Indians Sign Hernandez, Fultz, Dellucci
More old guys. Actually, these signings aren’t too bad.
Much as I’d like to ridicule the Roberto Hernandez signing, I cannot. Yeah, 1 year at $3.5 million is a bit high for my taste when it comes to 42-year-old relievers who could fall off the proverbial cliff at any moment, but with slight hiccups in 2003 and 2004, the guy has been mighty effective since the mid-’90s. The increase in walks and decrease in strikeouts last year are definite cause for concern, but I think I’d rather have Hernandez for 1 year than, say, Danys Baez for 3 years.
Aaron Fultz is a 33-year-old left-handed reliever who had an unbelievably good year for the Phillies in 2005. For most of the rest of his career, he’s been an average (or slightly below-average) performer. Fultz is durable and relatively inexpensive at 1 year, $1.65 million. He’s also a better pitcher than Mike Stanton, who signed a more lucrative contract with the Reds.
The deal with David Dellucci is 3 years, $11.5 million. Sure, he’s 33 years old but the guy can hit. Aside from 2005, when he knocked 29 homers for the Texas Rangers, Dellucci never has gotten the opportunity to play every day. And although he probably won’t hit for a real high average, he does get on base and he can drive the ball. Among big-league batters who have had 700 or more plate appearances since 2005, Dellucci ranks 29th with a .519 slugging percentage. That puts him right between Richie Sexson and Troy Glaus. His overall line over the past two seasons is a crisp .266/.368/.519. When you consider that Frank Catalanottto signed for more money on the basis of a .300/.372/.445 performance over that same period, the Dellucci signing looks pretty good.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Hot Stove
0 opinions for Indians Sign Hernandez, Fultz, Dellucci
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: