Kuzul

There are no perfect offseasons, though Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington came pretty close last offseason.

Signing Ryan Dempster (4.57 ERA) to a two-year deal may not have been the best use of $26.5 million of ownership’s money. And acquiring closer Joel Hanrahan backfired as he sustained a season-ending elbow surgery early in the season. Aside from those two moves, though, Cherington’s very busy offseason was nearly flawless. He acquired several players who were integral to the team’s World Series title. 

It’s also rare for a team not to have one bright spot in all of their offseason acquisitions, though the Los Angeles Angels and general manager Jerry Dipoto came dangerously close.

Free-agent acquisitions Joe Blanton, Sean Burnett and Josh Hamilton didn’t pan out in Year 1 of their respective deals—Burnett missed most of the season due to injury; Blanton and Hamilton had unproductive seasons on the field— and Tommy Hanson, whom they acquired in a trade with Atlanta, posted a 5.42 ERA and was non-tendered after the season. 

If not for minor league free agent Dane De La Rosa, who posted a 2.86 ERA in 75 relief appearances, it might qualify as one of the worst offseasons of all time.  

After two busy months of free-agent signings, trades and waiver-wire pickups, it’s time to take a look at each team and decide which was their best and worst move (or non-move).

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The Seattle Mariners are back. That’s the main message that one can take away from their signing of Robinson Cano. The deal was first reported by ESPN Deportes‘ Enrique Rojas. 

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the deal is for $240 million over 10 years. While the years and the numbers are stunning, they are almost besides the point. The Mariners are telling MLB that they are back to being a relevant franchise again.

The Mariners vastly overpaid for Cano, but they know that. It was the only way that Cano was going to leave the New York Yankees. This is about setting a new tone for a franchise, one that has drifted toward mediocrity and irrelevance over the years outside of Felix Hernandez.

Seattle has the money to make this type of deal without crippling the franchise long term based on a new $2 billion television deal that Forbes’ Mike Ozanian breaks down here. The Los Angeles Dodgers, for example, have spent heavily since signing their new television deal last season. 

Having prospects and a highly ranked farm systems is great, but no one was watching or talking about the Mariners last season. On Friday, everyone was talking about Seattle, talking about the deal, talking about other moves that the Mariners might be able to pull off this winter.

I would compare this deal to when the Boston Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez after the 2000 season. The Red Sox signed Ramirez to an eight-year deal worth roughly $160 million. It was a deal that no other team was offering. When the deal was announced, it immediately put a buzz back into the city of Boston and started the Red Sox back toward being a contender. Boston eventually won a World Series in 2004.

The Mariners remain an untapped gem of a franchise in a great market that hasn’t been able to reap the benefits of not having to compete with an NBA or NHL franchise for consumer dollars. The fact that attendance was dwindling shows that the product on the field wasn’t very exciting or interesting.

Last year, attendance was 1.76 million people, the third season in a row that attendance has been below 2 million. It’s a far cry from 2002 when the Mariners led the American League in attendance at 3.5 million, more than twice as much as they drew last season. 

Signing Cano is just as much about what he can provide off of the field than what his numbers might look like at the end of this deal. As great as Hernandez has been for Seattle, it is really tough to have a pitcher be the face of the franchise.

Other free agents will now take Seattle more seriously when the offer a deal. Corporate and business partners might be far more likely to invest now that the team has a daily face of the franchise.

Cano’s success in New York is something that can be sold as promise for the Mariners. Cano’s brand comes with him winning a World Series in New York, receiving MVP votes during six different seasons, five-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger and a two-time Gold Glove winner. 

I am normally against teams signing players to this type of contract—there is normally just too much downside. In this case, I understand the reasoning behind it. Seattle wanted back in to the AL West, back to being in the playoff conversation, back to its fanbase having hope in spring training again. 

If Cano’s contract results in the Mariners becoming relevant again, then it will be well worth it.  

Information used from Enrique Rojas/ESPN Deportes, Jon Heyman/CBS Sports, Baseball Reference, Mike Ozanian/Forbes and Baseball America.

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The New York Yankees were unsuccessful in keeping Robinson Cano, but you have to credit them for trying.

Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes first broke the news that the All-Star second baseman agreed to a 10-year, $240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners. However, the Yankees tried an interesting tactic in order to help in the negotiations.

Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty admitted Saturday that previous trade rumors concerning Brandon Phillips were intentionally leaked by the Yankees, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

The idea was that if New York appeared to have a Plan B in place, it would be less desperate to overpay for Cano. This would keep the price down in the event that no other team was willing to match the expected cost.

Unfortunately, the Mariners ruined this strategy by offering Cano a decade-long contract to make him one of the richest players in baseball.

Of course, the Yankees’ plan was also hurt by a report from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports early in the week. He noted that while there were some early trade talks, the odds of actually trading the second baseman appeared unlikely unless there was a significant offer on the table.

This puts Brian Cashman and the rest of the New York front office in a tough position going forward. 

The club has attempted to replace the offensive production it lost by signing Carlos Beltran to a three-year deal, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. Still, it must find a new second baseman with two of the best in baseball currently off the market.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

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Robinson Cano‘s ten-year, $240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners, which was first reported by Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (spanish link) earlier in the day, ties him with Albert Pujols for the third-highest contract ever handed out to a major league player—Alex Rodriguez holds the record for the first two spots. 

While there are plenty of examples of players putting up elite numbers into their late-30’s, it’s still a significant risk for the M’s because of the likelihood that they’ll be paying Cano top dollar for at least a few seasons when he’ll no longer be in his prime.

For every David Ortiz, who had a .959 OPS with 30 homers at the age of 37, there are several formerly great players who were out of the game by their early-to-mid 30’s because their skills had diminished to a point where they could no longer produce league average numbers. 

Contracts of this magnitude, years and dollars-wise, are still relatively new with the contract of Derek Jeter the only one amongst the top ten highest of all time that has expired. Therefore, it’s hard to point at any and declare Cano’s deal as a huge mistake by the Mariners.

But for what the players on this “10 Richest Contracts In MLB History” list have done on the field thus far and where they appear headed over the course of their deals, it’s not too early to pass judgment and place a grade on their impact. 

Each of the 10 slides contains contract details, average WAR per season over the course of the deal, a summary on the player’s impact and/or potential impact in the future and a letter grade.

The player’s contract, according to Baseball Prospectus, is listed. The player’s average WAR (wins above replacement) per season, according to Baseball-Reference, is also listed. 

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On Friday afternoon, the Seattle Mariners acquired Robinson Cano on a 10-year, $240 million blockbuster deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Now that a gratuitous amount of money has freed up for the New York Yankees, the rumors regarding how to spend it have begun to swirl.

After the Cano deal was done, USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale tweeted that the Yankees are showing interest in several players, including Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Beltran, Stephen Drew and Omar Infante:

Even before the Cano deal was finalized, rumors regarding Beltran and Choo were already surfacing, according to a tweet from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

Given the loss of Cano, Infante and Drew would each make sense as replacement infielders. Beltran and Choo would certainly be able to make their marks in a depleted outfield due to the declining Ichiro Suzuki.

Of the four aforementioned players, it appears as though Drew and Infante may be the least likely to wind up in New York.

ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted that the Yankees do not have an offer out to Drew at this point:

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports tweeted that Infante has multiple offers and other teams appear to be more serious than the Yankees:

If the Yankees do happen to miss out on Beltran—who appears to be on top of their wish list right now—they could target Nelson Cruz, according to a tweet from Yankees beat writer Mark Feinsand:

It also looks like the Yankees will continue to compete with the Mariners over their desired free agents. Jon Morosi of Fox Sports tweeted that Seattle is still interested in Choo, Beltran and Cruz:

These players have been mentioned by name; however, there could be plenty more names to come now that the Yankees have announced their willingness to spend some cash.

General manager Brian Cashman added to the notion that the Yankees would absolutely be looking around the league to fill needs while he was waiting on the Cano deal, according to an interview with Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Said Cashman:

We’re not waiting for Robbie. Robbie is not waiting for us. We’re out there trying to sign players. We’ve been trying to sign him as well, but we have a lot of needs. Obviously I know McCann would love to have Robbie as a teammate, and we would love to have Robbie as a Yankee.

Cashman continued:

But at the same time, there’s a lot of guys we’d like to have in here as well and there’s a lot of needs we have to fill. We’re aggressively trying to pursue a number of players and we have offers out for a number of players.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for the Yankees this offseason. However, until the players that Cashman mentioned in his statement are named, we are left playing the waiting game.

