Rays Re-Sign Loney

[revo]

3 yrs, $21m

[madducks]

I'm glad somebody stopped the Pirates from signing him.

[Hornsby]

I'm glad somebody stopped the Pirates from signing him.

True that...a good field slappy is OK at short, but a guy who can't hit 15 homers at 1st is a liability, IMO.

[Bodhizefa]

Seems like a weird signing for a smart team to make. Loney had the highest BABIP of his career last year, doesn't really walk at a good rate, and can't hit for power. Maybe the Rays have some numbers on him that says he's the best fielder in baseball at his position, and that might make this okay. But from an outsiders' perspective, this looks like a silly signing.

[Don Quixote]

Seems like a weird signing for a smart team to make. Loney had the highest BABIP of his career last year, doesn't really walk at a good rate, and can't hit for power. Maybe the Rays have some numbers on him that says he's the best fielder in baseball at his position, and that might make this okay. But from an outsiders' perspective, this looks like a silly signing.

As best as I can figure it, the Tampa Bay execs must have looked at Loney, at their minor league guys, and at what's available right now and perhaps next off-season, and said, "Ah, f*** it, he's a known quantity, he likes it here, and he's the best we can afford."

The dollars aren't bad, even for Tampa Bay. Three years seems a little excessive to me, but (a) I'm not in their front office, and (b) I don't get a vote.

[Moonlight J]

http://theprocessreport.net/rays-to-...ney/#more-6395 on the move

and http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/0...ee-agents.html is next year's 1B free agent class.

Against the backdrop of those 2 things, totally fine with the move

[Moonlight J]

Carp is a DH - Loney is a 1B. Carp also plays for the Red Sox and they're not trading within the division - especially with their closest competitor. The team values run prevention defense. He's been a 2+ WAR player 2 of the past 3 seasons. $7M annually for that pays for itself with a little profit included.

[Hornsby]

Gotta say that as a man who's been Loneyed in the past, Chris is right...bad signing for a team with limited resources. I would have told him, "here's 15 million for 2 years, don't spend it all in one place". If he didn't take it, hell, there are plenty of potions out there who'll play at a minimal salary. Hell, you could probably sign any combination of Youk, Eric Chavez, Delmon, Baker, and a few other guys and slap a mitt in their hands and teach 'em 1st base...yes, you'd lose that "star" calibre defense that you get with Loney, but you'd make it up with financial and roster flexibility.

[Moonlight J]

For a team that values defense, signing any of those other guys makes zero sense. Youk has a 50 yr old's back, Chavez is barely more durable, Delmon can't defend, and Baker is a RH platoon bat.

I'd like to see them add Baker, but we're talking about a guy who has a 100 point split in his wOBA (.367 vs LH, .267 vs RH) over the past 5 seasons. Loney is at .281 vs LH, .331 vs RH.

Given the fact batters face RH ~70% of the time, Loney as a primary 1B, on a team that puts a premium value on defense, makes sense. In the words of Maddon & Friedman this week here in Orlando

Joe Maddon said that he’d prefer a left handed hitting first baseman and when Andrew Friedman was asked if he shared the sentiment he said, “Ideally, we’d like to get more left handed – continue that. That being said it’s really about feeling comfortable against right handed pitching so obviously there are right handed hitters that handle right handed pitching well. Just simply said, I think its safe to assume that we’d prefer a left handed hitter that being said it’s more about the ability to hit right handed pitching.”

[chancellor]

Against a backdrop of both Corey Hart and Michael Morse signing for $6M on one year deals, I'm pretty fine with some other sucker throwing tons of cash and multiple years at Loney, too. You may now feel free to tell me just how epic Loney's defense is that makes him worth not only more annually, but worth two more years of commitment.

While I agree with you (and I'm really glad the Brewers didn't get Loneyed), Hart's deal is $6 mil base with incentives up to $13 mil. If Hart stays healthy and hits like Loney's previous incarnation, he'll still make about $10 mil from what I've read.

[Moonlight J]

Hart was specific in his desire to stay near his family in AZ. The M's train in AZ and Seattle is closer than TB - easy win/win for him. That said, good luck with him coming off 2 knee surgeries (one on each knee) and his career splits away from Miller Park.

[Moonlight J]

Higher WAR at season's end - Loney or Hart? Avatar bet - loser has to have the avatar for all of October 2014

[Moonlight J]

What do you do with next year's market being pure shit?

[Moonlight J]

Chuckle at the hideous avatar I've saddled you with?

[Hornsby]

What do you do with next year's market being pure shit?

Woooo, you were't kidding...some nice pitchers though.

First basemen

Billy Butler (29) - $12.5MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Michael Cuddyer (36)
Corey Hart (33)
Adam LaRoche (35) - $15MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Adam Lind (31) - $7.5MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Mike Morse (33)
Ty Wigginton (37)

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/02/2015-mlb-free-agents.html