This entry is going to be a little short for the simple reason that there are only 3 FA 3rd basemen (besides Mo Ensberg and we won’t go there), Pedro Feliz, Mike Lamb and Mike Lowell. Well, there is, of course, A-Rod, but I promise you he wants to play for a big money team on the coast and he already did the Texas thing and he ain’t comin back no mo. Besides, his agent is Boras and that tells you all you need to know.
Tim Purpura and the Organization decided, for some reason I STILL don’t understand, to substitute Mike Lamb, who is one of the FA 3B, with Wigginton. I would be pretty darn surprised if they decided to DFA Wiggy and sign either Feliz or Lowell. I’ve already written plenty comparing Wiggy and Lamb, but let’s do it all again.
OK, starting with the basics – Lamb is 32, just finished a 2.7 mill 1 year contract and is a FA. Wiggy is 30, just finished his 4th year so is under team control for the next 2 years and also just finished a 1 year 2.7 mill contract – who knows what he will get over the next 2 years. I can’t understand why the Astros think that Lamb will get sooooo much more over the next 2 years. Anyway, they both have lead gloves: Lamb had a RF of 2.53 and a RF of .693 (MUCH worse than last year) and Wiggy had a RF of 2.80 and a ZR of .770 (lifetime 2.66 RF and .710 ZR at third.)
As for hitting, Lamb, a lefty who hits the ball pretty well to all fields, averaged .281/.349/.463/.831 during his 4 years in Houston, including his very down year of 2005. Lamb GIDP about 9 times an average year, walks about 40 times, Ks oround 60.
Wiggy, a righty dead pull hitter, better than†his lifetime stats .268/.327/.449/.776 in Houston – .284/.342/.462/.804 over 187 PA with 8 GIDP (which is Carlos Lee territory) and around 40 walks and 110 K a year average. Lamb has averaged around 350 ABs a year over the past 4 years as a PH and platoon guy and Wiggy has averaged around 420 AB a year over the past 4 years. Big deal.
Lamb this year hit lefties better than rightys – 1.056 OPS to .777 OPS, but lifetime, the difference is not particularly great – .748 OPS vs lefties and .770 vs rightys and that is accounted for almost entirely by BA, .268 vs leftys and .284 vs rightys – power numbers are almost exactly the same, as is the BB/K ratio. Not sure why he was platooned as the numbers really don’t justify it.
Wait – Phil was the manager – I get it. Nevermind.
Anyhow, Wiggy is really the guy who should be platooned – .935 OPS vs lefties and .741 vs rightys this year: and lifetime vs lefties, .280/.354/.494/.848 and lifetime vs rightys, .264/.317/.342/.749.
Pedro Feliz, age 32, is the best fielding 3rd baseman in the NL, and just finished his one year FA contract for 5.1 mill plus a few bonuses. He’s been the full time 3rd baseman for the Giants for the past 4 years because Edgardo Alfonso was basically constantly on the DL and he’s a great glove lousy bat kind of guy. His averages are .252./.288/.433/.751 with 20 GIDP a year with around 28 BB and 93 K. He averages 27 doubles and 20 homers. The Giants fans I know aren’t exactly crazy about this guy, but best I know, unless they sign expensive Mike Lowell, they don’t have an in house replacement for Feliz. Their farm is as empty of position players as ours.
Mike Lowell, age 34, is a GOOD third baseman with both stick and glove. He’s currently employed by the Red Sox and is in the last year of a 4 year 32 mill contract and is receiving 9 mill this year. Naturally, he’s having a career year this walk year and he’s going to get a big ol paycheck from SOMEbody, and I would bet it is going to be at least 10-12 mill a year for 3-4 years.
It will depend what happens with A-Rod, I would think. The Yanks nor the Sawks will really have an in house replacement (unless the Sawx move Youk back to third and get a 1B) and they may fight over him as he won’t get any 20-30 mill a year, as A-Rod thinks he will. I wouldn’t be real too surprised if the Dodgers and Angels go after him, too. His lifetime hitting stats – .280/.344/.468/828 and they are even better if you ignore his year from the Black Lagoon in 2005. Glove this year – RF of 2.51 (tops 2.90 – Mora) and ZR .778 (tops .803 – Inge) which shows that gloves in the AL are inferior to NL gloves. But we all knew that. I do expect that his stats will decline over the next 3-4 years, even if he comes back to the NL, and I am not sure he will be worth the 12 or so mill a year he is going to get. I don’t want to be stuck with a team of old slow fat guys who cost a fortune for the next 3-4 years.
And that, my friends, is that. We could also trade for Bill Hall (see the second base discussion) and play him at third – he’s got a MUCH better glove than any AL guy at third. I am more than happy to entertain any thoughts on trades anyone has – only they can’t be something like Miggy Cabrera for Chris Burke, OK???!!! Gotta be realistic.
And speaking of Miguel Cabrera, all I can say is – look, fantasy baseball is FANTASY, OK??? Fantasy means make believe. It’s not that Miggy couldn’t be traded for, it is that his team is owned by Jeffrey Loria, who makes Calvin Griffiths look positively benificent. Loria wouldn’t trade Miggy unless he received top notch talent in return who would be dirt cheap for years, say, Hunter Pence. Miggy has let his conditioning lapse completely and he makes Mike Lamb look like Scott Rolen at third. Miggy is headed for first or DH in the very near future. Yes I know he can hit, but this is the NL and Thank Gawd there is no DH, and also, we already have a guy who is set at first for the next 4 years who has a COMPLETE no trade and has made it more than clear that he will refuse any trade and he isn’t kidding.
