Cruz

Nelson Cruz finally has a new home after waiting all winter. The Baltimore Orioles signed the slugging outfielder to a 1 year $8 Million deal. I have mixed feelings about this deal after Cruz was suspended for 50 games for being involved with the Biogenesis scandal.

Nelson Cruz

No matter what the circumstances, this is a great signing for the Baltimore Orioles. After signing Ubaldo Jimenez and forfeiting their first round pick making the decision to forfeit their second round pick for Cruz was made easier. Whether Cruz plays the outfield or hits as a designated hitter the lineup for the Orioles looks more dangerous than the Texas Rangers or the Los Angeles Angels.

Over the past three seasons Cruz has been pretty consistent with his stats. He is averaging a 112 OPS+ over the past three seasons with 27 home runs per season and an on base percentage of .319. Now that he is playing the for the Orioles and most likely batting 5th behind Chris Davis, much of the pressure should be relieved from Cruz. Expect a good season from Cruz, or at least another consistant season from the outfielder.

Now the problem I have is the salary for Cruz. He was suspended 50 games last season for his actions with Biogenesis, willingly took the suspension, indirectly saying he took performance enhancing drugs. This guy still gets $8 Million after doing something completely frowned upon by Major League Baseball. Not surprisingly Melky Cabrera was suspended 50 games in 2012 when with the San Francisco Giants and become a free agent after the season. He signed a 2 year $16 Million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, just like Nelson Cruz. So the message here is, it doesn't
matter if you take steroids, at the end of the day, you'll still get paid. Jhonny Peralta can also vouch for this concept.

Orioles Sign Ubaldo Jimenez

The Baltimore Orioles finally have the pitcher they have been searching for. In the past few years the Orioles have lacked an impact pitcher. Ubaldo Jimenez may not be an impact pitcher or one of the best pitchers in the league, but he is a sure improvement over the Orioles current situation. Jimenez will be pitching in Baltimore on a 4 year $50 Million contract. Lets take a deeper look into this acquisition.

Ubaldo in the World Baseball Classic for the
Dominican Republic. 

Jimenez has three seasons that featured much success in the Major Leagues. 2009 and 2010 in Colorado and 2013 in Cleveland. His ERA in each of those seasons was 3.47, 2.88, and 3.30 respectively. More importantly Jimenez has been healthy most of his career and pitched 170+ innings each year of career. The Orioles could get anything from Jimenez. He could be the All Star he was in 2010 or he can be the failure he was in 2012, but one thing is for sure, he will pitch plenty of innings for the Orioles, and now with a shorter bullpen, that is important.

Arroyo Signs With D-Backs

Best hair in the NL West now goes to Bronson Arroyo

Right handed starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo has signed a 2 year #23.5 Million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have been searching for a starting pitcher all winter. They were conspired to be part of many trades, but they lost out on the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes and have settled for the stud that is Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo has been a work horse pitching close to 200 innings in every season since 2004, when he won a World Championship with the Boston Red Sox. Arroyo avoids injury and takes the burden of a large workload. In both 2012 and 2013 Arroyo pitched 202 innings in both seasons with a 3.74 and 3.79 ERA respectively.

With the trade of Ian Kennedy in the 2013 regular season, the Diamondbacks have brought back the steady pitcher that their rotation needs. Anchored by Patrick Corbin, held together by Brandon McCarthy, Daniel Hudson, Wade Miley, and now Bronson Arroyo, the Diamondbacks have a steady and possibly underrated rotation.
 

