Dodgers Add Jerry Hairston, Jr.
December 5, 2011 at 6:27 pm | Posted in Jerry Hairston | 30 Comments
So much for a slow first day of the winter meetings, right? As if jettisoning Jamie Hoffmann wasn’t enough, the Dodgers officially signed utilityman Jerry Hairston and reportedly are close to picking up starting pitcher Aaron Harang. Since the Harang deal isn’t final – the last report I saw said that the Dodgers are offering two years, but Harang is looking for three, which, good lord – we’ll focus on the deal we know about for sure, two years and $6m for Hairston, 36 in May. (Dylan Hernandez reports that like all Dodger contracts, it’ll be backloaded as $2.25m/$3.75m, which is tough to swallow when his previous high salary was $2.5m six years ago.)
Taken on its own merits, I don’t have a big issue with this signing. Hairston’s a useful enough piece, one who adds flexibility to a bench with his ability to play six positions with varying degrees of success, and on a team with so many questions in the infield, that flexibility will likely come in handy. His offensive performance has been all over the place – OBP of .384 in 2008 and .344 in 2011, but also .315 in 2009 and .299 in 2010 – but that’s generally to be expected from a bench piece, since you’re not acquiring him to be a starter. He’s being paid to generate about 1.5 WAR over the life of the contract, and since he put up 1.2 fWAR last year and 1.5 in 2010, it seems like he could at least earn the value. I don’t like the second year of the deal, though I admit that it was likely he’d have received that from someone else. (And, not that I care about this type of thing as much as some, he seems really excited to join the Dodgers, at least according to these quotes that SBNation‘s Amy K. Nelson collected.)
So while it’s probably not what I would have done, Hairston’s a decent fit on a National League bench, so fine. Welcome aboard, new Jamey Carroll.
Here’s the thing, though. While Hairston by himself might be okay, it does make you question just what the plan was for this offseason, because these moves don’t happen independently of each other. In Hairston, you have a versatile defender who can sorta-but-not-really hit. In Mark Ellis, you have a good defensive second baseman who can sorta-but-not-really hit. And to round it out, you have Adam Kennedy, who can kind of play a few positions but absolutely cannot hit.
Basically, if you have Hairston, then what in the hell is Adam Kennedy for? Kennedy was completely useless when he was signed, and it looks even worse now; I’ve had readers defending him by saying that it’s only $800k, but that’s not the point. The point is, he was signed to a major-league deal before the end of November when there was absolutely no need for him to have been, and now that roster spot is lost. Now there’s no chance to bring in an offensive counterpart to Hairston on the bench, like a Wilson Betemit or someone similar. Hairston could be decent, but on this team, he’s just another in a long line of utility infielders who can’t really bring the offensive punch the Dodgers need.
Worse, the age trend here is terrifying. Kennedy is 36 in January. Matt Treanor is 36 in March. Hairston turns 36 in May, which is also when Harang is 34. Ellis is 35 in June. Juan Rivera will be 34 in July. Chris Capuano is 34 in August. That’s seven signings (assuming Harang arrives), and not a single one younger than Capuano. This group is also combining for something around $18.5m in 2011, and with backloading, it could be over $26m in 2013.
So sure, welcome aboard, Jerry. Sorry you’re getting blowback because you happen to be another in a series of questionable decisions by a general manager whose moves are increasingly difficult to reconcile.
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Pay off Kennedy and pick up Manny for a bat off the bench. Manny has a new agent now so Ned may not be as scared of the new agent as he was of Scott Boras. Maybe Ned will only have to give him 3 years and $42 million deferred in getting fleeced by the new agent.
Can you imagine having to add that to what is already owed to him in deferred payments.
Please guys – this is totally in jest – you do not have to get all worked up like I am being serious – can you spell “facetious”
Comment by Kirk Davenport— December 5, 2011 #
Like you said, Hairston, by himself, is not a bad acquisition, but it would’ve been a better move if Ned had shown some patience and signed Kelly Johnson instead of Mark Ellis. Thereby, we wouldn’t need Kennedy and who knows what happens from there. Maybe Ned thinks he has enough offense to risk Eovaldi from day one and takes the money that went to Capuano and Harang (if it happens) and dropped it on Kuroda.
But, alas, Ned sticks us with an old, expensive and underwhelming team. I wonder if this was what Ned told Dave Stewart when he asked Bison to take a backloaded contract?
Comment by grabarkewitz— December 5, 2011 #
And, yet again, another two-year signing with second-year money paying for the first year “discount.” Curious that the only players interested in these deals are ones about whom it’s questionable whether they’d be getting tendered contracts at all in 2013 (Ellis, Hairston). Yet again, I mutter, “ugh.”
