Carlos Delgado Potential DH for Royals??? *Revised*

Carlos Delgado Potential DH for Royals??? Revised

by Billybutlerformvp on Apr 28, 2008 3:57 PM EDT Comment 19 comments

As per mlbtraderumors

Will Mets Release Delgado?

Is Carlos Delgado the next Frank Thomas? Or worse yet, is he the next Mike Piazza? Sammy Sosa? Barry Bonds? (steroid implications aside). So asks Joel Sherman of the NY Post who's headline - always in that in-your-face extra-bold verdana - reads "DELGADO ON HIS WAY OUT AT FIRST". With aging veterans out of work, and a rash of young talent being locked up, 2008 really feels like the end of one era and the marked beginning of the next.

An arbitrary fun-fact from Sherman, "In the past 25 years, just one champion has had a regular first baseman older than 32 (the 2001 Diamondbacks with 37-year-old Mark Grace)." Delgado's making $16MM this season, and although 35 is often a notorious age at which batters decline, this cliff fall is not the norm. Still, a contract of that magnitude will keep Delgado in New York for at least a short while longer.

In Buster Olney's latest, he speculated Delgado's release, which seems to be slightly more than speculation at this point. Olney cited Xavier Nady or Scott Hatteberg as potential replacements should the Mets want to trade for a replacement. Nady, however, might not be available until the Pirates say "uncle."

Should the 35-yr old Delgado reenter free agent land, what kind of interest will there be? Most likely less than there was for Frank Thomas, but someone would throw him a bone as he'd be low risk, high reward. Not unlike Thomas, PECOTA projects a .265-20-80 season from the veteran and while that's not a $16MM season, it's still adequate production for many teams from a corner infielder or DH.

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Would Carlos Delgado who is only one season removed from 38 hrs be a viable solution for the Royals? I'll tell you one thing If a team signs him for the league minimum hes deff worth the risk as he is a notorious slow starter and usually gets better throughout the season.

PS A Friend brought up an excellent point. With a veteran prescence like a Delgado,a Bonds or a Mike Piazza in the middle of the lineup The young guys like Butler and Gordon will perfom much better since they wont be pressing since they wont feel like its all on them to get the offense rolling.

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same story

no different than thomas or bonds. dayton didn’t seem to phased by thomas, so i would doubt we would have interest, but he probably would be (slightly) more capable at 1b than those others.

but maybe, you never know

by ZeppelinDZ on Apr 28, 2008 4:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

But its interesting. At least Delgado can play the field passably unlike Thomas or Bonds.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Apr 28, 2008 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i hope not

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

by LeoBloom on Apr 28, 2008 5:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

y not?

by Billybutlerformvp on Apr 28, 2008 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Delgado is actually better at 1st than butler defensively speaking

and will destroy gload in terms of power. face it people gload is a bench player at best. If anything put Butler at 1b and Delgado at Dh either way a combo of Delgado and Butler beats Butler and Gload… Plus Delgado will hit as many hrs as Bonds possible could minus the drama and hes playing in one of the worst hr hitting ballparks in Shea Stadium.

by Billybutlerformvp on Apr 28, 2008 5:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I like Delgado

better than the Bonds/Thomas signing ideas, because he can at least play the field. Also he is a lot younger, not that the Royals would be signing him longterm, but he’s not in his 40’s. We could have a job share arrangement with Delgado and Butler at 1B/DH. I think Delgado still has 20 HR power, but his BA/OBP might be lagging behind.

by lordbyronk on Apr 28, 2008 5:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I also like Delgado

...but again, same thing on Bonds/Thomas—only worth it if the Royals were a win-now team, which they clearly are not. And if Thomas wasn’t going to sign with a new team for the league minimum, I doubt Delgado would either.

Signing over-the-hill veterans to try to shore up our anemic offense is not the answer.

by DarthYoshi on Apr 28, 2008 6:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thomas did sign for the league minimum

by Gopherballs on Apr 28, 2008 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I could've sworn I read a story saying he wouldn't sign for the minimum

Craziness. My espionage agents are clearly failing me. :)

by DarthYoshi on Apr 28, 2008 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There would have been no point in that.

In most mid-season release cases, and Thomas’s case was one of them, any money paid to you by the new team is deducted from what your old team owes you. Thomas wouldn’t make any more money by making the A’s pay him a million bucks, he’d just save Toronto a few hundred grand.

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Apr 28, 2008 9:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thats absurd it makes no difference if you

have ross gload playing 1b for the league minimum or delgado for 400k. If delgado was taking abs away from an up and coming prospect Id say no but hes not.gload is a bench player at BEST On top of that I think its about time the royals stop this losing mentality. If Delgado can push this team to 85 wins I would sign him in a instant. Free agents might want to actually come to KC if they feel like their is an actually chance of competeing instead of forcing moore to thow gross amounts of money at terrible free agents ie guillen.

by Billybutlerformvp on Apr 28, 2008 7:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

oh boy

“On top of that I think its about time the royals stop this losing mentality.”

as a new royals fan, you will come to get very used to such a phrase. It pretty much been the buzzwords for the fan base for… well… awhile

by ZeppelinDZ on Apr 29, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who do you drop from the 25 man?

I agree that Gload is a bench player. The only solution I can come up with is to go to an 11 man pitching staff. Or maybe German?

by Stook on Apr 28, 2008 10:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

german or my personal fav

tony pena jr.

by Billybutlerformvp on Apr 29, 2008 6:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Delgado sounds like

Reggie Sanders, Part 2

Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!

by cmkeller on Apr 29, 2008 10:23 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Delgado has been....

and is, better than Reggie Sanders ever dreamt of being.

Sanders is a decent outfielder, and had good pop, but Delgado has been a force for many years now.

Sander’s lifetime OPS+: 115

Delgado’s lifetime OPS+: 138

Finally coming back to the 'K'!!!! I'm going to be there 7/11/08, vs the SEA Mariners, of course!

by RoyalsFanInMarinerTown on Apr 29, 2008 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I respect his history

but I think the way he’s been the last year or so has him resembling Reggie Sanders in his immediate pre-Royals state.

Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!

by cmkeller on Apr 29, 2008 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is sad

I think he’s pretty much done as an elite power hitter. Maybe getting back to the AL and letting him DH 3 or 4 days a week would help, but he’s probably no better than a 25 homerun guy right now. Sadly, though, he’s probably just what the Royals could use. Give Butler and Delgado equal time at first and let the Royals have a power bat in the lineup. I’m all for someone, anyone, to come in and provide a little punch to the Royal’s judy lineup.

If I had a rocket ship, I'd never want to land.

by dman126 on Apr 29, 2008 2:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs