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It is generally accepted that Matt Holliday will command the largest contract of any player on this year’s free-agent market. Holliday is coming off a fantastic finish to the 2009 season. He hit .353/.419/.604 in 270 plate appearances with the Cardinals to help them win the National League Central championship after he was acquired from the Athletics in a late-July trade. The left fielder is also represented by Scott Boras, and no agent does a better job of consistently getting top dollar for his clients, even at a time when clubs insist they are going to spend less because of declining attendance and a soft economy.

But is Holliday really the most valuable player on the market? If you use WARP1, a BP metric that measures the overall value of a player, and look at only at this past season, then the answer he is not quite the best. The honor goes to Chone Figgins. He contributed a 6.3 WARP1 to the American League West champion Angels this year as their third baseman and leadoff hitter. That was one-tenth of a percentage point better than Holliday’s total tally 6.2, as he managed just 2.8 WARP1 with the Athletics in 400 plate appearances before being traded back to the NL.

While Holliday held a .311-.292 edge in EqA, Figgins had a substantial 36-13 margin in Fielding Runs Above Replacement (FRAP). Figgins also held a 3.9 point advantage over Holliday’s -0.6 in Equivalent Base Running Runs (EqBRR), though that doesn’t even work out to half of a win’s worth of difference.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 20 free agents as ranked by their 2009 WARP1. I’ll also take a stab at predicting where they will end up, which is almost always an exercise in futility because of all the factors that can influence the market. Keep in mind that teams can begin making offers Friday.


Chone Figgins
(6.3): The speculation is that Figgins’ asking price is $50 million for five years, which is a lot during a time when every franchise, including the Yankees, profess to be watching the bottom line. The Angels already signed Bobby Abreu to a two-year, $19 million deal before he could reach the market. They will end up re-signing Figgins, too, though not at five years and $50 million.


Matt Holliday
(6.2): The two New York teams seem to be the logical destinations, as they have a need for a power-hitting outfielder. Whether the Yankees or Mets are going to make a play for Holliday, though, seems to depend on who you talk to. If owner Fred Wilpon really didn’t lose $700 million in the Bernie Madoff scandal, then I believe the Mets blow everyone out of the water in an attempt to stay relevant on the New York baseball scene.

Orlando Hudson (6.0): Well, we can safely assume Dodgers manager Joe Torre doesn’t know what WARP1 is, since he benched the O-Dog in the postseason in favor of Ronnie Belliard. Hudson stayed on the market for a long time last winter, and he will probably suffer the same fate this time, as the big-money clubs don’t have vacancies at second base. The Reds would be a great fit if they would be willing to be creative and move Brandon Phillips back to his original position of shortstop. That won’t happen, though, so Hudson will wind up back with the Diamondbacks for less than what he is worth.

Marco Scutaro (5.9): This guy has to feel like he’s holding the winning Powerball ticket. after being a fringe player for so many years, Scutaro had a career year as the Blue Jays‘ shortstop in 2009. The Red Sox got burned by signing Julio Lugo to a four-year, $32 million contract as a free agent and won’t make that mistake with Scutaro. However, they will sign him for the short term in a market when contracts longer than two years will be rare.

Miguel Tejada (5.7): This ranking surprises me, because Tejada’s career has seemed to be teetering on the edge of a cliff for the last few years. However, moving to third base might enable Tejada to squeeze out a few more years. The Phillies need a third baseman, and it worked out well last winter when they signed an older free agent in Raul Ibañez, even though they were criticized by many analysts for the move.

Jason Marquis (4.9): You can certainly quibble with Marquis being the best free-agent starting pitcher available, but that’s what the numbers say under the criteria we’re using here (with a counting stat). Marquis grew up on Long Island, and he would be attractive to both New York teams. A flip of the coin says he winds up with the Yankees.

Mike Cameron (4.8): Let’s make another homecoming prediction. Cameron is from Georgia, and the Braves need an outfielder. They could easily make room for Cameron by shifting center fielder Nate McLouth to one of the corner spots.

Felipe Lopez (4.8): He gets knocked a lot for his fielding, but he totaled 19 FRAP at second base this past season, split between the Diamondbacks and Brewers. He would be much more valuable if he could still play shortstop; instead, he will suffer the same fate as Hudson on the free-agent market and wind up signing late with the Marlins on a cut-rate contract to replace Dan Uggla, who will be traded.

Randy Wolf (4.5): He wants to re-sign with his hometown Dodgers and is willing to take a discount. Thus, the two sides will work out a deal, as reports of GM Ned Colletti having his hands tied financially because of the McCourt divorce situation are exaggerated.

