No Arbitration: Chone Figgins Signed
by Rev Halofan on Jan 14, 2009 6:45 PM PST
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The Angels avoided arbitration with Chone Figgins, signing him to a one-year deal today. Money was not disclosed.
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AP has it at 5.7 mil
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/11260379/rss
What a waste…
by Los Angeles de Anaheim on Jan 14, 2009 6:49 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Holy crap 5.7????? yikes........
but how much would have arbitration gotten him?
12/19/08 - Thank you KLJ for coming into my life.
by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 14, 2009 6:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Well...
He made $4.75 million last year and the rules for arbitration are very specific. My memory is that a player can go for whatever salary they want and the team counters with a proposal and an independent arbiter decides on the final number – usually between the two proposed numbers.
Also, there is a maximum salary cut in the process – I think a player can only receive a 20% cut in pay if he goes to arbitration. So, even if Figgy pulled a Hillenbrand and completely sucked in 2008 (which he did not) he could have only been reduced to around $4 million.
If a team wants to propose a salary less than 80% of the previous years salary they have to release the player (making him a FA) and renegotiate with the player (and all 29 other teams). In other words, if a team is so dissatisfied with a player that they want to impose a big pay cut – they pretty much have to cut the player and let him become a FA.
And here is a great site for MLB contracts
Jim Scully
by jimmuscomp on Jan 14, 2009 7:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
awesome thanks for the explanation.....
12/19/08 - Thank you KLJ for coming into my life.
by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 14, 2009 8:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
No problem...
if I was wrong anywhere, hopefully a Matt Welch, Rev, Scareduck or Seitz is around to clarify – but I think I’m really close to 100% right on all of that.
Jim Scully
by jimmuscomp on Jan 14, 2009 8:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
minor correction
the team submits a number, the player submits a number, and the arbiter chooses one or the other, not a number in between
by ZiK on Jan 14, 2009 10:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Why all the Figgy hate?
Hes not HOF material but the guy is a solid player. And for a third basemen convert his glove is especially solid. The guy has a mediocre year and everyone jumps all over his ass?
Figgy is a solid player who goes out there and gives what he can. No Attitude, all game. He is second in most stolen bases since 2004, a versatile in the fielder and is a switch-hitter. I am fine for keeping him around for another year. 5 mill is small beans in this game.
by BryanHarvey'sMoustache on Jan 14, 2009 7:22 PM PST reply actions 3 recs
Completely agree
with you. On top of that, who else on our team would replace him as a leadoff hitter? No one has speed like him?
The only people with a higher OBP last year were Tex and Napoli. No one had more walks.
He’s a GREAT leadoff hitter and exaclty what we need.
That being said…we could have saved some money if he went to arbitration.
Vlad The Impailer Strikes Again!!!
by wizzdiddly on Jan 15, 2009 11:20 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah if HGH is worth 10 million or whatever he's gettin'....
Figgy defintely desrves his 5.7… You let Figgy go, and who do we have leading off??? WIllits? GMJ? Aibar? No thanks…
Show 'em your a panther... Show 'em what you can do....
by stuck in Romania on Jan 16, 2009 11:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
i think we should trade figgy but the deal isn't...
that bad. if you compare what other lead-off hitters are getting for 2009:
pierre 31 yrs old, 10.0 mill
ichiro 35 yrs old 17.0 mill
rollins 30 yrs old, 7.5 mill (better player w/more yrs than figgy but not paid that much more)
sizemore 26 yrs old, 4.6 (great deal but by the time he’s 30-31 he’ll make min. 11-12 per yr)
by thejd on Jan 14, 2009 7:29 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
sizemore and ichiro are GREAT players
Tex went to the dark side.
by vlad IS my man on Jan 14, 2009 8:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
correction
sizemore is a GREAT player.
Ichiro is an above average leadoff hitter with an atrocious contract who is in decline
by ihearhowie2.0 on Jan 14, 2009 9:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Ichiro is a GREAT player
Don’t blame him because he has a large contract. He’s a killer outfielder, get’s 200 hits a year, steals a decent number of bases, is durable and has hit 3000 hits in US/Japan combined. Is it his fautl that the Mariners blew big bucks on guys like jarrod washburn? and richie sexson? No.
I think he has a few more years in the tank.
I love LAC.
by oasisman on Jan 15, 2009 12:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Ichiro is not a great player..
He is a one dimensional singles hitter, with no power and no walks. He is a terrific OF’er, but if you have to be a one trick pony, singles ain’t the best trick to use.
by statlr on Jan 15, 2009 5:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Gettin' Figgy wit' it...
