Well, its that time of year again. The winter meetings are upon us, and I don't remember ever being as excited for them as I am this time around. Even with a good chunk of the free agent crop no longer on the market, I just cant wait to see how creative these baseball executive can get. We've already seen a handful of trades this off season, most of which nobody saw coming, and absolutely anything can happen at the winter meetings. Who knows maybe Mike Trout gets traded straight up for Bryce Harper, maybe Joe Girardi gets fired and the Yankees bring in Manny Ramirez to replace him (hey, it could happen). Anyways, I have a feeling that within these winter meetings we are going to see some new and creative ways that teams build their roster. Since they get to do that in Florida, I can do the same thing in Iowa right? So that's why I'm going to try to create a roster based on only the players left on the market. I will be giving each player a AAV dollar value that I think they will receive this offseason and my cap is $100 million. I will name my 25 man roster as well as giving some insight as the why I chose who I did and how I'm going to use them. Lets also say that I don't quite have draft picks yet so I don't have anything to lose on QO guys. I encourage you guys to critique my work as much as you can in the comments below, and I'd encourage everyone to make one of their own as its a great way to get to know some of the guys that will be playing for your teams this spring. Lets start out with my starting rotation.
Starters:
1. Matt Garza (R) - I decided to stay out of the Ervin Santana sweepstakes this winter and decided to secure the next two best available. The first of those two is Matt Garza. I'm hoping that Masahiro Tanaka is posted, allowing the market prices to fall a bit. Even with that, though, Garza isn't cheap. We are finally able to settle on a 4 year $62 million deal with incentives that bring it up to $65 million. I had to hold off a late push by the Phillies in order to get it done and that is where the incentives and 15 team no-trade clause came from. As scared as I was of his injury history, I needed a front/middle of the rotation starter to lead the pack and Garzas my guy. 2014 Salary: $15.5 million
2. Ubaldo Jiminez (R) - As soon as the Garza deal was completed, I was able to secure Jimenez. He was a little cheaper than Garza, but not by much. At 4 years $60 million I get my other much needed front/middle of the rotation starter. The scary thing about this signing is not knowing which Ubaldo I'm getting. Will it be the one time Cy Young candidate from his Rockies days who had a spectacular second half last year, or will it be the +5 ERA 17 loss Ubaldo from just two years ago in 2012. I'm really hoping it will be the first one, but even more so I'm just hoping it won't be the second one. I can get by with just above average here. He's got the most breakout potential amongst my starters, and with the four year deal if he finds his Cy Young candidate form, this could be a real steal for me. 2014 Salary: $15 million
3. Chris Capuano (L) - Well this is where it starts to get dicey. I wanted a lefty to offset the other righties in my rotation and Paul Maholm wasn't really my cup of tea so I decided to target Chris Capuano. He has been near the league average the last couple years and is an innings eater. I know that doesn't sound very sexy, but Capuano can be a strong addition to my staff. He's a proven veteran who will go out and battle every fifth day. His numbers aren't spectacular, but they are consistent and that's what I need from the number 3 sport in my rotation. Capuano agreed on a 1 year $4 million contract with incentives that could push it to $5 million. 2014 Salary: $4 million
4. Jason Hammel (R) - For my four spot in the rotation, I was able to lock up Jason Hammel with a 2 year $8 million deal. The righty is only 31 and he is just one year removed from a 3 WAR season in which he had an ERA of 3.43. Even with the injuries last year, I still believe I can get 170 innings of low 4/ high 3 ERA from him. Even though he's not going to be flashy, I think he can get the job done as a back of the rotation guy. I added the second year so if he does regain his 2012 form and injuries don't derail him like last year, I have a nice cheap number 3/4 starter for next year as well. $4million a year isn't that big of risk here and if he pitches to a positive WAR, even ever so slightly positive, I will like this deal. 2014 Salary: $4 million
5. Tommy Hanson (R) - Tommy Hanson's last two years have been bad. It's unfortunate that a once so promising pitcher like Hanson has been derailed so suddenly. Two years ago he could have earned a huge deal on the open market. I was able to lock up the former Brave and Angel at just 1 year $2 million. There wasn't much competition for his services as there's plenty of reasons to shy away from this signing. I wanted to gamble here because one, he was a good pitcher from 2009-2001 with an 8 WAR over those three seasons, two, he's only 27 maybe he was still just developing these past years, and three, there is not much left to choose from. For just $2 million I'm looking for 150+ innings but expecting 100+. This spot will be fluid for a good chunk of the year with a couple of potential guys being signed to minor league contracts who could maybe help out later in the year. 2014 Salary: $2 million
