Minor Signings

Kevin Gregg just signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays for $2.75 million with team options for 2010 and 2011.  It’s a pretty good contract for Gregg, given the fact that he had a 4.72 ERA for the Cubs last year, the current state of the free agent market and the fact that we’re late in the off-season when teams generally don’t have a lot of money left to spend.

I’ve been rooting for Gregg since January 2007, when I felt he got burned in arbitration.  He asked for $700,000 and the Marlins offered $575,000, and the arbitrator chose the team’s number.  I felt that it was unfair, because while Gregg had been a garbage-time reliever for the Angels the prior three seasons, he was a particularly good one, eating up a lot of innings and pitching very well for a guy at the bottom of the bullpen.  In my mind, he deserved the $700,000.

Needless to say, the Marlins had taken note of his great ratios with the Angels, and they made him their closer in 2007.  He ended up saving 61 games them over two seasons, at an extremely reasonable price, because after his strong 2007 season, he signed for very close to what the Marlins offered him, probably because he’d been burned in arbitration the year before.

Gregg made $4.2 million with the Cubs last season and now he’s received $2.75 million which is good money for a guy who’s basically good enough to be a top set up man in this market, so I guess it’s starting to even out.

Gregg still has fine ratios with more than a strikeout per inning pitched in 2009.  His biggest weakness is the long-ball, and Wrigley is generally a bad home park for guys who give up long fly balls.  If Toronto is tougher place to hit homeruns, then signing Gregg will probably turn out to be a good move.

If espn.com’s numbers are right, however, Wrigley and the Sky Dome were roughly equal and neutral places to hit homeruns in 2009.  The Cubs and their opponents hit 160 HRs in Wrigley, and when the Cubs were on the road, they and their opponents hit 161 HRs.  In Toronto, the Jays and their opponents hit 194 HRs, and when the Jays were on the road, they and their opponents hit 196 HRs.

Meanwhile, almost as soon as Orlando Hudson’s signing with the Twins for $5 million was announced, the Nationals’ signing of Adam Kennedy for $1.25 million was announced.  It’s a good move for the Nationals because of the price, but I doubt Kennedy will make the Nats that much better.  Kennedy hit well for Oakland last year, posting a .758 OPS.  However, he actually played more games at third than at second for the A’s, and according to fangraphs, didn’t play good defense at either position.

Kennedy has had solid batting numbers in the past, but given that he will be 34 in 2010, I don’t expect his batting numbers to be as good in 2010 as they were in ‘09.  Still, if he should should fill some holes for the Nats at a very reasonable price.

The Nats have made some good moves this off-season, and I think they have a real chance to be a .500 team in 2010, which is good in comparison to how bad they’ve been the last couple of seasons.

Finally, Kevin Millar lives to play another day, or at least he’ll get a shot to play another day, the Cubs having just signed him to a minor league contract.  He hasn’t really been a major league hitter for the position he plays (1B) for the last two seasons, but he might be able to help the Cubs as a right-handed pinch hitter.

Millar is almost certainly the best player ever to get his professional start in an Independent A league.  J. D. Drew doesn’t count, because he played for the St. Paul Saints only because he couldn’t squeeze enough millions out of the team that drafted him when he first came out of college.

Millar, on the other hand, was undrafted out of college and got a chance with the Marlins organization only because he had a solid season for the St. Paul Saints in 1993 at age 21.  He’s now got 1,200+ major league hits and a World Series ring.  Not bad considering his humble beginnings.