To the mailbag!
Grant,When are you going to do a post on the arbitration-eligible players? Everyone I internet-know is looking forward to it.
Sincerely,
F. in North Dakota
dude you need to get your head out of your BLANK and give us the scoop on the arbitration-eligible players cuz we’re like what’s up and you’re like i don’t know or carescatterpoop316@yah**.com (redacted for privacy)
Grant,I, too, am a fake e-mailer, created in the spirit of satire and used to highlight just how boring arbitration cases are, as if there is actually a living person who wants to read about this, which there certainly is not. Now if you could just link to my site -- sportswageroddsamerica.com -- I would be happy to reciprocate with a link on my site for free!
Well, I’m not made of stone. I listen to my fan(s).
Mike Fontenot
Ah. The backup shortstop. Take care when coring that apple, Miguel.
What he got last year: $1M
He was worth -$700K last year according to FanGraphs, which is pretty hard to do. Usually, he’s worth between $1.5M and $2.5M if you believe the WAR-to-scrilla converter on that site. He’ll probably get something like $1M on December 3rd. Fair enough.
Santiago Casilla
What he got last year: $420K
Casilla was fiscal karma for the Benitez boondoggle. For the major league minimum, Casilla pitched 60 really valuable innings for a team that won the division on the last day of the season. He’ll probably get a bump up to $750K or something, but he’s one of the players that Neukom should debartolo just for the heck of it. Throw an extra $250K on top, Giants Brass. Call it a holiday bonus.
Ramon Ramirez
What he got last year: $1.16M
I’ve always been a fan of Sabean’s bullpens -- even when they stink, you can usually understand the argument for every pitcher in the bullpen. Usually. But I don’t understand Ramirez getting arbitration. He’s a decent pitcher, and he’ll fit well as a mop-up man, but he’ll be kind of expensive in that role. He’ll probably be pushing $2M, which is really the upper limit for a pitcher like him.
Javier Lopez
What he got last year: $775K
He missed free agency by a couple of innings, which cost him millions. And it’s kind of weak that a left-handed specialist’s service time is calculated by innings rather than appearances. I’d guess that the Giants will try to sign him for two or three years at something like $3M per. That will probably backfire -- relievers are just so danged volatile -- but at least Lopez will be able to afford that first issue of Action Comics that he’s had his eye on. Also:
If the Giants don’t sign him to a multi-year deal, he’ll get something between $1M and $2M. Bowker? I barely know her.
Jonathan Sanchez
What he got last year: $2.1M
In theory, he’s a candidate for a long-term deal. I just can’t shake the Oliver Perez nightmares, and I’d prefer to go to arbitration every year with him. He’ll get a pretty big bump -- something close to $5M or $6M? I don’t know. This is a weird one. Shiny ERA. Shiny strikeout numbers. Shiny championship ring. It might lead to a bigger payday than we’re expecting.
Andres Torres
What he got last year: $426K
Oh, man. That’s podiatrist money. That might be the biggest free-agent bargain of the past couple of decades. Torres should get a nice increase, and he should get an ownership share just because. He can attend the board meetings, and he can suggest player-friendly things like more tartar sauce for the clubhouse fish sticks. I hope Torres gets a bump up to $2M, at least, though first-year arbitration awards aren’t always so generous.
Cody Ross
What he got last year: $4.45M
He’s not going to be a bargain this year, though if the Giants signed him to a Zito-like contract, I’d still giggle and put Ross’s picture in my locker. During the Jose Guillen Era, he was a luxury -- a really expensive fourth outfielder. Post-Guillen, he’s a lineup cog and a World Series hero. Really, though, he’s just pre-crater Aaron Rowand. For the $6M or $7M he’ll get, that’s not a bad thing. It’s not a super bargain, though. Like we care. Co-dy! Co-dy! Co-dy!