Thursday, December 13, 2007

Interesting names on the non-tender list:

Mark Prior
Mark Hendrickson
Akinori Otsuka
Kiko Calero
Adam Everett
Morgan Ensberg
Kevin Mench
Emil Brown

Prior is the big name. Now all the real teams have to struggle with the dilemma that fantasy owners struggle with every year: how much are you willing to pay for the small chance that Prior can once again be an elite pitcher? Considering how tough it is to find pitching in the current market, I think the longshot is worth something.

Mark Hendrickson might be a nice addition to a bullpen. In 41 relief innings last year, he had a 3.69 ERA with 41 Ks and 10 BBs.

I'm not sure how bad Akinori Otsuka's health situation is, but his track record means that he's worth doing some due diligence on.

Kiko Calero is a poor man's Otsuka.

Adam Everett is a replacement-level hitter, but he's the best fielder in baseball, about 25-30 runs above average with the glove. I think he's the most surprising name on the list; I guess the Astros didn't have much time to move him after acquiring Tejada yesterday. The O's need a shortstop, so I don't see why they couldn't include him in the deal. Everett would also be a
significant upgrade for the Twins, Nationals, A's, and Cardinals (if they don't resign Eckstein).

Some or all of Ensberg, Mench, and Brown might find a full-time job somewhere, but if not, they'd be great additions for a team that needs a platoon mate for a lefty 1B or corner outfielder. For instance, a certain New York team that happens to be my favorite squadron. Approximately 40% of the starting pitchers in the NL East this year will be southpaws. Here are avg/obp/slg #s against lefties over the last three seasons:

Ensberg .270/.409/.541
Mench .305/.368/.558
Brown .289/.353/.488

Delgado .231/.309/.454
Church .259/.336/.406

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