Melky to earn 3.1 million in 2010

It probably is because of the bad outfielders we have been trotting out there the past couple of years. That doesn’t make Melky better or worse than he is, it just makes the perception different. Melky won’t be an all-star OF, that’s for certain. However, unlike somebody like Damon, he won’t block our potential all-star OF’s when they are ready. I think stop-gaps are more like what we have been doing. Melky’s not a stop-gap, he is a solid fourth OF. He can start for a month or two if necessary without being horrible (or particularly good) and he can move aside when needed, whether that is at the start of the year or in June.

I also think the rushing Frenchy thing is overrated. Yes, Franceour was rushed—-we needed somebody and he was the best internal option even though he still had serious problems (i.e. batting eye). Those problems were never solved, possibly because of the early promotion, possibly because he just was never going to be that good. Heyward is different—-he hasn’t shown those problems in the minors. Heyward’s only comp in recent Braves memory is Andruw. And, yes, Andruw struggled at first and could have been better than he has, but he worked out pretty well regardless. I don’t think we can say that Heyward needs AAA time because Franceour did. Each is different. I think we should handle Heyward as we are—-he is up when he shows he is ready, not before, but not after. I think the best way to do that is to have guys like Melky and Hinske who can start for a month or two if Heyward isn’t ready, but will be easy to move aside when Heyward is ready. As I noted below, I am not gung-ho about Melky. I am gung-ho about Heyward and don’t want to see him blocked by a more expensive option who might not be any better even this year and delays Heyward’s development by keeping him down when he is ready.

…that he wants a job as a starter. At least one team (I think the Cardinals) said they were not going to bring him back because he wanted more AB’s than the Cards were willing to promise him. And no, Winn has not posted a sub-.300 OBP (although Ankiel has), he will turn 36 in June and is coming off a .262/.318/.353 (.671 OPS, 75 OPS+) season. True, that may have just been a bad year, but it may mean his decline has definitely begun. (There, I now have backed it up with numbers, which you still haven’t.) At this point, I see Winn as a fifth OF, not a fourth—-not playing much except for running and as a defensive substitute. I may be wrong, but I question whether he has much left in the tank.

As for the price tag of Melky vs. KJ/LaRoche/Church. As for KJ, he has no flexibility and backs up one position. He also would have made more than Melky in arbitration. Again, as I have previously noted, I take no position on the who should start between KJ and Prado debate, but if Prado is going to start, KJ’s arbitration salary makes no sense for a one position back-up. As for Church, he just hasn’t been the same since the concussion (and the typical Mets’s medical screw ups). At this point, I think he is about the same offensively as Melky and more injury prone. He also would have made more in arbitration than Melky’s $3.1 million. Finally, LaRoche is a totally separate matter. When we signed Glaus, LaRoche was looking for a ton on money, more than we could fit in the budget. We took a bit of a gamble on Glaus’s health, but he has the advantage of being right-handed and having shown more power than LaRoche when healthy. And LaRoche is still getting far more this year than Glaus or Cabrera ($6 million at least with the buyout for next year). Besides, since he signed for a non-contender, we can always pick him up in July and get his good half of the year if Glaus gets hurt. ;)