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It took a lot longer than most people expected, but Yoenis Cespedes finally made a decision on Friday night, signing a three-year deal (with an opt-out after year one) with the Mets. With that move, the major free agent movement has ended for the winter. It’s been a strange offseason, with a bevy of high-end talent that included both pitchers and hitters. The former seemed to jump on their deals early, while the latter lagged behind. Now that the biggest names are off the board, most fans’ eyes will turn towards spring training. However, there are still plenty of second-tier players available, with Dexter Fowler taking his turn in the spotlight.
Fowler has never been a high-profile player, but he’s always carried a solid skill set that flies under the radar. After spending most of his career in Colorado, he’s spent the last couple of years in Houston and Chicago proving that his game plays outside of Coors. While he’s certainly not on the tier of the other outfielders on the market this year, he draws a ton of walks and can play center field, albeit many disagree on how well he does so. It always made sense that he’d wait out the Cespedes/Justin Upton/Alex Gordon tier, and now is his chance to get paid. Even with a qualifying offer attached, he is set up for a very solid deal.
The big reason for this is that there are still a few teams that are clearly in need of outfield help before the season gets underway. The White Sox have built an extremely talented and cost-efficient lineup, but are still playing Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia every day. The Angels are hinging Mike Trout’s prime to a Craig Gentry/Daniel Nava platoon in left field. While those are the two teams that make the most sense, one could easily see the Cardinals or the Astros getting into the mix as well. Dexter Fowler is at the forefront of the remaining free agents, and has plenty of teams who could use him.
- I mentioned the White Sox above as a team that could really use an outfielder, and it’s kind of amazing that they didn’t end up with one of the bigger names.
- After bringing Yoenis Cespedes back, the Mets’ lineup is now a worthy counterpart to their great rotation.
- There are many reasons for Tigers fans to be excited about the addition of Justin Upton.
- We may have found out the password that was used to hack into the Astros’ data base, and I’m confident saying it’s better than any of us could have ever imagined.
- The Yankees have said they will honor David Ortiz in his last series in New York. How will they do it?
- There is so much money in baseball right now, and it’s seen in all of these free agent contracts. Is it a sustainable system?
- We’ve also seen a massive increase in opt-outs this winter. How is that going to affect small market teams like the A’s?
- As the Blue Jays try to get back to the postseason for the second straight year, who will occupy the fifth spot in the rotation?
- The Rockies have failed time and time again in developing starting pitchers. They may be approaching their home park with their young arms in the wrong way.
- You will have a chance to touch Adrian Beltre’s head this summer! (Sort of)
- Unsurprisingly, the league has cleared Yu Darvish of any involvement in his brother’s gambling operation.
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