MLB's Top 10 'Chemistry Guys' Available in Free Agency
Last offseason when the Boston Red Sox dished out a two-year, $10 million deal to Jonny Gomes, quite a few eyebrows were raised around the league. Sure, Gomes was one of the top 10 "chemistry guys" available in free agency, but $10 million for a platoon bat? Outrageous. One World Series trophy later, however, and the Red Sox are looking like geniuses.
As general managers comb the free-agent market looking for the next Gomes, there are a number of factors to consider. First, what is the player's reputation like around the game—from peers to coaches to officials and beyond? Second, has he landed any prestigious awards for sportsmanship or community service?
Most importantly, how successful have the teams he has played for been?
With these considerations in mind, here's a look at the top 10 chemistry guys available in free agency.
Note: All stats courtesy of MLB.com.
Honorable Mentions
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Honorable Mentions
With such an array of options to choose from on the 2014 MLB free-agent market, I would be remiss not to include a few players who just barely missed the cut. A big shout-out to A.J. Burnett, Jose Molina, Shin-Soo Choo and Joe Nathan, but now it's time to move on to the top 10.
10. Corey Hart
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Corey Hart missed out on the entire 2013 season after undergoing surgery on both of his knees.
It was a huge bummer for the Milwaukee Brewers, and the lost season likely cost Hart tens of millions of dollars on the free-agent market. Instead of worrying about what kind of deal might have been headed his way, however, Hart was far more focused on making things right with his only big league team.
Back in September, the 31-year-old shared his plans with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"I'd like to stay...and help this team out. They have a lot of good young players, but they need a veteran presence. I'd like to be one of those guys. ... I'd definitely take a discount to stay here because I think I owe it to them to stay here and be a cheaper player. Nobody wants to play for free but I basically sat there and watched all season. I owe it them and the fans.
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Since making those comments, the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Rays have all inquired on Hart, as Jim Bowden of SiriusXM tweets. With all that interest, it appears unlikely that Hart and the Brewers will be arriving at any hometown discount.
Still, wherever Hart ends up, his club can be sure of two things. First, Hart will be a model citizen in the club house and a resource to all young players. Second, he possess the ideal mind-set to launch into a massive comeback year.
9. Jacoby Ellsbury
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As Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com notes, Jacoby Ellsbury was always "quiet, socially cautious."
That reserved nature, however, did not stop Ellsbury from becoming the table-settler for one of the most successful MLB franchises of recent memory. With the Red Sox, Ellsbury collected two World Series rings and solidified his reputation as one of the premier leadoff hitters in the game.
Sure, in Boston, Ellsbury followed the lead of a core of veterans. As Matt Snyder of CBS Sports explains, however, that experience watching and learning from guys like David Ortiz could be a big help. On a potential move to the Chicago Cubs and a reunion with Theo Epstein, Snyder comments:
"It definitely wouldn't hurt to have a two-time World Series champion joining the locker room. ... Ellsbury could go from being a follower to a leader. He's learned from excellent leaders like David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, so he'll be ready.
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Ellsbury might not deliver any rousing dugout speeches, as Ortiz famously did during Game 4 of the World Series. Still, he's exactly the type of lead-by-example star any team would benefit from having.
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8. Kurt Suzuki
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Kurt Suzuki is a pitcher's best friend.
According to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post, when Suzuki was playing for the Washington Nationals, it took him less than half a season to become the "nerve center" of the team's pitching staff.
Gio Gonzalez, who played with the catcher in Washington and with the Oakland A's, told Kilgore, "He's like the big brother role. He's a leader, man. If there's a captain of the rotation, it's always 'Zuk.'"
Diminishing returns with his bat limit Suzuki to backup and platoon roles in 2014 and beyond. However, due to his rapport with pitchers and endless enthusiasm, Suzuki makes for an ideal addition to any contending club in need of catching depth.
7. Juan Uribe
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Juan Uribe just has a knack for winning.
The infielder is a two-time World Series champ and has reached the postseason four times with three different clubs. While he only owns a .214 average in 40 playoff games, he has swatted five home runs.
Plus, as his former manager for the San Francisco Giants, Bruce Bochy, explained to Ben Shpigel of The New York Times, "He's a guy we like up there with the game on the line, because we know he's not going to feel any pressure. He wants to be the guy up there."
Aaron Rowand, who won World Series rings with Uribe in Chicago and San Francisco, echoed that sentiment to Shpigel:
"Some guys can deal with the pressure of being in big at-bats, and being able to slow things down, and he does a real good job of that. The situation doesn't take him out of his game. Everywhere that he's ever been, he's had a following. Everyone loves him.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly enjoy having the 34-year-old around. GM Ned Colletti told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM that Uribe is the club's "first choice" to play third base in 2014.
