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Kingdom Law's Free Agency Rankings
Hey, remember when I did this for S3SL? No? Hey me neither until I was looking through old threads from that section. Ha! I will channel Keith Law or Jeff Passan, as they tend to rank the free agents in baseball each season. I'm sure a lot of other people do to but they're the only ones I remember off the top of my head. So, without further delay, to the BIG BOARD we go,
1. Claude Passeau, SP
The obvious draw back on Passeau is the age, he's going to be 35 by the end of free agency.
But his career is borderline hall of fame material so you know what you're going to get when you pay this man. He's had one season with an ERA over 4 and that was his rookie year. He doesn't give up homeruns and he averages over 200 strikeouts a season. He likely isn't truly a number one anymore, but he's close. Should Get: a sizeable 2 year deal, or a monster 1 year deal; Likely Getting: An asburd 3 year or more deal
2. Don Sutton, SP
This is not a very good free agency class, as evidenced by the fact that a 5-10-9 potential guy is easily your second best prize. Sutton comes off a year where he was traded twice, injured, and lost talent. Sutton started reverting back to his career norms in the second half of the season, and further benefited from LA's cavernous park. He won't walk many, he keeps the ball in the park, and can be a 200 plus innings guy. He makes for a solid #3 and is under 30 years old. Should Get: 3-5 year contract, below 10 million per; Likely Getting: He'll get paid like he's an ace
3. Ben Chapman, CF
He'll be 35 real soon, but hasn't appeared to slip much ratings wise. Last season was a down year, as he has shown flashes of being the ideal lead off man. He also plays plus defense at a premium position. He's never played for anyone other than Team Trendy. Airing on the side of caution, he had a significant injury towards the end of 2051.
Should get: 1-2 year deal, under 7 million per; Likely Getting: a longer contract
4. Mel Ott, 3B/RF
What happens when you're stuck on a team that tends to be very inactive and dormant? You become forgotten. 2051 re-established Ott as a very serviceable infielder or outfielder, that gets on base a lot and has modest power. And he was just a scrap heap signing last season. Also, he picked up his second gold glove, this time, in RF. His contact is average and he's a tick less talented against RHP than LHP. Should Get: reasonable 3 year deal; Likely Getting: A shit ton more than 1,196,000 million
5. Son Calderone, RF/CF
Not an easy player to peg due to his up and down years. You're either getting a top flight #2 bat, or a #8 bat. He's up there to take pitches, though, expect a lot of walks and strikeouts. Power and speed are marginal, contact is average. He does play strong defense and has won a gold glove before. Should get: 2 year deal due to extreme inconsistencies; Likely Getting: a lot more than what I just said
6. Robert Ellis, SP
Ellis has logged a very solid career as a member of the Cubs. He is perhaps one of the most average pitchers out there, not really excelling in any specific category but turns in an acceptable ERA, WHIP, and logs innings. He's your ideal back end of the rotation guy because he has never hurt (the cubs at least) before. He also has good attributes. Should Get: modest 2-3 year deal; Likely Getting: more than what a #4 is worth
7. Eddie Stanky, 2B/SS/1B
Stanky is a a glue guy for a contender. Not a star but brings a lot of specific things that help. First, he never strikes out. 589 walks vs. 270 strikeouts. He's capable of a high OBP, and capable of a lot of walks. While his contact is average, he's proven capable of being a 280-300 guy. He also plays defense at 2B and is capable at SS. He'll be a solid starter, or a super utility man. Should get: 2 year deal (he does turn 34 soon); Likely Getting: paid more than a 2.0 star player has ever seen before in his life
8. Nolan Ryan, SP/MR
3.5 stars will trip up most people. But if you're smart, you'll notice his career numbers are pretty awful. Ryan is only top ten due to the lack of depth in free agency and because he's still somehow a 3.5 star SP. Ryan is only 26, on the cusp of 27, and can strike out a lot. But most of his success, as little as it has been, has come out of the pen. He has never had a WHIP under 1.33. Should get: modest contract that a solid reliever would get; Likely Getting: one of the worst contracts in the league
9. Joe Torre, C/1B/3B
Torre could be a real wild card, or vastly overpaid that it doesn't matter if he fills out. Torre is currently 28 and under his potential, thanks largely in part due to his weak ratings against RHP. That's also what has led to a very underachieving career offensively. There is potential for some power, and there is always the "late bloom" potential. He's also a good defender at C and 1B. Should get: an offer from the Yankees for the sake of irony, an offer from Boston to forsake baseball, or simply a 3-4 year deal, 5-6 mill range; Likely getting: way too much for a career .317 OBP
10. Gary Client, SP
I don't know how, I don't know why.. but Client continues to be a really good SP. Now, it's likely that he matches his ratings with his performance, but he's dropped off for years now and played a great second fiddle to Lew Burdette and Jose Rijo. In fact, Client has had 3 consecutive years with an ERA under 3. He did OKAY enough in the postseason to really question whether or not Client is going to be one of those anomalies. Should get: an offer from any contender just in case; Likely getting: At age 38, with ratings declining, anything more than a 1 year or real modest 2 year deal is pretty desperate.
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Originally Posted by HollywoodLeo
