Season 21 has begun in Kenny Powers, and it's time to kick off this season's blog coverage with the Free Agency Preview! Overall, it's not the greatest free agency class by any means, probably what we'll be looking at in MLB the next couple of off-seasons. Still, there's some nice players to be had, so let's see who made this season's Top Free Agents!
1. Carlos Guzman, 28, 1B
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: .857 career OPS
Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $48 million
Possible Destinations: Rochester, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Chicago
Signed with New York - 4 years, $19.8 million
Guzman doesn't have the flash that a #1 Free Agent usually has, but he has a lot going for him. He has outstanding splits, and very good contact, power and batting eye. The former Futures Game MVP hit .340 last season with an OPS of .925 showing he has more upside than his overall career numbers. At just age 28, he has several more quality seasons ahead, and he won't cost a draft pick with his Type B designation.
2. Darron Lamb, 30, SP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 4.50 career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 5 years, $55 million
Possible Destinations: Boston, Tampa Bay, Tucson, Burlington
Signed with Boston - 5 years, $45.5 million
Lamb isn't going to be the staff ace on a top contender, but he still has solid qualities that can help most rotations, and his attributes appear to indicate he's better than his 4.50 career ERA. He has outstanding control, great velocity, and is strong vs. RH batters. His pitch quality is a bit of a concern, and perhaps what keeps him from being elite, but he should still provide a lot of quality innings, and at age 30, shouldn't enter his decline phase any time soon.
3. Vasco Correa, 29, LF
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 294 career HR
Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $46 million
Possible Destinations: Boston, Rochester, Tampa Bay, Boise
Signed with Chicago - 5 years, $36.5 million ($31 million guaranteed)
The Season 15 AL MVP put up 50+ HR and 130+ RBI in his first three full seasons, and then regressed slightly his last three seasons. Still, there's little question that he still has an extremely powerful bat and will continue to launch bombs in Kenny Powers for seasons to come. His splits and batting eye are pretty solid, but his contact is average, so he will strike out a lot, but will be a nice asset for a team looking for a power bat.
4. Jesus Torcato, 31, LF
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: .852 career OPS
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $39 million
Possible Destinations: Rochester, Boston, Oklahoma City, Tampa Bay
Signed with Louisville - 4 years, $29.5 million
Torcato's combination of great batting eye, tremendous speed and baserunning ability and good contact make him a beast near the top of the lineup, even at age 31. He has some nice power in his bat too. Effectiveness vs. LHP is a bit of a weakness of his, but is otherwise strong. Age and draft pick compensation land him at #4, but you could make an argument for him being higher and he will be a prize for whatever team lands him for sure.
5. Vladimir Pimentel, 30, SP
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: 4.23 career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 4 years, $44 million
Possible Destinations: Rochester, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Boise
Signed with Iowa City - 3 years, $17.4 million
Pimentel is a workhorse righty with top tier control and elite velocity. His split against RH'ers is good but not great, and is just average against lefties. He has three very good pitches, yet none of them are really outstanding. Despite some holes in his arsenal, Pimentel is still a quality SP who won't be an ace, but will be a very good add if you're looking for a middle to back end of the rotation type of SP.
6. Bo Edmonds, 32, RP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.70 career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $27 million
Possible Destinations: Syracuse, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Tucson
Signed with Chicago - 5 years, $26 million ($22.1 million guaranteed)
There's little doubt that Bo knows Pitching. He has elite control and two outstanding pitches, to go with excellent velocity and an ability to keep the ball down. His splits are also very good. He could be a great closer candidate for most teams, even though he wasn't used in that capacity his last three seasons in Tucson. However he is used, he will certainly be an upgrade for some team's bullpen.
7. Omar Valentin, 30, DH
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: .796 career OPS
Salary Over/Under: 3 years, $26 million
Possible Destinations: Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Detroit
Signed with Chicago - 5 years, $11.4 million ($9.7 million guaranteed)
There's no denying that Valentin is an outstanding hitter, however his limited fielding abilities probably suit him to be a DH in the AL, as he may be a liability at 1B or C. Still, there are a lot of things to like about him. He has elite contact skills, an excellent batting eye and very good splits, to go with about 20 HR power. He'll be a good fit for some lineup and will certainly be a tough out at the plate.
8. Jimmy Fox, 33, RF
No Designation
Key Stat: .892 career OPS
Salary Over/Under: 2 years, $23 million
Possible Destinations: Seattle, Buffalo, Oklahoma City, Detroit
Signed with Syracuse - 4 years, $48 million ($37.2 million guaranteed)
Even though Fox is 33 this season, he can definitely still rake. He has a top tier batting eye, excellent splits, very good contact and nice power. He probably is the best grab on offense in free agency looking at this season alone, but age related regression seems to be right around the corner for him. He can play a serviceable RF still, but is probably a reach at 3B. Still, he has a couple of a very good seasons left at the plate, so he could have great value for teams in win-now mode.
9. Yorman Vincente, 36, RP
Type A Free Agent
Key Stat: 3.45 career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 2 years, $21 million
Possible Destinations: Boston, Buffalo, Atlanta, Detroit
Signed with Wichita - 2 years, $6 million
This stud lefty reliever has 2 elite pitches, outstanding control, and good splits. He can be a workhorse in the bullpen still, even at age 36, capable of providing 100+ quality innings. Age is a bit of a concern with him, but he should have 2-3 more very good seasons left in him. There's little doubt that he will be a big boost to the bullpen for some team this season.
10. Wilkin Ozuna, 33, SP
No Designation
Key Stat: 4.09 Career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 2 years, $16 million
Possible Destinations: Syracuse, Jacksonville, Chicago, Louisville
Signed with Durham - 2 years, $4 million
Although he mostly pitched out of the pen for Honolulu the last 3 seasons, Ozuna looks to have the ability to be a decent middle to back-end of the rotation type SP. He has outstanding control, a very good pitch arsenal, and can keep the ball down. His splits are fairly mediocre, particular vs. LH batters, but should be able to eat up a lot of innings with pretty good numbers. He's likely worth a look for teams with an SP need.
11. Ubaldo Jose, 34, RP
Type B Free Agent
Key Stat: 4.18 career ERA
Salary Over/Under: 2 years, $10 million
Possible Destinations: Seattle, Toronto, New Britain, Jacksonville
Signed with Jacksonville - 1 year, $4.8 million
Jose is a solid RP with similar attributes to others in the market, outstanding control and pitches, and keeps the ball down. His RH split is good, but vs. LH batters he is less effective. Still, the pros outweigh the cons and he'd be a nice addition to a lot of bullpens. Using him as a closer wouldn't be a reach at all.
