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[Troy (Toronto)]

Keith Law, MLB Insider

Free Agency Review: Catchers, First Baseman, Designated Hitters
January, 14th, 2015

For notable signings that drew my attention for being very good value, or very bad value, I handed out grades at my discretion.

Catcher, Wilson Ramos, Kansas City Royals - (3 years, 2.5M AAS)

Grade: A+

    Ramos, who has struggled to stay healthy over the course of his young career, was given a modest 2.5M per season. Performance hasn't been the issue with him, as he has put up a .270/.320/.430 slash line in his career, pretty fantastic for a catcher. He brings plenty of power to the table as well, hitting 27 HR over the past two seasons in only 628 AB's. Look for this to turn into a bargain if Ramos can get in at least 100 games behind the dish.

Catcher, Kurt Suzuki, Texas Rangers - (2 years, 1.1M AAS)

Grade: A

    Suzuki is a veteran backstop who put up one of his best seasons at age 30. Given only 1.1M, even if he doesn't sustain his .290/.345 line, no loss will encountered. You can say goodbye to his power, which was never really one of his tools, now that he plays his home games in Target. Nonetheless, this deal will look pretty good even if Suzuki regresses back to his career .260/.315 line.

Catcher, Miguel Montero, Los Angeles Dodgers - (3 years, 4.0M AAS)

Grade: C-

    Montero has struggled to perform at the offensive levels he is use too. Miguel has not hit higher than .243, hasn't had an OBP of higher than .329, and hit only 37 doubles in the past 1,035 PA's over the 2013 and 2014 seasons. His peak seasons produced a .294 average, a .391 OBP, and 36 doubles. He will play the 2015 season at age 31, and it will be tough to see a rebound given his struggles the past two seasons in Arizona. Perhaps a revitalization will come in Chicago, but I'll stick with his downward trajectory. Could be a wasted 4M in the near future.

First Baseman, Justin Morneau, Houston Astros - (2 years, 3.0M AAS)

Grade: A+

    Morneau, who has re-established himself as the star he once was, hit .320 with 17 HR in the thin Colorado air. Weather his performance was aided by Coors field or not, that is where he will call his home for 2015, and there is no reason to expect anything different for the upcoming season.

First Baseman, Miguel Cabrera, Seattle Mariners - (3 years, 17.33M AAS)

Grade: B+

    At first glance, the 17.33M value looks extreme, but this looks quite reasonable when you have guys like Anthony Rizzo (20M), Goldschmidt (24.5M), and Abreu (24.5M) all far surpass the former MVP and future HOF. He is only a season removed from his incredible run of 44 HR, 140 RBI, and a .350 BA. He will play 2015 at age 32, which gives hope that a similar season is not out of the realm. Even if he stays closer to his 2014 self, I think Seattle will be pleased with 30 HR and .300+ BA.

First Baseman, Eric Hosmer, Los Angeles Dodgers - (4 years, 7.5M AAS)

Grade: C

    Just when you think he has it figured out, he looks lost again. Hosmer's career has been full of ups and downs, putting up very good 2011 and 2013 seasons, while 2012 and 2014 have been forgettable. While no doubting he is full of potential, 7.5M is quite a price tag for not knowing what Hosmer you will get.





Article not affiliated with ESPN or Keith Law.

[Troy (Toronto)]

Keith Law, MLB Insider

Free Agency Review: Second Base, Third Base, and Shortstops
January, 28th, 2015

For notable signings that drew my attention for being good value, or bad value, I handed out grades at my discretion.


Second Baseman, Javier Baez, Philadelphia Phillies - (5 years, 7M AAS)

Grade: D

Harsh grade, but I am one of Baez's doubters. You can't deny his power, but no player can be successful with whiffing at such an extreme rate (42% K rate)(Only hit .169/.227/.324). He's still young, but 7.0M annually for a player who probably will be up and down to the minors for 1 or 2 seasons of the contract due to his maturation process. I can't see this contract working out in the end.

Second Baseman, Howie Kendrick, San Francisco Giants - (2 years, 2.5M AAS)

Grade: A+

He's a top 10 2B, and got paid less than guys like Panik, Odor, Profar, and Semien. Kendrick is an all around player, he hasn't hit below .285 since 2010. He adds a few SB's, and can add a little power if you catch him in a good year. Jealous of this signing myself...props to the GM in SF.