Comment by LBprGuy— December 5, 2011 #
Real Tom had posed a question in the previous thread along the lines of “why are these guys all getting two years?” I replied, but it was the last post of the thread, so bringing it forward, here it is:
—————————————————
Getting these guys to sign with Ned and the Dodgers necessitates two years, with a big jump in salary for the second year. And it’s not the ownership situation that does it. It’s the fact that Ned is a complete buffoon (as evidenced by his stupid rug, ridiculous mustache, and fetish for old veterans), making him an easy mark for these agents. This is the price we pay for keeping Mark Sweeney and/or Mark Loretta on the roster for entire seasons, for keeping Garret Anderson for most of the season, and for actually signing Cormier and the Ortiz twins and giving them major league roster spots. Agents see this past history, look at the clown sitting across from them and think of Weekend at Bernie’s, realize that their gritty gamer veteran client is going to get overpaid, and then sit back and wait for Ned’s offer to double the next best offer. Then they sign on the dotted line.
—————————————————-
Comment by The Dude Abides— December 5, 2011 #
Weekend at Bernie`s.. Dude made my night lol!
Comment by Danny Barbettini— December 6, 2011 #
The funniest comment I’ve seen from today’s signings was from TBLA commenter Pure Azure, who wrote:
———————————————-
“Ned having one last Nedgasm
he’s going out like a Peckinpah film”
———————————————-
I can’t decide which of his two lines is the funnier one.
Comment by The Dude Abides— December 5, 2011 #
I hear other GM’s complaining how hard it is to negotiate contracts with agents these days. I just don’t get it, I have no problems dealing with agents. They tell me they love it when I call.
Comment by Ned Colletti— December 5, 2011 #
Ned swallows.
Comment by dodgerccp— December 5, 2011 #
Ned also supplies his own lube.
Comment by Kirk Davenport— December 5, 2011 #
Which he bought from a discount store of dubious reputation and STILL overpaid for.
Comment by Eric Alegado— December 5, 2011 #
For a team that claimed little resources, it is weird to see all these signings. I could understand the collection of middle infielders with Rafael Furcal on the roster, but they signed Ellis first thing. Second base is locked up. Uribe slides to third. Maybe they fear Gordon is a little frail and he won’t beef up during the offseason or may regress or something, but it seems like a weird need to fill when the storyline was ‘we have no money’.
I’ve seen some arguments to the affect of well the players cost money and there’s not much talent and these signings are a product of market forces.
To me, this is exactly why you minimize your involvement in the free agency class and use what you already have on your roster. Sellers and Ivan DeJesus Jr. somehow can’t be expected to put up at least Adam Kennedy numbers, so we go out and sign this guy and use a roster spot up on the guy? I can understand Hairston as far as they don’t trust Uribe and to boot they get a 5′th outfielder, but a truly resource starved team gives mitchell at least the chance to fail before guaranteeing 2 years and outbid 2 other teams on the player. It’s like a bad remake of the wizard of oz, the dodgers have the talent they’re out there signing to backloaded deals already on their roster, but somehow they’re not good enough, so other teams will swoop in and pick the bones through waiver wire. We’ve already essentially traded Jamie Hoffmann for Adam Kennedy. Yes, completely ridiculous.
To me it is getting harder and harder to just blame this on ned being ned because this seems different somehow. Maybe Colletti just is the wrong man given the club’s circumstances and isn’t any more creative than popping on every old utility guy just because Carroll and Miles worked out. I’m starting to suspect these were marching orders by McCourt to leave scorched earth behind for the new owner, since there’s no way McCourt doesn’t get a haircut, and he won’t be paying these players.
The new GM is going to have to DFA a bunch of worthless dudes or give up young talent in salary dumps just to get another team to take the farty contracts being signed right now. The dodgers are somehow paying for to get older while increasing how much it is obligated in 2013 by backloading, which will make it even harder to trade these turds.
Maybe I’m overvaluing the minor league talents ability to play in ’12&’13, but it doesn’t seem like Eovaldi had much trouble or question marks about his performance for his age last season for Ned to go out and give 2 years to Capuano and likely Harang for what essentially would have been what it would have cost to re-sign Kuroda by media reports and let Eovaldi pitch 150innings or so and then go with a marginal guy down the stretch. We’re not the yankees in that we can just eat guys salaries when they flop or a kid breaks out and beats an old fart for a job, but we’re sure overfilling every conceivable position like that and that is new, at least in my opinion. Yes, someone probably gets hurt so there will probably be a job for a kid to earn, but why clog up the rotation and roster like a public restroom toilet when it’s not necessary.
I will say one positive thing, the dodgers have not signed a reliever to a Guerrier-esque type contract, and at least that shows mindfulness that there are enough arms to keep bringing up like Lindblom and the other 23-25 year old relievers the dodgers have around with pretty live arms.
Comment by Dusty Baker's Chewed up Toothpick— December 5, 2011 #
Their ages wouldn’t matter so much if they weren’t getting two years. Next year, we’ll have Uribe, Ellis, and Hairston all sitting around ready to play in the world’s oldest, stupidest, Nedest infield. What in the world is wrong with Colletti?!! Nothing hurts development more than this. I’m still not convinced that Gordon gets to start.
Comment by Real Tom— December 5, 2011 #
I never thought Ken Gurnick was such a comedian….
From his article posted today on the Dodger website
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111205&content_id=26098092&vkey=news_la&c_id=la
Title: “Dodgers continue crafting roster” (as in an artisan “crafting ” his work)
Quotes from Ned: “This year, because of what lies ahead with ownership … I’m building the club now to compete, to keep us in the running, and come July we might have a situation to do something else,” he said Monday.