I loves me some Figgy. I don’t mind tellin’ ya. I love his smile, his hustle, and his talent. I’m with the people who think that one off year does not necessarily signal a complete downfall. The guy plays the game right.
Good for you, Figgy. Let’s play ball!
I don't know...I'm makin' this up as I go.
by ArkAngel on Jan 14, 2009 8:24 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I love Figgy as well
but I think this signing makes it clear that the Angels overvalue him.
by Chzburger Jones on Jan 14, 2009 9:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Not necessarily.
They could have just not wanted to take the risk of him being awarded more. The true test on how they value him is if he plays 3b instead of Wood or if they start talking extension. I don’t think either of those things happen, but we’ve seen stranger things around these parts before.
by snowhor on Jan 15, 2009 11:03 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
MLB Network Showing 1986 ...
ouch…those replays of the ALCS are painful…
I am still looking for a copy of the entire Game 5 on tape/DVD. I know I can get it at Pontel but it is PAL format.
by Downing Rules on Jan 14, 2009 9:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Redemption in the name of BILL BUCKNER
Awesome.
by Downing Rules on Jan 14, 2009 9:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I think Figgy will rebound
I could be entirely wrong, and this is not something I’m in any way researching (which one of you confirmed stat-heads is welcomed to discredit with magic numbers and decimal points) but it seemed to me in 2008 there were two Figgies: one before the leave, and one after his old man had a stroke.
It seemed as if (in my recollection) Figgy after he had the brief bereavement leave was not the OBP man I saw in the first half of the seaon. Again, this is an abstract impression, but it was still the impression I got.
"I've got more action than my man John Woo
And I've got mad hits like I was Rod Carew" - Shure Shot, The Beastie Boys
by Zoe Necrosis on Jan 14, 2009 10:08 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Whats with the hate?
5 Million dollars for a versatile solid gloved third baseman who basically was the key to our offense. He has a solid glove at 3B and although he lacks power he is a leadoff man who is one of the better ones in the game. If he goes anywhere near 2007 form this deal is a complete bargain. After all, he is only making about half of what GMJ is making and producing a hell of a lot more (I know, a bad way to look at players, but still). Complaining over 5 million dollars when that hardly affects the overall picture is absurd. According to Fangraphs.com Figgins was worth 10 Million dollars on a 1 year deal last year, and 12 million the year before that. This deal is good for the club, and has no long term or even short term financial implications that harm the club.
Lets go angels
by anaheim angels on Jan 14, 2009 10:30 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
when you really really look at it
he is not producing THAT much more than Gary Matthews Jr other than playing time and easily replacatable defense.
by Rev Halofan on Jan 14, 2009 11:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
72 runs in 116 games? I'd call that producing. What more can you ask of a leadoff hitter than score runs?
Figgins, who will be 31 on Jan. 22, is widely regarded as one of the Majors’ premier offensive catalysts. Tigers manager Jim Leyland has gone as far as to call him “one of the most valuable players in the game.” (taken from MLB.com)
He’s also a good defender at third. And of course we all know of his “super-utility” -ness.
by Big Bad , "VLAD"! on Jan 15, 2009 1:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Except that's not true at all
Chone Figgins:
Plays a harder defensive position (at least in 08 when Matthews didn’t play much CF)
Has a MUCH better OBP
Doesn’t give up much in slugging (in fact, Figgins had a BETTER SLG than Matthews in 2007)
Has a better batting avg
Strikes out less
Steals more bases
I could go on. Figgins is producing much much more than Matthews because he is a much better player. I think he is well worth this amount and I’m glad he’ll be back in the leadoff role next year.
I feel the need, the need...for speed!
by Gorbachav5 on Jan 15, 2009 10:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Let me ask you a few questions
when HGH comes to the plate, what do you think will happen?
when figgy comes to the plate, what do you think will happen?
Who are you more comfortable with batting?
answers:DP/weak flyout, hopefully get on base and get into scoring position, figgins
Lets go angels
by anaheim angels on Jan 15, 2009 6:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
im not saying that I dont want figgins traded because
im not opposed to it as long as we get something of value in return. But 6 Million on figgins seems like about what his contract should be. I have no problems with it
Lets go angels
by anaheim angels on Jan 15, 2009 6:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree w/ Rev
The praise bestowed upon him his excessive and if Leyland and other organizations were so high on him, he would come up in most trade rumors which he hasn’t since 2005.
He can barely cut it as a leadoff these days and should be a “super-utility” guy coming off the bench.
Next season is going to be tough to watch.
by blochead on Jan 15, 2009 1:12 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised next season.
