2013 MLB Free Agents: Delmon Young and More Players That Will Get Overpaid

It seems like every offseason, the lack of MLB free-agent depth leads to bidding wars, causing the price of even average options to skyrocket. If a team wants a certain player, the chances are good it will have to overpay to land him.

Looking ahead to this winter's group of available players, the story will likely remain the same. With that in mind, let's take a look at three potential free agents that will likely receive much bigger paydays than they deserve.

Delmon Young

Young set himself up to enter free agency on a low note with a lackluster regular season. His on-base percentage was below .300 and he had a brutal strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's turned it on in the playoffs, though, providing a huge boost to his market value.

In nine postseason games, he's hitting .294 with two home runs and eight runs batted in, helping lead the Detroit Tigers to the World Series. Every year, at least one player is able to parlay a strong playoff showing into a bloated offseason contract.

The problem with Young is that he's only had one good season, which came in 2010. Aside from that he's been a subpar player that would be best off in a platoon situation where he only starts against left-handed pitchers. He'll probably get paid like a full-time starter, however.

A.J. Pierzynski

Even though Pierzynski deserves credit for the best season of his career, teams should be extremely cautious. After all, we're talking about a 35-year-old catcher posting big numbers in a hitter's park during a contract year. That's a lot of red flags.

Catchers aren't usually like baseball cards. They don't get better with age. Making a long-term commitment to Pierzynski with hopes he can produce somewhere near the level he did in 2012 would be a major risk.

Since the position is weak in terms of offensive talent, some team will likely feel the need to take that chance. But when you consider he beat his previous career-high in home runs by nine, disappointment is waiting right around the corner.

Edwin Jackson

Jackson has played for five teams over the past four seasons, posting an ERA above 4.03 at just one stop. His success makes you wonder why he would jump around from team to team so much. Normally arms like that stay in one place for awhile.

The most probable reason is that teams always see Jackson for what he could be instead of what he actually is: a solid mid-rotation starter. He's shown glimpses of becoming something more, and that has led to several different teams taking a chance on him.

After another season of more than 30 starts helping solidify the Washington Nationals' rotation, especially after all of the Stephen Strasburg drama, he will be a coveted target. But if a team pays him like a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, they won't get much return on investment.