Top 10 baseball free agents
1. Aubrey Huff, 3B
Huff is something of a commodity: a left-handed power source who can play third, first and either of the flank outfield positions. Huff endured a down season in 2005, but his '06 batting line of .267 AVG/.344 OBP/.469 SLG was more in line with what can be expected from him going forward. Don't forget that this is a guy who tallied 34 homers as recently as 2003, and he's a career .288 AVG/.350 OBP/.498 SLG against righties. Huff could help a number of teams. In particular, the Yankees, who badly need to cosset Jason Giambi away at DH, could use him as their regular first baseman.
2. Jeff Suppan, RHS
When it comes to keeping runs off the board (the point of pitching, after all), Suppan has been an above-average starter over the last three seasons. As well, he hasn't been on the disabled list since 1996, so health isn't a foreseeable concern. Suppan certainly isn't an ace or even an optimal second option; however, he should be an effective mid-rotation guy for the next handful of seasons. Plenty of teams could use him — to wit, his old team in St. Louis.
3. Mark Loretta, 2B
For a middle infielder with a passable glove and solid offensive skills, Loretta certainly isn't drawing much interest. At age 35, he's not a safe bet beyond the upcoming season, but he figures to be a useful player in 2007. Over the last three years, Loretta has a cumulative batting line of .303 AVG/.366 OBP/.407 SLG, while the average second baseman in 2006 hit .276 AVG/.334 OBP/.409 SLG. The Braves would do well to realize that Pete Orr isn't an everyday player and pursue Loretta to be their regular keystoner.
4. Trot Nixon, OF
This lifelong Red Sox vet has been on the DL in each of the last three seasons, but he continues to provide solid production from the left side. In particular, he's batted .297 AVG/.378 OBP/.471 SLG against right-handed pitching since 2004. Nixon requires a platoon partner (as he always has), but he's not a bad guy to have in the lineup three out of every four days or so. He'd be a nice fit in the Oakland outfield.
5. Shea Hillenbrand, 1B
Think of Hillenbrand as a poor man's, right-handed Huff who's likely going to make more money (for some reason). He has occasional attitude problems, and he's not much with the glove at any position. However, he's usually good for 15 to 20 homers per season, and most years his platoon splits aren't severe. Hillenbrand isn't an ideal corner bat, but he can provide league-average production by those positional standards. That has value at this late hour. Ideally, he'd be the right-handed half of a DH platoon.
6. David Wells, LHS
Wells is what he is — a control artist, someone who depends on his defense and an injury risk. He's old, and his disdain for conditioning calls to mind a post-flip-out Marlon Brando. However, Wells was generally healthy from 2002-05, and he's posted a better-than-league-average ERA over the past three seasons. In other words, he's capable of being a nifty fifth starter for someone. The Padres are in talks with him, and that's a sage effort on their part.
7. Jeff Weaver, RHS
Weaver is at times brilliant on the mound, but he's been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career. In the right environment, he can succeed, but he's anything but a known quantity. Weaver, because of his delivery, will probably always have problems with the opposite side. He can get by when he stays low in the zone, so he needs a pitching coach who'll ride him on that point. View him as a stopgap at this point — nothing more.
8. Mark Mulder, LHS
Mulder last season was awful and injured — not an alluring combo, to say the least. However, he does have a strong record of success pre-2006. In all likelihood he won't be ready for opening day, but Mulder, provided he recovers from rotator cuff surgery, could return to something reasonably close to his old self (enough qualifiers in there?). He'll never be the demi-ace of yore, but he's worth a flyer. The Indians have shown some interest, and given their recent success with injured hurlers, that could be a good fit.
9. Craig Wilson, 1B/OF
Um, yeah, there's really not much left ... Wilson can serve as the right-handed half of a left field, right field or first base platoon, and he can be the right-handed pinch hitter of first resort. He's useful provided the team that signs him recognizes his limitations and deploys him accordingly. Wilson's a career .296 AVG/.395 OBP/.543 SLG hitter against lefties, but he's not an every-day talent.
10. Robert Fick, C/1B
A left-handed backup catcher who's not entirely useless at the plate? Sounds good. That Fick is on this list is a testimony to how thin the crop of free agents is at this juncture, but a club looking to shore up the bench should give Fick a look. He's not capable of or good enough to catch every day, but he's a reasonable caddy to have on the roster.
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