Jason Bay (4.4): Well, so much for agent Joe Urbon’s claim that his client is a better all-round player than Holliday. If the Red Sox did indeed offer Bay four years and $60 million and he turned it down, as has been reported, then it is a clear sign that he does not want to stay in Boston. If he wants out from under the microscope, then the perfect destination choice would be the Mariners, as he makes Seattle his off-season home.

Johnny Damon (4.4): Boras is dead set on Damon getting another contract similar to the four-year, $52 million deal with the Yankees that just expired. It would be shocking if Boras can pull that one off. Damon will wind up back with the Yankees, but on a two-year deal at most.

Adam LaRoche (4.0): LaRoche returned to his comfort zone when the Braves acquired him from the Red Sox at the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline. Third baseman Chipper Jones and LaRoche are hunting buddies. Chipper is pushing hard for LaRoche’s return. Braves management usually listens to Chipper.

Doug Davis (3.6): He isn’t the type of pitcher who excites anyone, but Davis is a lefty and dependable to start every fifth day. The Mets could certainly use someone like him, especially since they probably won’t have the money to spend too big on a starter if they blow the budget on Holliday.

Jon Garland (3.5): Another solid, if unspectacular, starting pitcher who can help someone at the back end of the rotation. A Southern California guy, he would be a good fit for the Angels, especially since it is doubtful they will be able to retain their staff ace…

John Lackey (3.5): Speaking of Lackey, there has been plenty of speculation that he will command a contract in excess of $100 million. However, his recent WARP1 trend says someone is going to be very sorry if they make that kind of investment in a pitcher who is 31 and becoming injury prone. Since posting a career-best 7.1 WARP1 in 2007, he has had a combined 6.4 in the past two seasons. All the talk surrounding the Dodgers after losing to the Phillies in the National League Championship Series for the second season in a row is that they needed an ace in their starting rotation. Frank McCourt is as sensitive to public perception as any owner, and he will throw plenty big money at Lackey to entice him to stay in SoCal.

Rafael Soriano (3.5): He had a good year for the Braves while sharing the closing duties with Mike Gonzalez, but the Braves have decided to move on. Soriano would be a really good fit for the Tigers as an upgrade over closer Fernando Rodney, who is also a free agent, but the Tigers aren’t in spending mode. Thus, in a bit of a surprise, I believe Soriano will wind up with the Rays, who need a good back-end reliever.

Joel Pineiro (3.4): The Astros are supposed to be getting younger, but owner Drayton McLane famously likes to say he never uses the word “rebuilding.” They need a starting pitcher to slot behind Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez, and Pineiro would fit nicely.

Nick Johnson (3.3): The Giants need power and on-base percentage. Johnson provides both and would be an upgrade at first base over Ryan Garko. Furthermore, Johnson is a Northern California guy who grew up in Sacramento. It all makes too much sense not to happen.

Placido Polanco (3.3): Like Hudson and Lopez, Polanco will be the victim of a weak market for second basemen. Thus, he will wind up re-signing with the Tigers on a one-year contract, right before the start of spring training.

Jarrod Washburn (3.3): His value plummeted after the Tigers acquired him from the Mariners in a trade at the July 31 non-waiver deadline. He will still have his suitors, and the Brewers and the NL would be a nice match for a left-hander who has spent his entire career in the AL and was born, raised, and still lives in Wisconsin.

Boras doesn’t give hometown discounts to teams, and he made it clear this past week that he will not change his policy when it comes to Holliday and the Cardinals. Boras dismissed the idea that the Cardinals are a mid-market franchise that might have a hard time competing with their large-market brethren in the bidding.

“I don’t know what a mid-market franchise is,” Boras told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s Joe Strauss. “That’s like a mid-size aircraft carrier. They all have the potential to have an economic bomb. If you’re drawing 3.3 million fans and you’re averaging $50 a fan coming in, I just don’t know that mid-market term. I’m trying to think if that’s part of the laissez-faire system. I don’t know. You’re always looking for an owner who is committed to winning. When you’re talking about these long-term contracts, you don’t want to get stuck in a place where you can’t win annually. I think that’s an important part for a free agent who is a franchise player. You really have to make sure the owner is not only committed today, but committed long-term.”

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and Boras met for an hour at the general managers meetings in Chicago. Mozeliak would also welcome a face-to-face chat with Holliday. “I’d still like to have the opportunity to sit down and talk to him about where we’re coming from,” Mozeliak said.

Boras often likes to take his time during free-agent negotiations, as first baseman Mark Teixeira did not agree to his eight-year, $180 million contract with the Yankees until early January last winter. Boras also likes to put clubs in situations where they are not only bidding against each other, but against themselves.

Mozeliak, though, does not want to string out the process or make a series of counterproposals. “I think it’s fair to say when we present an offer, that’s pretty much going to be our position,” Mozeliak said. “We’re not really interested in becoming involved in a long, drawn-out back-and-forth.”

