There are a ton of possibilities for center field on both the free agent and trade markets.  Today, I’d like to take a look at who’s available on the free agent market:

Free Agents

Rick Ankiel — Ankiel is a good story.  He was a pitcher with great stuff who couldn’t throw strikes, so he converted himself into an outfielder so he could get back to the big leagues.  They should make a movie about him.  But should the Cubs sign him?  In St. Louis last year, Ankiel hit .231/285/.387 with 11 homeruns and 38 RBI.  Ankiel suffered through several bumps and bruises throughout 2009, limiting him to 122 games.  He earned $2.825 million last year and is reportedly looking for a big contract (Scott Boras is his agent).

Marlon Byrd — The Cubs seem to be focusing on Byrd.  Now that Mike Cameron has signed with the Red Sox, Byrd seems like the consensus “next choice.”  I’m not so sure.  He had a good year last year in Texas (sound familiar?), but to me, he seems overrated.  In 2009, he hit .283/.329/.422 with 20 homeruns and 89 RBI.  He made $3.6 million in 2009 and is looking for a multi-year deal, probably in the $7-$8 million per year range.

Rocco Baldelli — I have to admit to liking Baldelli.  He’s another guy with a good story, having overcome mitochodrial disorder to continue his MLB career.  He always plays like it’s his last day in baseball and is so gung-ho that he had the MLB logo tatooed on his calf.  But should he be the Cubs’ center fielder?  In 2009 with Boston he hit .253/.311/.433 with 7 homeruns and 23 RBI in 62 games.  A hip flexor strain kept him out of action for a good part of the year.  The 28-year old Baldelli earned only $500,000 in 2009 and would probably be willing to sign a reasonable one-year contract.  Because of that, I like him for the 2010 Cubs.  Also, because he hits lefties so well, perhaps he could be part of a platoon.

Ryan Church — Church played 23 games in center field last year and put togeter a UZR/150 rating of -37.8.  His career UZR/150 in center is -3.5.  He’s much better in right field.  So, to say that he can play center field is a bit of a misnomer.  He has played center field, but he has not played it well.  Church really belongs in right field and the Cubs should not consider him for center.

Coco Crisp — In 2009, Crisp hit .228/.336/.378 with 3 homeruns and 14 RBI in just 49 games for Kansas City.  His biggest asset is his fielding.  He sports an overall UZR/150 of 5.8 in center field, although it was 19.6 in limited action last year.  He earned $5.75 million in 2009 and Kansas City decided not to exercise his $8 million option for 2010.  Did You Know?:  Coco’s real first name is Covelli.

Johnny Damon — Can Damon play center field any more?  The Yankees didn’t think so.  He hasn’t played center field since 2008, and even then he only played 34 games there.  At this point in his career, I consider Damon a left fielder/DH.  In 2009, he hit .282/.365/.489 for the Yankees with 24 homeruns and 82 RBI.  He also scored 107 runs.  He earned $13 million in 2009 and is reportedly looking for a two or three year deal for similar money.  I think Damon can still be a legit lead-off hitter, but he’s too expensive for the Cubs and really doesn’t play the position they are trying to fill.

Jerry Hairston, Jr.  — I have always pulled for Hairston, especially when he was with the Cubs.  He was a Chicago area guy (grew up in Naperville) and he was versatile, playing all over the field.  In center field, he has a career UZR/150 rating of 17.5.  In 2009, he started the year with the Reds, but ended up the year playing for the Yankees.  That’s quite a change.  Between the two teams, Hairston hit .251/.315/.394 with 10 homeruns and 39 RBI.  He earned $2 million in 2009.  If he’s willing to sign for a year and reasonable money ($1-$2 million) he might be a good gamble, but I don’t see him with the Cubs in 2010.

Reed Johnson — Johnson wasn’t offered arbitration by the Cubs, but there has been talk that they are interested in re-signing him.  He has been a good pickup, after being released by Toronto following Spring Training in 2008.  In 2009, Johnson hit .255/.330/.415 with 4 homeruns and 22 RBI in 65 games.  Johnson spent a good chunk of the 2009 season on the DL with a broken foot.  He earned $3 million in 2009 and my guess is that he is looking for a one-year deal for about the same money.  Johnson hits left handed pitching very well and makes for a good platoon partner.

Scott Podsednik — Scotty Pods has been a fan favorite on the Southside of Chicago.  His hitting stats are never that impressive, but he seems to be able to rise to the ocassion.  In 2009, he hit .304/353/.412 for the White Sox with 7 homeruns and 48 RBI (actually, not that bad).  He also stole 30 bases in 2009 and could be the lead-off hitter the Cubs covet.   As a center fielder, he’s below average, posting a career UZR/150 rating of -5.6.  He earned $800,000 in 2009, but is reportedly looking for a three-year/$12 million deal.  If that’s the case, then I say the Cubs should take a pass.  But a reasonable one-year deal might be worth looking at.

Randy Winn — Winn hit .262/.318/.353  with two homeruns and 51 RBI for the Giants in 2009.  He earned $8.25 million and at 35-years old, is almost certainly not going to make that much in 2010.  However, I would expect Winn to hold out for a multi-year contract, which should make him unattractive to the Cubs.  I’ve always thought of Winn as a good fielder, but his UZR/150 rating doesn’t bear that out.  He hasn’t had a positive rating in center field since 2005 and his career rating in center is -1.3. 

In my next post, I’ll take a look at possible trade candidates to fill the void in center field.

In an article about the organizational meetings, the Trib’s Paul Sullivan indicated that the Cubs have an interest in Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura.  The Rays have until one day after the conclusion of the World Series to determine whether or not to exercise Iwamura’s $4.85 million option for 2010.  Sullivan speculated that the Cubs may try to trade Bradley to Tampa Bay in exchange for Iwamura and Pat Burrell.  In Sullivan’s scenario, the Cubs would then trade Burrell, probably to an American League team.

Iwamura could be a good fit for the Cubs.  He has a history of hitting at the top of the order and he is also an accomplished third baseman, something the Cubs could really use if Aramis Ramirez goes down with an injury again. 

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com has revised his earlier statement that the Rangers would not consider a trade for Bradley.  It was believed that Bradley burned his bridges in Texas after he admitted that he had feigned injuries while with the Rangers in order to not hurt his stats in anticipation of signing a new contract.  But Texas is in bad financial trouble (Is there another kind?) and needs to regain some of the offense they lost in 2009.  Re-acquiring Bradley is one option.

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Carrie Muskat of MLB.com considers the free agent center field options in a recent blog post.  Of interest (at least to me) are Rick Ankiel, Rocco Baldelli (Is he healthy?), and Mike Cameron.  Of course, I don’t think the Cubs will be looking too closely at any of these guys.  I expect their center fielder next year to come as a result of a Milton Bradley trade.  My best guess is that Aaron Rowand will be patrolling center field at Wrigley next year after the Cubs acquire him from San Francisco for Bradley.

For a complete rundown of what I’m predicting the 2010 Cubs to look like, check out A Look At The Offseason report I posted previously.

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Tim Dierkes at MLB Trade Rumors.com quotes Bruce Levine from ESPN Chicago who says that the Cubs are working towards a deal with John Grabow to bring the lefty back on a two-year deal worth $6.5 to $7.5 million per year.

I like Grabow and think he could be a very important piece to the Cubs bullpen next year.  Even so, does a multi-year deal for $6.5 to $7.5 million seem a bit steep?  Aren’t there other guys out there with Grabow’s skill set that could be had for less money and/or just one year?   Honestly, I don’t see this as a huge problem either way, but it just strikes me as a bit odd.