Alex Avila signs 2-year/$8.25M deal with Diamondbacks

[Matt Breen]

Catcher Alex Avila has signed 2-year deal for $8.25M deal with Diamondbacks. That's total - not yearly.

 

The deal is surprisingly low (or maybe not so surprisingly considering how slow the FA market has been). Many had predicted Avila to get $6-8M per season.

 

A left-handed hitting catcher, Avila hit 14 HR in 311 ABs last year with an .834 OPS.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/01/diamondbacks-alex-avila-nearing-deal.html

[pacopete4]

Wish we had signed him instead of Vogt.

[Devinep]

Yes I’d rather have him for anything near that low of a price instead of Vogt also. The playing time in Arizona would be more appealing though. It will be interesting to see what Lucroy gets now. He may have to accept going to a lower equality team like the A’s unless the Nate are willing to pay for him (maybe if he was a Boras client they would).

[coolhandluke121]

2 years younger than Vogt with more than double the career WAR and better defense. I'm beating that offer by several million 10 times out of 10 if given the chance. I hope the Brewers at least considered it. I think the catcher spot could be an unexpected weakness this year.

[pacopete4]

2 years younger than Vogt with more than double the career WAR and better defense. I'm beating that offer by several million 10 times out of 10 if given the chance. I hope the Brewers at least considered it. I think the catcher spot could be an unexpected weakness this year.

 

I’m with you there. I think it will be our weakest position on the field. Really not a fan of Pina being the starter or Vogt and his lack of defense.

[adambr2]

Not good news for Lucroy. He should still get a better deal than Avila but this doesn't bode well for his market.

[Matt Breen]

I'm really surprised at how low of a deal Avila got. I figured it would be $8M or something like that.

 

I was never thrilled with Vogt, and a guy like Avila (left handed hitter, two years younger than Vogt, .800+ OPS last year, solid defense) would have been nice alternative. And if he was called upon to handle a heavier workload (in case Pina regressed), he could have done that.

[pacopete4]

Not good news for Lucroy. He should still get a better deal than Avila but this doesn't bode well for his market.

 

Say you can get Luc at 2yr/$10M, do you pull the trigger?

[nate82]

Yes I’d rather have him for anything near that low of a price instead of Vogt also. The playing time in Arizona would be more appealing though. It will be interesting to see what Lucroy gets now. He may have to accept going to a lower equality team like the A’s unless the Nate are willing to pay for him (maybe if he was a Boras client they would).

 

I am definitely not paying for Lucroy

[Matt Breen]

Not good news for Lucroy. He should still get a better deal than Avila but this doesn't bode well for his market.

 

Say you can get Luc at 2yr/$10M, do you pull the trigger?

I would probably do so (but with qualifications).

 

I mean, the guy's defense is still solid. And you have to think he'll rebound somewhat from last year's hitting issues. I mean, look at 2016 - .855 OPS and 24 HR. That's great for a catcher.

 

I guess I'd do it as long as he's given a really thorough physical, and there are no red flags with regards to watching him play last year (such as out of shape, severe bat speed decline - that sort of thing).

 

Otherwise, there's a ton of upside for that price. At worse he's probably better than Vogt.

 

I thought coming into the off season that Lucroy would get $12-15M per year. Crazy to think he could be had for half that.

 

I'm betting he does a one year deal with someone where he can play full time - try and rebuilt his value.

[tigerbrew]

Not good news for Lucroy. He should still get a better deal than Avila but this doesn't bode well for his market.

 

Say you can get Luc at 2yr/$10M, do you pull the trigger?

 

 

Yes I would, provided we can dump Vogt's contract on another team.

[SRB]

2 years younger than Vogt with more than double the career WAR and better defense. I'm beating that offer by several million 10 times out of 10 if given the chance. I hope the Brewers at least considered it. I think the catcher spot could be an unexpected weakness this year.

 

I'm sure they would have if they had foreseen that the free agent market would turn out this way, but now we already have Vogt. Gallardo is the only player on a non-guaranteed major league contract.

