More on Giants Decision Not to Offer Bengie Molina Arbitration

Grant Bisbee of the McCovey Chronicles thinks the Giants made the right move not offering Bengie Molina arbitration.  His arguments are: (1) the Giants have had terrible success drafting in the late first, sandwich and early second rounds; (2) if Bengie accepted arbitration, the Giants would have to pay him at least $8 million for 2010; and (3) Bengie isn’t worth that much given his terrible OBP (.285) last year.

These are all excellent points, but I’m still not convinced, because I think at least one team will give Molina at least a two year contract for substantially more than $8 million.  Here’s a list of the free agent catchers available this off-season.  As I’ve said before, they really are a sorry bunch; so sorry, in fact, that Bengie really is the best bet, offensively and defensively, of any of the guys available.

Bengie’s OBP is terrible, but he hits for power, and the other catchers are the list are all about as bad.  Rod Barajas and Ivan Rodriguez, two proven catchers, had OBPs even lower than Molina; and Miguel Olivo, who has the highest OPS of the available catchers at .781, had only a .292 OBP and probably can’t hold Bengie’s glove.

The catchers available are so bad that the Rays offered Gregg Zaun, who will be 39 next year, arbitration rather than letting his .761 OPS over 262 at-bats get away.  I doubt that Zaun will make less than $4 or $5 million in 2010 if he accepts arbitration.

Given the catchers available, it’s hard to imagine that at least one team won’t give Molina an offer better than he’d get if he accepted arbitration.