Angels re-sign Juan Rivera

Juan Rivera was mentioned many times on this site as a possible low cost corner OF option who might have a high reward. He ended up getting a 3-year, $12.75M contract. So the Royals are now that much closer to Adam Dunn.

11 months ago NYRoyal 38 comments 0 recs |

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I liked the propensity of acquiring Juan Rivera on the cheap

…just as much as the next guy. But 3 years? Seriously?

The Nation at large.

by Royals Nation on Dec 19, 2008 10:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, the amount per year isn't too bad, but three guaranteed years seems excessive

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Dec 19, 2008 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

At that price and with the Angels' revenues,

it’s not a bad contract.

Stathead, Zack Greinke fan, and Rock Band 2 singer extraordinaire.

by NHZ on Dec 20, 2008 7:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Rivera > Guillen

I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me

by LeoBloom on Dec 19, 2008 11:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe

Rivera has been pretty awful each of the last two years, and clearly worse than Guillen. If he can stay healthy, he might be better than Guillen in the coming years. But he hasn’t shown much of an ability to avoid injury. Rivera has some real upside, but he’s also got more than his share of downside.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Dec 20, 2008 12:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think the two are at least similar players.

However, one has shown a demonstrably better ability to stay healthy. And, yes, I realize 2006 (and a nagging injury-hampered 2008) happened to Mr. Jose.

The Nation at large.

by Royals Nation on Dec 20, 2008 12:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, Guillen has a long history of trouble staying healthy

including nagging injuries throughout 2007 and 2008.

Rivera had one freak injury, a broken leg, that caused him to miss all but two weeks of 2007 and limited his playing time during the first half of 2008.

They are basically the same hitter — Rivera gets the slight edge as he has shown a little more raw power, makes better contact, walks a tick more, and strikes out a fair amount less — but both are lousy fielders (a result in large part from their respective injuries).

by Gopherballs on Dec 20, 2008 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My WAG Is

(And has been, as anyone who reads this blog knows) that Rivera is the better player going forward. He has a better chance of regaining his pre-2006 form than Guillen does due to age and the nature of their ailments. Also, Rivera has had virtually no platoon split, making him the perfect lesser half of a platoon with Teahen beause he could fill a spot in the batting order when DDJ and CC are injured/need a break. It’s nice having two CF’s in the starting lineup; that way the 4th OF can be a COF with power like Rivera.

I would gladly have gone 2/10 for Rivera, so 3/12.75 looks fine to me. Oh well, it’s so much spilt milk under the bridge to nowhere now.

I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.

by philofthenorth on Dec 20, 2008 12:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

how dare you assume that davey's going to miss games due to injuries...

where did you ever get that idea?

TPJ...you're dead to me

by billybeingbilly on Dec 20, 2008 12:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

When a guy has faked injury in the past, you have to assume he'll fake injury in the future

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Dec 20, 2008 3:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Because DDJ is the only one who ever does that, obviously.

Stathead, Zack Greinke fan, and Rock Band 2 singer extraordinaire.

by NHZ on Dec 20, 2008 3:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually, Rivera = Guillen

The problems are not the same, but the end result is. – TL

[In 2008] Kila Ka’aihue had the best on-base percentage of any hitter in the minor leagues. - Joe Posnanski, 11/9/2008 ... Ergo, let's give him a shot at first base in KC in 2009.

by timlacy on Dec 20, 2008 1:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Strikes me as

kind of Farnsy-esque, was there really anybody else offering him even 3/12? Seems like a lot, but what do I know.

I hereby resign from this post.

by Home Run Tony Cogan on Dec 20, 2008 12:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Damn

I really was hoping we would be able to get him. Oh well

by GoBabies!! on Dec 20, 2008 12:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was thinking we could put a mask

on Jose and trade him to the Angels for Gary Matthews. I thought Matthews only had two years left on his horrendous deal, but he has three for 33 million so never mind. There is one guy with a deal that makes Guillen’s look palatable. Barely.

I think it’d be better if we just hoped Guillen became the .355, .347, .361, or .391 wOBA guy he was in 06 05 04 or 03.

And to the topic at hand,

three years seems really wierd for a guy the Angels have seemed extremely tentative about playing.

Accidentally not thedude925 anymore. I do hate this new name.

by wildthang on Dec 20, 2008 2:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

seriously

what
a
horrible
contract

maybe one of the worst of the decade

by royalsreview on Dec 20, 2008 3:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Just be grateful we aren't the Giants

I think if Sabean were our GM a lot of people, especially the ones that like to dig in to Wins above replacement, would be thrown into daily fits of apoplectic rage. Someone would have dropped dead from a stroke by now.

More fun with bad contracts!

Barry Zito and his disappearing 82mph fastball!
hes owed 09:$18.5M, 10:$18.5M, 11:$18.5M, 12:$19M, 13:$20M, 14:$18M club option ($7M buyout) Thats 94.5 million dollars left to a guy who probably will be replacement level by 2011! The worse part is the most effective money spent on this deal will be the 7 million dollar buy out in 2014. Hooray 101.5 million dollars!

But wait theres more!

Aaron Rowand is still due :09:$8M(+4m signing bonus, 10:$12M, 11:$12M, 12:$12M Thats 48 million left for a CF with rapidly declining defense who is barely better than Jose Guillen with the bat!

BUT WAIT, what would a giants team be without more contract hilarity! Dave Roberts is still due 6.5 million for 2009! Does he start? No! Does he play that much? no! is he useful? no!

Guess who’s due 4.5 million for 2009? Its the lovable Noah Lowry! The last time he pitched, he tossed up a k/bb ratio of 1! 5.02 k/9 5.02 BB/9! Statistical symmetry is the new market inefficiency!!

