DECEMBER STOVE REMAINS HOT

[RonCo]

After a season where many of the top Free Agents waited until February and Mach to sign with new teams, some observers have been startled at the kinds of money teams have been throwing around early in the process. Last edition we looked at three of the biggest early signings in Justin Jackson, Kiichi Suzukin, and Carlos Rodriguez. The last few weeks have seen no slowing of the Free Agent flywheel.

Probably the top name to move on was 31-year-old David Noboru, who signed a five season deal for just under $100m to hitch his wagon to a Charlotte post. His addition brings instant credibility to an expansion franchise that has been struggling to convince their fanbase that their GM didn’t leave his Plan in Nashville. Noboru is two years out from his last 4+ WAR effort, and his time of 40+ homer power appears to be twice as far back in the rearview mirror, but news of his deal have local folks buzzing. He’ll be 36 when the deal is done, and with a team option in the final year the Cougars have a little firewall.

Noboru was slated to make $26m in the last season of the deal he axed with Jacksonville, so his $76m/4 status reduces his take in 2042 by $7m but he gets a guaranteed $76 in its place. You have to consider that a pretty wise decision on his part.

Charlotte wasn't finished, though, doing a double dip this week, picking up three seasons of SP Lee McHone for $33m more. The right-hander from Sweetwater, Texas is will be 34 this year, but he’s been a steady hurler as he’s gotten older, and even his 4.92 ERA with Valencia last year was a tick above league average when adjusted for park and whatnot. The club gave McHone an option at the final year, which one would guess the pitcher will execute, but baseball is weird, and you never know.

Regardless, the injection of two big-name veterans into the Charlotte clubhouse is a shot over the Atlantic division bow that has to turn heads.

Atlantic City gave star hurler Kevin Morales $66m for a four-year commitment, if you want to call it that. Ultimately, the contract is interestingly designed: heavily front-loaded and structured so the ex-Nebraska winner can leave at any point he wants. Morales will get $24m this year, which we assume GM Joshua Biddle can afford, and Morales’ salary will slide heavily as time goes along (24 > 18 > 12 > 12). It’s an incentive path that screams both “risk reduction” and “comp pick creation.”

Like Noboru before him, Morales opted out of a deal—in Morales’s case, it was one that had guaranteed him $12m this coming season, and left his team (Wichita) with an option for another $12m season. This was a clear win for Morales, and includes the fact that Atlantic City looks to be in position to contend better than Wichita now.

Then we come to 27-year-old outfielder Virgil Shaffer, who agreed to take $35m of Omaha’s money to move from New Orleans to Nebraska. He’ll make $16m this year—a hefty raise from the $8.75 the Crawdads had him for last year. Like Morales’s, the deal is front-loaded, but give the player an option to step out after that first year. Low risk, good leverage. We don’t like it when Heartland opponents get better, and in Shaffer, the Hawks pick up a 3 WAR kind of outfielder in his prime, a chunk of that WAR fitting perfecting in a Zimmer quality glove.

Sure, that’s a little pricey on the first year, but as long as you’re good with the uncertainty of a player option, it’s hard not to like the deal.

In Jose Luna, Vancouver added to a solid relief arm to an already good team. The 26-year old came at a hefty price of $28m for those three years, but youthful GM Taylor Bettencourt paid the premium in order to get a couple risk reducing team options as the back two years.

Despite the cash laid out, it’s hard not to like the addition. Luna is young and coming off two outstanding years with Edmonton. He’s got a solid fastball/sinker combination that keeps the ball on the ground, and would seem to fit into the structure of the team about as well as anyone. The Mounties won their division last year. It’s going to be hard not to project them to repeat in 2042.

Shortstop Voitto Stromberg went to Phoenix for five years at $27m. This is a pretty reasonable deal, I think, given that year four is a team option and year five is a player option, and given that the options are back loaded. Most likely no one expects those to execute—but you never know. Technically, the deal also includes an annual $2m bonus for any season Stromberg crests 600 PA. While he hit 621 last year, we’d bet against that happening again unless the Talons are in the thick of things. At the end of the day, it’s really three years for about $3.7m per, which given Stromberg’s been a 1 WAR kind of guy (steady with the glove, a bit anemic with the lumber), is probably about right.

I note I also like that Stronberg is one of those guys with middling speed, but who knows how to steal a base, so he’ll add a little value that way without running you out of innings.

[jleddy]

I'm a fan of that McHone signing and contract for Charlotte.

Oh, and Strömberg can go f himself...hope he goes out and buys a flashy new sports car with that contract, and fully takes advantage of Arizona's lenient seat belt laws while racing at over 100 MPH on a poorly lit street.

Unless you're Voitto Strömberg, of course.

[CTBrewCrew]

Des Moines been pretty active under that radar this offseason...

[bigmike13]

I'm a fan of that McHone signing and contract for Charlotte.

Oh, and Strömberg can go f himself...hope he goes out and buys a flashy new sports car with that contract, and fully takes advantage of Arizona's lenient seat belt laws while racing at over 100 MPH on a poorly lit street.

Unless you're Voitto Strömberg, of course.

I sense some hostility toward Stomberg