Reds GM Walt Jocketty has been told he is going to have to hold the line of payroll this winter. The Reds began last season at $73 million. However, Jocketty said reports that the Reds are preparing to hold a fire sale are exaggerated. “I mentioned to a reporter that we’d be restricted as far as payroll,” Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer‘s John Fay. “We’ve been saying that all along. We won’t be active in the free-agent market. We have to be creative.”

However, Jocketty would not rule out trading one of his veterans in an effort to clear payroll space and make other moves. Among the logical candidates who could go in that scenario are Phillips, right-handers Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang, and closer Francisco Cordero. “It’s all part of the big picture,” Jocketty said. “We’re building a younger club for the long-term. If we can get players who are major league-ready, one- to three-year guys, who can help us, we’ll look at it.”

The Nationals became the last team to fill their managerial vacancy. And they wound up filling it with the guy who already held the job on an interim basis, as Jim Riggleman got the gig. The Nationals went 33-42 in the second half of last season under Riggleman, who was elevated from bench coach to replace the fired Manny Acta at the All-Star break. They had gone 26-61 in the first half.

The second half improvement made such an impression that the Nationals decided to go with Riggleman, a low-key baseball lifer, over a high-profile personality in ESPN analyst and former Rangers and Mets manager Bobby Valentine.

Riggleman won over GM Mike Rizzo with the way he handled the Nationals’ clubhouse. Riggleman makes it a point to try to talk to each player every day, and he’s the rare manager who holds a brief postgame team meeting on a nightly basis. “He has an open-door policy, but he also comes out from behind the door,” Rizzo told the Washington Post‘s Thomas Boswell.

Riggleman grew up in the Washington suburb of Rockville, Maryland, and was a fan of the old Senators, as he often attended games at RFK Stadium. “This has been a dream of mine, to land right here,” Riggleman said. “It’s still the Senators-Nationals to me. It’s still Washington baseball. It’s the dream of a lifetime to grow up watching a ballclub and then play for it or manage it.”


MLB Rumors and Rumblings:
If the Tigers do trade center fielder Curtis Granderson, the Cubs are best positioned to make a deal, though the Yankees and Angels are also in the picture. … The Yankees and Red Sox are lining up as the co-favorites to land right-hander Roy Halladay, especially in light of Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos saying that he is willing to trade the ace within the AL East. … The Marlins are willing to listen to trade offers for hard-throwing reliever Matt Lindstrom. … The Cubs have interest in signing center fielder Marlon Byrd as a free agent, though the Rangers would like to retain him. … Left-handed reliever Billy Wagner is likely to re-sign with the Red Sox, particularly since another club would have to give up two draft picks to sign him as a Type A free agent. … The Mets will consider re-signing first baseman Carlos Delgado if he shows he is healthy while playing winter ball in his native Puerto Rico. … Infielder Edgardo Alfonzo, who last played in the major leagues with the Giants in 2006, is looking to make a comeback.

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Oleoay
11/15
I still haven't quite figured out how Curtis Granderson's supposed to help the Cubs, especially if Bradley's still on the team.
strupp
11/15
You know what, I don't care. Give me Granderson in CF and I'll be happy. Uber Happy.

What, it's going to lower Bradley's value even more? Is that even possible?
Oleoay
11/16
Well, I guess you the wouldn't mind the strong breezes wafting in from Lake Michigan.. er.. home plate with Granderson added to a Cubs lineup. Meanwhile, Fukudome gets pushed to the bench, essentially lowering the overall lineup OBP.

Cubs fans have weird ideas on trades.. I remember how eager they were last offseason to get Peavy when there wasn't even a slot in the rotation for him.

I'm not a big Byrd fan, but assuming he fills Reed Johnson's role and no more, I'd be happy.
strupp
11/16
The thought process is likely to be Granderson to CF, Fukudome to RF.

As foe the breeze, I would think that the other things he does well (hit, good power, run, a good glove, etc) would outway the whiffs.

Where would Granderson rank on the list of available FA? He's be pretty high up, I would think.

Of course, this is all speculation on rumours and potential nonsense.
Oleoay
11/16
If so, that'd be the most expensive platoon outfield in history. Two players (Granderson and Fukudome) who need a right handed caddy, Bradley, who platoons with a player who won't be missing games due to suspension and injury, and Soriano who needs a platoon with himself.
Peter7899
11/16
Look, even with Granderson being nearly an automatic out vs. lefties, he's still very valuable. We can all agree on that.

With that said, though, it would be an extremely short sighted move for the Cubs to make. They'd be giving up future impact talent with at least two of Vitters, Castro, Cashner, and Jay Jackson and once again be stuck having to dive into the free agent market by as early as 2011 for players that they need instead of for players that they want.

