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Mailbag: Figgins, Morse, 2014, Tools

November 23, 2012 by Mike 23 Comments

Five post-Thanksgiving questions for you this week, but a few of them are really short. Remember to use the Submit A Tip box in the sidebar to send us anything throughout the week.

(Otto Greule Jr/Getty)

Many asked: What about Chone Figgins?

The Mariners finally cut ties with Figgins earlier this week, tying a bow on one of the biggest free agent busts in baseball history. Seattle paid him $26M over the last three years to hit .277/.302/.283 (69 wRC+) in over 1,200 plate appearances (-0.9 fWAR and -1.6 bWAR), and they still owe him $8M next season. Just brutal.

Lots of people still view the 34-year-old Figgins as some kind of supersub, but he’s played primarily third base for the last six years while dabbling at second in the corner outfield (fewer than 500 innings). That’s it. He’s played 14 innings at shortstop in the last eight years and none in the last six years. He’s a third baseman who can fake second and left but rates no better than average anywhere. Figgins has just stopped hitting and it’s not just a Safeco Field thing, he’s got a 71 wRC+ on the road as a Mariner. I’d give him a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training and nothing more. If he doesn’t show signs of being useful in camp, just release him. Don’t even waste the Triple-A roster spot.

Joe asks: What do you think of Michael Morse? Nationals cold make him available if they sign Michael Bourn.

(Patrick McDermott/Getty)

I’m not much of a Morse fan but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player. The 30-year-old right-handed hitter has posted a .296/.345/.516 (133 wRC+) batting line with 67 homers in just shy of 1,300 plate appearances over the last three years, which is damn impressive. He never walks (5.7 BB% since 2010) and is very BABIP-reliant (.339), and when those guys go south, it tends to happen in a hurry. It’s not like Morse is old though, there’s no obvious reason he can’t keep up this kind of production for another few years.

The Nationals are reportedly looking to re-sign Adam LaRoche as well as add a long-term center fielder, and acquiring both would leave Morse without a defensive home. He’s owed $6.75M next year and will become a free agent after the season, so they should have no trouble trading him if they bring LaRoche back and sign Bourn or B.J. Upton or someone like that. Morse can obviously hit but he’s a terrible defensive player regardless of position, yet he would still make sense for New York since they need some pop to replace Nick Swisher. I really have no idea what the Nationals are looking for in a trade, I suppose just more pitching, which the Yankees don’t really have much to offer. I don’t love Morse but he would be a fit for the Yankees.

David asks: There has been a lot of talk about signing players this year to a one-year deals because of the $189 million dollar limit. How does that help them next year? Are the Yankees going to be in the same situation for the next two years or is there a few large contracts coming off the books?

By signing all these guys to one-year contracts, the Yankees are going to have to replace all of ’em next winter as well as Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, and Phil Hughes. That’s just scary. They’ll have to replace half the roster. Then again, they’ll also have the flexibility needed to get the payroll down. Still, having to potentially replace two outfielders, three starting pitchers, the second baseman, and various relievers/bench players all in one offseason will be very difficult to do. Not impossible, just difficult.

Tucker asks: When does the payroll in 2014 need to be below $189 million? Is it just the Opening Day payroll, or do the Yankees need to stay under that mark for the entire season?

They basically have to stay under the entire season. The luxury tax is based on the final club payroll, which includes everything paid to players from salary to performance bonuses to benefits. That includes pro-rated portions of salary paid to players called up, traded/acquired in the middle of the season, etc. The Yankees won’t be able to get under on Opening Day then add payroll, they’ll have to maintain it all year.

Anonymous asks: We always talk about the “five-tool player,” but it seems that when evaluating players we look for the following tools: Can he get on-base? Can he field his position? Can he hit for power? And can he run? In your opinion, are those the four most important tools and how would you rank them?

Yeah, I think those are my four most important skills (let’s not call them tools just to avoid confusion with the usual five-tool stuff). Getting on-base either through batting average or drawing walks or getting hit by pitches is the single most important thing a position player can do. It would be nice if a hitter did all three of those things, but those guys are rare. Not making outs at the plate is the easiest way a player can contribute to his team.

I’d rank hitting for power second ahead of defense just because I’m an offense-first guy. That doesn’t mean I’m cool with having a team of butchers out there, I certainly understand the important of turning batted balls into outs, but power is becoming harder to find these days and I value it more. The ability to run the bases — not necessarily speed, just the ability to be a smart base-runner and make good decisions — lags behind everything else for me. Health is also a skill to a certain extent and frankly I would rank that right before defense and ahead of running. A player isn’t any good to you if he’s hurt.

