The Major League Baseball Winter Meetings are a little over a week away, but General Managers from around the league have already checked off a few needs on their shopping list. The free agent market can be a tough racket. Some teams can wheel and deal successfully every season, while others have a tendency to overpay and fall short during crunch time. While there haven’t been a great deal of free agent signings as of yet, there are three that drew a red flag within moments of when the players signed on the dotted line. In all three cases the players profited handsomely, while the GMs in question were left looking like these were the first deals they had ever made. Brace yourself; it’s going to get scary.
Philadelphia Phillies Re-sign Carlos Ruiz
Chooch has been a staple of the Phillies organization since he made his MLB debut back in 2006 as THE potential replacement for 13-year veteran Mike Lieberthal. In 2007 Ruiz caught 115 games during his first full season which inevitably led to him taking charge behind the dish when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008 against the Tampa Bay Rays, their first title since 1980.
At the plate his numbers improved year after year as he finished with batting averages over .300 twice in 2010 and 2012 along with at least 53 RBI in those same years and a career-high 16 home runs in 2012. From 2010 through 2012 Ruiz finished in the top-30 for the National League MVP every season and made one All-Star Game appearance in 2012 behind career-high stats (.325/16/68) in 114 games played.
Things were looking great until the league cracked down and suspended Ruiz for his second positive banned substance test. Like his previous bust/warning, amphetamines found in his prescription Adderall were the culprit and wouldn’t have been a big deal had he and his agent gotten league approval. As a result of their folly, Ruiz was suspended for the first 25 games of 2013 and ultimately played in 92 games, hitting .268 with five home runs and 37 RBI, borderline career-lows. When the end of the season came to be, Ruiz became a free agent. And like all free agents, he tested the market… for three weeks.
A few teams “showed interest” in Ruiz, but nobody was really that serious in signing the soon-to-be 35-year-old. The Phillies, not wanting to let the heart of the franchise go to a NL East rival team decided to give their veteran a three-year contract… for roughly $26 million. This may not seem like a lot, but for a player of his age and position it’s a very big deal. Broken down Ruiz will be making roughly $8.5 million per season. The most he ever made in one season was $5 million in 2013. Prior to that he made $9.58 million combined in his first seven seasons. Also, Ruiz got pinched twice for taking supplements banned by MLB. What the hell were the Phillies thinking!? It could be worse though…
Philadelphia Phillies sign Marlon Byrd
If you’re not too familiar with the Marlon Byrd story, here’s the summary: Byrd’s first 3.5 seasons (2002-2005) in MLB came with the Phillies and he almost won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2003.
From there he got traded to the Washington Nationals and played there until his contract was up at the end of the 2006 season.
He played three solid years with the Texas Rangers (2007-2009), became a free agent again and was signed by the Chicago Cubs where he played from 2010 until he was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2012.
Not too long after he got to Boston Byrd was busted and suspended for performance enhancing drugs.
With his contract now up the New York Mets signed him to a one-year $700,000 contract in which Byrd would hit .285 with a career-high 24 home runs and 88 RBI between them and the Pittsburgh Pirates, whom they traded him to at the end of August. So now, with a career-best season and a PED suspension under his belt going into another bout of free agency, what happens? The Phillies bring him back to the tune of a two-year $16 million deal with an $8 million third-year option.
In some weird way one could say that this deal is appropriate, but only if that “one” person is Toronto Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos who gave Melky Cabrera a two-year $16 million deal after he was popped for PEDs and suspended in 2012. Based on the evidence, the two-year $16 million appears to be protocol for outfielders who get nabbed; however, Byrd at least had the advantage of playing a full season before getting a more-lucrative contract. But like Ruiz above, Byrd isn’t getting any younger.
He’s currently 36-years-old and the amount of money hell be getting paid just in 2014 is equal to what he made from 2003-2010. Even though he made a combined $12.7 million in his last three seasons, it’s becoming a dark trend where players over the age of 35 are making way more than they should in the twilight of their careers. Especially those who need to go through league-deemed illegal means to keep their numbers and careers in tact.
St. Louis Cardinals sign Jhonny Peralta
As if the Byrd, Cabrera and Ruiz stories weren’t frightening enough, the St. Louis Cardinals pushed the boundaries of sanity and signed Jhonny Peralta to a four-year $53 million deal. This deal became a clear sign that getting busted for PEDs really isn’t that big of a deal just as long as there is some team who truly needs your services. Luckily for Peralta, the Cardinals happened to need a shortstop who could actually hit as well as be used in the outfield or possibly even third base.
Of course, it only cost the Cards $3 million more in 2014 than Peralta made for his entire career from 2005-2011. What’s even more surprising is that Peralta doesn’t exactly have the kind of stats that one could consider to be a top-tier talent as he is hitting .268 with 156 home runs and 698 RBI in 11 seasons all played in the American League. On the brightside for the Cardinals, Peralta is hitting .301 with 19 home runs and 73 RB in 156 Interleague games, but specifically .335 with 11 home runs 30 RBI in 72 games against the current NL Central with the exception of the Cardinals.
With those stats it doesn’t appear that general manager John Mozeliak is absent minded; however, based on the amount that Peralta had been paid throughout his 11-year career, it’s mind-blowing to think that paying 2 ½ times that amount that he made in 2013 ($6 million) is somehow justified after getting pinched and suspended for PEDs in the same season.
With the way things have gone since the Cabrera singing in Toronto it’s not looking too favorable for these teams. Cabrera played in a career-low 88 games in 2013 while hitting .279 with three home runs and 30 RBI, both of which are career-lows. It’s one things to look at things more analytically like Mozeliak potentially did with Peralta, but the science behind everything a whole other, more important thing that needs to be looked at. If all of these players are posting career numbers prior to and during their fall from grace due to PEDs, then you as the GM should probably come to the realization that all prior stats you’ve been dealing with are void. The only real winners here are the players and the fans of rival teams who benefit from teams signing fewer players for more money as opposed to more of the right players for less money.