Brewers Sign Matt Garza

Matt Garza

Matt Garza and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a 4 year $52 Million deal. The Brewers already have a steady rotation with Yovani Gallardo and Kyle Lohse who pitched to a 4.18 ERA and 3.35 ERA respectively. Garza will slot in nicely to the number two spot in the rotation for the Brewers with his 3.82 ERA in 155 innings pitched between the Cubs and the Rangers. The fact that this deal is coming almost immediately after the Masahiro Tanaka signing is not coincidental. Almost all of the starting pitchers on the market waited for Tanaka to set the bar so they can feed of the desperation of teams who missed out on the Japanese ace.  Garza found much more success with the Cubs than the Rangers on basic statistics but his ERA+ which is weighted for home ballpark differed by 30 points, so perhaps returning to a big ballpark will be beneficial for Garza.

Grant Balfour Signs With the Tampa Bay Rays

Grant Balfour 

In the aftermath of the Masahiro Tanaka signing all the free agent pitchers are falling off the table. Grant Balfour will be returning to the Tampa Bay Rays under a 2 year $12 Million deal. Balfour previously signed a deal with the Baltimore Orioles which was nullified when the Orioles did not like an aspect of his physical. Balfour will likely replace Fernando Rodney as closer as Rodney is also a free agent. Also in the Rays bullpen is Leo Nunez and Heath Bell. The later innings for the Rays have just become more secure. In his last three seasons all with the Oakland Athletics Grant Balfour accumulated 199 innings pitched with an ERA of 2.53 all out of the bullpen. We shall see what goes on with the 36 year old Australian pitcher in 2014.

Yankees Sign Masahiro Tanaka

Like many predicted the New York Yankees won the bidding war on Masahiro Tanaka, in part due to the fact that Alex Rodriguez's suspension was upheld. Tanaka will be pitching in New York under a 7 year $155 Million contract that contains an opt out clause after the forth season. Tanaka is 25 and compared to Clayton Kershaw who is also 25 Tanaka was just $60 Million shy of his deal making Tanaka the second largest contract given to a pitcher this off season.

Tanaka, as mentioned earlier is 25 years old and has already pitched 7 complete seasons for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. He has racked up 1315 innings in those 7 seasons which did concern many clubs, but I don't see it as a concern, I think he will make the transition nicely, just like Yu Darvish.

To compare Tanaka to Darvish, both pitched in the same league, Darvish for the Nippon Ham Fighters, so they have been facing the same players over the past few seasons. Yu Darvish also pitched seven complete seasons before coming to the United States and racked up 1268 Innings, so I do not see the concern with Tanaka pitching just 47 innings more. In his last three seasons Darvish pitched in Japan his ERA was 1.73, 1.78, and 1.44 respectively. He also averaged roughly 200 innings pitched per season those last three seasons. As for Tanaka the last three seasons he pitched his ERA was 1.27, 1.87, and 1.27 respectively. Tanaka averaged roughly 200 innings pitched per season those last three seasons as well.

The difference between Tanaka and Darvish is the fact that Davish has "strikeout stuff," but there is not enough significant evidence to support that claim. In Tanaka's career in Japan he had 8.5 K/9 and Darvish had 8.9 K/9, so they are actually statistically similar. Tanaka does feature a great splitter/slider combination and can reach 94-95 on his fast ball but averages around 91-92. Comparisons for Tanaka come to Hiroki Kuroda.

The Yankees needed pitching rather badly, and now they have four given arms in their rotation. Tanaka will likely take the third slot just to be safe behind Sabathia and Kuroda. The next step for the Yankees in this busy off season would to add to their bullpen and improve on their infield depth.

Best and Worst Move of the Off season ... So Far

This off season has featured many moves including block buster trades and mega signings. Although the team making the moves may think they are making the right decision, some moves just don't make much sense. Here are the top three best and worst moves of the off season ... so far.

Best Moves:

3. Yankees sign Brian McCann to a 5 year $85 Million contract. This is a great deal for the Yankees because in since the days when Posada was the catcher in 2010, the Yankees have gotten very little production from the catchers position. In 2013, Chris Stewart and Austin Romine split the time behind the plate and had about a 55 OPS+. By signing the 4th best catcher in the MLB, McCann brings a significant upgrade at a dire position.

