Five free agents guaranteed to score great new deals
Editor's note: This is an excerpt from Ken Rosenthal's Hot Stove guide. Read the complete piece here.
***
Here are five free agents guaranteed to score this offseason.
David Price: Two agents for free-agent starting pitchers predict that Price will sign with the Cubs. An executive who knows Price says that the Cubs are his first choice. It's all talk until the contract is signed, particularly when the Dodgers, Giants, Cardinals and Red Sox all could be in the mix.
Jason Heyward: Can we stop with the talk about Heyward's offensive upside? Sure he's only 26, but over the past four seasons his OPS-plus -- that is, his OPS adjusted to his league and ballpark -- has been consistently good, not great. He is who he is, and his contract will be a monster due to his age and all-around ability. Bet an opt-out, too -- Heyward's agent, Casey Close, negotiated such clauses for Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.
Greinke: He will pitch next season at age 32, so a shorter term with a high average salary is the most logical play. If the Dodgers won't pay Greinke, the Giants might -- and so could other NL contenders. Greinke surely prefers to remain in the league that allows him to hit, and he almost certainly would want to know the identity of the Dodgers' manager and likely composition of the clubhouse before considering them long term.
Chris Davis: His 159 home runs led the majors the past four seasons, and his .533 slugging percentage ranks ninth. Sure, Davis also had the highest strikeout rate in the majors last season, but teams will accept the tradeoff for his rare power -- and he can play the outfield and even third as well as first base. The Red Sox, Astros, Blue Jays and Cardinals are among the possible fits.
Darren O'Day: You won't see his name on any "Top 10 free agent" lists, but he is easily the best reliever in a thin market, and could strike it particularly rich if some teams view him as a closer. Never mind that O'Day is 33. Over the past four seasons he has a .580 opponents' OPS and 4.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Last season was his best yet, and he gets left-handed hitters out as well as righties.