1. He is in a contract year
2. Last year was an average year at best for him
3. He’s been reading Halo’s Heaven and is going to go out and prove the Figgy doubters wrong
by Big Bad , "VLAD"! on Jan 15, 2009 1:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Unfair expectations
On Figgins because he was never the next great hope to begin with and now, it looks like he maybe blocking one in Brandon Wood [if the Angels are thinking of sliding him over to third base].
I don’t see how Figgins is comparable with Gary Matthews Jr., who had an abortion of a year in 2008.
Figgins’ game doesn’t get much respect, but if he can ignite the top of the lineup with a .380 on-base/.450 slugging season, then I’d be fine with Figgins in 2009.
If he is really getting old, let him go somewhere else in the off-season, but I’m not going to hate on the guy.
by BBFan1 on Jan 15, 2009 7:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
I like Figgins a lot - good player, underestimated IMHO...
…but if Figgins slugs .450 over a full season, I’ll fly over and congratulate him personally, orally, on the jumbotron in front of a full house, with happy ending…
(And no-one wants to experience that, least of all me)
I see red people
by The Limey on Jan 15, 2009 9:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Strong defense from Figgins in 2008
Out of the 39 MLB third basemen who qualified for the 2008 Probabilistic Model of Range rankings, guess who ranked first?
Chone Figgins.
Plus, with OBPs of .393 and .367 the last two years he’s the best qualified leadoff hitter for the Angels.
"Playoffs?? Don’t talk about — playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!"
by Fan Since 1981 on Jan 15, 2009 9:14 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
Figgins
is exactly what you want from a leadoff hitter. He’s learned how to take a walk and work the count. He’s cut down on the strikeouts. He’s a good baserunner. He plays good defense.
Sure, it would be great if he hit for a little more power, but he is very good at the role he has been given. I think this is a great investment and he’ll be more than worth that much this year.
I feel the need, the need...for speed!
by Gorbachav5 on Jan 15, 2009 10:31 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Figgy is rad
We just signed a guy who can play 6 out of 9 positions on a baseball field.
Do you people have any idea how valuable that is?
by Higz on Jan 15, 2009 12:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Boy, the Love Hate here is something..
Hey, Figgy is what he is. If he played 2nd or SS, you might say a top glove with no power and few walks and a .270 BA makes him valuable…but a 3rd baseman with zero power, no wlaks and no power may be a competent player…he may even be pretty darn good…but he is not valuable.
If that combo of skills makes you valuable, Steve Ontiveros and Dave Chalk are Hall of Famer’s..
6 MIL in todays game ain’t much, but for a team who was unable to pay Tex, and unwilling to pay Manny, Dunn, Burrell, Abreu, Giambi, Bradley…that 6 MIl seems silly.
Better to have spent it on a real hitter, and play Izturis on 3rd.
by statlr on Jan 15, 2009 5:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Umm
So your power solution at Third is Maicer?
by Higz on Jan 15, 2009 5:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
No, only that Maicer and Figgy are both about the same, and with the extra 6 MIL one of those real hitters I mentioned would provide power.
It isn’t that Figgy is not necessarily worth it, but it sure seems odd that legit hitters are available and the Angels are running away from them as fast as they can, but yet they give the dough to a guy who really is the quintessential banjo hitter.
I hope Higz understands the distinction.
by statlr on Jan 15, 2009 7:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Is anyone saying he is a power hitter?
He is a top of the lineup guy…if he was walking 42 times and striking out 100 as a leadoff type, then he would be unproductive.
He’s had 60 or more walks three of the last four years and at the very least can take his share of walks.
He may not have a lot of power, but those doubles and triples come in handy when you are starting a rally for guys like Vlad, Torii and maybe Kendry.
by BBFan1 on Jan 15, 2009 9:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I just thought it was weird
that you didn’t want to see a “zero-power” guy like Figgy play third, but then you suggest that Maicer should play there. (I am a huge fan of Mice Tits BTW)
by Higz on Jan 16, 2009 11:34 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Figgins is a "legit" hitter
He walks much more than Maicer, which is something you want from your leadoff guy. He also had a down year for extra base hits in 2008, for whatever reason. If he can get even some of those back, he’ll be well worth this contract.
Also, what do we gain by letting Figgins go and playing Izturis? It’s not like they’re both going to play. Even if we spent that money on a big hitter, we still have to have a leadoff hitter. Maicer is not that guy.
I feel the need, the need...for speed!
by Gorbachav5 on Jan 16, 2009 12:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Do you think we should bat Napoli Leadoff?
Who are the middle of the oder guys supposed to drive in? On the current roster only 1 player had a better OBP than Figgins, Napoli.
Figgy haters just don’t seem to have a grasp of the facts.
by Big Bad , "VLAD"! on Jan 16, 2009 1:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
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