TRJ Weblog

Finding good free agent pick ups in MLB is a lot more difficult than finding the bad ones. Pretty much every free agent signed looks like they were overpaid, so being overpaid becomes kind of relative. If the market rate for a stiff relief pitcher is $2.5 million per year, then signing a mediocre reliever for the same price might really be a relative bargain. I'll try to keep that in mind before declaring there were no good free agent signings! Listed in no particular order, the first name that pops up in my mind is Darin Erstad going to the White Sox for one year for $1 million. Sure, Erstad gets hurt every year and he is no longer the hitter he was a few years ago for Anaheim/LA Anaheim, but this is a case of a relative bargain. He can play outfield or firstbase. White Sox had a big hitting hole in center field last year, and Erstad can fill that role until he gets hurt. Also, since he is only signed for a year, if he does get hurt, it did not really cost the White Sox a lot in terms of dollars or long term committment. The Twins may have picked up a bargain in signing Ramon Ortiz for $3.1 million for a year. He has bounced around a bit after appearing to have a promising career with the Angels. With only a one year contract, this is not an especially high risk move for the Twins. If the Twins get 10 wins or more out of Ortiz, this will be a really good deal. Twins starting pitching is thin and Ortiz is a fairly low priced in today's market. Tampa Bay picked up Akinori Iwamura from Japan for $7.7 million for 3 years. Now I admit I am cheating here as I knew nothing about Iwamura before the season started, but noticed he is currently leading the AL in hitting after two weeks. Two weeks does not make a career, but it appears Iwamura has an everyday slot in Tampa Bay's lineup, so that makes him a pretty good deal. Cliff Floyd signed with the Cubs for 1 year at $3 million. Cubs made a lot of questionable moves, but in my opinion, this was not one of them. Floyd showed last season, he still has gas in the tank. Cubs also have some depth in the outfield, so Floyd is not really expected to play every day, but he is a more than adequate replacement should someone get hurt, like Soriano last night, or if Murton or Jones slumps badly. Floyd also give the Cubs a strong DH option during interleague play. Cardinals pick up Adam Kennedy for $10 million over 3 years. Cards did not like Belliard at second base and had a hole to fill in the off season. Kennedy has been a pretty decent fielding and hitting second baseman for quite a while with the Angels, so he fills a hole for the Cards at a relatively cheap price. Padres pick up Marcus Giles for one year at $3.75 million. This may be a stretch. I'm not a Giles fan and I think the Padres were moronic to trade Josh Barfield, but Giles is just a one year fill in and is the type of player the Padres like. That's about all I can come up with. This was really tough!