One Free Agent For AL Contenders This Winter
Another MLB season is in the books, and the Boston Red Sox are World Champions. Through a mix of sublime pitching and clutch hitting, the Sox were able to comfortably navigate threats from their fellow American League powerhouses and roll through the Dodgers in the World Series. However, it is clear that the power struggle in the American League is far from over. The Yankees and Astros are both eager to get revenge, while budding up-and-comers will look to reshuffle the league’s power structure. It promises to be a fun offseason, with several big names available on the free agent market. This gives teams plenty of options this offseason to make a big splash to catch up to Boston and begin the chase for the pennant.
Houston Astros: Sign Zach Britton
Although his tenure in the Bronx was far from perfect, Zach Britton is still a top left-handed reliever on a market. The market is full of good bullpen arms, so his his price tag might not break the bank. While Houston would love to get a fireballer like Craig Kimbrel, it makes more sense to go after Britton when one considers the looming megadeals the team will have to hand out in order to keep its young core intact. Targeting starters on the market could be another solution, sine the team is losing both Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton. However, they will still head into 2019 with three terrific starters in Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Lance McCullers. In addition, the team can supplement the back end of the rotation with pitchers in their bullpen already, such as Brad Peacock and Collin McHugh, or bring in another stopgap veteran. The bigger priority should be the ‘pen, where there aren’t many great options outside of Roberto Osuna. In addition, a move to get a top flight reliever can help shorten for Houston’s starters, who pitched the second-most innings in baseball.
Oakland A’s: Sign Garrett Richards
The A’s had a great season, winning 97 games and giving Oak Town something to cheer for (as I write this, the Raiders are playing the 49ers… yuck). However, in a sentence that I did not expect to write in 2018, the Athletics will need to put aside a good amount of money to resign Jed Lowrie, and to make some upgrades elsewhere. As for the team’s pitching, all of their major contributors from a solid bullpen should return, but it is clear their starting pitching needs some work. For a team that has made a habit of reviving careers, who better than Garrett Richards? When healthy, he has the potential to be a top of the rotation arm, as evidenced by his 3.54 lifetime ERA. However, over the past three seasons, the 30 year old has only pitched 138 innings total beset by a myriad of arm issues during the end of his Angels tenure. While this is a sign of caution, it also lowers his price tag immensely. In addition, he’s seemingly due for a stretch of good luck, something that could pay dividends for his next team. As a guide on how to handle Richards, Oakland can look to how the Rays brought back Nathan Eovaldi, who turned into the story of the postseason with the Red Sox. Billy Beane has never seen a reclamation project he didn’t like, and Richards shouldn’t be an exception.
Seattle Mariners: Sign Andrew McCutchen
The Mariners will always disappoint, and even a scorching hot start to the 2019 season will not silence doubters. However, they could help withstand another second half collapse by going after someone with experience that could fill a position of need. Enter Andrew McCutchen, the longtime Pirate who made his way to the Bronx at the end of August. During that one-month stretch with the Yankees, Cutch showed that he could acclimate well to life in the Junior Circuit, hitting five homers with an on-base percentage of .421 over 25 games. This bodes well for potential suitors who worry about his declining ability in the field, since his ability to walk at a high rate has gotten better than it was in Pittsburgh. While his numbers were helped by the fearsome Yankee lineup, slotting him in front of Nelson Cruz and Mitch Haniger should have a similar effect. For a team constantly in need of outfield help, the M’s could certainly use a guy like McCutchen this offseason.
Cleveland Indians: Sign relievers…any relievers
Losing Oliver Perez, Cody Allen, and Andrew Miller would be bad for any team. It’s even worse for Cleveland, who had perpetual bullpen struggles all season, which helped lead to their defeat in the ALDS. The solution is simple: sign good relevers. While this also may include resigning those they have lost, that wouldn’t be enough. There are plenty of quality arms on the market, from David Robertson, Joakim Soria, Britton, Adam Ottavino, A.J. Ramos, and Jeurys Familia, among many others. They should all be on Cleveland’s radar this winter. A move for Kimbrel should be avoided; he would probably absorb a large chunk of Cleveland’s medium payroll, taking the squad out of the running for another move. Quantity trumps quality in this case. Luckily for the Indians, Brad Hand and Adam Cimber are still under team control, and they have the luxury of playing in a historically awful division. But, the team needs more reliable arms, and this free agent class has plenty. Manager Terry Francona loves to mix and match but was forced to use his starters in big spots against the Astros in the playoffs, and it just did not work. It is up to the front office to help the Tribe make a rebound in 2019.