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Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariner?

If the latest report—that the Mariners have all of a sudden emerged as a serious threat to sign the five-time All-Star—is to be believed, the longtime New York Yankees second baseman-turned-free agent could be on his way to the Pacific Northwest, turning his would-be former team into something like a puzzle without its biggest piece.

After all, the Yankees’ chances of retaining Cano are “less than 50-50,” per a source cited by Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York in the report referenced above.

That may well be the case, but it is a bit—how should we put this?—curious that this news is breaking not long after some, like Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports (and yours truly), began wondering just what the actual market for Cano looked like after a wishful-thinking 10-year, $300 million contract was floated at the outset.

At least on the surface, this might appear to be a response by Cano’s camp, including his agent Brodie Van Wagenen and Roc Nation Sports founder Jay Z, to make it known that, “Hey, someone is into the idea of giving us a lot of money!”

That’s not to say, though, that Cano couldn’t realistically bolt from New York, exit stage left, to Seattle or some other destination. And that’s a possibility the Yankees need to be considering. And they are, it seems.

“We’re going to focus on those who gravitate closest to us or try and get a deal done with us,” general manager Brian Cashman told George King of the New York Post on Monday, the day before this Cano-to-the-Mariners scuttlebutt started. “We hope Robbie is part of that process, too, and we will stay engaged with him, but we seem to be more engaged with others right now.”

All this, then, does at least raise the question: If the Yankees do not re-sign Cano, what could they do with the money that appears earmarked for their longtime second baseman?

In short, they could do quite a lot. That’s because, according to various reports, the Yankees have made it known they’re willing to work with Cano in the range of $160-$170 million over seven years—somewhere between $22 million and $25 million in average annual value (AAV).

At the moment, the good news for the Yankees is that this offseason has been busier on the trade front than the signings front—there were, oh, approximately 27 trades across Monday and Tuesday alone—meaning there are still plenty of options on the market from which to choose.

It’s really up to Cashman and Co. to decide what to do in the event Cano chases the cash elsewhere. Because that, of course, would leave a lot of dough for the Yankees to work with.

Want a solid mid-rotation starter to fill in behind CC Sabathia (and perhaps Hiroki Kuroda, if he returns)? There’s Ubaldo Jimenez, Ervin Santana and Matt Garza, as well as innings-eater arms like Scott Feldman and Bronson Arroyo. And eventually (possibly?) Japanese stud starter Masahiro Tanaka, if a new posting agreement can be worked out.

In search of a reliever or two to help cover for the retirement of Mariano Rivera and likely losses of Boone Logan and Joba Chamberlain, among others? Take your pick of proven late-inning vets like Joaquin Benoit, Fernando Rodney and Grant Balfour.

Looking for a dynamic bat to add some speed or thump to a lineup that already added Brian McCann but could use more, especially if Cano walks? Why, then, how about Jacoby Ellsbury or Shin-Soo Choo or Carlos Beltran, who’s been linked to the Yankees all offseason? Or even old friend Curtis Granderson.

Point being, while losing Cano would hurt the Yankees, Cashman would have two things he won’t if Cano stays: the first is options; the second is money, and lots of it, which likely would mean multiple options.

For instance, going after Choo and Garza. Or Ellsbury and Tanaka. Or Jimenez, Beltran and Balfour.

Some scenarios likely would cost more than the $22-$25 million or so that’s pegged for Cano, but the numbers would be within that AAV range. Yes, even if the Yankees are aiming to stay under the $189 million luxury-tax threshold. And even if they have to pay Alex Rodriguez some or all of his $25 million base salary for 2014.

Of course, while it would bring more options and more money, let’s not pretend that letting Cano go wouldn’t also leave the Yankees with problems. For one thing, there is no in-house replacement for Cano. A play for Omar Infante, a quality second baseman with a solid glove and bat (not to mention, some postseason experience), would all of a sudden seem very logical. After Infante, though, second base pickings get thin, quick.

For another, the top remaining free-agent hitters that could be added to the lineup—which would suffer a major hit, let’s not forget—are outfielders, which just so happens to be the team’s one area of depth (if not strength). With Brett Gardner and Alfonso Soriano as the likely starters in center and left, respectively, that would leave one opening to fill with, ideally, Choo ahead of Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells, who fit better as backups.

