Buy low on Ben Sheets?

[Backtobanks]

Sheets isn't the only FA that makes you wonder why he isn't signed. Manny is still out there. Adam Dunn remains unsigned. The same goes for Bobby Abreu and Orlando Hudson.

 

While all of these might carry some questions or red flags (Sheets- injury, Dunn- defense, Abreu-age and declining performance, Manny- perceived attitude), these are guys who would have gotten large multi-year deals in years past. To have all of thse guys along with other lesser players like Jon Garland, Jason Varitek, Orlando Cabrera and others still looking for work is evidence that teams just aren't willing to commit long-term money to players this winter.

 

While there have been some big contracts signed, my guess is that these players aren't signed because no one is interested, but that many aren't signed because no one is interested at the dollars and years for which they are asking.

 

Sooner or later, someone will either step to the plate and offer what they are looking for (doubtful) or the players will begin to adjust their demands and take the best offer they can still find.

 

Sheets may not be signed because teams see something really bad in his elbow, or it may be that in light of the economy, teams have adjusted their tolerance for risk and Sheets is still looking for a bigger payday.

 

Unless there is something in Sheets' medical file that really stands out, some team is going to get a real bargain by signing him. It is amazing that some of these desperate teams aren't taking a chance on these guys (Sheets, Manny, Dunn, Abreu, etc.) at these rumored numbers. Some of these guys might sign for a 1-year deal with incentives with a second year option at a ridiculously low price.

[YearofDaCubs]

I don't think it is teams not taking a chance but more so that these guys are probably asking for too much money and too many years.

[Backtobanks]

I don't think it is teams not taking a chance but more so that these guys are probably asking for too much money and too many years.

 

I know that none of them have accepted the rumored deals, but what I have read are numbers like Sheets (2/18), Dunn (5 million per year), and Abreu (1/6). All of them have issues (injury, defense, age), but they could bring in some fans and produce decent to very good results. Obviously, you would have to really check out Sheets medical problems, but you're talking less money than Marquis. Dunn and Abreu could end up with less than a middle IF.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

If Sheets is definitely hurt *now*, it's not a bargain. It's not a matter of injury-proneness, it's whether or not he is currently and actually injured and unable to pitch.

[treebird]

When it comes to guys like Cabrera and Hudson still being out there, I think it's more a result of their teams offering them arbitration because they're Type A free agents. For those marginal Type A guys, the offering of arby is enough to kill any interest in the free agent market. IIRC, something similar happens with these guys every year. I remember Tony Graffanino inexplicably being a Type A free agent when he played for the Brewers, and him having to accept the arby offer because there was no chance he was going to get a multiyear deal as a Type A..

Didn't that happen to Todd Walker a few years ago? Then he was cut in ST.

 

sidebar: I will never forget auggiedoggie's irrational hatred for Walker and IMB's photoshop job. Those were the days.

 

that was me baby. alllll me. and a couple by uber.

[17 Seconds]

When it comes to guys like Cabrera and Hudson still being out there, I think it's more a result of their teams offering them arbitration because they're Type A free agents. For those marginal Type A guys, the offering of arby is enough to kill any interest in the free agent market. IIRC, something similar happens with these guys every year. I remember Tony Graffanino inexplicably being a Type A free agent when he played for the Brewers, and him having to accept the arby offer because there was no chance he was going to get a multiyear deal as a Type A..

Didn't that happen to Todd Walker a few years ago? Then he was cut in ST.

 

sidebar: I will never forget auggiedoggie's irrational hatred for Walker and IMB's photoshop job. Those were the days.

 

that was me baby. alllll me. and a couple by uber.

 

Is that thread still around? It sounds legendary. I searched but couldn't find anything

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Don't know if this is the legendary one, but it's a good place to start:

 

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=36629&hilit=derosa+signed

[17 Seconds]

Don't know if this is the legendary one, but it's a good place to start:

 

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=36629&hilit=derosa+signed

 

What page?

[treebird]

not it. i imagine it's gone by now.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The entirety is pretty funny. The same people who lambasted Hendry for letting DeRosa go this offseason, the same people who were sure Theriot would be worthless. Except Truffle, who came off pretty well.

 

TruffleShuffle wrote:

goony's evil twin wrote:

TruffleShuffle wrote:

 

Brought down to that level by an awful 2004. The last two years he's had an OPS+ of 98 and 106, and will be playing mostly "defensive" positions. He'd be a bad hitter for a 1B or RF, but as a 2B/SS/3B/Util guy, he's clearly not a bad hitter.

 

 

You can just as easily say it was brought up by a fluke 2006.

 

Quit making excuses. It's a bad contract.

 

 

Quit being a pompous prick. Not everyone agrees with you.

 

 

People who aren't dumb do.

