Who Were the Best MLB Free Agent Signings for 2012?

Written by Amit Lal | 25 July 2012

In 2012, 100 position players were signed as free agents in Major League Baseball, ranging in cost from $250M over 10 years for Albert Pujols down to several players signed to minimum salary or minor league deals.  Here are my selections for the best and worst free agent signings of the year, based on the season so far. The Diamondbacks have two of the top three signings, and the Rays have two of the worst. A list of all 100 free agent signings, along with their fWAR and bWAR for 2012 (fWAR is Wins Above Replacement from Fangraphs, bWAR is Wins Above Replacement from Baseball-Reference), is posted at the end of this article.

Best Free Agent Signings (Position Players)

(Stats are through games of July 25)

1. Aaron Hill, ARI - 2Yrs/11M; .304/.359/.503, 13 HR, 48 RBI, 3.5 fWAR, 2.5 bWAR
Hill was signed to a two year deal for just $5.5M/year, and currently leads all NL Second Basemen in HR, OBP, SLG, and fWAR, while playing excellent defense at 2B. Hill also has the distinction of being the first player to hit for the cycle twice in one season since Babe Herman in 1931.

2. Josh Willingham, MIN - 3 Yrs/$21M; .271/.384/.563, 25 HR, 72 RBI, 3.7 fWAR, 2.8 bWAR
Willingham leads all 2012 free agents in the WAR calculations; his 72 RBI are tied for 3rd in the Majors, and his 25 HR rank 8th.

3. Jason Kubel, ARI - 2Yrs/$15M; .298/.367/.583, 22 HR, 72 RBI, 2.6 fWAR, 2.2 bWAR
Kubel was probably one of the most criticized signings of the year, but he is leading the NL in RBI (3rd in MLB) with 72. The hitting from Kubel and Hill have helped offset the disappointing offensive seasons from Justin Upton and Chris Young. Defensively, Kubel's 11 Outfield Assists lead the NL, which has helped make up for his lack of range in the outfield.

4. Yoenis Cespedes, OAK - 4 Yrs/$36M; .302/.361/.533, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 1.3 fWAR, 1.0 bWAR
Cespedes has hit much better than expected in his first Major League season. The A's are 41-24 (.631) when Cespedes is in the lineup, compared to 12-20 without him. His poor defense in CF and lack of experience in LF have pulled down his WAR totals, but he has been a big factor in the A's improvement this year.

5. Carlos Beltran, STL - 2 Yrs/$26M; .287/.364/.526, 22 HR, 71 RBI, 2.6 fWAR, 2.5 bWAR
Beltran has picked up the offensive slack from the departed Albert Pujols, leading the Cardinals in HR with 22 and RBI with 71. His defense has slipped a little, but he's helped keep the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card race.

Worst Free Agent Signings

1. Clint Barmes, PIT - 2 Yrs/10.5M; .205/.231/.288, 4 HR, 25 RBI, -0.2 fWAR, -0.3 bWAR
Barmes' .231 OBP is the lowest among all players with at 250 Plate Appearances, and his walk rate of 1.7% (5 in 295 PA) is also the worst in MLB. He has played well defensively, but he has a strong claim as the worst offensive player in MLB in 2012.

2. Grady Sizemore, CLE - 1 Yr/$5M - no stats in 2012
The Indians gambled $5M on Sizemore during the offseason, but his return from a back injury is still questionable.

3. Ramon Hernandez, COL - 2 Yrs/$6.5M; .193/.236/.336, 4 HR, 18 RBI, -0.5 fWAR, -1.2 bWAR
Hernandez's poor season may be due in part to a hand injury that had him on the DL for over six weeks, but he has had a very disappointing season and has lost the starting job to Wilin Rosario. Trade rumors have him going to the Rays, Nationals, or Mets.

4. Luke Scott, TB - 1 Yr/$6M; .225/.279/.438, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 0.1 fWAR, 0.1 bWAR
Scott has hit for power, but his AVG and OBP are way too low for a starting DH. He went through a horrendous 0 for 41 slump in June/July, but was just starting to hit (15 for 39 in his last 10 games) before going on the DL on July 21. 

5. Carlos Pena, TB - 1 Yr/$7.25M; .191/.322/.349, 14 HR, 41 RBI, 0.6 fWAR, -0.2 bWAR
Pena has drawn some walks (60) and hit for some power, but the overall offensive line is a big disappointment for the Rays. Fangraphs likes Pena's defense at 1B, which pushes him to a positive fWAR.


Top Free Agent Bargains

1. Cody Ross, BOS - 1 Yr/$3M; .261/.336/.535, 16 HR, 50 RBI, 1.9 fWAR, 1.4 bWAR
Ross has only played in 69 games for the Red Sox, but has been very productive when healthy. 

2. Ryan Doumit, MIN - 1 Yr/$3M; .287/.339/.470, 10 HR, 46 RBI,1.2 fWAR,  0.5 bWAR
Doumit has played Catcher, RF, LF, and even 1B for the Twins, as well as DH.

3. Scott Hairston, NYM - 1 Yr/$1M; .250/.293/.500, 12 HR, 37 RBI, 1.1 fWAR, 1.3 bWAR
Hairston is slugging .590 against LHP this year, with 9 HR in 117 AB. 

4. Ryan Ludwick, CIN - 1 Yr/$2.5M; .243/.314/.498, 15 HR, 43 RBI, 0.9 fWAR, 0.2 bWAR
Ludwick has hit 15 HR in limited playing time, ranking 2nd on the Reds in HR (behind Bruce) and 2nd in OPS (behind Votto).

5. Jeff Keppinger, TB - 1 Yr/$1.5M; .322/.394/.427, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 1.5 fWAR, 1.5 bWAR
Keppinger has only been a part-time player, but has hit very well against LHP, going 27 for 60 (.450).

Some other free agent bargains this year include Jerry Hairston Jr., Johnny Gomes, and Norichika Aoki

Free Agents Playing OK, But Not Earning Their High Salaries

1. Albert Pujols, LAA - 10 Yrs/$250M; .277/.344/.488, 18 HR, 61 RBI, 2.0 fWAR, 2.8 bWAR
After a very slow start, Pujols has hit .333/.410/.616 since June 5th.

2. Prince Fielder, DET - 9 Yrs/$214M; .306/.392/.493, 15 HR, 69 RBI, 2.3 fWAR, 1.9 bWAR
Fielder has been pretty good offensively, but his WAR is hurt by his poor defense and baserunning.

3. Aramis Ramirez, MIL - 3 Yrs/$36M; .278/.344/.476, 11 HR, 59 RBI, 2.5 fWAR, 1.5 bWAR
Ramirez has seen all of his key offensive stats drop slightly from 2011, when he hit .306/.351/.510 with the Cubs. 

4. Jose Reyes, MIA - 6 Yrs/$106M; .273/.340/.401, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 2.0 fWAR, 0.9 bWAR
Reyes hit .337 in 2011; this year, his OBP is only .340.

5. Michael Cuddyer, COL - 3 Yrs/$31.5M; .260/.318/.482, 14 HR, 53 RBI, 1.1 fWAR, 0.5 bWAR
Stats haven't really changed in 2012, despite moving to Coors Field.

List of all 2012 Free Agent Signings (Position Players)