This week, I’m looking at the top 50 MLB free agents. I’ve ranked them off what they’ve done and their potential. Their destinations are combination gut feeling, rumors, and needs.
| Rank | Player | Position | Guess | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carl Crawford | OF | Angels | Red Sox |
| The Angels need a boost after a poor season (by their standards); Crawford will be hot. The Red Sox will be in on him too. | ||||
| 2 | Cliff Lee | SP | Yankees | Phillies |
| No brainer. The Yankees are known to covet the pitcher, especially after the ALCS. | ||||
| 3 | Jayson Werth | OF | Nationals | Nationals |
| Kind of a surprise pick here, but the Nationals want to make a splash. They’ve already been linked to some big names. | ||||
| 4 | Adam Dunn | 1B | Cubs | White Sox |
| The Cubs have a hole at first and need a slugger; Dunn fits what they want. | ||||
| 5 | Victor Martinez | C/1B | Tigers | Tigers |
| Detroit has been known to be drooling over Martinez; they’ll offer big and fast. | ||||
| 6 | Adrian Beltre | 3B | Red Sox | Rangers |
| I see Beltre remaining with the Sox, getting 4 years. He could be a target of the Angels if they don’t get Crawford. | ||||
| 7 | Mariano Rivera | CL | Yankees | Yankees |
| Rivera, still effective, will end his career with the Yankees. | ||||
| 8 | Vladimir Guerrero | DH | Rangers | Orioles |
| This is a match made in heaven; Guerrero kills the ball in Arlington and the Rangers need him back. | ||||
| 9 | Rafael Soriano | CL | Angels | Yankees |
| Soriano heads back out West, as the Angels aren’t confident in Rodney as their closer. | ||||
| 10 | Paul Konerko | 1B | Diamondbacks | White Sox |
| There are conflicting reports about Konerko and Arizona, but he seems like a logical pick. | ||||
| 11 | Magglio Ordonez | OF | Mariners | Tigers |
| The Mariners are looking to rebuild and they need a corner outfielder and/or DH; Ordonez could do both effectively. | ||||
| 12 | Carlos Pena | 1B | Astros | Cubs |
| I don’t think the Astros are sold on Brett Wallace, so they’ll give Pena a shot; the ballpark should fit his game well. | ||||
| 13 | Derek Jeter | SS | Yankees | Yankees |
| See Rivera, although Jeter is overrated as a player; he’s more of a clubhouse presence. | ||||
| 14 | Brandon Webb | SP | Cubs | Rangers |
| I can see a team close to contention taking a shot on Webb and hoping for a return to form. | ||||
| 15 | Andy Pettitte | SP | Yankees | Retired |
| As long as Pettitte can still eat innings, he’ll continue to play; and only play for the Yankees. | ||||
| 16 | Manny Ramirez | OF | White Sox | Rays |
| I think Ramirez will come back to the White Sox, especially if Konerko leaves. | ||||
| 17 | Carl Pavano | SP | Nationals | Twins |
| As with Werth, I see the Nationals throwing some money into the rotaion as well. | ||||
| 18 | Miguel Olivo | C | Blue Jays | Mariners |
| I don’t think the Jays would have traded for Olivo to let him walk; I think he’ll split time with Arencibia. | ||||
| 19 | Lance Berkman | 1B | White Sox | Cardinals |
| Berkman will see some time at DH and the White Sox could use him depending on what happens with Konerko and Manny. | ||||
| 20 | Aubrey Huff | 1B | Giants | Giants |
| Huff will stay in San Francisco, where he’s probably played his best in years. | ||||
| 21 | Hideki Matsui | DH | Rays | Athletics |
| The Rays are slashing payroll, but Matsui shouldn’t cost too much. They’ll need a hitter to replace there many losses. | ||||
| 22 | Jhonny Peralta | SS | Tigers | Tigers |
| Peralta and the Tigers are already working on an extension, even though his option was declined. I see him staying here. | ||||
| 23 | John Buck | C | Mets | Marlins |
| The Mets want someone to split time with Josh Thole and Buck can hit pretty well. This will be a solid upgrade. | ||||
| 24 | Jim Thome | DH | Twins | Twins |
| Thome looked like his former self in Minnesota, so I see him staying put. | ||||
| 25 | Javier Vazquez | SP | Cardinals | Marlins |
| If you look at Vazquez’s career, he’s good during the odd numbered years. Dave Duncan could look to fix that. | ||||
| 26 | Jose Uribe | SS | Giants | Dodgers |
| Uribe will replace WS MVP Edgar Renteria; he’s familiar with the teams and had a pretty good year for them. | ||||
| 27 | Ben Sheets | SP | Blue Jays | |
| Toronto will look for a couple of low cost arms and hope for the best; Sheets fits that. | ||||
| 28 | A.J. Pierzynski | C | Yankees | White Sox |
| Jorge Posada is moving more into that DH role and they need someone to hold the fort until Austin Romine is ready. | ||||
| 29 | Kevin Gregg | RP | Diamondbacks | Orioles |
| Arizona’s bullpen was horrible last year and will be the focus of Kevin Towers; they’ll start with Gregg as the closer. | ||||
| 30 | Hiroki Kuroda | SP | Dodgers | Dodgers |
| Kuroda and the Dodgers have worked since he came to America; expect similar results. | ||||
| 31 | Orlando Hudson | 2B | Cardinals | Padres |
| Hudson has been getting 1 year deals since he hit free agency; he’ll get 2 years this time to lead off for the Cardinals. | ||||
| 32 | Brad Penny | SP | Brewers | Tigers |
| The Brewers have had bad luck signing pitchers; Penny showed promise prior to injury, so the Brewers will take a chance. | ||||
| 33 | Bengie Molina | C | Rangers | |
| Molina’s talked about retirement, but I see the Rangers convincing him to stick around for another 2 years. | ||||
| 34 | Derrek Lee | 1B | Rays | Orioles |
| Lee will be a cheaper version of Pena, with less power. I don’t think there will be a huge market for the hitter. | ||||
| 35 | Johnny Damon | OF | Braves | Rays |
| The Braves need help in the outfield and Damon could serve as an almost everyday left fielder. | ||||
| 36 | Miguel Tejada | SS | Padres | Giants |
| The Padres were happy with what they saw from Tejada, so they’ll attempt to keep him around. | ||||
| 37 | Koji Uehara | RP | Braves | Orioles |
| With both Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito leaving, the Braves need a new closer. | ||||
| 38 | Jorge de la Rosa | SP | Tigers | Rockies |
| I think de la Rosa is a little overrated, but I can see the Tigers dishing out money to bring him in. | ||||
| 39 | Jake Westbrook | SP | Indians | Cardinals |
| Westbrook has been mentioned as to wanting to go back to the Tribe after he was dealt away. | ||||
| 40 | Grant Balfour | RP | Rays | Athletics |
| Balfour will probably be back in Tampa, as the permanent closer. | ||||
| 41 | Kerry Wood | RP | Cubs | Cubs |
| The Cubs said they’d be interested in having Wood back at the right price. | ||||
| 42 | Takashi Saito | RP | Brewers | Brewers |
| Milwaukee’s bullpen was terrible and they need a good closer; Saito hasn’t shown his age yet. | ||||
| 43 | Jon Garland | SP | Mets | Dodgers |
| The Mets need a decent innings eater; Garland has terrible periphials but continues to do OK. | ||||
| 44 | Ramon Hernandez | C | Red Sox | Reds |
| The Red Sox want insurance for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Hernandez can supply that. | ||||
| 45 | Jon Rauch | RP | Braves | Blue Jays |
| Last year it was Saito and Wagner; Rauch will be the second reliever they sign. | ||||
| 46 | Jason Frasor | RP | Blue Jays | Blue Jays |
| Frasor will stay in Toronto with his eye on the closer role. | ||||
| 47 | Kevin Correia | SP | Padres | Pirates |
| The Padres took a chance on Correia 2 years ago, and he’ll stick with them for it. | ||||
| 48 | Scott Podsednik | OF | Dodgers | Blue Jays |
| While he declined his option, he could be brought back for a little raise. | ||||
| 49 | Joaquin Benoit | RP | Phillies | Tigers |
| The Phillies will want insurance for Brad Lidge and his meltdowns. | ||||
| 50 | Jeff Francis | SP | Rockies | Royals |
| Francis will stick with the Rockies and get his career back to pre-injury status. | ||||
Results:
11/48
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