in year 4, they can’t sit him just to avoid his option vesting. The MLBPA will file a grievance, and they’ll win.

And like Jeff said, the vesting occurs in the year prior to the vesting year. And as far as I have seen, its always PA-related.

Vidro’s was 450 PA appearances, I believe. Maybe 400. Somewhere in that range. Makes me shudder to think we allowed him to bat so much knowing it would cost us 6 million dollars more.

As much as we talk about spending efficiently, the fact is that it is very difficult to land a player at much below his value. If you pay a player $9M a year to produce 2.5 wins a year, you are getting a good deal as an MLB club—you’re basically paying 80% of what the player would cost in a perfectly efficient market.

I think Figgins has +3-4 win value next season. CHONE predictions have him at .340 wOBA, which is about 4 runs. He’s a great base runner. Add 2 more runs. He’s a solid defender. 7 runs. He plays third base, 2.5 runs. 20 runs for replacement level, and that adds up to 35.5 runs, or 3.5 wins.

Great deals with Free Agents come in the form of someone way out-performing reasonable projections. It’s is impossible to know which free agents will do this. Moreover, since free agents are relatively old players, it’s pretty rare for them to breakout.

Baseball Prospectus had him at +7.2 runs on the bases, Fangraphs at 7.4. If you were to project him at 4 WAR next year, his value would be around $17 MM. Even if he underperforms or ages more quickly than expected, you have to assume some salary inflation in the coming years and he’ll likely still be worth the contract even if it vests for the 5th year.

I can’t see this as being anything but a steal for the M’s.

…that Ichiro gets more hits, so Figgins can go from first to third. Or, if Figgins steals 2nd Ichiro hits turn into runs, rather than if Ichiro steals 2nd, Figgins walks turn into 1st and 2nd.

Or having him on in front of Ichiro might avoid some of Ichiro hitting into fielders choice?

It’s not going to change anything so why bother.

Apparently he was hired to do a baseball show on XM radio.

Personally, think I’ll wait for someone else to confirm this one.

Baseball is one of the few things that I actually allow emotion to affect my perception of.