Let's have some patience Cubs fans, and shed the "this has gotta be the year!" mentality. Even if they just compete in 2010, they have the talent coming by 2011 that could really set this ballclub for the long haul.
Oleoay
11/17
Granderson has value, but on the Cubs he'd be redundant unless the Cubs found a taker for Soriano.
Soriano?
Yes, Soriano.
The defense and "handedness" of the lineup would improve substantially if Bradley was in left, Granderson in center and Fukudome in right, as well as sheltering Bradley a bit from injury with the move. Then they can grab a right handed Byrd type and use him and Fox to mix and match.

But I doubt Soriano can be moved.
dbthewise1313
11/15
Teams that sign a Type A free agent only have to give up one pick, though the team that loses a Type A free agent will also gain a supplemental first-rounder.
sgeleil
11/15
Is there a reason that we should only be looking at 2009 WARP1 when trying to set a value for free agents going forward? Seems like you're going to overvalue spike seasons.

You're also completely ignoring important factors like age and decline/regresson.

I also don't think that a difference of 0.1 in WARP can in anyway be construed as meaningful, because these numbers are just not that precise.
chuckmotl
11/15
As a longtime Cubs fan, I'm actually encouraged about them going after Granderson (so the Tigers can afford Mag's $18mm, but not Granderson's $5mm? WTF)... I am really scared of their history of signing guys after career years... Bradley, Soriano, Dempster, etc, so seeing them interested in Byrd nauseates me. BTW, Bradley is less of a problem than Soriano, get him off the team.
cdmyers
11/16
If the cubs want to take Maglio's contract, we'll be more than willing to pass it on down. Strangely, no one seems to be taking us up on this offer.
garmoore
11/15
I question the whole "Granderson on the trade market" issue. This has been a particular hobbyhorse of Lynn Henning of the Detroit News for about 3 months, who feels that Granderson can get the Tigers the most in return in a trade. During the meetings, the NY Daily News decided he was going to be traded to the Yankess. Then writers like John Heyman of SI decided the Tigers are cleaning house. Interestingly, it sounds from the stories in this vein are coming from journalists quoting journalists. Certainly, no one is saying anything for attribution. It sounds to me like the general managers did a lot of talking at their meetings, as they usually do. So what? Tell me when a trade is made.
Peter7899
11/16
Well said garmoore, I'm with you on this one. Sounds like a bunch of pure speculation from writers on deals that make sense on the surface.
Scartore
11/16
Why doesn't Jocketty go ahead and trade Joey Votto to the Red Sox for a bag of magic beans so I can go ahead and set myself on fire, rather than making me wait 3 years?
villapalomares
11/16
What about Hideki Matsui?
biteme
11/16
I also expected to see Matsui on this list. The Yankees should have no interest in Marquis - he's a Type A free agent who, over the course of his career, is a nothing more than a replacement-level pitcher. And I don't see them offering Damon more than a one-year deal, if that. He's a Type A free agent and the Yankees will probably gamble on getting a #1 draft pick from the team that signs him, since they're going to lose their own pick when they sign Holliday.
baserip4
11/16
Teixeira was actually done before Christmas; the announcement of his deal with the Yankees was a nice lump of coal in Orioles' fans stockings.
mhmosher
11/16
I don't see Holliday anywhere but the Yankees. They've got the money and he wants the Bronx anyway.
tballgame
11/16
The thinking here is that the Sox are going to let Bay walk and replace him with ... a farm hand? With Holliday out there and Granderson available for trade, the Sox don't have any interest in filling that gaping outfield and lineup hole? While the Yankees are going after both, and Damon and Marquis and Holliday? Interesting. Another NY winter measured in large fractions of billions of dollars.
tradeatape
11/16
As a Tigers household we were sick when we heard the rumors about Curtis Granderson being traded. A friend of mine asked to the effect, 'Are the Tigers imitating the Indians?' I hope he stays, as he's a really good guy and, having an off year average-wise, but a moderate-plus year power-wise, he has potential for a couple huge years ahead of him.

Sadly, he loves Angels' stadium. From the Tigers' web site: 'He's a .353 (30-for-85) career hitter at Angel Stadium, and his eight home runs in 21 games there are as many as he has hit anywhere other than Detroit. His 7-for-12, three-homer performance during Detroit's three-game series there in April was one of his two or three best series of the season, and included some solid defensive plays.

'"The running turf is great," Granderson said of Angel Stadium in August. "It's like being on turf, but not as hard. It's extremely fast to move around. The ball's going to bounce around on the ground, but really doesn't take bad hops for the most part. I know the infielders, they say it's hard for them, but for me I know if it's coming through, it's going to stay down for the most part. And it's not that big. Center field right behind me is right at 400 [feet]."'

Woe is Detroit.