6. Justin Morneau
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The Minnesota Twins held Justin Morneau in such high regard that the team actually nominated him for the Roberto Clemente Award even though he had already been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Roberto Clemente Award recognizes the "player who best represents the game of baseball...on and off the field," per MLB. Just one day after shipping out the first baseman, Twins GM Terry Ryan explained to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
"He's just one of the good guys in the game. A good human being that's involved and committed to the community. He's in the community. He's been a model citizen.
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For Morneau, it was the third time he had received the Twins' nomination for the award. Listening to the praise he receives from his peers, that comes as no surprise. Former teammate Joe Nathan weighed in on Morneau's leadership skills via Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press:
"On and off the field he's just a natural born leader. He's a competitor. He goes out and grinds every day, battles every day. ... He'll let a guy know if they're stepping out of line a little bit or maybe going down the wrong way. ... He just keeps people going in the right direction.
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With three postseason trips to his name, in 2014 the "right direction" could be his fourth playoff stop.
5. Bronson Arroyo
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As Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press remarks, Bronson Arroyo is "widely valued for his durability and leadership." In the last nine seasons, the right-hander has missed the 200-innings plateau just once—when he tossed 199 innings in 2011. Plus, he's absolutely oozing leadership skills.
In 2013, Arroyo was the Cincinnati Reds' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. While the veteran starter ultimately didn't win the award, it was far from the first time that he had been recognized for such an honor.
As Jeremy Warnemuende of MLB.com notes, Arroyo won the Reds' Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award back in 2012 for the fourth time in eight seasons in Cincinnati. He also reached the postseason twice with the Reds, while taking part in three playoff runs with the Red Sox.
Whichever club signs Arroyo this offseason will be acquiring a pitcher who is not only a lock for 200 innings, but also one of the most widely respected leaders in baseball.
4. Roy Halladay
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According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, "Roy Halladay may be the most respected player in baseball among his peers."
The two-time Cy Young Award winner has achieved that status through his tireless work ethic. Philadelphia Phillies teammate Cole Hamels told Passan that Halladay was the "hardest worker" he's ever played with.
In 2010, he won the Heart and Hustle Award, which honors the player who "best embodies the values, spirit and tradition of the game," per the MLBPAA. It was during that season that he made the first of two trips to the postseason.
However, now 36, Halladay has yet to win a World Series title. It remains to be seen where the starter will be pursuing that goal in 2014. Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly, "We're keeping our eyes up on him." Whether Halladay returns to the Phillies or tests the market, this clubhouse leader represents an intriguing buy-low option.
3. Raul Ibanez
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Raul Ibanez has either won or been nominated for every "good guy" award out there.
In 2013, he was the Seattle Mariners' Roberto Clemente Award nominee for the fourth time in his career. He also won the 2013 Hutch Award, which honors the player "who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication" of Fred Hutchinson, as per Nick Eaton of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Seattle's clubhouse isn't the only one in baseball where Ibanez carries serious weight. According to Greg Johns of MLB.com, Ibanez garnered the Tug McGraw Good Guy Award back in 2011 while a member of the Phillies. He also claimed a World Series ring with the Phillies in 2009.
As George A. King III and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post report, another former employer—the New York Yankees—would like to bring back the "popular and productive" slugger.
2. Curtis Granderson
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Bud Selig is a fan of Curtis Granderson.
Back in 2009 when Granderson joined the New York Yankees, the MLB commissioner told Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, "He is an extraordinary young man. The Yankees are getting one classy human being."
The commissioner was absolutely correct. Granderson has been nominated for the Heart and Hustle Award four times—twice as a Detroit Tiger and two more times in the Bronx. In 2009, he nabbed the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, as voted on by his peers.
His list of off-the-field accomplishments is extensive. Granderson has served as an MLB ambassador since 2006. In his role, Granderson travels around the world to grow the global exposure of baseball.
Back on the diamond, the 32-year-old has appeared in the postseason three times with the Yankees and once with the Tigers.
1. Carlos Beltran
11 of 11As B/R Lead Writer Zachary D. Rymer remarks in the video above, Carlos Beltran is on the path to Cooperstown.
The veteran slugger also checks all the boxes when it comes to being the top chemistry guy available on the free-agent front. The 36-year-old has appeared in the playoffs four times with three different clubs. In 51 postseason games, Beltran has swatted 16 home runs and owns a 1.128 OPS.
For all of his on-field accomplishments, he's equally renowned within the clubhouse and the community. During the 2013 playoffs, MLB named Beltran the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award. Vera Clemente, Roberto's widow and an MLB goodwill ambassador, gave Beltran her stamp of approval, as per MLB.com:
"I must say this year's recipient truly exemplifies Roberto's philosophy. Carlos Beltran, you are the pride of all Puerto Ricans, and a great representative around the world.
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It's high praise indeed for Beltran. And one thing is for certain: Whichever team signs Beltran next will be getting not only one of the best players on the free-agent market, but also one of the best guys in all of baseball.
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