The Best Bargains Remaining on the MLB Offseason Market

Unless your name is James Shields, it's getting late for players still looking for gainful employment in 2015. The vast majority of clubs have already addressed their major needs for the upcoming season and in result have limited funds available to make additions to their respective rosters.

As much as they don't like it, these players have been tossed into the bargain bin, a place where teams have all the leverage in negotiations.

That's not to say that these players aren't talented, but due to circumstances their earning power in 2015 is limited.

Take Nori Aoki, for example. While he disappeared for Kansas City in the postseason, the Royals wouldn't have reached the playoffs in 2014 if Aoki didn't put the team on his back in September, hitting .379 with a .926 OPS. That earned him a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants that guarantees him $4.7 million.

That's good money, for sure, but certainly far less than anyone (Aoki included) believed he'd get this winter.

Which players still treading water represent the biggest bargains? Let's take a look.

1B/DH Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies

It's no secret that the Phillies are desperate to unload the 35-year-old Howard—and that neither Howard's production (though his power remains), his contract or general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s statements about the slugging first baseman have helped the cause.

Things have gotten so bad, in fact, that the team decided to try a different approach in marketing Howard, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick notes:

With that strategy not generating results, ESPN Insider Buster Olney believes that an outright release of the slugger is quite possible (something Amaro is adamant the team won't do), and that he might have to accept bouncing around the minors for a bit until he finds a new major league home.

Yes, Howard is a one-dimensional player—it's a home run or nothing when he steps to the plate.

But there's value in a player coming off a season that saw him go deep 23 times while driving in 95 runs, especially in the American League, where he can serve as a full-time designated hitter, taking his shoddy defense at first base out of the equation.

While it's never been confirmed by the club, it's widely assumed that the Phillies would eat a substantial portion of the $60 million left on Howard's deal to facilitate a trade. For argument's sake, let's say that number is $50 million.

Is there another player out there who can provide the kind of offense Howard is capable of—or contribute to the clubhouse as he can—for less than $5 million a season? The answer is a resounding "no," making him a relative bargain if those numbers are close to accurate.

RP Casey Janssen, Free Agent

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

After dropping eight pounds over 10 hours thanks to an illness he contracted during a short vacation to the Domincan Republic over the All-Star break, Casey Janssen was never able to get himself back on track in for Toronto in 2014.

Not only did he lose velocity on all his pitches, but he struggled with his command, resulting in a 6.46 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over the second half of the regular season. While those ugly facts are part of the reason Janssen remains unsigned, they aren't the facts teams should be focused on.

For nearly three-and-a-half years, Janssen has been one of baseball's elite relievers. Impossible, you say? Take a look at how his numbers stack up among his fellow relievers from 2011 to 2013:

ERA	WHIP	BAA	OPS	SV%
2.46 (15th)	0.977 (6th)	.208 (19th)	.572 (10th)	89.2 (8th)

While Janssen refused to use his illness as an excuse, it's fair to say that it was a factor in his decline over the season's final stretch.

There's no reason to think that a healthy Janssen couldn't get back to his prior form in 2015—and that the GM who ultimately signs him will look incredibly intelligent at the end of the year. 

CF Colby Rasmus, Free Agent

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

That no team has yet to sign Colby Rasmus—a 28-year-old former top prospect with power that averages 24 home runs per 162 games played and offers, at worst, average defense at a premium position—is befuddling.

It was only two years ago, after all, that Rasmus was one of baseball's most productive outfielders, ranking eighth in WAR (4.8) and 14th in wRC+ (129) among those with at least 450 plate appearances on the season, according to FanGraphs.

One of the few free agents available who has some upside, Rasmus is a low-risk, high-reward proposition on a one-year deal. If he finds his groove, as he did in 2013, it's not hard to see him potentially being the Nelson Cruz of this year's free-agent class.

RP Francisco Rodriguez, Free Agent

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

While he struggled over the season's second half, Francisco Rodriguez's numbers (3.97 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) weren't nearly as bad as those of Janssen. K-Rod notched his fifth career 40-save season, one that saw him make his fifth All-Star Game appearance, and has had success as both a closer and setup man.

Yes, he's lost a tick or two off his fastball and has become more homer-prone than he was earlier in his career. But we can attribute the latter to the fact that he's spent parts of the past four years in the Brewers' Miller Park, one of the most homer-friendly venues in the game, per ESPN's Park Factors.

In the right ballpark, K-Rod can still be a high-end reliever, one capable of solidifying the back end of a team's bullpen.

SP Ryan Vogelsong, Free Agent

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

It's been a while since the infamous "Player X" has made an appearance, so we'll call upon his services to show what kind of bargain veteran starter Ryan Vogelsong represents for a club still looking to bolster the back end of its rotation:

Player	GS	IP	ERA	FIP	WHIP	BAA	OPS
Player X	32	200	4.05	3.55	1.275	.280	.746
Vogelsong	32	184.2	4.00	3.85	1.278	.254	.730

Any guesses who Player X is? Here's a hint: He was a free agent until mid-December.

Why, it's Brandon McCarthy, who signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The only real difference between the two? Age, with McCarthy (31) six years younger than his fellow veteran starter.

Unlike McCarthy, Vogelsong is only going to command a one-year deal, and chances are it will be for right around the same salary he's made in each of the past two seasons in San Francisco: $5 million. Is McCarthy really worth $7 million more than Vogelsong in 2015?

Not a chance.

Unless otherwise noted/linked, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.

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