Phoenix may have your mom. But we got Dick
The Twin City River Monsters today announced the signing of 33-year-old shortstop Dick Walton to a five-year contract. The contract will pay Walton $9 million guaranteed for the first two years, after which he will have an opt-out. In 2058, if he decides to stay, he will be paid $11 million, and then the team will have team options in 2059 and 2060 for $11 million each.
Walton, who has primarily been used as a shortstop throughout his BBA career, will shift to second base for the first time. His defensive ratings are 9-10-9-10 in the infield. But as we look at his fielding stats, his range has been a little suspect in the last few years. Twin Cities is hoping that a move to second will increase his zone rating and make him a much more productive player.
At the plate, Walton's above-average bat is 8-6-4-6-7 batting ratings, making him a solid contributor. Last season, he hit .272 with a .329 on-base percentage, though his career average is about .268-.334 with a .341 slugging percentage. Basically, what you get out of Walton is a solid fielder who can hit his weight, maybe a little more. He can hit a lot of singles, not much else.
River Monsters GM Alan Ehlers is very familiar with Walton, having drafted him in the first round, ninth overall in the 2041 draft, while with the Brooklyn Robins. He will be joined in the infield by Ignacio Venegas, another former Robin.
After the signing of Walton, Twin Cities has about $10 million in salary cap space left. And while there doesn't appear to be any glaring holes on the roster, there's always room for improvement. Look for the River Monsters to be linked to a lot of the big-name free agents left on the board. The team is flexible enough that they can add a player at virtually any position and figure out a way to make it work.
In addition to the $10 million in cap space, they also have some deadweight contracts like Octavio Moreno and Raul Lopez who could be easily released to make even more room. It's expected that the River Monsters may have up to $20 million in potential cap space left to make a deal.
