The free agent signing spree has come to an abrupt halt, which may or may not have something to do with the holidays.
Based on the hustle and bustle of the business of baseball, it’s more than likely that this is not the case. Rather, owners and general managers are weighing their options more carefully as to not get pressured into picking up any new talent at too high of a price based on the Robinson Cano and Shin-Soo Choo signings.
But regardless of the price, there is still a surprising amount of solid talent available and more than capable of helping a team continue their success or merely right the ship. There are five players that teams should really show a vested interest in.
Ubaldo Jimenez, Starting Pitcher
It took a little over a season-and-a-half, but Jimenez appears to a solid value. His 13-9 rebound year with the Wild Card spot-winning Cleveland Indians has helped make him a more valuable commodity; however, this was all coming off a 9-17 record in 2012 in which he led the AL in losses.
One thing he did have going for himself in 2013 is his 3.30 ERA which is the second-best he’s posted in his eight years in the Majors.
While some hope that he can get back to his near-Cy Young caliber dominance of 2010, it may take another year or two of above average pitching to get him back on track.
After all, some players can dominate in any league while some are one or the other. Jimenez is still trying to master his game in the AL.
He has the determination to be an ace, but it appears he would make for a better number two in any rotation. At almost 30-years-old he can make any team happy for a good stretch of time.
A.J. Burnett, Starting Pitcher
Burnett found a bit of a career restoration in Pittsburgh, but the soon-to-be 37-year-old may still try to fetch a high price this offseason despite the fact the New York Yankees paid the majority of his salary over the last two seasons to keep him out of pinstripes.
Burnett went 26-21 with a 3.41 ERA and a mind blowing 389 strikeouts with the Pirates during his tenure. Both seasons came with missed time due to injuries as well.
Burnett appears to still be in decent form; however, his final appearance of 2013, a seven-earned run loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS may still be fresh in some GMs minds as a sign of bad things to come.
Hopefully Burnett is willing to take a bit of a pay cut in order to not only be signed, but end up in a location where he’ll be happy. With his stuff he clearly has a few years left in him.
Stephen Drew Shortstop
There are plenty of teams that could use a glove like Drew’s on the field; however, it’s his bat that has continued to keep him on the free agent market.
All of Drew’s best offensive years came as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks where he averaged .266 in seven years with a high of .291 along with 21 home runs and 67 RBI in 152 games in 2008.
In 2013 with the Boston Red Sox, Drew only averaged .253, but he managed to blast 13 home runs and tie his career-high in RBI (67) in only 124 games.
While some could see his average as being an issue, they’re missing all of the other offensive components that make him a real value. Drew won’t be turning 31 until March and he clearly has a lot of good years left in the tank. He may need to tough it out for a year or two at a lower wage in order to boost his market value again.
Brennan Boesch, Outfield
It’s kind of odd that there is little-to-no activity for Boesch, especially when considering that he is only three years removed from his top-five finish for the AL Rookie of the Year Award (2010).
In 2013 Boesch had a rough year with the Yankees as he was waived after an injury and only 23 games in which he still managed to hit .275 with three home runs and eight RBI. While his .260 average, 45 home runs and 183 RBI in four seasons doesn’t seem too attractive, it’s his Interleague numbers that make Boesch a must have.
All four of Boesch’s seasons came in the AL (Detroit Tigers and Yankees) and his numbers against the NL are .332/.381/.559 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI in 57 games.
Even though you’re dealing with a somewhat small sample size, it’s still pretty remarkable. There is no reason why any NL team shouldn’t sign him to at least a one-to-two year deal to test him out. His $1.5 million he made with the Yankees in 2013 should prove that he’s a low-value risk.
Nelson Cruz, Outfield
On Friday the Texas Rangers made the Choo deal official and in turn passively told Cruz that they will be passing on him despite the fact that he was the team’s biggest offensive contributor before he was served his 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis mess.
But even after serving his time he still finished only three home runs and 16 RBI behind team leader Adrian Beltre. At 33-years-old Cruz still has plenty of pop in his bat, but he may need be used primarily as a designated hitter despite the fact that he can still move around the outfield.
If a team wishes to bring him in as an outfielder, good for them. The biggest problem keeping Cruz off of a team is his asking price of four years for at least $60 million.
The figure actually makes sense since the Cardinals were so willing to give fellow-Biogenesis bad boy Jhonny Peralta a similar deal.
If Cruz were to find himself a gig with a team in the near future it would really help his cause to get his batting average up significantly over .263 and not suffer any leg-related injuries. It’s asking a lot of him, but it’s only fair since he’s asking so much of one lucky team.
Matt Garza, Starting Pitcher
The Texas Rangers were hoping that Matt Garza was the missing piece to their 2013 playoff run, but his 4-5 record with a 4.38 ERA and a hot-headed attitude proved this was not the case.
Garza really needs to get his emotions in check, but more importantly he needs to find himself on a team where the pressure isn’t going to be placed up his shoulders.
He clearly still has a lot of great games in him; after all, he did start 2013 6-1 with a 3.17 ERA as a member of the Chicago Cubs and he did have some really good years on the Tampa Bay Rays. Somebody will come to their senses and lock him up, but it can’t be stressed enough that it needs to be a team that has good chemistry and not in ridiculous large market.