2121 FCM Free Agency Team

[mattynokes]

With all of the positions being offered Fallback for this year’s Free Agency, it got me thinking, “How well would an all-Free Agent team fare?” I’ll hope to do this every season, but we know how these things usually go. With that said, here are a few ground rules that I’ll hold myself in regards to filling out the team:

1. Signed Compensation players get priority.
2. Offered Compensation that returned on Fallback are next.
3. Finally, any other remaining spots can be filled by other players who signed in Free Agency.

C Ray Castillo 92 LAS
Age 30 | Signed $13.0M for 4 Years

While I don’t love his defense, I think he can throw out more runners than in STL with more aggressive strategies. There are no issues with his bat. He has quality contact and power. For just $13M and only going 4 years, it’s a great signing for the A’s.

Proj.: .285 AVG, 20 HR, .820 OPS

1B Sean Stillman 89 ATL
Age 31 | Signed $8.0M for 2 Years

I’m a little surprised that he only went for the minimum Type B offer. While he was very forgettable last year, his 90+ power and eye suggests he can do better. I don’t expect him to return to 2119 numbers (however, the potential is there), I do see him getting back to more in line with his career averages.

Proj.: .260 AVG, 23 HR, .830 OPS

2B Jacob Dantford 83 PHI
Age 34 | Returned $8.0M for 2 Years

This was one of those “More power to you” Fallback offers. If this was after 2117, I could have seen him signing. However, he’s shown some regression and he’s no longer an elite steal threat (in fact, he gets caught stealing quite frequently now). He’s still useful, just not Compensation worthy any longer.

Proj.: .265 AVG, 35 SB, .645 OPS

3B Jake Poole 84 WSH
Age 28 | Signed $8.0M for 2 Years

His age can be deceiving. He looks solid, but he appears to have been declining for a few years now (though he recently staved off some decline with a random jump). Maybe people have turned to defensive studs at the hot corner and Poole fits the profile. I don’t expect him to be good offensively, but serviceable for what 3B has become in FCM.

Proj.: .255 AVG, 20 HR, .715 OPS

SS Kevin Stokes 89 LAS
Age 30 | Signed $8.0M for 2 Years

He appears to be on the downward slope of his career, but still possesses some power and range – making him still a starting option. Las Vegas is easier to hit in than Milwaukee, so even with some regression this season, I could see him putting up better numbers than in 2120.

Proj.: .190 AVG, 21 HR, .685 OPS

LF Allan Greening 90 ARI
Age 30 | Signed $8.0M for 2 Years

He’s had an interesting career. Many competing teams have wanted his services, but hardly any one has kept him for two full seasons. He has defense that can be tolerable, but without speed or range, he’s far from optimal. He’s shown a big time contact bat, but has lacked the power that most will strive for from a corner outfield bat. He just may thrive in the hitter friendly Arizona air.

Proj.: .320 AVG, 18 HR, .860 OPS

CF Ramon Minas 79 CHW
Age 31 | Signed $8.0M for 2 Years

I feel he’s borderline starter material and probably overpaid at $8M. However, as long as you’re aware that he’s in decline and far removed his peak performance, he’s not a terrible option. He’s still a nice contact bat with efficient base stealing ability and solid defense.

Proj.: .285 AVG, 20 SB, .685 OPS

RF Eric Howland 90 CHC
Age 29 | Signed $19.0M for 4 Years

I was surprised to see him sign for as much as he did. He could certainly be worth it – as shown last season, but he could also forget how to produce – as he did in 2118 and 2119.  Is he worth Type A? Sure. But, he’s been too inconsistent to justify nearly $80M.

Proj.: .280 AVG, 24 HR, 800 OPS

DH Bernie Henderson 91 SDP
Age 32 | Signed $19.0M for 3 Years

Continuing with the Howland signing, I was surprised to see Henderson go for less than Howland. Not because he was my guy and I wanted the top Type A pick, but because Henderson has been the more consistent bat. Certainly, Howland wins the defense debate. Henderson is a guy that you’d only put in the field vs LHP in order to rotate the DH spot for rest purposes. Still, an upper .800s OPS is far better to me as a DH than a low .800s OPS with decent defense.