Third Baseman, Josh Harrison, Arizona D'Backs - (2 years, 7.6M AAS)

Grade: C

Sure, he had a really good season out of nowhere last year. I'll say it was all a fluke, and he will revert back to his usual replacement level self. The only good thing about this contract is ARZ only made it 2 years, or this would get UGLY.

Third Baseman, Alex Rodriguez, Chicago Cubs - (1 year, 0.5M)

Grade: A++

Alex Rodriguez's projected 2015 line: 38 HR, 108 RBI, .277 AVG/.359 OBP/.566 SLG - He will wreak havoc upon the league, and restore his legacy, on his way to a 2025 HOF induction. Love this sign.

Shortstop, Danny Santana, San Francisco Giants - (4 years, 5M AAS)

Grade: D-

Yeah, talk about coming out of nowhere. This is the standard case of a great rookie year that will lead to Santana crashing down to earth his sophomore season, and every season after that. He could be a 4th OF or extra infielder by the end of the 2015 season. After all, the guy has a mediocre .273/.313/.391 slash line in the minors, and never hit more than 8 HR in a single season. 5.0M a year for a soon to be role player.

Shortstop, Alcides Escobar, Toronto Blue Jays - (2 years, 3M AAS)

Grade: B+

In all honesty, I could just put all of Toronto's signings on here and give them A's and B's. You can never doubt Owner and GM Troy Cavell's knowledge of the game. He is a true genius who never ceases to make the best moves.


*Article not affiliated with ESPN or Kieth Law.

[Troy (Toronto)]

Keith Law, MLB Insider

Free Agency Review: Outfielders
February 7th, 2015

For notable signings that drew my attention for being very good value, or very bad value, I handed out grades at my discretion.

Outfielder, JD Martinez, San Francisco Giants - (2 years, 11.5M AAS)

Grade: C-

I'll eat my words if he puts up anything close to his 2014 numbers. But still, JD Martinez??? 11.5M A YEAR??? What?? He got more money than Matt Kemp, Melky Cabrera, Jason Heyward, Hunter Pence...you get the point. And this will not be the last appearance for SF on this list.

Outfielder, Steve Pearce, San Francisco Giants - (1 year, 8M AAS)

Grade: C-

I'm an Orioles fan and I am puking at this.


Outfielder, Ben Revere, Miami Marlins - (3 years, 10.5M AAS)

Grade: D

10.5M for 40 steals, give or take. That says it all.

Outfielder, Bryce Harper, Detroit Tigers - (5 years, 24.5M AAS)

Grade D

He is not worth 24.5M a year currently. He will never be worth 24.5M AAS during the span of this contract. During his peak season in his career, he will not even be worth 24.5M AAS. Needless to say, Detroit's General Manager was canned a few days later.


Note: I tried to put a few good grades on here, but quite frankly, I do not see any contracts that could fit.


*Article not affiliated with ESPN or Keith Law*

[Troy (Toronto)]

Keith Law, MLB Insider

Draft Review: Rounds 1-9.

Steals of the Draft:

3B, Kris Bryant, Kansas City Royals - (#2 Overall)

Clearly the best prospect in the game. Bryant projects to be in the big leagues by summer. He easily projects to be a 30 HR power guy at the hot corner.

SS, JP Crawford, Texas Rangers - (#27 Overall)

Crawford has fast tracked himself to be Jimmy Rollins replacement, perhaps even by September. An all around player, and top 10 prospect, a steal at 27.

SP Taijuan Walker, Cleveland Indians - (#28 Overall)

His health of his shoulder relies on this ranking. He was a top 5 prospect, and performed well in his small taste of big league action. Could end up being the best pitcher taken in the draft.

SP Hunter Harvey, San Francisco Giants - (#63 Overall)

Harvey had a great first full season as a pro. He fell very far in the draft, all the way to the 4th round. Come mid or postseason, he is a top 15 or 20 prospect after the top tier graduate off this season. Huge steal here.

SP Eduardo Rodriguez, Los Angeles Dodgers - (#101 Overall)

One of the better lefty starters in the minors, Rodriguez is on the verge of the show, and has the potential to be a #2 starter in the Boston rotation. Fell far considering I had him #29 on my list.

3B Ryan McMahon, Texas Rangers - (#107 Overall)

Has shown a great bat, and advanced feel at the plate, plus he will end up in Coors in a few years. He was ranked #51 on my top list for 2015.

SP Taylor Guerrieri, Oakland A's - (#147 Overall)

Tommy John Surgery, plus coming off a 50 game suspension. A lot of baggage, but he was a consensus top 30 prospect not too long ago. Could end a great value.

