If you haven't yet entered the OV Free Agent Prediction Contest, there is still time! It closes the day after the World Series ends*, so get on it. There is much glory and a bobblehead at stake here, people! Here are good lists of free agent position players and pitchers.
*Hopefully this happens ASAP. There are no good possible outcomes, but the worst would be a legendary, 7-game affair that is commemorated in a 30 for 30 documentary and replayed endlessly.
In the meantime, I decided to tally up the current entries to get an idea of what the readership of this blog thinks the team will do in free agency. The results? I don't think we have a clue. Three big names have pulled away from the pack to a degree (Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, and Masahiro Tanaka), indicating that many here believe the team may actually spend some real money this offseason. That thinking isn't unanimous, however, and the current results may just reflect the fact that among the players who aren't big names, there is significant division on who the club will pursue. No less than 62 players have received some prediction units (52 if you discount the possibility of a 2008 reunion). Here is a list of everyone who has received at least 10 units:
| Player | Units |
| Jacoby Ellsbury | 79 |
| Shin-Soo Choo | 73 |
| Masahiro Tanaka | 57 |
| Bronson Arroyo | 31 |
| Curtis Granderson | 31 |
| Jarrod Saltalamacchia | 24 |
| Chris Young | 23 |
| David DeJesus | 20 |
| Kelly Johnson | 19 |
| Hiroki Kuroda | 19 |
| Josh Johnson | 16 |
| Robinson Cano | 15 |
| Tim Lincecum | 15 |
| Phil Hughes | 13 |
| Aledmis Diaz | 13 |
| Joba Chamberlain | 13 |
| Juan Carlos Oviedo | 10 |
| Grant Balfour | 10 |
| Suk-Min Yoon | 10 |
The second tier is currently led by Bronson Arroyo. I hadn't considered Arroyo much of a possibility (do not want, frankly), but you could do worse than Jamie Moyer 2.0, and there is a Boston connection there. The second-tier outfielder vote is divided among Granderson, Chris Young, and David DeJesus (and Kelly Johnson, if you consider him an outfielder). After Tanaka and Arroyo, this blog thinks that Kuroda, Josh Johnson, and Phil Hughes will get consideration among starters, and that Lincecum would have, had he made it to the market.
Comments
uhh… no. picks like Simpson are why changes had to be made. complete busts in the fourth round happen all the time.
GWQuote Reply
Re: last thread, i thought Wilken was still with the Cubs, just demoted.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
GW wrote:
3 people drafted in that round that year have made it to the majors. Changes need to be made everywhere.
MylesQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
Yeah, I think he’s taking lunch orders now. Whatever he’s doing, there’s little chance for him to fuck up the organization unless he starts poisoning food.
dmick89Quote Reply
I think Kuroda and Phil Hughes are definitely guys the front office would want, but I don’t see Kuroda signing with anyone other than the Yankees.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
There’s a joke in there about paying $10 for a Big Mac, but I’m still trying to wake up so…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
This. We split the vote. I'm also not sure it's that we think the team will spend money, but would prefer they do. It's what we'd do.
dmick89Quote Reply
If only they let OV run the team for a few years
see what happens
MylesQuote Reply
@ Myles:
You never know.
BerseliusQuote Reply
dmick89 wrote:
Yeah, he won’t come cheap, and he’s going to be 39(!), so I have trouble seeing him sign with the Cubs.
GWQuote Reply
http://philrogers.mlblogs.com/2013/10/26/cubs-covet-25-0-masahiro-tanaka/
GWQuote Reply
@ GW:
I’m hoping they are interested in him as a few reports suggest they will be. I think the question is if the Yankees try to buy their way out of their problems. If they do, I don’t see the Cubs having much of a chance.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ dmick89:
How serious are the Yankees about getting under the luxury tax threshold though? That’s got to be a huge factor.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I like how Yellon snuck two commas into the title of his poll.
GBTSQuote Reply
GW wrote:
I thought I saw something a while back saying he was going to go back to Japan.
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
There won’t be much of a hit by signing Tanaka. The posting fee doesn’t count against the luxury tax, does it? I don’t think it does, but maybe I’m wrong.
dmick89Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
There has been a report or two about that, but it sounds like the Yankees are going to make signing him a priority.
dmick89Quote Reply
Also, if they don’t end up signing Cano, they’ll have all kinds of money to spend in free agency. A-Rod will probably be suspended so that money is available.
dmick89Quote Reply
There was also an article about they may end up going on a $300 million or more spending spree.
dmick89Quote Reply
new shit: http://obstructedview.net/minor-leagues/do-arizona-fall-league-afl-stats-mean-anything.html
dmick89Quote Reply