Tampa Bay Rays: Sign Yasmani Grandal
I can hear fans in St. Pete groaning over the thought of this. For a team that has always placed a premium on fundamentals and defense, going after a player like Grandal doesn’t make a ton of sense. The Rays have never had good catchers, so adding one could be the secret to their attendance problems. Grandal obviously won’t do that single-handedly and many may not even be sure he’s “good.” His defensive struggles during the postseason were well-chronicled, and he often looked lost at the plate. However, for a team that is well stocked at just about every position going into 2019, catcher remains a glaring weakness. Although plenty of teams will want a catcher, expect Tampa to be a possible darkhorse for Grandal’s services. Even though they are typically adverse to throwing big money of any kind, the kind of pop the veteran catcher can provide is nothing to slouch at. Over his four seasons as a Dodger, he has averaged 22 homers a season. That’s high-level power production that only a handful of backstops can match. Since his price is down and many teams may be scared off, the Rays can swoop in and nab a guy who, under a worst-case scenario, gives pop to a primarily contact-based offense. Grandal’s defensive miscues are not an impossible fix, and shouldn’t scare the team away from an All Star level bat.
New York Yankees: Sign Patrick Corbin
Sometimes the obvious answer is the right one. Talks of the Arizona lefty Corbin landing in Pinstripes are nothing new. Prognosticators have …prognosticated… the eventual pairing all season. However, there is validity to it. Corbin grew up a Yankees fan in upstate New York and has hinted at a desire to be in the Bronx. Add that to the fact that the Bombers have a need a top of the line starter, preferably a lefty who can counter the southpaw batters in Boston. Corbin fills this need following his second All Star campaign in which he pitched to a terrific 2.47 FIP. He paired that with career bests in HR/9 (0.7) and SO/9 (11.1). While the numbers are solid, many point to this success as being unsustainable, since he has battled injuries throughout his career. While this is true, his lack of innings pitched could be an advantage. As other pitchers may begin to break down going into their 30’s, Corbin’s arm milage is at a little less than 950 innings. And while the 29-year old has a reputation as a fly ball pitcher that has some worried about a move to Yankee Stadium, his old home ballpark was similarly prone to the long ball. At the end of the day, it is time for the Yankees to act. While he most likely will not be their only move, Patrick Corbin represents an upgrade at the top of the Yankees pitching staff that cannot be dismissed.
Boston Red Sox: Sign Andrew Miller
Back in 2012, Andrew Miller began his career revival as a top-flight reliever with the Red Sox, for whom he played an important role in their 2013 World Championship run. Following a trade to Baltimore in 2014, Miller went on to establish himself as perhaps the best reliever in all of baseball over the next five seasons. Flash forward to 2018, and there are some questions. Miller posted his worst season yet as a full time reliever, pitching to an ERA of 4.24 and battling through tons of injuries. Most startling of all was that he wasn’t able to do much against the Astros in the playoffs, unlike previous moments of October dominance. Heading into the winter, it doesn’t appear likely he will suit up for the Indians again. Enter the Red Sox, who need bullpen help with the departure of closer Craig Kimbrel. Miller, although clearly on the decline, still has just as much talent as any potential reliever. At the age of 34, there is still time for him to return to dominance, and playing an important role on a high level club could be just the trick. Boston lacks many good options out of the ‘pen aside from Joe Kelly, and could certainly use a stabilizing presence, such as Miller, for high-leverage moments. If they manage to limit his workload and keep Miller’s arm fresh heading into the postseason, Boston could have a bargain lefty for another World Series push in 2019.
-Bryan Armetta
