Maybin to Angels & Other Contract Musings

MAYBIN TO ANGELS

Cameron Maybin is now an Angel as he’s been dealt to the Angels in exchange for RHP Victor Alcantara who heads to Detroit. As part of the deal the Angels have picked up the 2017 option on Maybin so he will earn $9 million.

Maybin will be 30 years old next April, and he’s long titillated with his talent. Just look at his 2016 season that included a .315 average and 15 steals. He also failed to reach 350 at-bats for the third time in four seasons as he’s made out of peanut brittle. The guy simply cannot stay on the field, and that crushes his fantasy value. You can roster him for 15-20 steals, but other than that what do you get? Even with a .315 mark in batting average in 2016, the guy owns a career mark of .259. He rarely walks which is why his career mark in OBP is .322. After 7-years at .327 or lower he somehow posted a .383 mark in 2016. He’s not repeating that. He’s a fifth outfielder in mixed leagues, one I wouldn’t trust or likely draft even if I needed to fill that spot on draft day. I just don’t trust him.  

Maybin will play left field for the Angels with Mike Trout remaining in center field. The Angels had a league worst .584 OPS out of the left field spot, so clearly it was a position of need. As things currently stand that would leave the Angels with an outfield of Maybin, Trout and Kole Calhoun.

Alcantara had a 4.30 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 111 innings at Double-A this past season. He’s a solid prospect with a nice arm, but he’s not an exciting fantasy option by any means.

Meanwhile, the Tigers picked up the option on Francisco Rodriguez, a very easy call given that it will only cost them $6 million. The soon to be 35 year old relievers saved another 44 games in ’16, a third straight effort with at least 38 saves. He is the only arm in baseball who has accomplished that. The K-rate was down to 8.02 per nine, a career worst, while his 3.24 BB/9 rate was a four-year high in ‘16. Something to keep in your mind before you go expecting another 38 saves in 2017. Though he lost the strikeouts, he did post a career best 54.7 percent ground ball rate which is a number I love to see. An evolving arm as he enters his mid-30’s as the velocity continues to drop (his 89.2 mph mark on his fastball was a career low and three mph below his career average). Here’s some more detail on the Tigers’ move.

THIS AND THAT

Nori Aoki was released by the Mariners and was quickly scooped up by the Astros (he is arbitration eligible). Aoki offers some outfield flexibility having played center field 14 times and 88 times in the outfield. Aoki will be 35 in January, but he is what he’s always has been offensively. In one of the most remarkable feats in league annals, check out the consistency he’s brought in the batting average and on-base percentage categories in his career.

I will straight out tell you that it’s impossible to do that. Impossible. In five seasons his batting average has always been between .283 to .288. In five seasons his on-base percentage has always been between .349 and .356. #ThatsImpossible   His speed has waned, he’s stolen just 21 bases the last two seasons including seven last year (in 16 attempts), but he still is a decent option in a league specific setup, though a limited one given that he’s never hit more than 10 homers or driven in more than 50 runners.

Coco Crisp was rewarded by the Indians with a loss in Game 7 of the World Series and a decline of his $13 million option for 2017. The 37 year old is now a free agent. He still has enough game that someone will offer him a deal, and more likely than not, if he can stay healthy, he will provide some value in a league specific setup. He’s no longer someone that should play daily, but throwing a late round pick or a few bucks at Crisp seems warranted in those limited leagues. After all, he did hit 13 homers with 10 steals, even if he hit just .231.

Matt Holliday will not have his $17 million option picked up according to Chris Cotillo. The soon to be 37 year old is coming off another injury plagued season. After appearing in 73 games in 2015 he suited up just 110 times in 2016. Holliday hit .246, a career worst, but he still hit 20 homers with 62 RBI over 426 plate appearances. His .461 SLG was a three year high and his .782 OPS wasn’t that far off the .811 and .804 marks he posted in 2014 and 2015. He should still be a .275-20-80 guy if he can stay healthy.

Chris Iannetta had his $4.5 million contract option declined by the Mariners making him a free agent. I’ve sometimes been a fan of his potential as a second catcher in mixed leagues, but it’s been years since there was anything to see here. Over 338 plate appearances in ’16 he hit a mere .210 with seven homers, a year after he went .188-10 in 317 plate appearances. Chris really can’t hit. He used to get on base too with an OBP of .358 and .373 in 2013 and 2014 before descending into madness the last two years (.293 and .303). He’s a second catcher in a league specific setup, nothing more.

It sounds like the Cardinals won’t be extending a qualifying offer to Brandon Moss. The 33 year old lefty slugger was insane for a bit last season and in the end no one can complain after he hit 28 homers with 67 RBI and 66 runs scored in just 464 plate appearances. It was just the second time in his career that he reached all three of those numbers in the counting categories. However, he hit .225 after one of the worst September’s we’ve seen in recent years (.178/.209/.287), but he certainly can hit righties as he socked 25 homers with a .525 SLG over 301 such at-bats. Limited thy name is Moss.

Seth Smith had his $7 million contract picked up by the Mariners. The 34 year old “professional hitter” just wrapped up a season of .249-16-63-62 over 438 plate appearances. His performance was bolstered by an 18.0 percent HR/FB ratio, a career best and his first season in a decade of work with a mark over 13.8 percent. It’s not likely to continue on to 2017. Expecting similar work from Smith next season though makes sense, which means he’s a DFS play against righties, or usable in a season long league if you can change your lineup on a daily basis to get him out of there against lefties. Smith had a .782 OPS last season against righties, well below his career .827 OPS, and a three year low. #SignsOfAge?

I have to admit, I’m pretty excited about this coming flick. How bad ass does Wonder Woman look?