The Diamondbacks signed first baseman Adam LaRoche to a one-year deal, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. SI's Jon Heyman says LaRoche will be paid $4-5MM. The D'Backs were not known to be interested or able to afford LaRoche, but the move makes sense as it allows them to use Conor Jackson in left field and give Brandon Allen more minor league seasoning.
LaRoche reportedly turned down a two-year, $17.5MM deal from the Giants earlier this offseason, as he was aiming for three years. The 30-year-old hit .278/.357/.487 with 24 home runs in 610 plate appearances for the Pirates, Braves, and Red Sox. He earned $7.05MM in '09. He was a Type B free agent, but the Braves chose not to offer arbitration.
So one year/$4-$5 is better than two years/over $8 million a year?
What a chick. And people still bash Sabean for not trying to bring stars in? How can he when he has to grossly overpay? If LaRoche turning down more years with more money to go to a worse team isn't enough proof, I don't know what is.