Originally posted on the Boston Sports Guy website
FREE AGENT QUICK TAKES (an incomplete list):
ALEX RODRIGUEZ: It�s not impossible to build a team from a marginal contender into a champion, starting with one huge paycheck. After all, the Lakers did it. But the Rangers aren�t run by a baseball Jerry West and can�t bank on just pulling a rookie superstar out of their tails. Instead, they just have to bank on Tom Hicks not caring about the payroll. They still don�t have any pitching, although they do have Royce Clayton to trade (hey, how about Clayton for Kevin Appier?). I guess Rodriguez hopes to capitalize on the pro-Ranger bias in the MVP voting and favorable tax treatment from a pro-Ranger White House bent on rewarding Hispanic Floridians. $252 million is ridiculous money but it�s better than spending $6 million on Mike Lansing; at least they will get something for the money. This won�t help the Yanks and Sawx in re-signing Jeter and Nomar.
Funny, I don�t remember Boras asking the Braves to move the fences in � for their own good, of course � when he was representing Greg Maddux as a free agent.
MANNY RAMIREZ: What a coup, even if an expensive one. Actually there�s not much to say; A-Rod is the game�s best all-around player and younger, but Manny is baseball�s best hitter and will do wonders for the offense. The key now is how the Sox turn the crowd of extras into successful platoons or trade bait at 1B, 2B, 3B and DH. Just forget about that 1-for-18 thing . . .
JUAN GONZALEZ: Yup, turning down that $140 million was a great idea . . . I�m surprised Boras didn�t demand that the Rangers sign him too. Hard to see where he goes besides Detroit.
MIKE MUSSINA: The rich not only get richer, they get to gripe about how everyone else went over budget. Mussina�s no lock to make the Yankees a lot better � remember what people said about Roger Clemens, and his first year in pinstripes was a disaster. Mussina went 11-15 last year, and with weak middle relief and no run support he could do that again. Not to say it�s not a great move, but funny things happen and the Yanks still need offensive help.
MIKE HAMPTON: I hated to lose Hampton, but an 8-year contract for a starting pitcher who has to throw 20 extra pitches a night in his home games isn�t a great idea. Then again, the Rox have to at least try to have some pitching, and since Hampton�s the most extreme groundball pitcher in the game they will finally get to test out that theory. He’s probably a better gamble the next 3-5 years than Mussina, except for the Coors effect. Buyer beware: Hampton was 4-6 with a 4.83 ERA on the road in 2000.
KEVIN APPIER: Glad it’s not my $42 million. Over the past two years, Appier has posted a 4.85 ERA pitching mostly in a pitcher’s park; given an unusually high number of unearned runs, that comes to 5.34 runs per 9 innings (granted, the A’s porous defense is part of that). He has averaged, per 9 innings, 9.57 hits, 1.1 HR, 4.14 walks and 5.79 K. Appier’s sharply declining K/BB ratio is a major indicator of a guy who’s reduced to nibbling because he’s not fooling anyone anymore. He may or may not be an improvement over the injury-prone Bobby Jones. If the Mets get one good year from Appier before he crumbles I�ll be happy.
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