[pacopete4]

2 years younger than Vogt with more than double the career WAR and better defense. I'm beating that offer by several million 10 times out of 10 if given the chance. I hope the Brewers at least considered it. I think the catcher spot could be an unexpected weakness this year.

 

I'm sure they would have if they had foreseen that the free agent market would turn out this way, but now we already have Vogt. Gallardo is the only player on a non-guaranteed major league contract.

 

“Vogt's arbitration contract is a non-guaranteed deal. The Brewers will have the ability to release him during Spring Training and owe him only a portion of his deal in the form of termination pay. Should he make the Opening Day roster, his salary will then become fully guaranteed.”

[JosephC]

Jumped the gun on both Vogt and Sogard.

[jerichoholicninja]

Hasn't Avila had some concussion issues, like career threatening issues?

[MrTPlush]

2 years younger than Vogt with more than double the career WAR and better defense. I'm beating that offer by several million 10 times out of 10 if given the chance. I hope the Brewers at least considered it. I think the catcher spot could be an unexpected weakness this year.

 

I'm sure they would have if they had foreseen that the free agent market would turn out this way, but now we already have Vogt. Gallardo is the only player on a non-guaranteed major league contract.

 

“Vogt's arbitration contract is a non-guaranteed deal. The Brewers will have the ability to release him during Spring Training and owe him only a portion of his deal in the form of termination pay. Should he make the Opening Day roster, his salary will then become fully guaranteed.”

 

There is kinda an unwritten rule that you don’t give someone arbitration and then release them. You are kinda a “you know what” if you let all of FA pass and then throw some player (Vogt in this case) into the market. If you released them because you found something better...yikes. The MLBPA would destroy you and it just would not be a good time at all.

 

Getting cold feet cause you could have had something in better is just not right.

[pacopete4]

So now there’s feelings involved? I’m always told this is a business.

[Devinep]

Yes I’d rather have him for anything near that low of a price instead of Vogt also. The playing time in Arizona would be more appealing though. It will be interesting to see what Lucroy gets now. He may have to accept going to a lower equality team like the A’s unless the Nate are willing to pay for him (maybe if he was a Boras client they would).

 

I am definitely not paying for Lucroy

 

Jesus. I’ve been burned by auto correct twice recently

[FVBrewerFan]

Hasn't Avila had some concussion issues, like career threatening issues?

 

No idea, but that would be a valid reason at least. Just seems like a perfect fit for the Brewers with that contract, so I figure there's gotta be something else going on. Maybe that's it. It sure isn't because of Voghts non-guaranteed contract.

[Matt Breen]

Hasn't Avila had some concussion issues, like career threatening issues?

Good memory. He did have concussion issues - but they have not been a problem since 2014.

 

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2017/02/alex_avila_concussions.html

[RockCoCougars]

I highly doubt that Luc would take another bargain basement deal from the Brewers. Guy has just been a victim of bad timing....had he hit the market two years ago, he'd probably get tens of millions more. I'm not going to feel sorry for a multimillionaire, but is it a stretch to say that he may have cost himself $50 million or more in career earnings by agreeing to the extension with the Brewers?

[TJseven7]

Jumped the gun on both Vogt and Sogard.

 

Yup, but they do like having these dudes in their clubhouse.

[MrTPlush]

So now there’s feelings involved? I’m always told this is a business.

 

It is, and morally not allowing a guy to test FA and dumping him at the end of FA is screwed up. You don’t do that.

[adambr2]

There is no such unwritten rule. It's exactly what the Pirates did to Jared Hughes last spring and there were no hard feelings. It's not terribly common but it does happen and there's no rule written or otherwise against it. The team owes 45 days pay as a severance in such cases.

[jerichoholicninja]

So now there’s feelings involved? I’m always told this is a business.

 

It is, and morally not allowing a guy to test FA and dumping him at the end of FA is screwed up. You don’t do that.

 

If Stephen Vogt's feelings are preventing Stearns (or any GM) from making a move to improve the team, then he better be fired ASAP. Besides, what's the difference between dumping a guy now and at the end of Spring Training when 25 man rosters are already set?