The Angels signed Bobby Abreu, the outfielder the Cubs and so many other teams passed on, one year ago Friday. He proved to be a difference-maker, helping Mike Scioscia’s team to a first-round victory over the Red Sox after winning its fifth American League West title in six years.
The Angels gave him only a one-year contract worth $5million.
There are similar deals to be made in the 2010 market, even as equipment trucks start to head out for camps in Arizona and Florida. The Twins’ fine-tuning has been impressive — the additions of Orlando Hudson and Jim Thome solidified them as the AL Central front-runner — but here are some more players available who could have even more impact:
?Johnny Damon, who last was seen helping the Yankees win the World Series.
?Jermaine Dye, whose disappointing second half in 2009 has caused talent evaluators to act as if his rock-solid 2008 totals (.292-34-96) were put up in 1998.
?Russell Branyan, who should have been more receptive to re-signing with the Mariners, whose general manager, Jack Zduriencik, gave him a chance to increase his at-bats.
Damon, seen by MLB executives as a victim of agent Scott Boras’ high demands, is surprised he still doesn’t know where he’s going to camp.
“I’m coming off one of my better years,” the 36-year-old left fielder said in a recent radio interview. “I feel wherever I go, I’m going to help the team win more games and (have) a great shot to be in the playoffs and win the whole thing,”
Damon hit .282 with a .365 on-base average for the Yankees and scored 100-plus runs for the 10th time. He clearly had lost a step, however, as his stolen base total dropped from 29 to 12. He looked exposed throughout the playoffs, as if he was going to miss a fly or make a baserunning mistake, but he made all the plays.
The guess here is he can make enough plays to make a difference in 2010. He appears headed to the Tigers, but the White Sox ought to stage an intervention.
Imagine Damon in the Sox leadoff spot and Juan Pierre as the No. 2 hitter — or the other way around. Can a rotating DH including Mark Kotsay, Andruw Jones, Omar Vizquel and Jayson Nix outproduce Damon? And what would be the harm in having 23-year-old Jordan Danks spend time with Damon? They seem to be the same kind of player.
Dye’s continuing unemployment relates to an unflattering statistical analysis of his outfield skills and his reluctance to accept a role as a DH or extra outfielder (the Cubs pursued him before turning to Xavier Nady).
He’s not even coming up in rumors these days but could help several teams, especially the Reds (their top left field option is left-handed-hitting Chris Dickerson) and Giants (they have Mark DeRosa in left and Nate Schierholtz in right). He could help the Red Sox as a fourth outfielder and insurance policy behind David Ortiz, but it’s not clear how interested GM Theo Epstein is.
Branyan, like Damon, could improve the White Sox’s DH spot. He strikes out a ton but delivers long balls — 43 in 563 at-bats the last two seasons — and the Sox haven’t added power after sliding to sixth in the AL in homers. He could fit on almost any team in a bench role but fits best in the AL, where he would be an instant upgrade for the Indians, Athletics and Rangers.
Heading north: Winter ball wraps up Sunday, most likely with the Dominican Republic celebrating a victory in the Caribbean Series being played at Margarita Island, Venezuela.
No one showed more potential in any of the five leagues than Brewers shortstop Alcides Escobar, who hit .393 with 16 stolen bases in 45 games. Let’s make him the MVP of our all-snowbird team.
The team also includes White Sox third baseman Brent Morel, who hit .435 as a midseason replacement in the Arizona Fall League, and Timo Perez, the 2005 White Sox bench player who, at 34, hit .356 with more walks than strikeouts in the Dominican Republic. It also includes Grant Desme, the Athletics outfielder who is retiring to study for the priesthood, and Breese, Ill., native Josh Thole, a left-handed-hitting catching prospect for the Mets.
Also worth acknowledging: Brad Snyder, a Cubs non-roster invitee who hit .379 and drove in 48 runs in 55 games in Mexico; Juan Francisco, the Reds’ power-hitting third base prospect who had a league-high 42 RBIs in the Dominican; Tigers right-hander Robbie Weinhardt, who struck out 29 in 181/3 innings in Arizona; and free agent right-hander Jose Capellan, who followed a terrible season in the Astros’ system by going 7-3 with a 2.15 ERA in 12 starts in the Dominican.
Cubs infielder Andres Blanco hit .291 and stole 14 bases in 16 tries in Venezuela.
Money flowing: Earlier in the week it appeared Joe Mauer was on the verge of signing a 10-year deal to stay in Minnesota. That hasn’t come to fruition, and sources say not to expect more than eight years to be guaranteed, if that.
Let’s call it eight years at $18 million a year — a tidy $144 million package. That would be the biggest contract signed this offseason — as it should be — and would nicely follow the recent $80million and $78 million deals that secured Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez in Detroit and Seattle, respectively.
More huge extensions are coming in the next couple of years, with Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard among the players closing in on free agency. These deals are significant because the lack of long-term extensions was among the complaints cited by agents pushing the union to file collusion charges.
The last word: “It ain’t worth but what it will bring.” — MLB Network’s Mitch Williams, tying advice he once received about farm equipment to the bargain prices for lingering free agents.
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Whispers
Target Field already is proving to be a financial godsend for the Twins. Their payroll figures to jump from $65 million to as much as $97 million in the first season at the new park. It was $15.7 million a decade ago. … It’s amazing the Yankees haven’t gotten more questions about Derek Jeter’s contract, which expires at the end of 2010. New York players and reporters trust general manager Brian Cashman, who has told everyone it will be dealt with after the season, as the Yankees handled the Alex Rodriguez situation two years ago. … Second baseman Felipe Lopez might be as confused as any free agent. He hit .310 with 38 doubles for the Diamondbacks and Brewers last season and has gotten the cold shoulder. Are the Cubs better off with Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot and Andres Blanco? … Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds is discussing a lucrative, long-term contract after shattering the single-season record with 223 strikeouts last season. Joe DiMaggio had 369 strikeouts in 13 seasons. … The Dodgers insist it’s business as usual despite the McCourts’ divorce, but their offseason haul belies that claim. The re-signing of Vicente Padilla was the one plus in an activity stream that otherwise saw them add only Jamey Carroll, Angel Berroa and Ramon Ortiz. Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, the former White Sox farmhand, has a shot at the No. 5 starter’s spot.
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