Position Players:
Catcher - Kurt Suzuki - Looking at the catcher market, I don't see much to choose from. John Buck looks to be heading the pack...really? With all the decent options gone I am forced to settle on Kurt Suzuki as my new starter on a one year $2 million deal. All I can say is that he was once a decent enough starting catcher, hopefully he can revert back to his old form. He's had a positive WAR every year of his career, so I could do worse here. I would take .240 and decent defense here. He is still only 30 so there's gotta be something left in the tank. 2014 Salary: $2 million
First Base - Corey Hart - This is a very risky proposition. Investing a healthy chunk of money into a guy who played a whopping zero games last year. Yet, even with surgery on both knees last year, there was healthy competition for his services at first base. In the end I just had to pay him enough to pry him away from the Brewers and I did that with a 1 year $8 million deal with incentives to raise it an extra $2 million to an even 10. When looking at Hart, the power jumps out immediately. He is very capable of hitting 30 homers and batting to a .270 average. He's one of the only guys left that I can say that about. He transitioned from outfield to first base two years ago and with his knee problems he is no position to move back out. that means he will stick first for me, despite his poor defense. I'll be banking a lot on his power in the middle of the lineup, so his knees and how well they heal are going to be important to my team. 2014 Salary: $8 million
Second Base - Mark Ellis - At second base I need to cheap with some bench options who could also fill in. I decided to buy cheap with defense here by agreeing with Mark Ellis on a 1 year $3 million contract. Ellis is known as a good defender who has hit well in recent years. Just last year he slashed .270/.323/.351. He can be a strong and consistent player for this team as well as being a mentor so some of the younger players. I feel very good about this signing and I was happy to get Ellis for as little as $3 million. He definitely can hold down the 2B for the year. 2014 Salary: $3 million
Third Base - Eric Chavez - My opening day starter at third base will be Eric Chavez. That being said, Chavez will play as long as he can hit. With guys like Justin Turner and Jerry Hairston Jr. (spoiler alert!) sitting on the bench, whoever is hitting will no doubt get the playing time. Chavez has always had decent sized splits as he has been better against righties over the course of his career, currently has a .028 average difference with far more homers vs. righties than vs. lefties. Because of this, I may have to make a minor league signing of a lefty backup third baseman that I could call up at some point to platoon with Chavez. Chad Tracy could be an option there, but for now Chavez is my guy at 1 year $2.5 million.
Shortstop - Steven Drew - This is the spot where I really need to spend some money. To get the only quality shortstop left on the board, I pay Steven Drew whatever he wants. He wants the moon? I'll climb up there and grab it for him. But really, after a few good talks we settle on a solid 3 year $33 million deal with a player option for the fourth year at $15 million. This deal came complete with a full no-trade clause, a private misuse, maybe a personal chef, like I said earlier anything he can dream of. The player option is mainly to defer some money until later, it is essentially a 4 year $48 million deal. The shortstop is the catalyst of a good infield defense and I needed to get a good defender who wouldn't be a liability at the dish. Drew is the only one left to fit the bill. 2014 Salary: $11 million
Left Field - Brennan Boesch - He hasn't started since his years in Detroit but he still should be able to hit after a year on the Yankees bench. He's not going to be a star by any means, but he will be a solid enough player to warrant this signing. He can hit, and hopefully his bat will make up for his lack of defense. A career .260 hitter with slightly above average power, Boesch is still young and should play well through his prime. A 2 year $6 million deal works out for both parties as he will still be under 30 at the completion of the contract. 2014 Salary: $2.5 million
Center Field - Rajai Davis - Here's a guy that I really like. Blazing speed combined with hitting for a decent OBP and AVG could add up to a really good everyday center fielder. Davis has been a fourth outfielder for the last couple of years, and a very good one at that, but its time for him to showcase his sped and ability in a full-time role. With 30+ stolen bases in year of the last 5 years, a lot of which was in a part time role, the fantasy guys have got to be drooling about his switch to a full time role. The average may drop a bit, but with a .268 career average it won't drop all that low if it does go down. I think he can be a leadoff hitter for me. He has struggled against righties in the past, and if that pops up again Dewayne Wise will get some time off the bench vs. righties. He accepted a 3 year $15 million deal the day it was offered when I included the starting job along with it. 2014 Salary: $ 5 million
Right Field - Nelson Cruz - In my quest to find another big power bat to compliment Corey Hart in the middle of my lineup I fixated on Nelson Cruz. With Shin-Soo Choo already heading to the Mariners, the Cruz market heated up, and I was the last man standing once I added a fourth year to the deal. The accepted offer was a 4 year $54 million deal. It was an expensive deal, but one that needed to be made to acquire some power. Cruz has power, there's no debating that, but 4 years is a lot to give an aging 40 year old recently came off a PED suspension. The need for the first two years here outweighs the possible decline in the second two. Anything on top of two good years would just be icing on the cake. Whether I like this deal or not, it had to be made and will only help my franchise out. 2014 Salary: $13.5 million
Bench:
Justin Turner (2B/3B) - Has proved to be a decent hitter during short career. Still young. Pinch hitter / extra infielder. 2014 Salary: 500k
Jerry Hairston Jr. (IF/OF) - Can play everywhere. Super utility guy for the team. 2014 Salary: $1 million
Lou Marson (C) - Wanted Arencibia here but settled for the 27 year old Marson. Young guy to play behind Suzuki. Can hit a little but not a lot. 2014 Salary: $500k
Dewayne Wise (OF) - 4th outfielder who also provides platoon split for Davis if necessary. Good hitter combines with average at best defense. 2014 Salary: $1 million
Delmon Young (OF) - Needed a hitter off the bench. Brings decent power with a good AVG. Could split time with Boesch in left or pinch hit. 2014 Salary: $1 million
Bullpen:
LRP - Travis Blackley (L) - Bounced around last year. Has starter experience if need be. 2014 Salary: 500k
LRP - Greg Reynolds (R) - Young, cheap pitcher with upside. Could also spot start when needed. 2014 Salary: 500k
MRP - Henry Rodriguez (R) - 27 year old with decent stuff. Could finally make a breakthrough. 2014 Salary: 750k
MRP - Jose Mijares (L) - ERA bounced back up after a solid 2012. Lefty specialist in the bullpen. 2014 Salary: 750k
MRP - Joba Chamberlain (R) - You know the story. Throws hard but can't seem to figure it out. Hopefully can get back on track here. 2014 Salary: $1 million
SU - Jesse Crain (R) - Found a good setup man with ability to take over as closer if Rodriguez struggles. Hopefully he can return from his injury at full strength this year. Can be flipped at the deadline if season tanks. 2014 Salary $4 million
CP - Francisco Rodriguez (R) - Has closer experience but shouldn't cost the closer cash. Had a good year last year and seemed to put his troubles behind him. A good year here allows him to become a strong closer option next year on the market. 2014 Salary $2 million
All that puts my payroll at a cool $99.5 million, just below my cap. My guess is that will be right in the middle of the pack this year compared to the other teams. It would have come in at 15th had it been last year's payroll.
Well that's all! Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think in the comments below.
Starters:
1. Matt Garza (R) - I decided to stay out of the Ervin Santana sweepstakes this winter and decided to secure the next two best available. The first of those two is Matt Garza. I'm hoping that Masahiro Tanaka is posted, allowing the market prices to fall a bit. Even with that, though, Garza isn't cheap. We are finally able to settle on a 4 year $62 million deal with incentives that bring it up to $65 million. I had to hold off a late push by the Phillies in order to get it done and that is where the incentives and 15 team no-trade clause came from. As scared as I was of his injury history, I needed a front/middle of the rotation starter to lead the pack and Garzas my guy. 2014 Salary: $15.5 million
2. Ubaldo Jiminez (R) - As soon as the Garza deal was completed, I was able to secure Jimenez. He was a little cheaper than Garza, but not by much. At 4 years $60 million I get my other much needed front/middle of the rotation starter. The scary thing about this signing is not knowing which Ubaldo I'm getting. Will it be the one time Cy Young candidate from his Rockies days who had a spectacular second half last year, or will it be the +5 ERA 17 loss Ubaldo from just two years ago in 2012. I'm really hoping it will be the first one, but even more so I'm just hoping it won't be the second one. I can get by with just above average here. He's got the most breakout potential amongst my starters, and with the four year deal if he finds his Cy Young candidate form, this could be a real steal for me. 2014 Salary: $15 million
