Cream of the Crop

Rafael Furcal

           AB   HR   SB   AVE   OBA   SLG
2008      143    5    8  .357  .439  .573
Career   4636   83  259  .286  .352  .412

Furcal demonstrated two things during his Dodgers career: that he is still one of the top middle infielders in the game and that he is very brittle at this stage of his career. He missed almost the entire season with a sore back that recurred from 2007, and he also dealt with a sore knee that year as he struggled through one of the worst seasons of his career. He seemed to be healthy again in the playoffs, and if his price tag is limited a bit by the injuries, that could be to the benefit of teams trying to sign him. Something near a repeat of his 2005 offseason deal with the Dodgers in the neighborhood of three years and $30 million could be possible.

I doubt the Mets become major players for Furcal, both due to the fact that it would require him to make a position change, and because both Furcal and the Dodgers have shown a lot of interest in keeping him in Dodger blue. However, if I were running the Mets ship he’d be my top target for second base; Furcal rated as only average at shortstop last year, but his bat still carries very well for a middle infielder, his defense could possibly improve being shifted down the spectrum, and, if nothing else, all the cabs will stop him from getting new DWIs.

Orlando Hudson

           AB   HR   SB   AVE   OBA   SLG
2008      400    8    4  .305  .367  .450
Career   3119   68   42  .282  .346  .433

Hudson is bandied about as the solution around the Mets blogosphere, and to be honest, I just don’t see it. I can see how he is the best free agent available at second base, and I can see how the Mets need a second baseman, but those two don’t necessarily have to collide. Keep in mind, Hudson’s only three above average offensive seasons happened in Chase Field, a notorious hitter’s park. While he has Gold Gloves and the reputation that comes with them, his defense fell off a cliff last season by almost every metric: dead last among qualified NL second in The Hardball Times’ RZR, -4.9 runs in Chris Dial’s OPD, and he took a six-run hit in Baseball Prospectus’ FRAA, dropping down to 13. This could be a fluke, or it could just as easily be the end of his peak as a defender.

Match this with his solid but unspectacular hitting line, and you have a player who could be very good, but could just as easily turn into another Luis Castillo. I’d be afraid to offer Hudson more than three years, and I bet he’ll get at least five. I would let him find a different new home, hopefully with a GM who appreciates being called a pimp.

A Possible Fit?

Mark DeRosa

           AB   HR   SB   AVE   OBA   SLG
2008      505   21    6  .285  .376  .481
Career   2650   69   18  .279  .348  .422

The theory around Cub Town is that they’ll have around $130 milion committed before they try to re-sign Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood. They also want to bring in a left-handed outfielder, which would probably put them somewhere near $160 million. One way the Cubs could reduce costs would be to entrust second base to Mike Fontenot and deal the versatile DeRosa and his $5.5 million contract away. DeRosa fits in well with the Dan Murphy move to second: Should he be unable to play it, DeRosa is a more-than-adequate second baseman. Should Murphy prove a solid second sacker, DeRosa could see some time in the outfield corners, come in as late-game replacement defensively, and see some time at second against southpaws.

While DeRosa had a career year, his value is probably not so high that the Mets would be unable to reach it. I think a Mike Carp/Nick Evans-Scott Schoeneweis package makes sense for both sides, with the Mets paying off Schoeneweis’s deal. As good as the Cubs were last year, they had nobody who could silence lefty bats out of the pen. Alternately, should you want a real yarn, the Cubs could deal Derrek Lee to the Giants for Matt Cain or Jonathan Sanchez, then turn around and get Carlos Delgado from the Mets for DeRosa and more goodies while the Mets sign Mark Teixiera.

Buying Low

Rickie Weeks

           AB   HR   SB   AVE   OBA   SLG
2008      475   14   19  .234  .342  .398
Career   1615   51   78  .245  .352  .406

The Brewers are caught between a rock and a hard place with most of their young talent suddenly becoming arbitration eligible; Weeks could get up around the $4 million mark this season, and after the last two campaigns they have every right to question whether he will be the long-term answer at second base.

The former second overall pick in the 2003 draft–remember the debate over whether he or Delmon Young would be better?—Weeks has been maddeningly inconsistent at the major league level, particularly on defense where he has made several headscratching errors over the last few years. However, he’ll be just 26 coming into this year, he flashes a ton of raw power and speed, and if his defense could be fixed, he could still become a really good ballplayer.

So why list him and not JJ Hardy? I don’t think the Mets have the bounty for Hardy. But for Weeks, I think probably two of Evans, Carp, Bobby Parnell, and Eddie Kunz could get this done, and the payoff could conceivably be worth it. Worst case scenario: if the Mets decide they can’t handle his fielding after a year, they could put him in left and see how his bat plays out there. Sliding down the defensive spectrum was the cure for BJ Upton, after all. And that meets my RaysGeek tie-in quota.

Freddy Sanchez

           AB   HR   SB   AVE   OBA   SLG
2008      569    9    0  .271  .298  .371
Career   2275   31    5  .300  .336  .417

Sanchez profiles as a high-average second baseman with mediocre defense and gap power. Pittsburgh is, despite the regime change, still Pittsburgh, and Sanchez will make $6.1 million coming off an abysmal season. He underwent offseason surgery after 2007 and struggled during the first half of the year, but hit 338/.370/.470 after the All-Star break.

I think Sanchez will wind up contributing about as much as Orlando Hudson will next season, to be honest. Coming off his poor season and being owed as much money as he is ($6.1 million, plus a $600,000 buyout next year, or an $8 million option), I think he’d be pretty eminently available if the Pirates were tossed something interesting. This one is also worth exploring.

Everyone Else Got Signed/For the Bench

Jeff Kent

           AB   HR   SB   AVE   OBA   SLG
2008      440   12    0  .280  .327  .418
Career   8498  377   94  .290  .356  .500

Kent is coming up on the end of what should probably be a Hall-of-Fame career; he’ll turn 41 in Spring Training next year, and its anyone’s guess whether he’ll even want to play next year. He still has a little pop and his formerly underrated defense has evaporated to merely solid, but he’d probably be a net positive at second base.

Of course, it doesn’t really matter, because he has bad “clubhouse chemistry” and the Mets again will not talk to him. But I’ll list him anyway. Maybe I’ll list him again next offseason too, just for giggles.

Mark Loretta/Mark Grudzielanek

Loretta:
           AB   HR   SB   AVE   OBA   SLG
2008      261   12    0  .280  .350  .383
Career   5631   76   46  .297  .361  .399

Grudzielanek:
           AB   HR   SB   AVE   OBA   SLG
2008      331    3    2  .299  .345  .399
Career   6942   90  131  .290  .332  .395

These two appear on each other’s similar batters list on Baseball-Reference over the last two years for a reason: they are just about the same player at this point. I side with Loretta because he’s a little bit younger, but there isn’t an appreciable difference.

Both will be free agents, either of them are solid enough options to hold down second base for a season or, should the Dan Murphy plan work out, spell him against tough left-handers and come in as defensive replacements. This is the least the Mets could do to fix second base.