MLB Teams with a Plan Ignore the Market, Not Set It

Today, in news that was ignored both because of the names involved and the allegations that Mark Cuban broke the law, the San Francisco Giants broke the seal on this winter's free agency by giving reliever Jeremy Affeldt a two-year, $8 million contract.

This deal falls right in line with the deal the New York Yankees gave another lefty, Damaso Marte (Marte got three years and $12 million). It also follows suit in that Affeldt, like Marte, is not a household name.

Typically, the assumption is that the big names on the free-agent market collect the bids of teams with interest (and big pockets), and once the Goliaths on the market settle, the dominoes start to fall into place. If that were the case this winter, a guy like Affeldt might not have signed until late January or February.

History would show us, though, that the most successful teams don't wait for the dominoes to begin tumbling. If a general manager comes into the winter with a specific plan of attack, and singles out the players he wants to fill those holes, many times a bargain can be struck before the huge contracts start falling.

In early November 2006, the Cubs' General Manager, Jim Hendry, paid what many thought was a steep price for Mark DeRosa, who had just established career bests across the board in his first full season as a starter in Texas.

Who in their right mind gives a journeyman utility player a three-year, $13 million contract? DeRosa has backed Hendry's faith by using his final season in Texas as a springboard for bigger numbers each of the past two seasons.

Similarly, the White Sox found themselves a replacement for Magglio Ordonez by jumping to what many considered to be the middle of the free agent class after the 2004 season by giving Jermaine Dye a two-year deal worth a paltry $10.2 million in early December.

Dye earned his contract a little better than DeRosa; 10 months later, he was the World Series Most Valuable Player.

Now, don't read this and think I'm predicting Affeldt is going to bring to the Bay Area what Barry Bonds couldn't. But what impresses me with the Giants' approach is they zeroed in on a specific player, a role player, a niche filler, and went out and got him signed before the attentions of the major players, the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, and Angels of the world could come snap him up for more money.

What interests me about this signing is that there are creative general managers with pieces to move that could follow the Giants' lead and start picking up the second and third-tier free agents before guys like CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Derek Lowe find a new condo.

Kenny Williams of the White Sox and Hendry with the Cubs could be two of these creative minds that could start in the middle and work their way up the list.

Brian Sabean in San Francisco has now made the first move. Who will follow?