Proj.: .290 AVG, 30 HR, .875 OPS
 
Bench OF Ivan Espinoza 84 MIN

Age 29 | Signed $600K for 1 Year

I feel it’s worthwhile selecting one bench player for the Free Agent team. Since the corner outfielders lack optimal defense, I’m choosing an extra outfielder. Espinoza brings decent enough speed along with a great arm and great range. His bat would suffice, as he’s shown solid contact ability.

Proj.: .275 AVG, 8 HR, .755 OPS (in 400 PA)

SP1 Gil McGruder 94 ATL
Age 36 | Signed $14.0M for 2 Years

It was probably his age that kept him from Type A and I think it would have been interesting to see if someone would have made a bid on him as a Type A. He’s still got some great strikeout ability and has top notch movement. The questions will be; how long until he starts seeing adrop off in skills and how quickly will he degrade? At just two years, he seems like a bargain and a good bet to be a reliable piece of Atlanta’s rotation.

Proj.: 3.50 ERA, 1.05 HR/9, .230 OBA

SP2 Ric Eldred 84 BAL
Age 34 | Returned $16.0M for 2 Years

Him returning probably suggests that no, teams would not have paid Type A money for McGruder. Maybe it’s the age and decline with Eldred, because I think talent-wise he was worth bidding on. With a good GB% and track record, people can do (and have done) worse in FA. I look for another strong season from Eldred.

Proj.: 3.50 ERA, 1.00 HR/9, .250 OBA

SP3 Rob Brown 86 LAD
Age 32 | Returned $8.0M for 2 Years

This seems like a guy who would have signed in years past. He’s not great, but he’s a reliable innings eater with solid vitals and a good GB%. Maybe it’s the financial strain that many are feeling in the league or maybe it’s no one was looking for a bottom of the rotation starter to round out their top five.

Proj.: 4.20 ERA, 1.20 HR/9, .250 OBA

SP4 Brian Jones 81 DET
Age 29 | Signed $8.0M for 2 Years

He has a chance to be a value signing. I was surprised that he wasn’t better in Cleveland. While he does appear to be declining already, he still has some solid vitals to go along with a nice GB%. He normally keeps the ball in the yard, if he can do that, I think he can regain some of the form he showed with the Angels.

Proj.: 4.30 ERA, 0.90 HR/9, .260 OBA

CL Austin Morris 79 WSH
Age 30 | Returned $8.0M for 2 Years

I’m never surprised with relievers return on Fallback. Unless they’re dominant, it’s a tough sell to spend $8M on a position that’ll normally throw less than 100 innings. Morris is a quality reliever in FCM, make no doubt about that, but with his home run problem, he can just as easily sport a low 3’s ERA as he could a low 4’s ERA.

Proj,: 3.70 ERA, 1.35 HR/9, .250 OBA

SU Ryan Toops 80 LAS
Age 36 | Signed $4.0M for 2 Years

This is more of a reflection of how poor the reliever market was than Toops being a top option in Free Agency. I don’t think he’s as bad as last year, but I definitely don’t see him returning to his pre-2119 form either. He’s a guy who’ll be effective enough with a good GB% and solid strikeout ability.

Proj,: 4.00 ERA, 1.15 HR/9, .250 OBA

MR Travis Heavener 79 FLA
Age 31 | Signed $3.0M for 2 Years

It’s a crapshoot on how he’ll perform. He was very reliable in Cleveland and then a sizeable drop happened. He still has a nice GB% and 70+ power for a sub-30 Endurance reliever helps what appear to be unimpressive vitals. Much like Toops, I think he’ll be serviceable, but nothing much more.

Proj.: 4.20 ERA, 1.15 HR/9, .240 OBA

[mattynokes]

Added Pitching