Slanted Sabr: The biggest bargains in baseball

We all can name a few terrible contracts off the top of our heads, many consider the contracts that Albert Pujols (10 years, $240 million) and Josh Hamilton (five years, $133 million) currently are on account for two of the worst current contracts in the game today. Some will tell you that Prince Fielder (nine years, $214 million) and Robinson Cano (10 years, $240 million) are way overpaid, or will be considered that once into the twilight of their careers. There were even some rumblings about how Miguel Cabrera (eight years, $240 million) will have a bad contract once it is about five years deep. Those are the examples of some contracts that will not be very team friendly at some point in those players careers. Nobody is going to argue that Miguel Cabrera or Robinson Cano did not deserve to get paid among the highest players ever in Major League Baseball, but like most long term, and I mean 6-10 year contracts go, the team will almost always be at the mercy of an aging, overvalued player once they hit the end of the line in their playing career. So lets take a look at five of the most team friendly contracts in the game today as i present the biggest bargains in baseball.

5. Andrew McCutchen : Six Years, $51.5 Million. 2012-2017 Strange that the 2013 National League MVP made this list. I literately had no idea he had this friendly of a contract until I was doing research for this article. Another sticking point about this contract is that the Pirates actually hold a $14.5 million dollar option for 2018, so ideally the Pirates will have him under contract until his age 32 season. McCutchen is the heart and soul of the Pirates and they have enjoyed a very nice turn of fortunes in the past couple of years while Andrew has been manning center field. In case you needed a reminder of how good Cutch is, he has posted an OPS of .953 an .911 in 2012 and 2013. He has posted at least 5+ WAR in 4 straight seasons and has never had a season in which he did not break the 130 wRC+ mark. For his career he has slashed .295/.381/.487, stolen 128 bases and compiled a WAR of 27.5. A true bargain for the the amount he currently makes.

4. Paul Goldschmidt : Five Years, $32 Million. 2014-2018 Paul Goldschmidt just signed a contract extension after his 2013 MVP runner up season, so how in the world is he making this list. Easy, when his extension is up, he will be entering his age 32 season. The Diamondbacks have locked him up during his prime years for a fraction of what he will more than likely have been worth once this contract is over. Goldschmidt led the National League last year with 36 homeruns, while putting up this staggering slash line – .302/.401/.551. My favorite stat surrounding Goldschmidt however was his 156 wRC+, which was top five in all of baseball for 2013. He also chimed in with a 6.4 WAR  Think about it like this, Goldie will make an average of $6.4 million while Prince Fielder is making an average of $23.7 million a year and is no where near as productive in all aspects of the game as Paul Goldschmidt.

3. Chris Sale : Five Years, $32.5 Million. 2013-2017 Chris Sale is without a doubt one of my favorite pitchers in the game today. He is so badly underrated based on the amount of  “fans” that only look at the good for nothing but win-loss record. When you really break down his numbers and look past the win-loss record, he is among the best pitchers in baseball and is getting paid peanuts in comparison to some of the other aces even in the same division. Imagine Chris Sale on a winning team like the Detroit Tigers or the Texas Rangers. As our friend Hawk Harrelson would say , “Mercy!”. How worthless is the win loss stat when it comes to Chris Sale?, well for example in the 2013 season, Sale was 11-14 , yet he had a 3.07 ERA, 3.17 FIP and a microscopic 1.07 WHIP. All of those were top five in the American League, except the win-loss record. Sorry if I am ranting a bit here, but the perfect candidate to lead the kill the win movement is Sale, who has played on losing teams for most of his young career. Chris Sale is a work horse and the definition of an ace. He started 30 games and threw 214+ innings in 2013, He struck out nearly 10 batters per 9 innings and only walked 1.8 per 9. Chris Sale won’t turn 30 years old until the 2019 season and the White Sox have him locked up during the prime years of his pitching career.

2. Bryce Harper : Five Years, $9.9 Million. 2011-2015. I know that Bryce Harper is off to a very slow start in 2014, and I’m sure things will start turning around sooner than later. Harper was signed as the first overall pick in 2010. Which means that when his contract expires after next season he will be entering his age 23 campaign. I can pretty much guarantee you that his next deal will not average the mere $1.9 million per season like his current deal. Harper has been very consistent in all aspects of the game since entering the Big Leagues. Slashing at a .275/.355/.482 clip and averaging 129 wRC+ per season. He has posted WAR totals of 3.8 and 4.5 in his first two big league seasons. He may rub people the wrong way sometimes and be voted the most overrated player in some silly magazine poll but you will have a hard time finding a player that plays harder than Harper.

1. Salvador Perez : Five Years, $7 Million. 2012-2016 That brings us to the curious case of Salvador Perez. I’m simply amazed by this contract. Perez is a legit MVP candidate. Salvador is a threat on both sides of the ball and is only getting better and better. He is the American League version of Yadier Molina. There may only be a handful of position players in baseball more important right now than Salvador Perez. His contract almost seems laughable when you break down Perez’s statistics and his impact on the game. The Gold Glover Perez made the All-Star team in 2013 when he drove in 79 runs, scored 48 himself and slashed .292/.323./433. The real impact of Perez was felt in his defensive game. Perez cut down 25 base stealers last year and also posted a DRS of 11, finishing in the top five of all catchers in 2013. He also has a calming effect on the young Royals pitching staff. The Royals pitching staff last year finished 2013 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP, finishing among the best in Major League Baseball. If you have not watched a Royals game recently, do yourself a favor and watch Salvador Perez call a game, it is a thing of beauty. Perez nabs my number one spot on the list of baseball’s biggest bargains and honestly, it’s not even close.

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