2. Nationals trade Steve Lombardozi, Ian Krol, and Robby Ray to the Tigers for Doug Fister. The Nationals were not going to resign their fourth starter, Dan Haren, so instead of spending big money on the free agent market, they went out and acquired a well respected pitcher. Fister will be 30 in February and will be a free agent in 2016. The Nationals have control of Fister for 2 seasons and he helps make one of the best rotations in baseball. By getting a number four starter who pitches to a 116 ERA+, and eats a lot of innings, the Nationals made a great move.

Fielder and his sons

1. Rangers acquire Prince Fielder and cash from the Tigers for Ian Kinsler. The Rangers needed to trade one of their infielders due a surplus and a desire to have Jurickson Profar start, and they also needed a first baseman. The Rangers accomplished both of those needs in one trade. They get rid of an average overrated second baseman in Kinsler and get one of the most durable, consistent, and powerful first basemen in the MLB. To make the deal even better for the Rangers, they get $30 Million in the trade as well. Fielder has missed just 1 game in the past 5 seasons, and the Tigers will pay $6 Million each year from 2016-2020 to make the Rangers only pay $18 Million those seasons. Fielder is also going to be 30 in May, 2 years younger than Kinsler.

Worst Moves:

3. The Phillies sign Roberto Hernandez to a 1 year $4.5 Million deal. This move is more in the category of highly unnecessary. Roberto Hernandez, formally known as Fausto Carmona, has found only the slightest bit of success at the Major League level in 2006 and 2010 with 3.06 and a 3.77 ERA respectively. Herandez will be 34 in August, pitched just 14 innings in 2012, and pitched to a 4.89 ERA in 2013. The Phillies are trying to get rid of payroll. They have tossed around the idea of trading Papelbon, Cliff Lee, and even Jimmy Rollins, but yet they go out and sign a 34 year old pitcher who is drastically set up to fail for $4.5 Million.

2. The Tigers trade Doug Fister to the Nationals for Steve Lombardozi, Ian Krol, and Robby Ray. Although this was a great trade for the Nationals, it was a horrific trade for the Tigers. Why would they trade a pitcher due to make less than $10 Million, under team control until 2016, and who has been successful the past few seasons? The Tigers traded for Ian Kinsler so they didn't desperately need a second baseman because they weren't going to resign Infante. Ian Krol is a 22 year old left handed relief pitcher, but they have Phil Coke in their bullpen, and Joe Nathan as their closer. The Tigers rotation took a blow because it was deep, but now following  Verlander, Scherzer, and Sanchez is Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly.

Robinson Cano

1. The Mariners sign Robinson Cano to a 10 year $240 Million contract. This is an incredibly stupid
move because the Mariners do not have any other significant players in their lineup. Kyle Seager has found success, but not enough to strike fear into pitchers facing Cano and Seager. Jesus Montero was supposed to come through as big offensive player, but did not and eventually got suspended. The Mariners went off to sign Corey Hart, but he is coming off a significant injury and even if he returns to his All Star form the Seattle Mariners still do not appear as an offensive threat. Cano's contract will carry him through his age 40 season which could mean trouble because Cano is a second baseman, as he gets old he will most likely need to shift position. The Mariners have a great two players to build around now (Cano and Hernandez), but much more will need to be added to compete in the AL West.
       

Dodgers Sign Chris Perez

GO GO GADGET FASTBALL!

The Dodgers have reached an agreement with reliever/closer Chris Perez on a one year deal. Perez had one great season in 2010 with a 1.71 ERA, but has leveled out at higher ERAs ever since. In 2013 Perez posted a 4.33 ERA. With Perez the level of uncertainty is higher than ever, he may move mountains or he may be stopped by a pebble.

