10 Free Agents Set to Improve Their New MLB Club the Most in 2015
With the majority of the premier MLB free agents off the board, it is time to look at which of them figure to improve their new club the most next season. In other words, who will have the greatest impact on team production?
Now, the names that follow aren’t necessarily the best of the best. Sure, some of them ranked very highly on many of the lists compiled as the 2014 season came to a close, but being one of the top free agents wasn’t a requirement for inclusion.
To be clear, this isn’t a scientific measurement. Advanced metrics will be used, of course, but seeing as how this is a predicative exercise, the list has a bit of randomness to it based on how we see each one performing next season.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while individual production is important, so is how much of an impact the new additions will have on their position groups.
How will a reliever, for example, improve the other members of the bullpen because of a redefinition of roles? Or how will a left fielder who is slotted to hit second improve the productivity of the leadoff man thanks to his ability to get on base and drive the gaps? You get the idea.
Here are the 10 MLB free agents who will help their new club improve the most in 2015, starting with a couple of guys who just missed the cut.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 11
Yasmany Tomas
In retrospect, we could have said that Jose Abreu was going to have a huge impact on the Chicago White Sox. In reality, however, few saw the American League Rookie of the Year’s dominance coming.
Perhaps, then, we can look forward to Yasmany Tomas providing the same type of spark for the Arizona Diamondbacks. That said, we will hold off on including him because of the unknown production he will bring with him to the middle of the Diamondbacks' order.
Pablo Sandoval
When looking at ways to improve the 25-man roster, Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington identified third base an as area primed for upgrade. As a result, he went out and added Pablo Sandoval.
And while the switch-hitter is a vast improvement over the collection of men manager John Farrell trotted out last season, he won’t have as great an impact as another one of Cherington’s free-agent acquisitions (foreshadow alert). That is not to say that he won’t improve the product on the field greatly, but the following players figure to have a greater impact.
Melky Cabrera, LF, Chicago White Sox
2 of 11
Last season, the No. 2 spot in Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura's lineup slashed out at .237/.279/.355 with 35 walks and 62 RBI and compiled a 79 OPS+, per Baseball-Reference. That's right, the two-hole's production was 21 percent worse than league average in 2014.
Throw Melky Cabrera's .301/.351/.458 slash line and 126 OPS+ into the fold, and the White Sox suddenly have a lineup capable of starting and sustaining rallies.
Another thing to consider is that Cabrera will force opposing pitchers to be more selective in their approach to leadoff hitter Adam Eaton. To be sure, Eaton did a fine job hitting in front of basically no one last season, putting up a .362 on-base percentage with 76 runs scored, but with the left fielder now hitting behind him, Eaton’s ability to create runs becomes an even greater asset.
To be sure, the White Sox added another offensive piece, but the acquisition of Cabrera impacts their lineup in a way that Adam LaRoche cannot.
Nelson Cruz, DH, Seattle Mariners
3 of 11
The value Nelson Cruz brings to the Seattle Mariners goes past his ability to slug a baseball. It rests in the balance that he brings to the batting order.
Consider that Kyle Seager hit .293 with a .860 OPS batting behind Robinson Cano in 2014, but he only put up a .259 batting average with just a .739 OPS when hitting fifth. True, the difference could be a statistical anomaly, following no reason. More likely, however, it is the natural result of performing at a higher level when surrounded by better parts.
As ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden noted, batting Cruz between Cano and Seager makes each of them better. And when gauging improvement, the true measure is as a collective.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the dimensions at Safeco Field have been altered rather dramatically, making it more conducive to right-handed power. Most notable, the hand-operated scoreboard has been removed, lowering the height of the outfield wall to eight feet across all areas. That will play right into Cruz’s strength—hitting line drives over the wall in left field.
Jon Lester, SP, Chicago Cubs
4 of 11
Jon Lester impacts the Chicago Cubs in three distinct areas. CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa explains the first two:
"In a nutshell, Lester gives the Cubs a high-end starting pitcher to front the rotation and help lead a young team. He has pitched in pressure-packed games, helped win World Series titles, done all of that and more. His on-field value is obvious. It's a tremendous addition for the Cubbies.