[haubrich91]

Don't know if this is the legendary one, but it's a good place to start:

 

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=36629&hilit=derosa+signed

 

Lmao. The users were (are) harsh. Ugh I miss DeRo.

[treebird]

The entirety is pretty funny. The same people who lambasted Hendry for letting DeRosa go this offseason, the same people who were sure Theriot would be worthless. Except Truffle, who came off pretty well.

 

TruffleShuffle wrote:

goony's evil twin wrote:

TruffleShuffle wrote:

 

Brought down to that level by an awful 2004. The last two years he's had an OPS+ of 98 and 106, and will be playing mostly "defensive" positions. He'd be a bad hitter for a 1B or RF, but as a 2B/SS/3B/Util guy, he's clearly not a bad hitter.

 

 

You can just as easily say it was brought up by a fluke 2006.

 

Quit making excuses. It's a bad contract.

 

 

Quit being a pompous prick. Not everyone agrees with you.

 

 

People who aren't dumb do.

 

i am shocked [sHOCKED] that you would not only stoop to shoving people's old posts in their faces, but also siding with truffle.

 

shocked.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

If we're bringing up every stupid thing anyone ever said on here, I'm pretty sure my pile would be near the top.

 

Even ignoring those unconscionable times when I have an opinion that is only held by 30% or so of intelligent people (gasp) and the times I make a completely and utter fool of myself in the wake of a postseason sweep, I was dogging Hendry and Piniella over Theriot as hard as anyone.

 

Point is: Hendry has been right and the sabermetric consensus of the board wrong about a lot of middle infielders now.

[E.J.]

The entirety is pretty funny. The same people who lambasted Hendry for letting DeRosa go this offseason, the same people who were sure Theriot would be worthless. Except Truffle, who came off pretty well.

 

TruffleShuffle wrote:

goony's evil twin wrote:

TruffleShuffle wrote:

 

Brought down to that level by an awful 2004. The last two years he's had an OPS+ of 98 and 106, and will be playing mostly "defensive" positions. He'd be a bad hitter for a 1B or RF, but as a 2B/SS/3B/Util guy, he's clearly not a bad hitter.

 

 

You can just as easily say it was brought up by a fluke 2006.

 

Quit making excuses. It's a bad contract.

 

 

Quit being a pompous prick. Not everyone agrees with you.

 

 

People who aren't dumb do.

 

i am shocked [sHOCKED] that you would not only stoop to shoving people's old posts in their faces, but also siding with truffle.

 

shocked.

 

Knock it off Tree. Quit following Kyle around and attacking him. Also, let's not bring up old posts. I'm sure we could pretty much pick any poster at random and find a post they wish they didn't make.

[weis21]

Don't know if this is the legendary one, but it's a good place to start:

 

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=36629&hilit=derosa+signed

 

Lmao. The users were (are) harsh. Ugh I miss DeRo.

That was right before I started posting and I was still lurking. I didn't have a problem with the signing but that is because I'm an idiotic eternal optimist. Nowadays I'm somewhere in between when it comes to the Cubs.

 

Who am I kidding, by the time April rolls around I'll be right back on the wagon.

[cubsfan26]

Don't know if this is the legendary one, but it's a good place to start:

 

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=36629&hilit=derosa+signed

 

 

Wow that thread, brings back bad memories from the Heilman thread earlier today. It just goes to show how people can freak out about a move without giving it a chance. In two years DeRosa went from being a minor upgrade over Neifi Perez, to being a huge loss to this team. You would think that after bashing Hendry so bad, and being wrong, he would get the benefit of the doubt a little more? Oh well, here's some funny comments(without calling anybody out) that were made in the first few pages.

 

More of Hendry overypaying for mediocrity. So much for Baker and MacPhail being responsible for Hendry's crappy acquisitions.

 

 

Why were we so quick to sign DeRosa? Why not hang back a bit and wait on Durham? Was the market for DeRosa so great that we had to sign him right now?

 

 

This just smacks of a typical Hendry signing. Overpay for a guy that no one else values nearly as much as him. Makes no sense whatsoever (given the years/$$$)

 

DeRosa batted .200 in his final 100 at bats last year with 1 HR..... way to overpay him Hendry

 

 

Never shoulda traded Todd Walker.

 

There goes my high hopes for the offseason....

 

If Hendry's only goal was "get someone better than Neifi", it was a pretty piss-poor goal.

 

 

A $4.3m platoon player/utility guy? That's crazy talk.

 

We overpaid for mediocrity again. It's a good thing the payroll is higher.

 

 

I don't like this move. I would rather have Giles or Lugo myself. A guy has one good year signs a contract and is a bust the next 3. I don't like this one bit.

 

 

I'm sure that thread only got worse the longer it went on.