The key for the Yankees is that any such addition, no matter the position, would be a clear upgrade to the current state of the 25-man roster and the club’s current chances to return to the postseason next year.

The Yankees’ offseason puzzle has only just begun to be put together by Cashman and his front-office cohorts. McCann was one piece. Cano has been expected to be another all along, so if that doesn’t happen, it would come as a bit of a surprise.

There are still, though, plenty of other pieces in play. And if Cano leaves, even more millions to spend.

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Robinson Cano is the hottest name on the MLB rumor mill at the moment.

The former New York Yankees second baseman, represented by Roc Nation Sports and rap mogul Jay Z, is looking for a mega-deal that at one point was reported to be in the $300 million range.

Cano hits the market with quite a track record. Entering his age-31 season, Cano is a five-time All-Star with a championship under his belt, is a career .309 hitter and has four top-10 MVP finishes.

Yet, New York is reportedly balking at paying Cano in the neighborhood of his alleged price tag. As a result, other potentially serious contenders for his services are entering the picture.

Here’s the latest.

New York Yankees and Robinson Cano Are “Oceans Apart”

It is no secret the Yankees want Cano back—for the right price.

Team president Randy Levine has said as much in recent weeks, per ESPN’s Wallace Matthews:

We want Robbie back; we think Robbie is terrific. But we have no interest in doing any 10-year deals and no interest in paying $300 million to any player. Until he gets a little more realistic, we have nothing to talk about.

Negotiations have continued, but Marc Carig of Newsday reports the two sides are “oceans apart”:

Go figure. The Yankees have enough cash to play ball, but understand that other franchises may not. Hence why the two sides are about $80 million apart after New York’s most recent proposal, per ESPN’s Buster Olney:

Cano, sources said, asked for a nine-year deal at $28 million a year, with a vesting option for a 10th year at $29 million this past week. That deal, at $252 million, would match Alex Rodriguez‘s 2000 deal with the Texas Rangers in guaranteed value.

The Yankees, sources told Olney, upgraded their offer to the $170 million range, leaving a gap of about $80 million. According to published reports and information from sources who spoke to ESPNNewYork.com, the Yankees had previously offered Cano a seven-year deal worth approximately $160 million.

There is plenty of time for Cano and the Yankees to work something out that appeases both sides. But the timetable may become accelerated, especially for the Yankees, with another team potentially entering the fray for the second baseman.

Seattle Mariners Have Emerged as “Major Player” for Robinson Cano

The Seattle Mariners appear serious about landing Cano.

Per Wallace Matthews of ESPN, a source says the Mariners are “desperate for hitting and desperate to put people in the ballpark.”

The threat is real. Another source says the Yankees’ chances of keeping Cano are “less than 50-50.”

Interest from Seattle would make sense. The Mariners finished 71-91 a year ago, 25 games behind in the AL West. A major part of the issue was the team’s inept offense, which ranked No. 22 in runs scored, No. 28 in batting average and No. 26 in on-base percentage.

Conversely, Cano has averaged 28 home runs and 103 RBIs in each of his past five seasons. He is also a major name who would routinely bring fans to the park.

Now for the wild card in the Cano sweepstakes—if the Mariners have truly revealed themselves as contenders for his services, other teams may come forward as well. Teams with deep pockets and similar needs as the Mariners, paired with the understanding that the Yankees are not thrilled with Cano’s asking price, may throw their names in the hat.

For now, this appears to be a two-horse race.

Follow @Chris_Roling

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Expect the MLB offseason market action to pick up following Thanksgiving weekend and heading into the winter meetings from Dec. 9-12. There has already been a few notable signings, like Brian McCann and Jason Vargas, but virtually all of the top free agents are still available on the market.

Here’s a look at the latest news and rumors concerning three of the top hitters looking for new deals this winter.

Robinson Cano, 2B

Since September, Robinson Cano and his negotiating team had reportedly been holding firm to their asking price of more than $300 million over a 10-year contract.

But according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, Cano and the Yankees met on Tuesday to discuss a new deal:

While it doesn’t sound like a new contract is imminent, Feinsand also reported the two sides will meet again shortly:

The Yankees have been a favorite to retain Cano all offseason long, and it’s still looking that way. But it’s encouraging that Cano’s camp has been able to realize its outlandish expectations and lower its asking price, no matter how small.

