From Star To Minor Leaguer

I guess the economy does affect sports. Although there were some monster deals (Teixeira, Sabathia, Burnett—surprise, all Yankees) many players still find themselves without a home. The biggest names still remain optimistic, (Manny Ramirez and Adam Dunn to name a few) but many other players have gone a different route. Because many teams already have their 40-man rosters set and don’t want to make any changes, and with the monetary problems today, many teams are not willing to pay for big name free agents this offseason. Take these players as examples.

Andruw Jones: Jones signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers worth up to $1 million in incentives. That’s quite a dip from the two-year, $36.2 million contract he signed with the Dodgers last offseason. He is one of many players who are willing to sign a minor league deal with a chance to crack the 25-man roster. Jones, a five-time All-Star and 10 time Gold-Glover, has seen a drop in production mainly due to his knee problems. This is one reason why teams didn’t press hard to sign Jones. Another reason could be the .222 average in 2007 followed up by a .158 average in 75 games in 2008. Either way, the Rangers got a guy for cheap, and the benefits of the deal outweigh the negatives.

Omar Vizquel: The Rangers made another signing of a veteran and proven player. The 11-time Gold Glover can still play a mean shortstop but his offensive production has dropped steadily since 2006. It probably has to do with the fact that Vizquel is a 41-year old player. But as Julio Franco and Jamie Moyer, age isn’t too big of a factor. So Vizquel is looking to have a nice spring and maybe crack the roster. If nothing else, he will be a nice backup if uber-prospect Elvis Andrus doesn’t live up to the hype.

Freddy Garcia: The Mets’ main goal in the offseason was to upgrade pitching. Signing Garcia was a nice move and a security blanket if any other starters should falter. Garcia has a World Series ring from 2005 and looks to help the Mets finally make the playoffs. Nagging injuries have limited his playing time over the last couple of years and that’s why he had to sign a minor league deal.

There are a plethora of other players who have signed minor league deals that have plenty of Major League experience. As every offseason, players that don’t find the right deal will sign minor league deals and help out their teams when they are called upon. This offseason is different because it is so slow and the economy scares off the lesser teams with less money. Due to this, more players might have to sign minor league deals and prove that they deserve to be on a Major League team.