Free (Agent) Fallin'

Jason Michael Barker

When last we spoke, you and I, we took a look at free agency around the infield. There have been handful of signings since then, but since they really only concern my local nine, I'll leave them for another time. Moving on to outfielders and pitchers...

Outfield
If you're looking to add that final piece of the puzzle in the form of an impact outfielder, prepare to be disappointed -- the only one available is Cliff Floyd, but even his impact is questionable. The biggest question is his health, as you're looking at a guy who has only played 140 games in a season three times in nine years. He seemed to put everything together last season, however, playing in 146 games, setting a career high in walks with 76 and knocking better than 47% of his hits for extra bases. He's certainly better off playing on grass, as well as in the American League where he can DH now and then to save wear and tear on his legs.

In the next tier of outfielders are a pair of veterans, Steve Finley and David Justice. Neither one is going to be confused for being part of a youth movement, as Finley will turn 38 this March while Justice will be 37 in April. Finley has been quite unpredictable over the past several seasons, often losing or gaining more than 100 points of OPS from one year to the next. He can still help a club in center field, however, more so than the likes of Kenny Lofton or (shudder) Marquis Grissom. Justice is primarily a DH these days, but can still hit right-handed pitching and wouldn't be a bad veteran to have hanging around a younger club, as he did with the A's last season.

Looking for a solid fourth outfielder? You're in luck, as the Angels have a pair and both are free agents. Of the two, Alex Ochoa is younger, has more pop in his bat, a stronger arm and more speed on the bases. That's not to say Orlando Palmeiro is a bad player, because he's not, but Ochoa offers a bit more. Both will take a walk. Ochoa hits from the right while Palmeiro hits lefty, which might help you make your decision. Personally I wouldn't be afraid to give Ochoa 400 carefully chosen at-bats, while that seems a bit more than ideal for Palmeiro.

Next up are some once-solid veterans who really shouldn't be counted on for too much, but who probably still view themselves as regular players: Kenny Lofton and Reggie Sanders. If you watched the Giants this post-season, you know that Lofton and Sanders are not the players they once were. Lofton was still able turn in some productive moments thanks to his speed, but Sanders seems to have lost the bat speed to catch up with a good fastball. Lofton in particular could really help a team by accepting a part-time role, starting only against right-handed pitching and occasionally in left rather than center, but is he ready for such a demotion? Sanders might be ready for the Ron Gant role, mashing left-handed pitching off the bench.

The rest: Chuck Knoblauch, John Vander Wal, Ruben Sierra, Marquis Grissom, Wil Cordero, Lenny Harris, Doug Glanville, Ron Gant, Tom Goodwin

Starting pitchers
If there's one thing that commands big money on the open market, it's pitching. This year should be no different, with the likes of Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Jamie Moyer all available. Clemens is already set to make $10M from the Yankees next season regardless of where he pitches, so he could be in the mood for a hometown discount down in Texas. Does he have anything left at age 40? He did just post his best strikeout rate since 1998 last season, and a guy who is fanning more than a batter per inning generally has plenty left in the tank. He also seems to take his conditioning very seriously, and also has the added motivation of going for win number 300. I wouldn't bet against him, at least not in the short-term.

That Maddux and Glavine are both free agents is odd enough; imagining them pitching somewhere other than Atlanta is just plain crazy. And yet, it appears that at least one of them will be toiling elsewhere next season. Maddux in Arizona, Glavine in Philadelphia perhaps? These are all just rumors, but you have admit a Johnson-Schilling-Maddux rotation would be downright unfair to the rest of the National League. Maddux is four years younger than Clemens and because he's so efficient with his pitches, his arm really doesn't have all that much wear on it. He's also just 27 wins shy of 300.

Moyer is something of a poor man's Glavine, though he has been just as good as the real thing over the past two seasons, with far fewer walks to boot. Because he fools hitters with below average stuff, there's always talk of the league figuring him out, but of course it never happens. The downside is his age (40 next week), roughly three and a half years older than Glavine. But given that Moyer will cost less, he seems a good relative gamble.

The next tier consists of Paul Byrd, Ismael Valdes, Kenny Rogers, Omar Daal, Steve Trachsel, Woody Williams, John Lieber and Chuck Finley -- not an ace in the bunch, but there's a reason these guys are the "next tier." Each has something to offer, be it veteran experience, solid innings or an injury waiting to happen. Each has a downside as well, be it age, control, injury risk or the chance that he might simply blow up in any given start (and not in the good way). If his age doesn't scare you, Finley might be the best bet. With the exception of 2001, he's a steady 30 start, 200 inning sort of guy. All are serviceable pitchers, though they shouldn't be counted on at the top of the rotation

The rest: Dustin Hermanson, Dave Burba, Charles Nagy, James Baldwin, Esteban Loaiza, Brian Anderson, Shawn Estes, Joey Hamilton, Jimmy Haynes, Shane Reynolds, Andy Benes

Relief pitchers
If there's one thing you should have learned by now, it's that patching together a cheap yet effective bullpen isn't all that difficult. Atlanta got by with the likes of Chris Hammond and Darren Holmes (both free agents, by the way) for less than $800K combined last year. Does that mean that teams should run right out and sign these two? NO! It means they should run out and find the next Hammond and Holmes.

Likely to be overpriced this winter are Ugueth Urbina (40 saves will do that), Juan Acevedo (28 saves, same deal), Ramiro Mendoza (Hey! He's a Yankee!), Hammond and Holmes. Instead, how about Brian Boehringer? He's been good out of the pen three of the last four years, but instead of racking up those costly saves last season, he worked in a set-up role collecting holds instead. He also made just $675K, so a cool million would be a nice raise for him.

Better yet, why not check out this list of six-year minor league free agents from Baseball America? This is where you'll find the next Hammond, Holmes or Ben Weber. Wilfredo Rodriguez! Justin Kaye! Now you're talking. Don't neglect the independent leagues, either, which produced such finds as Kerry Ligtenberg (another Atlanta reliever; are we beginning to sense a pattern here?) and Anaheim's Brendan Donnelly.

about the author

If there's one thing Jason Michael Barker should have learned by now, it's not to pay good money for mediocre baseball entertainment, so don't remind him about the time he paid $10 to watch three innings of a high school junior varsity game when you write jmb@strikethree.com.

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