Lack of Commitment Could Benefit Some Teams

With the offseason rash of signing players to deals that will take them well beyond their prime (how do you think JD Drew’s knees will hold up 5 years from now?), there were several teams that went a smarter route and locked in quality players for only one season...of course, many of these teams did a little of both.

These players are not marquee names, and many of them are past their primes as well, but by committing to just one year these teams are free to cut ties at the end of the season (remember, what happened last season isn't necessarily what will happen this season). While they more than likely won’t be carrying the team at any point in the season, they provide solid play at a good price.

The players…

Kenny Lofton, Rangers ($6MM) – The most expensive player on this list, Lofton provides the Rangers with a true leadoff hitter. Although he certainly isn’t at the same level that he once was, he still stole 32 bases last season (86% success rate) and reached base at a .360 clip. Aside from the Young extension, the Rangers actually had a pretty good offseason, as they wisely let Mark DeRosa, Carlos Lee, Rod Barajas, Adam Eaton, and Gary Matthews walk. This one year deal lets Texas go after next year’s free agent class led by Andruw Jones (Tom Hicks, Scott Boras, and a big name player…has to scare you if you’re a Texas fan).

Marcus Giles, Padres ($3.2MM) – Giles had a rough year last season, hitting only .262/.341/.387, although he did have a strong July and August. The days of .526 slugging enjoyed in 2003 are probably gone, especially since he will be playing home games in spacious PETCO, but Giles is still a much improved defender with good years left in him. Just as Gary Matthews is unlikely to put together another campaign similar to 2006, Giles will probably not melt down two years in a row.

Ryan Klesko, Giants ($1.75MM) – Klesko is not the player he used to be. He hasn’t slugged .500 in the past four seasons, and was out all of last season with shoulder surgery. However, Klesko can still get on base, posting a .358 OBP in 2005 and a .399 OBP in 2004. If nothing else, he will make a useful platoon against righties, as he hit .271/.389/.457 against right-handers from 2004 though ’05. Besides, Klesko will fit right in with Rich Aurilia, Ray Durham, Mark Sweeney, and Barry Bonds as they take advantage of early bird specials across the Bay Area and fight the younger players to keep the music in the clubhouse down.

Mark Loretta, Astros ($2.5MM) – Loretta has been brought in to supplement Biggio as he goes for the most magical of hits…#3,000. He will likely move on after the season, as Burke will take over at 2B and Loretta is limited to pretty much that position. Having said that, worse stop-gaps could be found. Loretta holds a career OBP of .363 (although that dipped last season to .345) and has increasing walk rates (again, barring last year). As a bonus, while with Milwaukee in 2001, Loretta pitched an inning and struck out two of the 5 batters he faced…so that’s always good to fall back on should Lidge falter.

Trot Nixon, Indians ($3MM) – The issue for Nixon is the same every year: injuries. He can still hit, especially against right handed pitching, as he has put up a .297/.378/.471 line against them in the past three seasons. Helping to lighten the load, the Indians are asking Nixon to platoon with Casey Blake, who has slugged .500 against lefties over the past three years, and should be pleased with the result if he can stay healthy.

Mark Redman, Braves ($750k if on opening day roster, $500k incentive-based) –Actually a league average pitcher that probably won’t make very much of a difference after being signed to replace the injured Mike Hampton. Redman’s real value will come when he is traded to the Mariners for JJ Putz (assuming that Bill Bavasi is still the Seattle GM).

By limiting their financial obligations and risk to one season, these teams have found potential bargains in short-term replacements…even if it is just until they see a shiny new player they just have to have this next offseason.