But there's more to the Lester signing than his on-field impact. This is a symbolic move for a Cubs franchise that has been torn down and built back up far too many times during the past century. They've lost 87-plus games in each of the past five years and all the talk about building for the future was getting tiresome.
"
Yep. That’s about right. There’s more, though.
See, not only does Lester help on the field and symbolically, but he adds legitimacy to the message manager Joe Maddon will preach to his club on a daily basis. He is the type of pitcher who makes the others around him better simply by being in uniform.
The fact that the Cubs were able to squire him away from the Boston Red Sox is a coup for general manager Jed Hoyer. There is little doubt that Lester will be an immense addition on the North Side.
Andrew Miller, LHP, New York Yankees
5 of 11
When Andrew Miller signed a four-year, $36 million contract with the New York Yankees, general manager Brian Cashman said that he wasn’t “signing him to be our closer,” per Newsday’s Marc Carig. Rather, Cashman continued, Miller was brought on board “to be a weapon in our pen.”
And a weapon he will be.
Frankly, with the exception of David Robertson, Miller’s acquisition is the biggest bullpen get in either league. He is that special, compiling a 2.57 ERA with a 2.37 FIP, 1.050 WHIP and 13.6 strikeouts every nine innings over the past three seasons, according to Baseball-Reference.
Another reason Miller will have such a big impact is that he is the Yankees’ only reliable left-handed reliever. True, Cashman acquired Justin Wilson from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Francisco Cervelli, but Wilson hasn’t posted an FIP below 3.41 over the course of a full season and struggles with control, walking four batters every nine innings over his career.
With Miller, the Yankees have a fantastic bullpen that is arguably the strength of the club. Without him, who knows?
David Robertson, CL, Chicago White Sox
6 of 11
Make no mistake, David Robertson brings a lot to the Chicago White Sox, including a 2.20 ERA, 2.40 FIP, 1.097 WHIP and 12.3 strikeouts every nine innings over the past four seasons, per Baseball-Reference. Flat out, the right-hander is one heck of a relief pitcher.
As important, however, is what his presence does for the rest of the relief corps.
See, with Robertson logging the save opportunities, manager Robin Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper can begin putting otherwise fine relievers into their natural spots in the bullpen.
Zach Putnam and Jake Petricka, for example, had productive seasons last year but will assuredly prove better assets in lower-leverage situations. And guys like Javy Guerra, Dan Jennings and Daniel Webb suddenly become more capable when called upon in the sixth and seventh innings, which is exactly what will happen now that each man slots one spot lower in the bullpen.
Altogether, Robertson’s acquisition will pay immense dividends even when he is not on the mound.
Hanley Ramirez, LF, Boston Red Sox
7 of 11
While the point is surely debatable, Hanley Ramirez has more value to the Boston Red Sox than Pablo Sandoval for a few reasons.
First, the club desperately needed on-base percentage and slugging from the right side of the plate. And at the time Ramirez was acquired, Yoenis Cespedes provided the power but not the on-base ability. Seeing as how Cespedes was subsequently traded to the Detroit Tigers, Ramirez's presence becomes even more important.
Second, Ramirez now has the ability to impact the lineup from multiple spots.
See, while with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was nothing more than a liability at shortstop who could hit. With the Red Sox, he can serve as the club's designated hitter as well as man his primary fielding responsibility in left field. The increased flexibility for manager John Farrell makes the lineup that much deeper.
Finally, Ramirez is going to take advantage of both the short porch in right field and the Green Monster in left. The fact is that his career .335/.331/.509 directional slash line to right field and 1.156 OPS to left will both play quite well at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox and their fanbase are going to be quite pleased from an offensive standpoint with what Ramirez brings to the table.
Brandon McCarthy, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
8 of 11
It's not that Brandon McCarthy is going to be asked to carry the primary load with the Los Angeles Dodgers. No, they have Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu to do that.
