I keep feeling bad for Adam LaRoche, here is Buster Olney's take:
The short-term obligation [Arizona contract] allows LaRoche to go back out on the market next fall, so if he has a strong season, he could put himself in position for the kind of three-year, $30 million deal teams say he was looking for. But to be clear, this is a gamble worth $13 million -- the amount of guaranteed money LaRoche walked away from -- because he'll be competing for dollars against other first basemen who will be on the market next fall, such as Lance Berkman, Carlos Pena, Derrek Lee and Paul Konerko.
It certainly looks like LaRoche played his cards wrong this off-season. He does have an option on his contract with Arizona, so he could wait yet another year before heading back onto the market. If he does go back on the market next year he will face some really stiff competition, but at the same time there will be more first base jobs available, and some teams may be looking for a less costly option than the guys mentioned above.
It will be interesting to watch next off-season.
0 recs | 26 comments
If I was him...
I’d have taken a 1-year contract with the Braves where he has traditionally had good hitting years. There is SO much risk in what he is doing.
taney71 - January 15, 2010
Agreed
Still, best wishes wherever he ends up the rest of his career, as long as it’s not the Yankees. Although hell, he could hit 45 homers playing in that phone booth.
The Keith Lockhart Era - January 15, 2010
Hopefully...
he gets a good deal. I always liked him. It was bittersweet to see the Braves get rid of him again. Granted it was for the best but still…good guy.
foxrobe - January 15, 2010
So what it left
HansonManCrush - January 15, 2010 via mobile
So what is left from the infamous Texeira trade?
Stephen Marek? Anyone else? I think that’s where the trail ends…. Salty, Andrus, Feliz, and other for Marek… Hindsight is 20/20 but I will admit Teixeira and Laroache were both beasts during their short stints
HansonManCrush - January 15, 2010 via mobile
Bret DeVall was the supplemental pick we got in exchange for Ron Mahay, so that’s still alive.
gondeee - January 15, 2010
While we had to send lots of prospects, the only two that I think we would take back at this point is Andrus and Feliz. We paid for the services of a 1st notch player thinking that he was the difference between out of the playoffs and in. It didn’t turn out that way, we were still a couple spots away.
Crispy - January 15, 2010
Totally.
I would probably take back two players who will probably be all-star caliber guys by the end of their careers, too.
MichaelProcton - January 19, 2010
Ah darn
Going to have to settle for 5 Range Rovers instead of 9. Poor guy.
Cracker! - January 15, 2010
if he was gonna pull that crap and go to ’zona he shouldve just signed a 1 yr, 4M with us……im sure FW would give him the club option for year 2……im kinda upset with roache…..if he took the 17 mil to go hit balls in the water in SF at least that wouldve made sense……hes not gonna make jack as a FA next year….so hes gonna end up with the option in arizona….
hopefully he gets superbowl tickets when arizona goes to b2b superbowls…
lemke2blauser2bream - January 15, 2010
Arizona does not go to back to back...
…Superbowls. Period. Go Saints!!!!
cavebird - January 15, 2010
That’s gonna be a crazier game than the Packers-Cards. Winner probably takes the Super Bowl.
carpengui - January 16, 2010
That’s what everybody thinks. Watch it end up a 13-10 snoozefest:)
Rhyno18 - January 16, 2010
Damn, two in a row...
…I don’t buy that this will happen, but that seems like it is always what happens in these match-ups. Reminds of the over-hyped Maddux-Clemens showdown years ago—-it was 7-6 with both bullpens in by the second or third inning.
cavebird - January 16, 2010
I can’t really see it happen either, but it is exactly the type of thing that seems to happen in these situations. I was all geeked up for this years BCS title game, then McCoy’s arm goes numb and the game ends up really boring.
Rhyno18 - January 16, 2010
we’ll find out today….its really gonna be sad to see brees lose 4 straight….
lemke2blauser2bream - January 16, 2010
Who dat? Who dat!?
WHO DAT!!!!!!
And apparently we avoided the 13-10 snoozefest. Where has this Reggie Bush been the past few years?
cavebird - January 16, 2010
i like the cardinals….sue me….lol….i wanna start a vikings/saints blog on here with a poll but im too scared…:p
lemke2blauser2bream - January 17, 2010
Being more interested in his celebrity status than being a good football player?
MichaelProcton - January 19, 2010
Hey now...
That was a great game. Particularly with the way that Texas backup came back after his awful start.
MichaelProcton - January 19, 2010
Arrite, So I stop worrying about Adam after we got Glaus
When we signed Glaus, I was soo excited. We would have a legit power threat and someone to hopefully protect Chip (And move Mac down to the 5 hole). After I saw this video, I knew I wasnt the only one that thought Glaus was a beast. CHeck it out, its funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw0WRtVVobQ
nick9314 - January 15, 2010
haha
I can’t wait to see Braves fans bringing their bongs to games to do the “Troy Glaus”
alligatorimpersonator - January 17, 2010
HAHAH
Awesome stuff
Cammando2317 - January 18, 2010
The Anti-hometeam discount
Laroche wanted $10m per year for 2 years…. signed for $4.5m plus $1m buyout.
KJohnson would have likely arbitrated between $3m and $4m; signed for $2.35m.
Ryan Church would have likely arbitrated between $3m and $4m; signed for $1.5m ($2.82m if incentives are max’d).
Jose Valverde (Detroit) made $8m in ‘09, asked for $8m; got $7m x 2 years. Better than most!
There’s a bunch more examples (Vlad, Cameron…) — Damon still hasn’t found the contract floor, for instance; neither has Dye.
Then there’s Matt Holliday counter-example: re-upping (and I really mean “upping”) with St. Louis (7 years, $120m with virtually no other teams after him).
The only player I can think of who really (a) wanted to stay with a current team; and (b) saw the handwriting on the wall, was Tim Hudson. And given everything else happening this off-season, I think he did pretty well for himself.
But what a different off-season it might have been for the Braves had those 3 players mentioned above offered to re-sign for those new figures. Would Wren have done it?
carpengui - January 15, 2010
He dug his own grave
I don’t feel bad at all. He’s the one who turned down the respectable offer from the Giants. Greed does that to you.
BigG1392 - January 15, 2010
I don't see Berkman hitting the market
With a $2 mil buyout, Houston would only be paying $13 mil for him. He’s been worth at least that every single year of his career.
MichaelProcton - January 20, 2010
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