Even though the Yankees have already inked McCann to a five-year deal that could reach $100 million with incentives, sources have told Feinsand it “doesn’t impact Cano” even as the team tries to get under the $189 million luxury-tax salary-cap figure.

Shin-Soo Choo, OF

Could Shin-Soo Choo be headed back to the Cleveland Indians?

Nick Camino of WTAM 1100 radio in Cleveland recently cited sources who said Choo would be interested in rejoining the Indians:

Choo played in Cleveland from 2006-12 and established himself as an everyday force in the lineup by the 2008 season. But the two parted ways for 2013, as Choo became one of baseball’s top leadoff hitters with the Cincinnati Reds (.285/.423/.462 slash line, 21 home runs, 54 RBI) and the Indians made a magical run to claim an AL wild-card spot.

It would be interesting to see where Choo would fit in Cleveland’s lineup. Michael Bourn is about to start a four-year, $48 million contract, and he spent last year as the team’s leadoff hitter and center fielder, the two spots Choo held in Cincinnati.

Choo, 31, might be better served to play one of the corner outfield spots, where he would be an upgrade over Michael Brantley and/or Drew Stubbs, who are both arbitration eligible this winter.

With Scott Boras as his agent, Choo is due for a big raise. Earlier this offseason, Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said the team would be aggressive after annual revenues were up 20 percent, so it will be interesting to see if there will be a Choo-Cleveland reunion.

Mike Napoli, 1B

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports recently painted a dim picture on the recent pursuits made by the Seattle Mariners in free agency.

In a report that characterized the team as “desperate,” Rosenthal cited Seattle sources who said the team is interested in signing first baseman Mike Napoli to a free-agent deal, and that it might take extra money to lure him to the Pacific Northwest.

The Mariners reportedly had interest in Napoli as a free agent last year, per Bob Dutton of The News Tribune, but backed off over injury concerns. Now that Napoli has made the switch from catcher to first base and is fully healthy, he could be counted on to bring some power to an offense that desperately needs it.

Seattle’s top two sluggers from a year ago, Kendrys Morales and Raul Ibanez, are both free agents, so the team could use a power bat like Napoli‘s. Rosenthal said the Mariners are also interested in other big names available like Choo, Nelson Cruz and Jacoby Ellsbury.

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The winter spending spree for Major League Baseball teams has begun earlier than expected, but the top free agent on the market, Robinson Cano, remains in limbo.

It’s not a surprise that Cano is still out there. When you are asking for $300 million and Jay-Z is trying to brand you as the next Michael Jordan, finding a team willing and able to spend that kind of money is going to be difficult. 

Usually, the top free agents don’t sign until the Winter Meetings, which take place this year from Dec. 9-12, because that’s when agents can sit down face-to-face with multiple teams in hopes of igniting a bidding war. 

However, while that seems to be Cano’s strategy this year, it appears as though waiting might be the worst thing he can do. 

Cano’s representatives have said he isn’t going to make a quick decision, but will instead wait for the deal he wants no matter how long it takes (via John Harper of the New York Daily News).

“He’s ready for this to go past Christmas, into January if necessary,” a person close to Cano said. “He’s been told all along that it could take time for a market to develop for him, and he’s fine with that.”

While Cano is busy looking to become the highest-paid player in baseball history, his fellow free agents have started to negotiate and sign contracts. 

Some of this could be teams identifying needs and wanting to fill them as soon as possible, so they can use the Winter Meetings for trades or smaller moves instead of hoping to get everything done all at once. 

Another factor could be free agents have gotten smarter to the market. In past years, we would see players wait around for the biggest deals, which causes teams to look at alternative options and leaves the player out in the cold until late December or early January. 

This is more often true for players with draft compensation attached, like Michael Bourn last year, but it can be a burden for anyone if the market winds shift. Prince Fielder was one of the premier free agents two years ago, yet no one came forward with a good enough offer until Detroit in late January. 

Not only does Cano have to contend with a desire to wait and see if the New York Yankees, or some other team, will meet his demands, but he is also now forced to watch the team he’s played his entire career for make other moves. 