McCarthy's true value rests in his ability to exceed the results that either the recently traded Dan Haren or the recently retired Josh Beckett put up with the Dodgers. Looking at the advanced metrics, posting numbers superior to either pitcher should be expected.
Per FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan, McCarthy’s 2.87 xFIP (a predictive measure based on things a pitcher can control such as walks, strikeouts, hit batters and home runs based on fly-ball rate) was good enough for 11th in MLB among all pitchers who logged at least 100 innings last season. In fact, his xFIP has gone down each of the past three seasons, which is a trend that indicates his production level should not regress dramatically.
Staying healthy is the key, of course, but McCarthy’s health has never been better, and the shoulder problems that have plagued him in seasons past seem to have abated.
Either way, finding another right-hander to fill the void that Beckett left was at the top of general manager Farhan Zaidi’s to-do list in the first place. Trading Haren only increases McCarthy's value to the club.
And if his metrics hold true, the Dodgers have the best No. 4 starter in MLB. That makes them a very dangerous team.
Ervin Santana, SP, Minnesota Twins
9 of 11
When the Minnesota Twins signed Ervin Santana to a four-year, $55 million contract, they instantly became a much better club.
Not that Santana is a staff ace by any stretch, but his addition will help manager Paul Molitor immensely in his first season at the helm.
Last season, for example, the rotation for the Twins put up a 5.06 ERA, 1.432 WHIP and allowed a .290/.337/.441 slash line against, per Baseball-Reference, and that was with Phil Hughes having a career year. Santana, on the other hand, compiled a 3.95 ERA, 1.306 WHIP and only allowed opponents to slash out at .266/.323/.401 in 2014.
He is also a model of consistency, logging a minimum of 178.0 innings in seven out of the past nine seasons. And he’s finished with an FIP below 4.30 in six of those seven seasons. Each stat set is an impressive one.
Any way you look at it, the impact that Santana figures to have is tangible. He turns what was once a weakness into an asset.
Jake Peavy, SP, San Francisco Giants
10 of 11
Jake Peavy makes the cut here not because he is an indispensable figure on the mound, but because the San Francisco Giants were lacking in options behind Madison Bumgarner before his signing.
To be clear, the right-hander was fantastic for the Giants following his acquisition from the Boston Red Sox, going 6-4 with a sparkling 2.17 ERA and a 1.042 WHIP over 12 starts. It’s just that at this stage of his career, Peavy is not the pitcher he once was.
That said, he will impact the Giants in myriad ways.
First off, he is a fine complement to the rest of the staff in both stuff and velocity. In other words, his delivery and repertoire are unlike anyone else in the Giants rotation.
Also, his leadership and desire will surely benefit the other starting pitchers. To be sure, the staff is rife with veterans like Tim Hudson and Matt Cain, but for as tired as Peavy’s act may seem, he leads by example, which is not lost on manager Bruce Bochy.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, as Tim Dierkes and Steve Adams from MLBTradeRumors.com correctly noted, “there’s no doubt that a full-time move to AT&T Park and the NL West will be of benefit to Peavy’s numbers.”
Russell Martin, C, Toronto Blue Jays
11 of 11
Unlike the other guys on this list, Russell Martin isn't included because he is an immense upgrade over what was on the roster prior to bringing him on board. See, Dioner Navarro didn’t do anything to lose his job, but Martin does too much to ignore.
For one, he “is one of the few free agents who can help change a clubhouse culture,” per Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi. And in addition to his leadership, Martin instantly improves the pitching staff. To that effect, he ranked sixth in MLB with 19.3 framing runs added in 2014, according to BaseballProspectus.com.
There is simply no mistaking the fact that the Blue Jays are a significantly better club with Martin on the roster even if he doesn’t reach base at a .402 clip like he did last season.
Expect his impact to be felt immediately.
Unless otherwise noted, all traditional, team and advanced statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs.com and Baseball-Reference.com. Contract information is from Cot's Contracts. Transaction, injury and game information are courtesy of MLB.com.
Follow @MatthewSmithBR