3. Chris Capuano (L) - Well this is where it starts to get dicey. I wanted a lefty to offset the other righties in my rotation and Paul Maholm wasn't really my cup of tea so I decided to target Chris Capuano. He has been near the league average the last couple years and is an innings eater. I know that doesn't sound very sexy, but Capuano can be a strong addition to my staff. He's a proven veteran who will go out and battle every fifth day. His numbers aren't spectacular, but they are consistent and that's what I need from the number 3 sport in my rotation. Capuano agreed on a 1 year $4 million contract with incentives that could push it to $5 million. 2014 Salary: $4 million
4. Jason Hammel (R) - For my four spot in the rotation, I was able to lock up Jason Hammel with a 2 year $8 million deal. The righty is only 31 and he is just one year removed from a 3 WAR season in which he had an ERA of 3.43. Even with the injuries last year, I still believe I can get 170 innings of low 4/ high 3 ERA from him. Even though he's not going to be flashy, I think he can get the job done as a back of the rotation guy. I added the second year so if he does regain his 2012 form and injuries don't derail him like last year, I have a nice cheap number 3/4 starter for next year as well. $4million a year isn't that big of risk here and if he pitches to a positive WAR, even ever so slightly positive, I will like this deal. 2014 Salary: $4 million
5. Tommy Hanson (R) - Tommy Hanson's last two years have been bad. It's unfortunate that a once so promising pitcher like Hanson has been derailed so suddenly. Two years ago he could have earned a huge deal on the open market. I was able to lock up the former Brave and Angel at just 1 year $2 million. There wasn't much competition for his services as there's plenty of reasons to shy away from this signing. I wanted to gamble here because one, he was a good pitcher from 2009-2001 with an 8 WAR over those three seasons, two, he's only 27 maybe he was still just developing these past years, and three, there is not much left to choose from. For just $2 million I'm looking for 150+ innings but expecting 100+. This spot will be fluid for a good chunk of the year with a couple of potential guys being signed to minor league contracts who could maybe help out later in the year. 2014 Salary: $2 million
Position Players:
Catcher - Kurt Suzuki - Looking at the catcher market, I don't see much to choose from. John Buck looks to be heading the pack...really? With all the decent options gone I am forced to settle on Kurt Suzuki as my new starter on a one year $2 million deal. All I can say is that he was once a decent enough starting catcher, hopefully he can revert back to his old form. He's had a positive WAR every year of his career, so I could do worse here. I would take .240 and decent defense here. He is still only 30 so there's gotta be something left in the tank. 2014 Salary: $2 million
First Base - Corey Hart - This is a very risky proposition. Investing a healthy chunk of money into a guy who played a whopping zero games last year. Yet, even with surgery on both knees last year, there was healthy competition for his services at first base. In the end I just had to pay him enough to pry him away from the Brewers and I did that with a 1 year $8 million deal with incentives to raise it an extra $2 million to an even 10. When looking at Hart, the power jumps out immediately. He is very capable of hitting 30 homers and batting to a .270 average. He's one of the only guys left that I can say that about. He transitioned from outfield to first base two years ago and with his knee problems he is no position to move back out. that means he will stick first for me, despite his poor defense. I'll be banking a lot on his power in the middle of the lineup, so his knees and how well they heal are going to be important to my team. 2014 Salary: $8 million
Second Base - Mark Ellis - At second base I need to cheap with some bench options who could also fill in. I decided to buy cheap with defense here by agreeing with Mark Ellis on a 1 year $3 million contract. Ellis is known as a good defender who has hit well in recent years. Just last year he slashed .270/.323/.351. He can be a strong and consistent player for this team as well as being a mentor so some of the younger players. I feel very good about this signing and I was happy to get Ellis for as little as $3 million. He definitely can hold down the 2B for the year. 2014 Salary: $3 million
Third Base - Eric Chavez - My opening day starter at third base will be Eric Chavez. That being said, Chavez will play as long as he can hit. With guys like Justin Turner and Jerry Hairston Jr. (spoiler alert!) sitting on the bench, whoever is hitting will no doubt get the playing time. Chavez has always had decent sized splits as he has been better against righties over the course of his career, currently has a .028 average difference with far more homers vs. righties than vs. lefties. Because of this, I may have to make a minor league signing of a lefty backup third baseman that I could call up at some point to platoon with Chavez. Chad Tracy could be an option there, but for now Chavez is my guy at 1 year $2.5 million.
