Carlos Beltran also signed a two year deal with the Cardinals on Thursday. He'll get $26 million over the two years, and hopefully not be asked to center field. His knee problems have diminished his range, and at this point he's better suited for a corner spot. Compared to the earlier deals for outfielders this offseason; Cuddyer, Willingham, and Kubel, this deal seems like a steal. He's a better player than all three of the others, and signed a much more club friendly deal. There was speculation of Cleveland signing Beltran, but he blocked a trade to Cleveland last summer, and I never really though he'd sign there. If he did, it would have been the end of the Tribe's offseason moves, and forced Michael Brantley to play first base, something that I was not excited about. He'll be an everyday player in the middle or top of the Cardinals order. Even without his speed, his on base skills are valuable at the top of the St. Louis order in front of Holliday and Berkman.
The Reds added a left hander to their bullpen by getting Sean Marshall from the Cubs. Marshall is going to be a free agent at the end of the 2012 season, and didn't cost the Reds too much. The Cubs will receive Travis Wood, and prospects who haven't been named yet. Wood is a back end of the rotation option, who's cheap, and should eat innings and provide depth for the Cubs while they rebuild their roster. If Marshall signs an extension with the Reds, the quality of the prospects could increase, but I doubt it will be any impact talent either way. But the player to be named later probably isn't anyone of consequence, as PTBNL usually aren't. Although Marshall is left handed, he gets righties out at a good enough clip that he could serve as the teams closer. It is a good acquisition for the Reds, who are nipping at the Cardinals heals for best team in that division.
The Red Sox continued to add bullpen depth by acquiring Andrew Bailey from the Athletics. Bailey is a power pitcher with good control. He's averaged a strikeout per inning throughout his career, and has allowed less than one baserunner per inning also. He's going into his age 28 season, and should be a force at the back end of the Red Sox bullpen for the foreseeable future (he's under club control until 2015). The problem with Bailey is that he's struggled with injuries since his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2009, and hasn't pitched 50 innings in either of the past two seasons. He started 2011 on the disabled list with a muscle strain in his forearm, and has already had Tommy John surgery as an amateur. His value on the market seemed to be deflated this offseason, with front offices worried about his injury history, and the glut of relief pitchers still on the market. Still, the A's are getting rid of anyone with value, and that included Bailey. Along with Bailey, Ryan Sweeney will ship over to Boston, while Josh Reddick, Miles Head and Raul Alcantara will join the Athletics organization.
Sweeney for Reddick is close to a wash. Sweeney can play an average centerfield, but his bat isn't anything special. Reddick had his moments with the Red Sox last season, but is a fringe regular, and is probably a platoon player or fourth outfielder on a contending team. The Athletics will use Reddick as a cheap warm body for a few years, but will probably be on the bench or a different team by the time the Athletics make a serious run. Sweeney should serve as an extra outfielder for Boston, and the trade shows that Boston sees Ryan Kalish as their everyday right fielder in 2012.
Miles Head is a young first baseman who probably won't be missed by the Red Sox now that Adrian Gonzalez is in town. Head's bat isn't anything special, and he'll likely never be anything more than a Big League regular, and would be the type on player Boston would look to upgrade anyways. The most interesting piece of the deal for Oakland is Raul Alcantara. Alcantara pitched at both rookie and low-A ball this past year at age 18. He's a righty who sits in the low-to-mid nineties with a developing slider. He'll need to develop a third pitch to become more than a power reliever, but has already shown good control. He fits the young pitching profile that the Athletics have been going after this offseason, and his development should dictate whether Oakland did well in this trade more than that of Reddick or Head. The Red Sox got a proven closer, for nothing that they'll likely miss too much in the future. They didn't spend a $50 million to get Ryan Madsen, and should be praised for it. The only thing that worries me is Bailey's health. He's good when he's on the field, but misses a lot of games. He's getting to the point where I view him as Erik Bedard out of the bullpen.
With Oakland shedding cash this offseason in a push to force a themselves into a new stadium, I was puzzled when I heard that they signed Coco Crisp to a two year deal. Crisp will not only earn $7 million per year of the deal (with a club option for a third year), but he'll also be the highest paid player on the team, and make up about 15% of their payroll. But in a vacuum, for his production, it's actually not a bad deal. It just doesn't make sense for the Athletics, who are shedding payroll. I expected them to go into 2012 with Collin Cowgill, Josh Reddick, and some other fringe player out there. This deal makes the Carlos Beltran 2/$26m deal look like a steal.
Quick Hits (Mostly because I'm lazy)
- Mark DeRosa signed a deal with the Nationals. A wrist injury (among others) has taken away De Rosa's power in recent years, and without it, he's not much more than replacement level. I think this could be the last stop for him.
- Andruw Jones re-upped with the Yankees on a one year deal. It's a good fit for Jones, as he can still hit lefties, and brings balance to a lefthand-dominant Yankees outfield.
- Jai Miller was moved from Oakland to Baltimore for cash. Miller will compete for an outfield spot in the already crowded Baltimore outfield, but could be a nice player with a little bit of pop for them.
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