To speculate a little, the Dodgers have a surplus of relievers and an absence of a fifth starter, a second baseman, and a third baseman. The Dodgers' most valuable reliever is their closer Kenley Jansen, and he may be subject to trade with the acquisition of Perez. The Rays are in need of a closer, and they are looking to trade David Price. By chance the Dodgers also have a left handed hitting outfielder, Andre Ethier, something the Rays need. The Rays also have a productive second baseman/utility player, Ben Zobrist. Perhaps a mega trade can be on the horizon involving Jansen, Gorden, Ethier, Price, and Zobrist. The Dodgers seem to not have a budget, so absorbing some of Ethier's contract should not be a problem.

Grant Balfour Not An Oriole

The deal between Grant Balfour and the Baltimore Orioles has fallen through. After receiving the results from Balfour's physical the Orioles backed out of the deal. After input from two other doctors, the diagnosis is that there is nothing physically wrong with Balfour. The problem the Orioles are concerned about is the X-Ray of his right shoulder. Balfour is going to bring up the problem with the players union and file grievance against the Orioles.

The market for Balfour is back in business as he will not be signing with the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees, Rays, Rangers, and White Sox all have been reported to have interest in the 36 year old closer from down under. He will be pitching in 2014, the question is: Where?

Shin Soo Choo Signs With The Texas Rangers

The next biggest free agent has come off the board and he will be making his home in Texas for the next seven years. The contract that Choo signed is worth 7 years and $130 Million. There were reports that the Yankees offered him a 7 year $140 Million contract, but after state income taxes the deal that Texas offered would earn Choo more money.

Choo is what I call an on base expert. He has an astonishingly him on base percentage. From 2008-2013 Choo has an on base percentage of .392 and he consistently puts up on base percentages close to that value on an annual basis. Choo found his most successful season during his first and only year in Cincinatti, 2013. Choo demonstrated his balance of power and speed by eclipsing 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season for the 3rd time in his career. A new career high on base percentage at .423 also helped result in a new career high in runs scored at 107.

The addition of Choo will be noticed significantly in Texas, but I think with this signing the Rangers need to acquire a pitcher. As of now the lineup is strong, but the rotation could use some work. Jurickson Profar can be used to acquire ace pitcher David Price, and a combination of Darvish and Price could lead the Rangers to a division title. As of now the lineup for the Rangers looks as follows:

SS Andrus
LF Choo
3B Beltre
1B Fielder
RF Rios
1B Moreland
C   Arencibia
CF Martin
2B Profar

Relievers On the Move

Several relievers have been signed or traded in the past few days. Relievers have become a very important part of the game. In the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings relievers are depended on to get outs especially in close games.

John Axford signed a one year $4.5 Million contract that contains about $2 Million in incentives with the Cleveland Indians. Axford made his name in Milwaukee, but after one and a half inefficient seasons he was traded to the Cardinals. Axford has a 3.50 ERA with 81 saves from 2011-2013 with all the saves coming in the first 2 years. If the Indians do not re-sign Chris Perez, John Axford, or 'Tom Sawyer,' will be closing games in Cleveland.

The Blunder From Down Under

Grant Balfour will be changing coasts after signing a 2 year $15 Million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Coincidentally the Orioles traded their previous closer, Jim Johnson, to the Oakland Athletics, Balfour's previous team.  Balfour will be 36 in 2014, but he has been showing strong in the past few years of his contract. He holds  a 2.47 ERA over the past 4 years of his career with 62 saves coming in 2012 and 2013. Balfour is a cheaper alternative to Jim Johnson and will get his job done just as well.

The Diamondbacks continued their special area of work, trades, and found Addison Reed in their bullpen. The White Sox receive third base prospect Matt Davidson who had a productive season in AAA. Reed will be just 25 in 2013 and has already accumulated 69 saves to the beat of a 4.17 ERA, but a 3.79 ERA. I think Reed will find more success as he ages, and with 4 years of team control, this was a good deal for the Dbacks.