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: Chone Figgins, Michael Morse

Heyman: Pettitte expected to decide on 2013 by next week

November 23, 2012 by Mike 47 Comments

Via Jon Heyman: Andy Pettitte is expected to decide whether he’ll return to pitch next season by the end of next week. He cites a “friend” of Pettitte, so take the report with a big grain of salt. Less than a week ago a “friend” indicated that Hiroki Kuroda preferred to pitch in Southern California, and we know how that turned out.

Earlier this week we heard that the 40-year-old Pettitte could give the team a “timetable” soon, and I suppose this qualifies. Most expect Andy to return next year after a big chunk of his 2012 comeback was wiped out by a fluke leg injury, but that’s not a guarantee. The Yankees would have to give the veteran left-hander a hefty raise over the $2.5M he earned this year, but I don’t think that’ll be much of an issue since it figures to be a one-year contract that would not impact the 2014 payroll plan.

Filed Under: Asides, Hot Stove League Tagged With: Andy Pettitte

Thanksgiving Day Open Thread

November 22, 2012 by Mike 34 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope you’re having a great day and a great meal with family and friends. This is easily my favorite holiday of the year. In between bites of turkey, use this as your open thread. You’ve got three footballs games (didn’t it used to be two on Thanksgiving?) today: Texans-Lions (12:30pm ET on CBS), Redskins-Cowboys (4:25pm ET on FOX), and Patriots-Jets (8:20pm ET on NBC). Talk about those games or anything else you like here. Happy Thanksgiving.

Filed Under: Open Thread

King: Yankees have yet to make Martin an offer

November 22, 2012 by Mike 44 Comments

Via George King: The Yankees have yet to make an offer to Russell Martin, and they’re likely to focus on re-signing Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera first. Ken Rosenthal notes that the free agent catching market has stalled because the Blue Jays and Red Sox are shopping J.P. Arencibia and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, respectively.

Martin, 29, hit .211/.311/.403 (95 wRC+) with a career-high 21 homers this year. The free agent catching market is very weak, with Martin and A.J. Pierzynski representing the only true everyday catchers. The Yankees reportedly have interest in Mike Napoli, but a) calling him an everyday catcher is a stretch, and b) I think that’s just an example of the team trying to drive up the price for the Red Sox. He doesn’t really fit with New York as a half-time first baseman/half-time DH. Given the general wackiness of the market so far, it’s very likely Martin will get three years in the $24-30M range.

Filed Under: Asides, Hot Stove League Tagged With: Russell Martin

Thanksgiving Eve Open Thread

November 21, 2012 by Mike 47 Comments

Man I really hope you don’t have to travel today, it’s a nightmare out there. Granted that’s nothing new the day before Thanksgiving, but it doesn’t make it any easier. If you aren’t stuck in traffic or waiting for a train or sitting on a tarmac, use this open thread to talk about whatever you like. Go nuts.

Filed Under: Open Thread

Sherman: Yankees expected to bottom-feed for rotation depth

November 21, 2012 by Mike 56 Comments

Via Joel Sherman: Expect the Yankees to bottom-feed for rotation depth later in the offseason (January or February), meaning a Freddy Garcia-type on a “prove yourself” contract. Sherman suggests Dallas Braden, who is coming off two shoulder surgeries and hasn’t pitched since April 2011, but he has a bit of a history with the Yankees and it ain’t good.

The free agent market is littered with reclamation-type starters, guys who will presumably take a minor league contract. Someone like Tim Stauffer (a personal fave), Jonathan Sanchez, Kevin Correia, or even former Yankees Dustin Moseley and (gasp!) Carl Pavano could fit the bill. With Hiroki Kuroda back in the fold and Andy Pettitte hopefully on his way back as well, the Yankees would have Ivan Nova and David Phelps as their fifth and sixth starters (in whatever order) with Michael Pineda theoretically on the way at midseason. Signing a veteran to stash in Triple-A for the first few weeks of the season seems more like a necessity than a luxury, actually.

Filed Under: Asides, Hot Stove League

Heyman: Yankees interested in Stephen Drew

November 21, 2012 by Mike 24 Comments

Via Jon Heyman: The Yankees have interest in free agent shortstop Stephen Drew. Although he has never played a position other than shortstop as a professional, they want to see if he’s open to a supersub role. We know the team is looking for an upgrade over Jayson Nix, specifically someone who can play short and third a combined 100 times next year.

Drew, 29, had his worst full season since his rookie year in 2012, hitting just .223/.309/.348 (79 wRC+) in 327 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks and Athletics. He missed the first three months of the season recovering from the gruesome ankle injury he suffered near the end of last year. The crop of free agent shortstops is very weak, so Drew figures to draw plenty of interest as a starter. Yankee Stadium would probably boost his numbers as a left-handed hitter, but irregular playing time wouldn’t help. I’d be pleasantly surprised if Drew took a one-year, rebuild-your-value contract with New York, but I don’t think it’ll happen.

Filed Under: Asides, Hot Stove League Tagged With: Stephen Drew

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