“Any backloading we’ve done is not a large percentage of what our future payrolls will be. It won’t weigh down the payrolls.”
“Considering where the payroll is, I think we’re in a good spot,” he said of the current roster.
Quotes from Gurnick: “Along with the addition of Hairston and the possible signing of starting pitcher Aaron Harang, Colletti said he’d like to add a veteran reliever. He said he continues talking to Mike MacDougal, ”
“Presumably, a new owner would have the wherewithal to provide Colletti with the financial resources to make expensive midseason acquisitions if the Dodgers are in the race.”
“General manager Ned Colletti said he’s using a two-stage approach in refurbishing the Dodgers roster for the 2012 season:
There’s the bankruptcy stage, and the post-bankruptcy stage.”
Comment by Kirk Davenport— December 5, 2011 #
I remember when Ellis, Capuano, Harang, and Lilly were all 3-5 WAR players in 2007ish. How do we sign those versions?
Comment by Real Tom— December 5, 2011 #
If you want those versions, see Ned – Ned apparently has been borrowing Mr. Peabody’s WayBack Machine as well as some rose colored glasses from Mr. Magoo in order to imagine those guys in their prime showing up at Camelback in February
Comment by Kirk Davenport— December 5, 2011 #
sigh… another long year of watching over-the-hill carpetbaggers not score runs unless Bison blasts them home. next year’s offense is going to be… ugh.
if you’re a veteran who can hit, don’t bother talking to Ned. apparently he thinks the point of baseball is to get your team to makes outs as fast as possible.
Comment by sumdumfu— December 5, 2011 #
From SweetSpot’s David Schoenfield
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/18997/dodgers-collect-30-something-mediocrities#comments
He has a very dim view of the Ned Colletti moves to sign and overpay a bunch of over the hill mediocre players. He says they will be the cracks in the foundation of a once proud franchise for this year and next. I wonder how he could have become so pessimistic about the team????
Comment by Kirk Davenport— December 5, 2011 #
best line from that article, and one that should be underscored, bolded, italicized in 100pt font for Ned to see:
“Worse, there is a good chance all five players contribute little more than a replacement-level signing would accomplish … but instead of at league minimum wages, they’ll cost the Dodgers $29 million plus Harang’s deal.”
is it possible to give up hope before a season starts? cuz so far, ned has made this team worse than last year’s =(((((
I would love to see a tracker for next season showing what Kuroda’s spot in the lineup does vs. what Kuroda would’ve done based on 2011 numbers. right off the bat we’ve lost probly 6 games in the standings because we replaced an allstar caliber pitcher with some gritty veteran zombies.
Comment by sumdumfu— December 6, 2011 #
Kuroda > Harang + Capuano + Kennedy + Treanor; dammit! Dodgers needed Hiroki Kuroda, and could have easily afforded him to pitch after Kershaw in the rotation. Harang just signed, which hurts. Go Blue!
Comment by dodgerccp— December 6, 2011 #
I’m beginning to think that Mike has a hard on for Wilson Betemit
Comment by Shane— December 6, 2011 #
He’s a flawed player, but at least he can crush righty pitching… as opposed to Kennedy, who is all flaws.
Comment by Mike— December 6, 2011 #
Mike, can you apply for the GM position opening? I’m sure Dodger fans would feel about 50 bajillion times better with you making the moves than Colletti.
Comment by Joseph— December 6, 2011 #
All i need is one of you to come up with $1.2b or so to purchase the team.
Comment by Mike— December 6, 2011 #
All right, just give me about twenty years or so to invent a time machine so I can sell it to the highest bidder, then come back in time and give you the money. So actually, I’ll have it to you tomorrow.
Comment by Joseph— December 6, 2011 #
I second that!
Comment by dodgerbobble— December 6, 2011 #
Mike, can you make a post, when all this signing buzz has wained, to discuss why Gil Hodges is still not in the Hall. And thank you for all the updates and excellent posts, its gets me through the day, grad school is killing me this semester
Comment by BoysOfBlue— December 6, 2011 #
Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, I’m probably one of the few who doesn’t consider it a grave travesty that Hodges isn’t in.
Comment by Mike— December 6, 2011 #
Any details on the Harang contract yet? I’m assuming it’s backloaded.
Comment by dodgerbobble— December 6, 2011 #
[...] we left off last night, the Aaron Harang signing wasn’t yet official, since it appeared Harang might be holding out [...]
Pingback by Winter Meetings Day Two: Aaron Harang Heads North « Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— December 6, 2011 #
[...] Earlier this month, I noted how troubling it was that just about all of the Dodger shopping spree so far this winter has focused on older players on the backside of their careers: Worse, the age trend here is terrifying. Adam Kennedy is 36 in January. Matt Treanor is 36 in March. Jerry Hairston turns 36 in May, which is also when Aaron Harang is 34. Mark Ellis is 35 in June. Juan Rivera will be 34 in July. Chris Capuano is 34 in August. That’s seven signings (assuming Harang arrives), and not a single one younger than Capuano. [...]
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