Season 38 Top Free Agent Signings

1. Andrea Sheffield – Burlington Bookworms - RP – age 30, 9 ML seasons. Asking $19.5M/3, signed for $60M/5. Four time All-star, three time Fireman of the year. No doubt the top arm on the market. 99 saves over the past two seasons, 324 for his career. A ridiculous 0.91 WHIP the last two years combined.

2. Yorvit Rodriguez - Texas Wildcats – 3B/OF – age 34, 13 ML seasons. Asking $10M/2, signed $17.5M/3.  Tremendous all-around player during his prime. Six time All-star, three time Silver Slugger. Won a GG at 3B. .913 career OPS. 420 career HR and 324 career SB's.

3. Jose Leon – Santa Fe Brooks - SP – age 33, 12 ML seasons. Asking $13.5M/2, signed for $98.5M/5. Two time All-star went 43-22 over the past three seasons with an ERA under 3.00 and a WHIP under 1.20. He's a workhorse to boot, with ten seasons with 200-plus innings.

4. Pablo Figureoa – Tampa Bay Don Cesars - SP – age 33, 9 ML seasons. Asking $13M/2, signed for $100M/5. Back to back 17 win seasons in 35 and 36, with 14 complete games. Career 1.21 WHIP and 3.77 ERA. Averaged 232 innings in his eight full seasons as a starter.

5. Miguel Gutierrez – Montreal Stars - C – age 35, 13 ML seasons. Asking $4.4/1, signed for $3.8M/1. Three time All-star, and four time Gold Glove winner. After a rough season 36, he bounced back nicely to the tune of an .838 OPS with 28 HR and 85 RBI, earning another contract. Has thrown out 37% of would be base stealers in his career.

6. Alvin Hundley – Toledo Mud Hens - 3B – age 28, 6 ML seasons. Asking $18M/3, signed for $19M/3. Found the right landing spot last season in Cincinnati, where he put up a .302/.344/.577 slash line in Great American. Belted a combined 38 HR between Cincy and Burlington, with 102 RBI.

7. Chico Jimenez – Colorado Surf Riders III - INF/OF – age 28, 6 ML seasons. Asking $31M/4, signed for $41M/5. – Can play pretty much anywhere on the diamond and with his .740 career OPS, his value will be determined by the position he gets assigned. Coming off consecutive sub par seasons in the graveyard in Burlington, the bet is that we see a boost in offensive production, especially if he's allowed to run more.

8. Taijuan Hughes – Tampa Bay Don Cesars – OF – age 31. 6 ML seasons. Asking $19M/3, signed for $19M/3. Top of the order run producer has won two Silver Slugger Awards in CF. Has averaged 72 SB's per season in his career, with an incredible 88% success rate. Averages just under 100 runs scored per season.

9. Cesar Iglesias – Trenton Thunder- 2B/OF – age 31, 9 ML seasons. Asking $20.4M/4, signed for $8.8M/2. Owns a disappointing .709 career OPS, but may be a late bloomer at the plate. He did have his best season in 36, with an .817 OPS with career highs in HR (19) and RBI (73.) He needs to replicate his best seasons and stay in the infield to add proper value.

10. Albert Walsh -Texas Wildcats - SP- age 34, 10 ML seasons. Asking $18M/3, signed for $15.3M/3. The guy who knows how to help himself comes back home to Texas. The five time Gold Glove winner has a 3.95 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP for his career, playing mostly in hitter friendly Arlington.

11. Harold Durham – Colorado Surf Riders III - SP – age 30, 7 ML seasons. Asking $24M/4, signed for $30.3M/5. Doesn't have the won-loss record to support it, but has been very steady throughout his career, with a 3.81 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Has five seasons with 200 or more innings.

12. Placido Sierra – Toledo Mud Hens- OF/1B – age 33, 9 ML seasons. Asking $10M/3, signed for $9.9M/3. He should still produce at an .800+ OPS pace in the right situation. Has made an All-star team, and has five seasons in which he had an OBP of .380 or better.

13. Sandy Perez – New York Blues- OF - age 28, 7 ML seasons. Asking $23.5/4, signed for $26.2M/4. Had his breakout year last season, and at 28, is just coming into his prime; had a .319/.372/.486 slash line.  He may not be an elite defensive CF'er, but can probably hold down the job for the life of the contract.

14. John Koh – Pittsburgh Appalachians - INF/OF – age 25, 1 ML season. Asking $30.5M/5, signed for $30.5M/5. Defensive whiz can play anywhere and is just coming into his prime. In limited big league action, he owns a .854 OPS, and belted 20 HR in only 388 AB's in season 36. High risk, but intriguing nonetheless.

15. Ivan Guzman – Santa Fe Brooks - RP – age 31, 8 ML seasons. Asking $8M/2, signed for $35M/5. Saved his career year for his walk season; 1.03 WHIP and 3.21 ERA , 17 for 17 in save opportunities...all while pitching in Coors Field. Won't be able to give you a lot of innings, so closer may indeed be the role that's most suitable.

16. Farmer Torres –Tampa Bay Don Cesars -  RP - age 38, 14 ML seasons. Asking $2.6M/1, signed for $1.5M/1  The old man is just two seasons removed from a season in which he saved 31 out of 34. Has 234 career saves, but his best seasons were perhaps the ones in San Diego as a set up man. Two All-star berths in his career.

17. Arthur Walton – Santa Fe Brooks - RP – age 28, 5 ML seasons. Asking $27M/5, signed for $27M/5.  Has mostly underachieved to this point, but has two seasons with 35+ saves.   He is a two time All-star, and had a stellar season 36 in which he posted a 2.79 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 126 innings

18. Caleb Cowgill – New York Bombers - 2B/OF- age 31, 8 ML seasons.  Asking $20M/4, signed for $19.6M/4.  Above average production for a middle infielder; averaged 23 HR, 32 doubles and 75 RBI per season. But he will most likely have to move to a corner outfield spot, where his numbers become more ordinary.

19.  Hector Marmol – Tampa Bay Don Cesars -  OF – age 33, 13 ML seasons. Asking $9.6/2, signed for $2.5M/2   He's been an All-star twice, but has not been able to recapture his most productive seasons in Chicago. His sporadic nature makes him a good candidate to bounce back from the last two sub-par seasons. Has 354 career homers and 190 career steals.

20. Otis Sparks - Toledo Mud Hens - OF – age 35, 11 ML seasons. Asking $4M/1, signed for $4M/1. His two skills have always been his ability to get on base (.371 career OBP) and his outfield defense (3 Gold Gloves.) But his lack of power and speed, and now his diminishing range, make him a role player at best, albeit a pretty good one.