Shortstop - Steven Drew - This is the spot where I really need to spend some money. To get the only quality shortstop left on the board, I pay Steven Drew whatever he wants. He wants the moon? I'll climb up there and grab it for him. But really, after a few good talks we settle on a solid 3 year $33 million deal with a player option for the fourth year at $15 million. This deal came complete with a full no-trade clause, a private misuse, maybe a personal chef, like I said earlier anything he can dream of. The player option is mainly to defer some money until later, it is essentially a 4 year $48 million deal. The shortstop is the catalyst of a good infield defense and I needed to get a good defender who wouldn't be a liability at the dish. Drew is the only one left to fit the bill. 2014 Salary: $11 million
Left Field - Brennan Boesch - He hasn't started since his years in Detroit but he still should be able to hit after a year on the Yankees bench. He's not going to be a star by any means, but he will be a solid enough player to warrant this signing. He can hit, and hopefully his bat will make up for his lack of defense. A career .260 hitter with slightly above average power, Boesch is still young and should play well through his prime. A 2 year $6 million deal works out for both parties as he will still be under 30 at the completion of the contract. 2014 Salary: $2.5 million
Center Field - Rajai Davis - Here's a guy that I really like. Blazing speed combined with hitting for a decent OBP and AVG could add up to a really good everyday center fielder. Davis has been a fourth outfielder for the last couple of years, and a very good one at that, but its time for him to showcase his sped and ability in a full-time role. With 30+ stolen bases in year of the last 5 years, a lot of which was in a part time role, the fantasy guys have got to be drooling about his switch to a full time role. The average may drop a bit, but with a .268 career average it won't drop all that low if it does go down. I think he can be a leadoff hitter for me. He has struggled against righties in the past, and if that pops up again Dewayne Wise will get some time off the bench vs. righties. He accepted a 3 year $15 million deal the day it was offered when I included the starting job along with it. 2014 Salary: $ 5 million
Right Field - Nelson Cruz - In my quest to find another big power bat to compliment Corey Hart in the middle of my lineup I fixated on Nelson Cruz. With Shin-Soo Choo already heading to the Mariners, the Cruz market heated up, and I was the last man standing once I added a fourth year to the deal. The accepted offer was a 4 year $54 million deal. It was an expensive deal, but one that needed to be made to acquire some power. Cruz has power, there's no debating that, but 4 years is a lot to give an aging 40 year old recently came off a PED suspension. The need for the first two years here outweighs the possible decline in the second two. Anything on top of two good years would just be icing on the cake. Whether I like this deal or not, it had to be made and will only help my franchise out. 2014 Salary: $13.5 million
Bench:
Justin Turner (2B/3B) - Has proved to be a decent hitter during short career. Still young. Pinch hitter / extra infielder. 2014 Salary: 500k
Jerry Hairston Jr. (IF/OF) - Can play everywhere. Super utility guy for the team. 2014 Salary: $1 million
Lou Marson (C) - Wanted Arencibia here but settled for the 27 year old Marson. Young guy to play behind Suzuki. Can hit a little but not a lot. 2014 Salary: $500k
Dewayne Wise (OF) - 4th outfielder who also provides platoon split for Davis if necessary. Good hitter combines with average at best defense. 2014 Salary: $1 million
Delmon Young (OF) - Needed a hitter off the bench. Brings decent power with a good AVG. Could split time with Boesch in left or pinch hit. 2014 Salary: $1 million
Bullpen:
LRP - Travis Blackley (L) - Bounced around last year. Has starter experience if need be. 2014 Salary: 500k
LRP - Greg Reynolds (R) - Young, cheap pitcher with upside. Could also spot start when needed. 2014 Salary: 500k
MRP - Henry Rodriguez (R) - 27 year old with decent stuff. Could finally make a breakthrough. 2014 Salary: 750k
MRP - Jose Mijares (L) - ERA bounced back up after a solid 2012. Lefty specialist in the bullpen. 2014 Salary: 750k
MRP - Joba Chamberlain (R) - You know the story. Throws hard but can't seem to figure it out. Hopefully can get back on track here. 2014 Salary: $1 million
SU - Jesse Crain (R) - Found a good setup man with ability to take over as closer if Rodriguez struggles. Hopefully he can return from his injury at full strength this year. Can be flipped at the deadline if season tanks. 2014 Salary $4 million
CP - Francisco Rodriguez (R) - Has closer experience but shouldn't cost the closer cash. Had a good year last year and seemed to put his troubles behind him. A good year here allows him to become a strong closer option next year on the market. 2014 Salary $2 million
All that puts my payroll at a cool $99.5 million, just below my cap. My guess is that will be right in the middle of the pack this year compared to the other teams. It would have come in at 15th had it been last year's payroll.
Well that's all! Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think in the comments below.