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Thursday, December 09, 2004Finley to sign tomorrowI can't tell you how disappointed I am with the impending Steve Finley signing (which is as good as done, according to Peter Gammons). I'm still a little woozy, so maybe I'm missing something. Apparently Bill Stoneman has decided that instead of solving his problems (by signing Carlos Beltran) he would much rather stick his fingers in his ears and pretend that everything will work itself out. I fail to see how Finley solves any of the Angels' problems - namely, outfield defense and a middle of the order slugger. Defensively, Finley will be a disaster. He was once the best centerfielder in baseball, but his range has greatly deteriorated over the past two years (not surprising considering his age - 39) to the point where he is now well below average. Last season he was actually worse than Garret Anderson, if you can believe such a thing:
I didn't think it was possible, but the Angels are actually taking a step back in terms of outfield defense - an area that plagued them throughout the season (and especially in the playoffs). Unless Finley somehow finds his lost range (and common sense suggests that he will only get worse), the Angels' pitching staff is in store for another long season. As for the bat, Finley is a nice piece, but not much more. He showed excellent power last season (36 HR), but it's entirely possible that 2004 was something of an aberration, as he had averaged just over 20 homeruns a season over the previous three. He's never been much of a contact hitter, and he doesn't draw a ton of walks like he did in the past. He produces enough for a centerfielder, certainly, but he's not gong to fill the gaping hole behind Vladimir like Beltran would have. But, of course, the most important number is 39 - his age. Finley is on the downside of his career, no doubt about it. His numbers - and his physical skills - have been in a slow decline over the past several seasons. He's still a more than serviceable player at the moment, but when will he fall off the cliff? It could easily be next season (and this is reportedly a two-year deal). Another 800 OPS season isn't out of the question, but I wouldn't stake the fate of my team on it, which is what the Angels have done here. At the very least we can expect his numbers to continue to decline, and they were already nothing compared to Beltran: What are the Angels saving by opting for Finley over Beltran? $7-8 million a year? I think it's safe to say that Carlos Beltran would have almost ensured the Angels a second consecutive AL West title. With the Finley signing (in conjunction with the other moves being made around the AL West) the Angels are dooming themselves to the AL West cellar. Is that worth the extra cash? What ever happened to winning at all costs? Here's the lineup if both the reported deals (Finley and Cabrerra) go down: C- B. MolinaPut those names together any way you care to - it's still ugly. Break it down, and you've got Vlad, two geriatrics that could turn to dust at any moment, a promising rookie, an average designatied hitter, and four other guys that will surely be in contention for the Neifi Perez award. So unless this is just the opening salvo in a grand scheme which will eventually bring several big pieces to Anaheim (which I just don't see happening at this point), it's going to be a bleak season. |
