Michael Bourn remains unsigned as the start of spring training gets closer and closer. He is the top position player that has not found a home. As the list of possible teams that will make a run
for him gets smaller I will try and tell you who will finally give this speedy centerfielder the contract he is looking for.
With Michael Bourn you are paying for his speed and defensive abilities. He is a decent leadoff hitter that will get himself into scoring position by stealing bases if he gets on. He plays good glove defense in a premium position but that is all you are really getting.
He has very similar numbers to Chone Figgins when he became a free agent and got a big contract from the Seattle Mariners. Figgins actually had slightly better numbers but I wouldn’t expect Bourn to drop off so fast like Figgins did. Bourn can go one of two ways, take a higher value one year deal and try and get a multiyear deal next offseason or continue to hold out for a 4 or 5 year deal this offseason.
If he holds out for a longer contract there are only a few teams that will go for that. The team that he would seem to make the most sense with long term would be the Mariners. They are in need of any offense they can get their hands on. We have seen recently with Josh Hamilton not wanting to sign there and Justin Upton vetoing a trade to them that they can’t seem to bring players in. They will have a good shot at signing Bourn because he has had to wait this ling and doesn’t have many other options. They might be scared away because of their signing of Figgins back in 2010.
If he choses to take a one-year deal his potential list of suitors will increase. The team that could use him for one year would be the Tampa Bay Rays. They could use him in center allowing Desmond Jennings to stay in left and let Wil Myers stay in the minors delaying his arbitration clock. The problem with this signing is the Rays don’t normally give big contracts to free agents. They might be desperate to keep up in the very talented AL East.
I think two surprise teams could be the Detroit Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds. If Bourn were to sign with Detroit he could play left field or allow Austin Jackson to slide over to left giving them 3 centerfielders in what would be a very good defensive outfield. If he were to sign with Cincinnati he would play center letting Shin-Soo Choo to play leftfield. He would also give the Reds the leadoff hitter they lost when they traded Drew Stubbs and it will allow them to bring Ryan Ludwick off the bench. With the start of interleague games all season Ludwick could also see some at-bats at DH when they go to an American League ballpark.
I think he will end up with the Reds on a one-year deal. He will give them everything they lost in Stubbs with less strikeouts and also serve as a stopgap for prospect Billy Hamilton.
2 comments
steve
January 28, 2013 at 12:24 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
How about the mets?….last i heard they were hot onhim if they get the ruling regarding the lowest ranked 10 times……
Tell me we still have a chance to land him
Zach Hoffmann
January 28, 2013 at 12:36 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yes the Mets have been linked to Bourn the past week or so. If they can get their draft pick protected I could see them making a run at him but if not I don’t see them giving up the 11th overall pick to their division rival for a player of Bourn’s caliber. Also I think the Mets have a lot more places they should spend money before they go after a guy like Bourn. Not saying that Nieuwenhuis was great by any means but for the money he makes he wasn’t terrible and should get better as he gets older. If they stick with Nieuwenhuis they could upgrade their bullpen and possibly find another starter. It might not be anyone that is left in this years free agent class but they might be able to make a run at someone next year if they save the money they would have to give to Bourn. But yes you are correct the Mets would have fallen in the category of teams looking to sign him long term. Although I would rather see them sign a power bat to go along with Wright, Davis, and d’Arnaud. That was the main reason I think he fits with the M’s better is because they are closer to contention then people realize and they need offense. The Mets actually have a solid team as well but would probably be better off loading up on pitching.