Brian McCann agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract over the weekend to become New York’s starting catcher. Signing with the Yankees wasn’t a surprise because they needed an upgrade at the position, but because it appeared to come together so quickly was. 

Last year, for instance, the first big free-agent deal was B.J. Upton’s five-year, $75 million contract with the Atlanta Braves on Nov. 28. Big moves happening around Thanksgiving aren’t the norm. 

It took Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke until the middle of December last year to sign with the Angels and Dodgers, respectively. 

Following McCann on the early-signing train was Jhonny Peralta, who got four years and $53 million from the St. Louis Cardinals. 

There are two big fish remaining in the free-agent pond after Cano: Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo. They seem likely to wait until the Winter Meetings to sign new contracts, but if one or both of them finds a home before Cano, you will be able to see the sweat beading on the All-Star second baseman’s forehead.

Even with McCann in the fold, the Yankees still aren’t done looking at the market to upgrade their roster. 

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported that the Yankees have turned their attention to outfielder Carlos Beltran. 

According to sources, the Yankees have set Beltran as their No. 1 target while they wait to reignite talks with Robinson Cano, for Hiroki Kuroda to decide whether he wants to return next season and for the Japanese posting system to be hammered out so righthander Masahiro Tanaka can be made available.

Even though Feinsand points out the Yankees will wait to “reignite talks” with Cano, the fact that they are letting the rest of the league have a shot at him while they turn their attention elsewhere is interesting. 

No one expects Cano to leave New York. When you are represented by Jay-Z and your people are talking about making you the biggest star in sports, leaving that particular market doesn’t seem likely. 

Cano’s representatives did cause a stir when Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reported they had a secret meeting with the Mets, but the idea of the “other” New York team being able or willing to pay Cano in the franchise’s current state seems slim. 

To the Yankees’ credit, they didn’t take the bait by making a panic offer after that report came out. Team president Randy Levine told Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York he wants the 31-year-old back but not at his current asking price. 

“We want Robbie back; we think Robbie is terrific. But we have no interest in doing any 10-year deals and no interest in paying $300 million to any player,” Levine said. “Until he gets a little more realistic, we have nothing to talk about.”

All of this shows an understanding the Yankees have about what they want to do and the potential market for Cano. 

There are no big-market teams out there for him right now. Boston has Dustin Pedroia locked into second base for eight years. Detroit just traded for Ian Kinsler. The Mets don’t have the money, nor are they in a position where one big free agent makes them a contender. 

The Angels need starting pitching more than another over-30 slugger. The Cubs are still rebuilding their farm system and have no need to spend $200-plus million on one player. 

Even the Los Angeles Dodgers, who love to hand out money any way they can, don’t appear to have enough in the pot for Cano with Clayton Kershaw rapidly approaching free agency. 

The combination of Yankees rationale and lack of options hurts any leverage Cano hopes to have. 

It’s always possible some team out there jumps into the mix—the popular “mystery team”—but Cano is only hurting himself the deeper into the winter he goes without getting serious in negotiations. 

Teams aren’t going to wait for you to make your move. They have an agenda of their own, and when an opportunity presents itself, they are going to jump on it. 

Cano’s best course of action will be to start talking with teams, find a proper jumping-off point for a contract and take it from there. Don’t have Jay-Z come out saying a $300 million contract is going to get it done. 

If that’s the case, it’s going to be a long, lonely holiday season for Robinson Cano. 

If you want to talk baseball, feel free to hit me up on Twitter. 

Follow @adamwells1985

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While the preeminent free agents of the MLB offseason remain unsigned, the deals we’ve seen so far—almost all for complementary-type players—should still likely affect the market at their respective positions. Here’s a look at how those markets are shaping up.

Starting pitchers

The rumor mill hasn’t churned out much of note about the top tier of free-agent starting pitchers, but a few secondary types have signed on already and a few more remain on the market.

To me, the completed deals look slightly team-friendly, which bodes well for teams that are wading in those waters or even the next tier down.

– Giants sign Tim Hudson for two years, $24M
– Dodgers sign Dan Haren for one year, $10M
– Padres sign Josh Johnson for one year, $8M

If we assume that one win above replacement is worth about $6M, then none of these pitchers will have to do too much to earn their respective keeps.

