Thinking Out Loud - Jan 26, 2009

Teams missing the boat on Pudge Rodriguez

With the handful of horse-blank catchers out there who have "starting" jobs, Pudge can't find a gig at a discount price? I don't get it.

Even what he did last year (.276, 7 HR, 10 SB in 398 AB) is WAAAAY better than what most catchers provide, plus he's still one of the better defensive catchers in the game. Not what he used to be, but still very good.

Here's a guy who has 8 million Gold Gloves, a better bat than most catchers even if he is in decline and he's ticked off that nobody will give him a shot...

Give me an angry, motivated Pudge Rodriguez any day.

Paging the Florida Marlins...

Paging the Houston Astros...

Richie Sexson worth a shot?

Depending on what kind of contract terms he's looking for, I'd take a shot on Richie Sexson.

I've had some people tell me they think he lost his power after baseball got more serious about steroid testing but I'm not buying that. If that were the case he might have lost some power but his ability to make contact wouldn't have been affected. At 6'8" 240 pounds he could still generate plenty of power without juicing.

Something's up with his swing, his health or his head.

If it's his health - like a bad back or something - then it's going to be tough for him to turn things around, but players can rebound from the other things.

My prescription - tell him to forget about power for the time being, get back to centering up the ball and making consistent contact and then the home runs will come.

When you're as big as Sexson is, there's no reason to fixate on the long ball. They'll come if you get the barrell of the bat to the ball.

Same goes for Andruw Jones, by the way.

Curious about some OF's '09 salaries

Man, there are some really good free agent OF's out there...

Wonder what these guys are gonna make in '09 and I wonder if some teams who weren't planning on adding a bat will change their minds as the prices come down:

Bobby Abreu
Adam Dunn
Garret Anderson

Dunn's the guy I'd jump on even if I didn't need a hitter. He's not the best hitter in the world but his combination of power and patience are underrated. He's on base more than most .300 hitters so I'll live with the strikeouts when they come with home runs attached.

Best remaining FA SP's

1. Ben Sheets (definitely worth the risk of a 1-2 year deal)
2. Oliver Perez (if this guy ever learns consistency he'll be nasty)
3. Jon Garland (would be a steal for an NL team)
4. Randy Wolf (I'd take him if I had an open rotation spot)
5. Braden Looper (lots of life left in that arm after spending most of his career in the pen)
6. Odalis Perez (lazy but good enough to fill in the 5th spot in a rotation)
7. Tom Glavine (not sure he's gonna get that many guys out in '09)
8. Andy Pettitte (same as Glavine, especially if back in the AL East)
9. Kris Benson (I'd give him an incentive laden deal to prove he's healthy)
10. Mark Mulder (same as Benson)

How could you leave out Pedro?

Well, I did that on purpose to give him his own section...

SOMEBODY NEEDS TO MAKE PEDRO THEIR CLOSER!!!

Look, he's younger than Trevor Hoffman and he has more pitches too, so why not?

He's never going to be able to stay healthy as a starter (just look at 2006-2008) but he has shown a few things over those three seasons:

1) He still misses a lot of bats (256 K's in 269 2/3 IP)
2) He still has control
3) He can still reach back for a little extra on the fastball, but only on occasion

This guy could close for 4-5 years if he's willing and someone gives him a chance. This guy has four quality pitches, he's a strike thrower AND he has no fear.

Put it all together and it spells "C-L-O-S-E-R"

KW