The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Free Agency Edition

By KYLE KEOUGH
DOUBLE DAY DAILY

In one of the stronger free agency classes in recent memory, teams have had money to spend, and spend it they have. There have been plenty of good moves, and a fair share of not-so-good moves. In this edition of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," we look at just a few of the moves that have been made. So, from the brilliant to the boneheaded, here goes:

Paul Park - El Paso Sun Kings ($10,850,000 (plus bonus) for one year; $7,100,000 for one year)
With the bonus money, this appears to be a two-year deal valued at around $14 million before the bonus is paid. Gut the fact remains that El Paso spent nearly $11 million for this season alone on a 37-year-old starting pitcher who is beginning to look more like a long reliever. That's a lot of dough for a veteran with a 28-32 lifetime record. Bad

D'Angelo Torres - El Paso Sun Kings ($7,700,000 (plus bonus) for one year; $5,400,000 for three years)
Torres, one of the best pitchers under 30 in this class, went for 4 years at $23.9 million, when he could've easily been paid over $40 million. At 27, he should be entering the prime of his career, and will be a reliable #2 or #3 starter on most rotations. While not an ace, Torres was one of free agency's best pitchers. The only fear here is that he gets hurt. Good

Dwight Garcia - Albuquerque Dukes ($595k for one year)
It was a very smart, very frugal move by the Dukes, who got a superb defensive catcher--perhaps the best in the league--in Garcia to return to their club for less than the $1 million they were already paying him. While offensive catchers go for ten times' more, Garcia was a steal. Good

Reid Paul - Jackson Senators ($11,500,000 for one year; $9,000,000 for two years)
Paul will be paid just about $30 million for his three years in Jackson; for last season's MVP candidate, this seems a fair price. The worry is that he's 30 years old, and his health makes him one injury away from being a huge burden on someone's payroll. If it works out, Jackson could have landed the power hitter they need to take the next step. If it doesn't it, it could prove catastrophic. Good...or Bad

James Deitz - Baltimore Lords ($6,200,000 for four years)
Deitz, 29, was the best relief pitcher on the market this season. As a potential closer-type, Deitz possesses everything a good RP would need. On top of that, he's capable of logging major innings. But Baltimore's deal, which is slated at $25 million over four years, is a lot to pay for a RP who has a lifetime 3.83 ERA and is an injury concern. Ugly

Bob O'Donnell - St. Louis Maroons ($5,200,000 for two years)
O'Donnell was an absolute steal for the Maroons, who signed the 33-year-old to a short-term deal valued at $10.4 million. In doing so, they rescued O'Donnell from Albuquerque, where his fastball had become a pinata for hitters with bad intentions. Worries about O'Donnell getting hurt are eased by the the fact that he was only signed for two seasons. The SP could turn into an excellent end-of-the-rotation starter for a revamped Maroons rotation. Good

Max Lopez - Durham Tobacconists ($6,240,000 for two years)
Lopez, at a million dollars more than O'Donnell per season, is an even bigger steal. Taking a huge paycut from his three-year, $51 million previous contract, Lopez, who carries a lifetime 39-22 record, is going to vastly improve the end of the Tobacconists' rotation, making them even more dangerous. He's risky, yes, but he could win 30 games during his time in Durham. Good

Billy Leonard - Cleveland Captains ($6,366,666 for one year; $5,900,000 for two years)
The Captains needed some depth in their lineup, and they got it in Leonard, who has consistently been a very good hitter and is not a tremendous risk like other 30-somethings. With 28 home runs and 92 RBIs for Boston last year, Leonard is a good player who is well worth the three-year deal he received. Good

Keith Lee - Baltimore Lords ($8,000,000 for three years)
Lee is an injury concern and is 32, but he was Robin to Dan Hudler's Batman in Durham and will improve a Baltimore lineup that hopes to be playing postseason baseball this year. Lee will show them how to get there, and while the Lords might've overpaid slightly for his services, he was maybe the best overall player on the market, with the defensive chops to make for a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman. After all, he won that in Durham. Twice. Good

Brian Washington - Durham Tobacconists ($5,200,000 for three years)
To get Washington, who is no longer viable as a third baseman, Durham spent $15.6 million over three years. Instead of spending a little extra and bringing Lee back, the Tobacconists receive a fading--albeit still solid--player to be their everyday third baseman. It's not so much that Durham spent a little less to downgrade at 3B; it's that they secured Washington for three years to do it, and that they gave up Type A compensation to do so. Ugly

Tony Stone - San Francisco Seals ($2,400,000 for one year)
Stone is 39-27 lifetime in San Fran, and the Seals deserve recognition for bringing him back for just over a five-million dollar paycut for one year of service. Stone has sharply declined over the years, and while not a true starter anymore, he is still a worthwhile long reliever who has a following with the Seals organization. It is likely that he's one injury away from the end of the road, but the Seals got him back for the right price. Good

Rodrigo Liriano - Durham Tobacconists ($1,000,000 for one year)
Durham was awfully busy in free agency, and one of their better moves was in bringing in Liriano, a strong defensive shortstop who can't hit to save his life, for one year at $1 million. With quality defensive shortstops in high demand, the Tobacconists found a utility man on the cheap, while everyone else was paying up big in trades for more offensive-minded players. Good

Homer McLemore - Toledo Maumees ($3,150,000 for four years)
Many of us--including your's truly--thought McLemore, a very talented offensive catcher who will struggle to play 100 games in a given season, would get paid well in excess of $5 million. The Maumees signed a player who is quickly declining and will be a utility player, but in the 80 games he plays this season, he'll be great. The only concern here is the sheer length of the deal. Good

Don Sheets - Cleveland Captains ($5,400,000 for four years)
The Captains severely overestimated the talents of Sheets, who has 5 career major league victories and will struggle against any lineup stacked with lefties. It's going to be a long four years for whoever foots the bill on Sheets. Ugly

George Weaver - Colorado Grizzlies ($8,200,000 for one year; $7,600,000 for two years)
Weaver is a servicable end-of-the-rotation starter who struggles against righties and has a career 5.47 ERA. The Grizzlies are going to pay him a lot of money to bring that number up. Way up. Ugly

Jocko Byrd - Wichita White Stockings ($2,200,000 for two years)
The Lords should've taken their cue from Wichita, who signed Byrd--who was second only to Deitz for free agent relievers and is nearly as good--for less than half the money over the course of two seasons. Now, after spending three seasons in ultra-tough Durham, Byrd will shine in Wichita, thanks to one of free agency's best moves. Good

Homer Sandberg - Philadelphia Stars ($9,300,000 for two years)
How Sandberg ended up making $1.3 million more than Lee in free agency, no one knows. Except for the Stars, who gave him this exorbant deal. A fantastic base stealer, Sandberg has been underrated throughout his career (at least until this). At 31 and now one injury away from becoming a utility player, the price tag on Sandberg just seems too high. Bad