SP Jesse Biddle, Toronto Blue Jays - (#186 Overall)

Coming off a few minor injuries, and a confidence issue, Biddle is ready to hit the mound again in 2015.

Notable Mentions; SS Francisco Lindor (TB) (#12 Overall), P Robert Stephenson (KC) (#42 Overall), P Braden Shipley (HOU) (#55 Overall), P Kyle Zimmer (HOU) (#66 Overall), C Christian Bethancourt (LA) (#161 Overall), P Joe Ross (SEA) (#185 Overall), C Peter O'Brien (CLE) (#193 Overall)


Reaches of the Draft;

Tim Anderson, New York Yankees - (#17 Overall)

Anderson is a solid player, is he #17 overall solid? No. He was taken ahead of better shortstops such as Crawford, Turner, and Robertson.

Austin Hedges, Minnesota Twins - (#41 Overall)

He gets hype for his defense, he doesn't have a prayer to hit in the big leagues. Sadly, no value for a defensive player in here.

Tyrone Taylor, Detroit Tigers - (#77 Overall)

He isn't this good, and in fact, there are tons of OF's still on the board who are just as good, and better.

Danny Hultzen, Miami Marlins - (#156 Overall)

This was a terrible selection. Not sure what Rich is doing. Awful, just AWFUL. (This was actually a great pick, I am very mad because I wanted him.)

Ken Giles, Jacob Lindgren, Nick Burdi - (A number too high)

RP's shouldn't get drafted this high.


Notable Mentions; OF Nomar Mazara (NYY) (#24 Overall), 1B Matt Olson (DEN) (#30 Overall), 1B Kyle Parker (MIA) (#96 Overall), 3B Matt Chapman (MIN) (#181 Overall), 3B Kyle Kubitza (CHI) (#188 Overall), P Dillon Overton (PHI) (#190 Overall)

[Troy (Toronto)]

Keith Law, MLB Insider

Free Agency Review: Starting Pitchers
February 15th, 2015

For notable signings that drew my attention for being very good value, or very bad value, I handed out grades at my discretion.

*Note* - There were an incredible amount of terrific signings, too many to get into details about.

Notable good value signings;

Mike Leake (MIA), Lance Lynn (TB), Rick Porcello (LA), Alfredo Simon (HOU), Chris Tillman (DEN), Ervin Santana (DET), Ect.

Starting Pitcher, Carlos Carrasco, Atlanta Braves (3 years, 5.5M AAS)

Grade: D-

I really don't get this one. Carrasco has never, ever been a successful starting pitcher in the big leagues, yet somehow ended up with more money than legitimate top of the rotation starters. It's easy to get fooled by Carrasco who's overall numbers look good, (2.55 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 130 IP) But this is from 14 starts, and 26 relief appearances. Chalk this up as a miscue for the Braves management.

Starting Pitcher, Justin Verlander, Kansas City Royals (2 years, 6.0M AAS)

Grade: C-

Verlander has taken himself out of consideration when you talk about the games best hurlers. Rightfully so, as his fastball continues in steady decline, his ERA has increased 4 straight seasons (2.40, 2.64, 3.46, 4.54), and his K/9 dropped from 8.9k/9 to 6.9k/9. I'll bet his 6.0M will be a waste as he performs like a fringy 5th starter.

Starting Pitcher, Ryan Vogelsong, Minnesota Twins (3 years, 1.0M AAS)

Grade: F

Yeah, sure it's only 1.0M, but they gave him 3 years to a 37 year old pitcher who has been mediocre at best the past 2 seasons. That alone merits a failing grade, even if he puts up a respectable line this year.

Starting Pitcher, Tanner Roark, Boston Red Sox (4 years, 3.0M AAS)

Grade: C

This could turn into a B, or fall down to a D. It all depends on if Washington trades him to another team where he can start, or if he can somehow beat out Gio for the 5th spot in Washington. If not, they could be paying 3.0M for a long reliever.

Starting Pitchers, Masahiro Tanaka, Patrick Corbin, Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez, Derek Holland, Michael Pineda, Matt Moore, Yu Darvish

Grade: C

Another dynamic grade here. All of these guys are top of the rotation arms, but are coming off significant injuries. Most of these guys got huge money, and it can easily go south quickly if they don't return as themselves. Although all will deserve the money they got if they can come back 100% healthy. A lot of gambles here.