Free Agency - Who's Still Out There?

By Staff Writer: Brad Atkinson

Position-by-position Free Agent Analysis: Who’s still available?

Catcher: Only two non-platoon catchers are currently available on the FA Market . . . Jason Kendall in Milwaukee and Gregg Zaun in Toronto. Neither is a particularly appetizing option for those that are not desperate. Matt Treanor could be a third option from Florida if he indeed beats Mike Rabelo outright for the job. If you want to go the platoon route two good ones are available . . . Ross/Valentin in Cincy (.234/51/19/73 combined last year) or Snyder/Montero in Arizona (.241/67/23/84 combined last year) have both ends available for daily switching on the platoon.

First Base: The list is extensive though not exactly star-studded . . . each of the players below is all but guaranteed 450 AB’s this season if health doesn’t become an issue: Aubrey Huff, Carlos Delgado, Kevin Millar, Richie Sexson, Brad Wilkerson (OF eligible too), Ben Broussard. Huff, Delgado and Sexson are all in the lineup for sure, but have price tags to match. Ben Broussard excites the people in Texas and comes at a cheaper price. Matt Stairs and his 1B/OF eligibility with .917 OPS is available as well, but he isn’t guaranteed any AB’s unless Overbay, Thomas or one of the OF for the Blue Jays goes down.

Second Base: Luis Castillo, Mark Ellis, Jeff Kent, Mark Grudzielanek and Jose Lopez are all guaranteed starting jobs out of Spring Training and are currently available on the market. A good combo of either speed or power guys can be found here, strengthening your weak stat categories if needed. There are several more players that aren’t guaranteed spots here at 2B too. They may become more attractive later as actual MLB rosters are solidified.

Shortstop: Tony Pena, Jr., Julio Lugo, David Eckstein, Bobby Crosby and Cristian Guzman are all healthy this spring and should be in starting lineups come opening day. Lots of speed found here, but not a lot of power. I think Lugo will have a bounce back year this year, but can’t nearly afford to take a chance on him.

Third Base: The only interesting names here all have big price tags . . . Scott Rolen and Melvin Mora. Mike Lamb and Rich Aurilia could have starting jobs out of spring training, but wait and see is the best tactic with them. Brandon Inge is also interesting, if he is traded away from Detroit.

Outfield: Mike Cameron, JD Drew, Garrett Anderson, Moises Alou, Milton Bradley and Kosuke Fukudome are just a few of the top stars and possible contributors available at this still deep position.

Starting Pitching: A lot of the old guard are still available here and can still be effective . . . Pedro Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Randy Johnson, Tim Wakefield, Tom Glavine, Jason Schmidt, Paul Byrd, Randy Wolf and Mike Mussina are all here. BUT . . . the only SP with a lower than 4.00 ERA from last year that are still available are: Jesse Litsch and Curt Schilling (100 IP min.)

Relief Pitching (Saves): Projected closers are gone, getting saves now is a matter of having the right set-up man on your roster for the right closer injury . . . Tom Gordon is available and could pick up a few saves for the Phillies in the first couple of weeks of the season if Lidge’s injury lingers.

Relief Pitching (Holds): Top holds guys available is a short list, but they are very hard to predict . . . Scott Linebrink, Justin Speier and Octavio Dotel are tops on my list in this category.