Thats all I have for now, but its still not too late for the Giants to due some major damage to their payroll yet. I’m not including the Renteria signing because I liked it and thought it was a pretty good deal.

They are just lucky they have Lincecum in pre-arb and Cain signed to a ridiculous deal. The Randy Winn deal is pretty good too.

Are these contracts the hallmark of a team ready to compete? no! will they in the NL? yes! especially in the putrid NL west! absolutely!

its baseball!

Accidentally not thedude925 anymore. I do hate this new name.

by wildthang on Dec 20, 2008 4:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You really think the Royals will sign Dunn?

Because I sure don’t. They are done signing free agents. Where do they play Dunn with DeJesus, Guillen, Teahen, Jacobs, Butler, etc? We would need to get rid of JoGui at bare minimum and that obviously didn’t happen because we didn’t get Furcal. I think the Dunn talk is crazy, unless it was meant sarcastically.

by AxDxMx on Dec 20, 2008 4:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

No, I was just joking

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Dec 20, 2008 12:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You crack jokes?

I thought all your posts were humorless affairs. – TL

[In 2008] Kila Ka’aihue had the best on-base percentage of any hitter in the minor leagues. - Joe Posnanski, 11/9/2008 ... Ergo, let's give him a shot at first base in KC in 2009.

by timlacy on Dec 20, 2008 1:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The modern baseball fan

has no humor. Only computers. Someone must have stolen NY’s computer briefly to make a joke.

WTF, self?

by minda33 on Dec 20, 2008 2:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'd don't do humor, but I do sarcasm

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Dec 20, 2008 3:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

do-do?

The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future. - Collected sayings of Muad'Dib

by buddyball on Dec 20, 2008 4:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Dunn scenarios

This is only feasible if some ‘greater fool’ is convinced to take the last two years of Guillen’s contract. That might be a situation where we have to throw the good prospect in just to clear the money off the books.

It just shows the potency of opportunity cost. It’s not merely the loss of the cash to get Guillen, it’s the loss of whatever production we could have gotten out of spending that money differently. We would be better off now [able to get Dunn] had we not signed Guillen [or anybody] in the last offseason.

by howserfan2 on Dec 20, 2008 9:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

If we can't sign Furcal for a back loaded

3/30…. can we sign Dunn? We could give him one year I guess for 30.

Don't forget to send your broken maples to the US Forest Service.

by 306008 on Dec 20, 2008 9:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Never understood the fascination...

…with Juan Rivera.

by cookierojas73 on Dec 20, 2008 12:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

See Above.

I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.

by philofthenorth on Dec 20, 2008 12:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Was surprised that Rivera went back to LAA

I didn’ t think that Rivera would be with the Angels because of the depth they have in OF and the opportunity to play somewhere else. For the lack of movement in the corner OF position, I didn’t think Rivera would sign sooner than Abreu, Dunn, Burrell, Bradley.

This is the position where someone will get the best bargain. Keep an eye in this market just like FA starting pitching last year when Lohse signed for cheap and had a great year.

Does KC still have a corner OF/DH need with getting Crisp, moving DDJ to LF and having the logjam at 1B/DH with Butler, Jacobs, Shealy and Kila?

by daveyork on Dec 20, 2008 1:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The Royals certainly have a shortage of good corner OFers

…but not really a place to put one. But of course, if one were acquired, room could be made for him. Not that I think this will happen.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Dec 20, 2008 3:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

in 2009 the Angels OF is earning....

46.75 million dollars!!

Hunter 17.5m
Vlad 15m
Matthews 10m
Rivera 4.25

Wow. Thats a lot of money for what seems to be fairly mediocre returns.

Accidentally not thedude925 anymore. I do hate this new name.

by wildthang on Dec 20, 2008 2:44 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

this is why they hate the angels

i have to listen to every mainstream baseball analyst (and our own GM and Manager) suck them off the entire season because they’re so damn old school and gutty etc etc

and all i see is a pretty poorly run franchise in a weak division

by royalsreview on Dec 20, 2008 3:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They do have some good pitching

Stathead, Zack Greinke fan, and Rock Band 2 singer extraordinaire.

by NHZ on Dec 20, 2008 3:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And an ok offense

Nothing to get to excited over, basically one impact bat and a few pretty good hitters. But an ok offense and good pitching can get you into the playoffs pretty regularly.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Dec 20, 2008 3:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

in the post-A's being good AL West

by royalsreview on Dec 20, 2008 4:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think that's a formula that gets you into contention regularly in most divisions

(not the AL East). It would certainly work in the AL Central.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Dec 20, 2008 4:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

they sorta remind me of the old braves

it always seems like their rotation has two retreads/short time FAs who do well, with lackey as the anchor, with all the same limitations on offense

by royalsreview on Dec 20, 2008 4:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I am a Rivera fan

I don’t think he’ll be great by any shakes, but he’ll give you decent production for a fraction of the money the top guys will get. And it angers me he’ll be paid over three years slightly more what Guillen will be paid this year.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Dec 20, 2008 8:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

In short, overpaid

I’m surprised he got the contract. It’s almost like he’s getting paid for what people think he would have done if he hadn’t got hurt. It sucks for him — he was an adequate fielder and a good hitter.. but he’s older now and injury is, unfortunately, part of who he is as a player. It might pay off, but both the Monkeys and other stuff I’ve seen see him as a guy who is slightly over 1 WAR now, which means he’ll be about replacement level in two years.

Would’ve have been nice to have him instead of JoGui, but one bad contract doesn’t deserve another.

Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary since sometime in 2008.

by devil_fingers on Dec 22, 2008 4:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs