Is Ichiro worth signing?

[User Name]

No question it is an overpay. But I would be willing to bet anything that GM's would have been falling all over themselves at 5/$60 just as an example and even that is a bit of an overpay I think.

 

But my God do we have nothing to be proud of thanks to bonehead theo. Think about how hideous 7/$142 really was when two years later, Upton draws 5/$75.

 

Bonehead Theo? I'd bet my left nut Crawford is a Lucchino signing. You've been a Sox fan for a long time. Long enough, in fact, to know Carl Crawford goes against everything Theo Epstein ever stood for in regards to a ballplayer.

[jung]

Yea I would agree that CC was an against the grain signing for Theo but what we were hearing was that Theo was doing the pushing in this case. I am not convinced that LL could get Theo to "push" for that sort of signing. Heck I would think LL would have had to hypnotize him to get him to go that far.

 

Even JH when he simply could not resist the temptation to tell the world that he was agin' it from the start blurted out that Baseball Operations pushed for it...and of course that has to mean Theo I think.

 

I don't even think Theo was trying to dodge that bullet on the way out the door while at the same time trying to tell us what kinds of pressures he was under that motivated moves like that. That stuff does fall squarely on LL's shoulders I think although LL immediately tried to rebut Theos remarks. I did not believe LL for a minute and thought Theo came very much closer to the truth about how things go down at Fenway.

[User Name]

LL publicly admitted his lobbying for the Crawford signing in more than one occasion.

[jung]

I wonder how much more money the Dodgers are going to spend in the manner they have been spending it. Will they keep at it until they buy a WS?....I wonder. They could screw things up for a long time if they keep buying guys like Beckett, Crawford and Agons. Could be a looooong time before they win anything while burning through a ton of money, screwing up the market at the same time.

[Lord Snow]

I don't know what Michael Bourne will sign for, but he is a better player than Upton in every area except power. The Braves would have been better off going after Bourne.

 

Bourn is going to get overpaid too.

 

Go back to my quote about a .360+ OBP. Bourn has never achieved that for a full season in the major leagues.

 

Major pros are his speed and defense.

 

But he is a lifetime .272/.339/.365/.704 and for the most part he has remained true to those averages throughout his career.

 

What is he worth? I'd value him at about 3-years $30M and not a penny more because he is very average at the plate (in terms of AVG and OBP) but has well below average power. Plus speed and defense alone aren't worth $15M per year to me. I'm well aware that he may well go for 6-7 years $100M but whoever signs him to that deal will live to regret it.

 

If somebody is lightning fast, plays great defense, and gets on base at a .365 clip but has no power you don't hesitate to sign him to a 6-year $100M contract because he will be one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball. But Upton, Bourn, & Crawford... 3 subpar everyday players.

[iortiz]

Yup, since BJ got 70 M, Bourn will get at very least 100 M.

[Spitball]

Bourn is going to get overpaid too.

 

Go back to my quote about a .360+ OBP. Bourn has never achieved that for a full season in the major leagues.

 

But throw out his early years and he has been pretty close for the last four years. It will be interesting to see how the market treats him. The Upton signing can't do anything but help his cause.