Joba Chamberlain has not found much of any success out of the bullpen the past 2 seasons, and after having Tommy John surgery, I don't expect him to find anymore success. The Detroit Tigers did sign Joba to a 1 year $2.5 Million contract, but he will probably be no where near the 8th or 9th innings.

Boone Logan was an effective cog in the Yankees' bullpen from 2010-2013 facing lefties and getting out of jams. Logan's strength was he can get out lefties well, but he can also get out his share of right handed hitters. In his time in New York, the now 29 year old hard throwing lefty had a 3.38 ERA and a 10.3 K/9 rate. Logan will be pitching for the Colorado Rockies for the next 3 seasons and earning a total of $16.5 Million.

The Dodgers found their own left handed reliever in the form of JP Howell who has found success in the past two seasons. For 2 years and guaranteed $11.25 Million Howell will bring his 2.48 ERA over the past two seasons to Los Angeles. He will join a bullpen with Brian Wilson, Kenley Jenson, and Paco Rodriguez. I do not think LA is done adding to their bullpen.

In the wake of Boone Logan signing with the Rockies the Yankees signed basically the older version of Boone Logan, Matt Thornton. He will pitch in New York on a 2 year $7 Million. In the same time that Boone Logan was with the Yankees Thornton was with the Chicago White Sox before being traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2013. From 2010-2013 the hard throwing left pitched to a 3.27 ERA with his ERA gradually rising each year. He does not get as many strikeouts as Logan, but he will likely be a nice addition to the Yankees' thin bullpen.

Mets Sign Colon. Pirates Sign Volquez

The New York Mets have made another free agent signing in the form of Bartolo Colon. Colon will pitch for the Mets on a 2 year $20 Million contract. Colon posted a 2.65 ERAwith 190 innings pitched in 2013 at the age of 40 with the Athletics. The Mets will see if Colon has anything left in the tank and will likely be replaced by Harvey in 2015 when he returns from Tommy John surgery. For the second year of the contract Colon may be moved to the bullpen or be traded.

Edison Volquez signed a 1 year $5 Million deal with the Pirates after a terrible 2013 campaign. He played with the Dodgers and the Padres in 2013 posting a 5.71 ERA in 170 innings pitched. Volquez has battled injuries throughout his career and will be 31 during the 2014 season. The Pirates are continuing their buy low strategy as they did with AJ Burnett and Francisco Liriano.

Mariners Sign Hart and Acquire Morrison

Corey Hart missed all of the 2013 season due to surgery on both of his knees, but Hart, with healthy knees, has been an All Star in the past. The Mariners jumped on the opportunity to acquire a player who has the potential to perform for cheep. Hart's deal is for one year worth $6 Million gaurenteed salary but it will be similar to Mike Napoli's deal which revolved heavily around incentives. I wouldn't be comfortable with Hart in the outfield with his knee injuries, so I would assume he would find his position at first base. From 2010-2012 Hart averaged 29 home runs and 83 RBIs with a .279 batting average and a .343 on base percentage. Hart will try to help the Mariners succeed in 2014, but their off season is done here.

The Mariners also continued their progress at the Winter Meetings today by acquiring first baseman and outfielder Logan Morrison in exchange for right handed pitcher Carter Capps. Morrison has not found much success in seasons after 2011 battling injuries and hitting just .236 with a .321 on base percentage. Morrison also saw a significant power decrease after 2011 when he hit 23 home runs. Morrison will be 26 years old in 2014, so he is a player hoping for a rebound season. The Mariners got him for cheep so a possibly if Hart fails Morrison will not.

The Red Sox Sign Mike Napoli

The Boston Red Sox have resigned first baseman Mike Napoli to a 2 year $32 Million deal. Napoli was a major reason for the Red Sox success in the second half of the 2013 season and the playoffs. Napoli has a career OPS+ of 127 and an OPS+ of 138 from 2011-2013 with the Rangers and the Red Sox. He will definitely be part of the team chemistry that was so important to the Red Sox success in 2014 and 2015. This signing will definitely make the departure of Ellsbury and possibly Drew not as harsh.