The Giants are paying Hudson to be a two-WAR pitcher this year and next, a hurdle he cleared in 2012 and was on pace to clear again in 2013 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Haren was worth 1.8 WAR in 2012 and 1.5 in 2013, so the Dodgers are wisely paying him on par with that production, but if you buy his second-half resurgence, he could end up outproducing his paycheck by a win or more. Johnson, ironically, got the least lucrative of these deals but has the highest upside; he just needs to stay healthy.

Bartolo Colon could sign for something in Haren’s neighborhood, and Scott Feldman, Phil Hughes and Scott Baker are guys who will draw interest and probably sign for even cheaper deals than Johnson’s.

Outfielders

Interestingly, teams appear more willing to overspend in years for outfielders than pitchers so far this offseason, at least for the second-tier types.

Marlon Byrd, David DeJesus, David Murphy and Ryan Sweeney have all signed two-year pacts. We can also throw utility man Skip Schumaker in there, although he plays the infield as well. What three of them—DeJesus, Murphy and Sweeney—have in common is that they’re left-handed-hitting platoon candidates.

On the one hand, it just feels like an overpay when you’re committing two years to a guy like DeJesus or Murphy; their production isn’t that scarce, and there seem to be a couple of them available every offseason. On the other, if you’re mostly playing them in a way that only accentuates their strengths, you don’t feel like you’re asking too much of them.

With the exception of Byrd, each is paid like a one-win player—or less. In that light, these deals seem pretty reasonable, especially since some of these guys have had two- and three-win seasons in their careers.

The other outfielder of note to sign this offseason is Chris Young, whom the Mets got for one year and $7.25M. Young is coming off two disappointing/injury-plagued seasons, so it stands to reason he had to settle for one year. But considering he’s only entering his age-30 season and was a 4.5-fWAR player as recently as 2011, he also has the highest upside.

If you were looking for a cheap-ish but useful outfielder this offseason, that ship has pretty much sailed. All that remains in that class is Nate McLouth, who might be able get a deal comparable to Murphy’s as the left-handed-hitting half of a platoon. Franklin Gutierrez and Mike Morse are also still out there and should draw interest, probably on modest one-year deals, perhaps even minor-league deals.

Meanwhile, the pricier guys like Carlos Beltran and Curtis Granderson are still available. Beltran wants three years, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, and despite his age, he’s wise to push for it considering the market has yielded two years for platoon guys and glove-first types. Likewise, Granderson will probably seek four years.

Second basemen

The premier free agent of this year’s class, of course, is Robinson Cano. We still don’t know exactly how much he’ll sign for, but he’ll likely become just the fifth free agent in MLB history to break the $200M barrier. That should price him out of most teams’ budgets, but it shouldn’t influence the market very much for other second basemen. In other words, Cano’s market is its own beast.

However, there are still a couple decent keystoners available who shouldn’t command franchise-altering contracts or anything close to it. They seem to be drawing only modest interest so far, which could serve to keep their price tags palatable for most teams.

Omar Infante isn’t the most exciting player on the market, but he’s actually well above average, at least judging by wins above replacement. Fangraphs pegs him for 10.3 WAR over the past four years, which is good for ninth-best among MLB second basemen in that span.

Most of Infante‘s value is derived from his defense. He’s very good with the glove and can play multiple positions; I wonder if some team will even consider moving him back to shortstop, which he played earlier in his career. Offensively, he’s a career .279/.319/.402 hitter, which is a little bit better than last year’s league average for second basemen: .257/.316/.376.

Perhaps it’s because Infante is a glove-first player with modest power that he seems a bit overlooked, but I think he could end up being a really good value at something like three years and $24M. Entering his age-32 season, the clock is ticking on his career, but he could earn back the value of a deal like this by the middle or end of the second year.

As with Infante, Mark Ellis is an aging, defense-first second baseman who continues to be well liked by advanced metrics. Ellis, 36, churned out 1.8 WAR in 480 plate appearances with the Dodgers last season, hitting an underwhelming .270/.323/.351 but fielding his position well.

Ellis probably shouldn’t be an everyday second baseman at this point in his career—maybe on a bad team—but he was a 2.7-fWAR player as recently as 2012 and, again, was more than passable last season. Considering he’ll probably only sign for one year and a couple million bucks, he could earn his salary and then some as a backup if he plays good defense and gets on base at a respectable rate if pressed into regular playing time.

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