Miggy just finished his 4th year and won a 7.4 mill salary in his FIRST arb year and you bet that if Drayton thought Mike Lamb would be too expensive at 3 mill a year, he’d pass out at Miggy’s salary for the next few years. I am well aware that Miggy has had a .968 OPS over the past 3 years, grounds into around 20 DP a year, walks about 75 times and Ks around 105. His glove is simply awful – he was saved from the basement only by Ryan Braun – RF of 2.51 (high of 3.27, Abraham Nunez) and a ZR of .714 (high of .859 by Feliz) and he has steadily worsened each year as he has become more and more obese.
Tags: Houston Astros, MLB
The Marlins are saying they are keeping Willis, and there have been rumblings that Cabrera can be had for the right price. Yahoo had a rumor where Cabrera goes to the Yanks (who suddenly find themselves with a big opening in their infield) for Melky and some pitching. Knowing Florida, I’d say that “some pitching” means Ian Kennedy AND Phil Hughes, or something ridiculous like that. Seems more likely that Yanks overpay Lowell to play 3rd for them.
Should be interesting how it all shakes out.
Meanwhile, the Astros are publicly in hot pursuit of either Hunter or Rowland…
…
(me shaking my head)
(me wondering if the Astros management will ever learn)
well really, who do we have that the marlins would take for cabrera besides pence?
i also think that lowell with end up with either sox or yanks
well, a lot of people are demanding that until the farm is re-stocked, that we fill holes with expensive FA. sigh.
what i have learned is that almost without exception that teams will play the guy who is getting paid the most even if there is a MUCH better alternative on the team or in the minors. remember how long it took to bench preston wilson and call up luke scott. and luke STILL didn’t impress the Organization
If Wade wants to continue attempting to woo the fans, re-signing Lamb would guarantee some pretty hot smoochin’.
Lisa–
As you pointed out, Wigginton is the one who should be platooned. It absolutely amazes me that Astros management wants him, but hey, just because the Mets, Pirates, and D-Rays didn’t see any point in keeping him around, that doesn’t mean that he won’t be a great player in Houston.
I’ve never been more disgusted with the Astros than I am over the way Lamb has been treated.
Wags is right. If the Astros would sign Lamb, you can count me among the fans who would be a whole lot happier.
Be patient guys. Wade is a ticking time bomb. He is going to pull a lot of moves. I think its going to get real crazy. Thats the feeling I get. Expect some tough trades and lots of signings. It will be a different team next year.
Just maybe a better team.
Good to see all the great comments about Lamb. I think he said it all when he told Cooper he wasn’t happy with his lack of playing time but that he would give him all he had every time he played. What a class act. I’m hoping he’s back and has the best year of his career. But, if not, I’ll be a Lamb fan no matter where he ends up.
I’ll not only remain a Lamb fan no matter where he ends up, I’ll root for him if he plays against the Astros.
I hope the Astros don’t do anything like what I was just reading on their web site. Expressing interest in Aaron Rowand, Torii Hunter and Curt Schilling? Those are fine ballplayers, but this team needs to get younger, not older. The front office’s willingness to pay grotesque amounts of money for old men is the reason this team currently finds itself in this position. Time to rebuild. Ignore the impulse to get free agents and work on actually building a core of young players.
hi all yall,
i decided to take the weekend off from thinking about this baseball team after reading that the astros are seriously going after luis castillo (ken rosenthal) and rowand/hunter/schilling etc.
that’s all we need – a bunch of really expensive FA on the downside of their careers tying up most of the payroll.
at least they aren’t talking a-rod. bad enough to have to pay him 30 something mill a year for a few years then have to pay even more to get rid of him after he starts whining that he wants to be somewheres else. and besides, brad ausmus won’t let him call pitches (which arod did when he was with the rangers.)
anyway, most of the 3B talk is centering on cabrera and lowell. at this particular minute, i would guess that lowell will end up with either boston or NY. as for cabrera, we all know that loria’s interest is in running some kind of baseball team for as cheaply as possible so that he can pull in 30 something mill a year from all the MLBAM money that is rolling in and he most certainly would trade cabrera, who is going to get well over 10 mill in arb.
thing is he is going to want ML ready top notch players who will be cheap for a couple of years. we have exactly one player who would be acceptable and he is hunter pence. period. waaaaayyy too many other teams have a lot better ready young players/top prospects than we do. and loria is just not stupid enough to trade new lamps for old (yes, you DO know what video the kidz been watching this weekend.)
i read earlier today that there are rumors that the orioles might could be getting rid of any player they have who costs more than minimum except for brian roberts. this means that aubrey huff, who is being paid 7 mill a year, will be available for cheap to some team who is looking for a platoon/righty 3B.
what this means is that i have NO idea what kind of market there is out there for mike lamb. i don’t know if the Organization already burned their bridges with him, but i just do NOT understand throwing him out on his butt. I would like to have him back as a platoon partner for Wiggy. Yes I DO know he can’t field, but at least adam everett will be back, so it won’t be quite as bad as last year with loretta there.
and agree with austin. i would rather see the astros suck for a few years of rebuilding than hire old guys on the downsides of their careers.
and we have GOT to rebuild. the astros rank either 29th or 30th on every list of quality of team’s farms i have seen so far this year. NOT a good sign.
and by the way,
for the few of you who have written me very RUDE emails – i am not exactly claiming to be clairvoyant nor an expert. however, if you want to refute my opinions, saying that i am a (insert rude words here) who should just disappear because i have not watched some minor leaguer play and i have no business using stats to evaluate him, well, you are going to have to do a little bit better than that.
for example, you are going to have to explain why the experts for every other ML team don’t think that the player is worth their time or even a ST invite either.
Lisa – you’re great. How anyone can fire off rude email to you is beyond me. Keep doing what you’re doing – I know there are many of us here who appreciate you and who think you are talented.
j dollas
thank you. i appreciate that. i do my best.