Beltran Signs With The Yankees

Carlos Beltran is returning to New York

Carlos Beltran signed a 3 year $45 Million contract with the New York Yankees which includes a no trade clause. Beltran had many options including Boston, Kansas City, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Seattle to go to this off season, but Beltran wanted to return to New York where he spent 7 seasons with the Mets. The Cardinals now have a serious hole in their lineup as Beltran provided much production and a non right handed bat The Cardinals may explore outfield option Shin Soo Choo and Nelson Cruz, but for the Yankees they have a surplus of outfield bats.

The Yankees now have Beltran, Ellsbury, Ichiro, Gardner, Soriano, and Wells as players who can all play the outfield. Trade rumors have arisen that either Ichiro, Gardner, or Soriano may be on the move, but that move will probably occur later at the winter meeting. The Yankees are in need of starting pitching, a closer, a second baseman, and a third baseman if Alex Rodriguez does in fact get suspended for the 2014 season.

Potential trade partners for the Yankees may be the Cincinnati Reds for Brandon Phillips or Homer Bailey, the Philadelphia Phillies for Chase Utley or Jonathon Papelbon, the San Francisco Giants for Pablo Sandoval, the San Diego Padres for Chase Headley or Houston Street, the Houston Astros for Matt Dominguez , the Los Angeles Angels for Howie Kendrick or Ernesto Frieri, or the Royals for Mike Moustaka
s or Greg Holland.

Trades, Free Agent Signings, Non Tneders, and More!

Yesterday was a very busy day in baseball as many players found new homes. Two trades went through yesterday and several players signed with new teams and re-signed with their same teams.

Jim Johnson

The biggest news was the trade between the Athletics and Orioles. Closer Jim Johnson has a 2.70 ERA over the past 3 seasons and has 101 saves over the past 2 seasons. Jemile  Weeks is the younger brother to Ricky Weeks, and has not found much success at the Major League level besides his rookie year. Weeks is set to compete for a spot at second base. These two players were exchanged for one another strait up. Johnson is going to replace closer Grant Balfour, and Johnson is projected to earn $10 Million or more in arbitration. The Orioles are trying to land a starting pitcher and by freeing up salary they may be on the verge of making a splash.

Doug Fister

The other big trade was between the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers. The Nationals acquired starting pitcher Doug Fister who featured a respected 3.30ERA over the past 3 seasons and a 3.67 ERA in 2013. In exchange for Fister the Tigers pitching prospect Robbie Ray, infielder Steve Lomardozzi, and left handed reliever Ian Krol. Fister will be a definite improvement over Dan Haren who signed with the Dodgers as a free agent who featured a 3.97 ERA in the past 3 seasons and a 4.67 ERA in 2013. Fister will join a rotation with Stephan Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, and a 5th starter.

Also last night the Red Sox signed free agent catcher AJ Pierzynski to a 1 year deal with $8.25 Million guaranteed. Pierzynski played for the Texas Rangers in 2013 posting a .272/.297/.425 slashline with 17 home runs in 134 games. The Red Sox were preparing for the departure of Jarrod Saltalamacchia who  posted a .273/.338/.446 slashline with 14 home runs in 121 games.
It appears the Red Sox have taken a down grade at the catcher's position especially with Pierzynski's age.

Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes has a 4.54 career ERA, but a 95 career ERA+. The reason for having an ERA+ around average with a high ERA is the ballpark factor. Hughes has pitched most of his games in Yankee Stadium, one of the smallest ballparks in the league. Hughes signed a 3 year $24 Million deal with Minnesota Twins. The deal also includes bonuses up to $1 Million a year based on the amount of innings pitched. As Hughes moves to the spacious Target Field his ERA will drop dramatically. If his ERA+ is any indication of the type of pitcher he is, his ERA may drop to around 3.70.

