Some late night thoughts! Here are some names I am interested in both FA and trades:
Howie Kendrick – 2B/LF – Regression candidate based on his BAPIP, but offers quality contact skills with a bit of speed and power, and can play quality defense at 2nd and left. Free agent
Stephen Drew – SS/2B – Still an above average defender despite all the injuries, and is a year removed from a 124 wRC+. Free Agent
Ildemaro Vargas – SS/2B/3B/OF – Diamondbacks AAA player who is blocked by Brandon Drury, Ketel Marte, Chris Owings, and Nick Ahmed. Great contact skills (7.5 K%) with a good approach (5.6 BB%), also showing decent power (.150 iso) and speed (21 SBs against 4 SBs the last two years) at AAA this year, good for a 111 wRC+. All that with above average defensive ratings gives him the look of a guy who can contribute on both sides of the ball and is ready for the majors and because he’s unproven at the MLB level and 26, won’t have a big acquisition cost. He’s been a frequent member of the Fangraphs Fringe Five columns. Someone will grab him for a major league role from the D-backs, hope the Jays are in on him.
Scott Schebler – Reds OFer who is being pushed by Jesse Winker. 30 HRs this year with a .233/.307/.484 line, good for a 100 wRC+. A .248 BAPIP is a career low and gives hope that with better luck, a few more hits fall in and he becomes more of a .250/.330 guy, which with his power is very valuable. A 39.4 Hard hit% is pretty nice too when combined with a near 40% flyball rate, shows the power is for real. He had weird splits last year, hitting for better contact against lefties (he’s a lefty hitter) despite a poor approach (just a 0.9 BB% against lefties last year) while hitting righties for power but having BAPIP problems (.219 BAPIP against righties). Going back to his prospect days, he’s been a guy that has crushed righties so I think he would be a good target to complement Steve Pearce that is capable of starting.
Nick Markakis – RF – Braves will likely be looking to make some room for teenage wonder Ronald Acuna who ripped through the minors this year including AAA. Markakis could be probably be had I would think and can get on base with good contact skills and approach. Matt Kemp is the guy they would likely want to move, but his lack of defense and lack of patience made him a negative WAR player and I can’t imagine that getting better putting him on turf as he ages.
Lonnie Chisenhall – 3B/Corner OF – Indians bat who took big strides this year in the power department in part-time duty, very quietly put together a 129 wRC+. 9.4 BB% and 20.9 K% with a .233 ISO. Could be a casualty of increased payroll.
Yandy Diaz – 3B/2B/LF – Speaking of the Indians, another UTIL player in their system that is of interest. He raked at AAA with a .350/.454/.460 line with a .110 ISO, good for a 162 wRC+. Quality defender at multiple positions and increased power may come with tweaks to add loft to his swing. He’s ready for the majors, just needs a place to play.
Joc Pederson – LAD OFer – Power/Speed player who has platoon issues but has shown the ability to mash righties in the past and could be due for a BAPIP correction. His K rate fell to a career-best 21.4%, but the BAPIP also fell to a career-low .241. Makes him an upside bet. Good news is he’s continued to hit for power (.194 ISO last year) and would be an above average corner outfielder defensively likely.
Justin Upton and Jay Bruce – two of the better Corner OF Free agents (Upton would have to opt out and I’m not sure he will), both are proven and could return decent value. If the team is willing to spend the money, they could be cheaper options than JD Martinez that return fairly similar value. Upton > Bruce to me.
Hector Santiago – SP – Injuries limited him this year, but he’s been a half decent #5 starter the previous 3 years with innings eating ability. Has shown an ability to limit HRs in the past which would be nice in the AL East, and if he can return to form where he was around 8 K/9, he could be a nice value on a fairly cheap deal. Free Agent
Tyler Chatwood – SP- Groundball pitcher who hasn’t been too bad with Coors Field as his home diamond. Despite not missing a ton of bats, he keeps the ball on the ground and eats innings. Still just 27. Probably my top SP FA target. FIP and xFIP support a quality #4-5 SP profile. Free Agent.
Tyson Ross – has had injury issues the last 2 years, but he was a high-end starter for the Padres for 3 years, highlighted by a 4.3 WAR year in 2015. Could be a good reclamation project on the cheap, still just 30. Free Agent.
Josh Tomlin – SP – Control SP who has played for the Indians for a while, Shapiro and Atkins would be familiar with him. HR problems make him a scary bet in the AL East, but his FIP and xFIP are pretty good and he would be a solid #4-5 type to fill out the rotation. Free Agent
Luke Gregerson – RP – Been a solid reliever for the Padres and Astros his whole career, had a jump in HR rate this year but everything else is still very strong under the hood so perhaps this is an aberration. Good buy-low opportunity with closer experience. Free Agent
Steve Cishek – RP – Funky Righty who has been very solid his whole career despite a couple of rocky stretches. A former closer in Miami who hasn’t closed in over a year and a half. Could be another high leverage guy that gives them a different look than most righties. Free Agent.
Jorge De La Rosa – RP – Lefty who was a former SP for the Rockies, very quietly moved to the bullpen and despite the meh numbers overall, feel he could be a great value as a veteran LOOGY. He was especially good against lefties, limiting them to a .192/.253/.292 line with 20 K’s in 20 innings. He wasn’t great against Righties, but as a former SP for years, he should have some ability to get outs against them if need be. 37 and likely would come fairly cheap and on a 1 year deal. Good no risk signing to me. Free Agent.