After several successful seasons early in his career Scott Kazmir has fell of quite a bit. Its weird to think Kazmir will only be 30 in January, but he has been around around for 9 seasons. Kazmir hasn't found much success in recent years, but he signed a 2 year $22 Million deal with the Oakland Athletics. This deal is probably the reason why Brett Anderson is now available for trade.

The Blue Jays signed catcher Dioner Navarro to a 2 year $8 Million that will pay $3 Million in the first season and $5 Million in the second season. This move made JP Arencibia become non-tendered and become a free agent. Navarro played 89 games with the Chicago Cubs and posted a 132 OPS+ , very good for a catcher, and he is a defensive upgrade over Arencibia in my opinion.

Joe Nathan

Being announced a little more than an hour ago was the signing of closer Joe Nathan. Nathan signed a 2 year deal with the Detroit Tigers. The salary in the deal hasn't been made official yet, but this is a good deal for the Tigers. With the failures of Jose Valverde and the shakiness of the closer position last season, the Tigers needed a stud for the ninth inning. Nathan posted 2 stellar seasons with the Texas Rangers by collecting 80 saves with a 2.09 ERA.

On smaller notes, the Rays have traded for catcher Ryan Hannigan, the Giants re-signed starter Ryan Vogelsong to a 1 year $5 Million deal, the Mariners signed Willie Bloomquist, and the Rays re-signed  reliever Juan Oviedo.

Several players were non tendered yesterday as it was the non tender deadline. When a player gets non tendered it means that the team will not be tendering a contract to that player, because they believe they will be too expensive through arbitation, so the team allows them to become a free agent. Some of the important players that were non tendered yesterday are J.P. Arencibia, John Axford, Andrew Bailey, Ronald Belisario, Chris Coghlan, Chris Getz,Tommy Hanson, Jeremy Hefner, Daniel Hudson, Jayson Nix, Xavier Paul, Omar Quintanilla  Sandy Rosario, Ryan Webb, Jerome Williams, and Wesley Wright. These players are now allowed to sign with any team that offers them a contract. 

Ricky Nolasco Signs With The Twins

Ricky Nolasco and the Twins have agreed to a 4 year $49 Million deal, with an option for the 2018 season. He will earn $12 Million a year with a $1 Million buy out, and the 2018 option can turn into a player option if he pitches enough innings in 2016 and 2017.

Nolasco will join a Twins team that is currently rebuilding. Before being traded to the Dodgers in 2013, Nolasco played his entire career with the Marlins. Nolasco has a 4.27 ERA for his career, but he found more success in 2013 by putting up a 3.70 ERA. Although Nolasco gives up his fair share of runs he consistently pitches enough innings every season. Every season since 2008 he has pitched at least 150 innings and more than 185 innings every season except 2010.

Nolasco has pitched below average for his career by holding a 94 ERA+ meaning he is 6% below league average. League average is by no means an insult. In baseball to be average an average team is to have 81 wins. Every team needs average players to find success. Nolasco may not be the main piece for the success of the Twins, but he sure will be an important piece  moving on.

Dodgers Sign Dan Haren

Dan Haren has signed a 1 year $10 Million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2014 season.

How does Haren look in a Dodgers uniform? 

Haren pitched with the Washington Nationals last year and found a new career high in ERA at 4.67 in 169 innings pitched. Moving to a much bigger ballpark will probably benefit Haren because he found much success from 2005-2012 pitching for the Athletics, Diamondbacks, and Angels. In that period Haren held a 3.58 ERA with an average of 220 innings pitched per season. The Dodgers are getting a very valuable piece for their team given the depth in their rotation.

Haren is one of the players I like and have much faith in to have more successful seasons. In his contract rests a vesting option for 2015 that depends on if he pitches at least 180 innings. Haren has completed the task every year 2005-2011, so he is more likely to do so in 2014. In a bigger ballpark, in a weaker division, you can expect Haren to have a much better season in 2014.

Haren will join a rotation with Clayton Kershaw (1.83 ERA), Zack Greinke (2.63 ERA), Hyun-jin Ryu (3.00 ERA), and a 5th starter who will likely be either Josh Beckett or Chad Billingsly, both of which battled injuries in the past year.  One more starter may make the Dodgers the best rotation in baseball.  

Cardinals Sign Peralta and Angels Sign Smith

The St. Louis Cardinals make the move of the day by signing free agent short stop Jhonny Peralta to a 4 year $53 Million deal. The Angels were the minor news by signing free agent reliever Joe Smith to a 3 year $15.75 Million deal.

How does Peralta look in a Cardinals uniform? 

The Cardinals were on a hunt to acquire a short stop this off season whether if be through trade of the free agent market. They finally made that move and got Jhonny Peralta. His name was misspelled on his birth certificate, but his parents decided to keep it, but Peralta made the mistake last season. Peralta was caught in the Biogenesis scandal along with several other players and received a 50 game suspension. Before the suspension Peralta had a .303 avg, .358 OBP, with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs in 107 games. The batting average and on base percentage are well above his career average, but his power numbers are below his career average even without the suspension. Peralta's career numbers are a .268 avg, .330 on base percentage with 17 home runs and 75 RBI per season. Peralta will be 32 next season and the Cardinals probably will not see power numbers like that anymore. The possibility for Peralta to consistently hit for average and get on base is also unlikely.

Peralta will slot in the number two hole behind Matt Carpenter and in front of Yadier Molina. In my opinion Peralta was not worth the money the Cardinals spent on him and will definitely be a problem for them in the second half of the contract.

Smith doing his thing

Joe Smith has found much success in the past few seasons. As generic as his name sounds, his stats are the opposite Smith has pitched 197 innings over the past 3 seasons and has put up a 2.42 ERA for the Cleveland Indians. He will be leaving the Bullpen Mafia in Cleveland and be joining the Halos as it seems they are interested in strengthening their bullpen. After acquiring Salas, keeping Frieri, and now signing Smith, the Angels are making their pitching priority obvious.

   

Yankees Sign Brian McCann

The Yankees made the big news of the day by signing free agent catcher Brian McCann. The deal is worth $85 Million over 5 years with a vesting option for a 6th year $15 Million. McCann was the best catching option on the free agent market and the Yankees needed to improve their catching depth the most. The two were a match made in heaven for one another.

How does McCann look in a Yankee uniform? 

McCann will probably find success in New York. McCann has played at least 100 games in every season of his career and at least 120 games in all seasons except 2013. Health hasn't been much of an issue for McCann, but may become one as his contract continues. McCann will be 30 years old in late February and 35 years old when the contract is completed, so the transition to the American League will benefit McCann given that he can DH on occasion.

Of course McCann will not only be heading to the American League, but Yankee Stadium, the left handed hitter's Heaven. The heavy hitting catcher has hit at least 20 home runs every year since 2006 except 2007 where he hit 18, over those 8 seasons McCann has average 131 games played, .277 avg, .350 OBP, 21 home runs, and 80 RBI. His numbers have dropped the past 2 seasons only reaching a .230/.300/.399 and .256/.336/.461 slashline in 2012 and 2013 respectively. It seems as if McCann is trending back in the direction of his career average after his terrible 2012 campaign. Since he will be playing in Yankee Stadium, you can expect at least a 20% increase in his power numbers. Meaning since he has an average of 21 homers and 80 RBIs per season, you can expect McCann to hit close to 25 home runs and drive in 96 RBIs in 2014.

The Yankees will have McCann until he is 35 years old, which is after his prime. McCann will have to maintain roughly an average WAR of 3.0 in order for the contract to be worth it in the end, but one can only consider that in 2019. McCann is very capable of making a big impact for the New York Yankees, and you can expect big things from him in 2014.