December 12, 2006
Payton's New Place
Jay Payton joins the Orioles for a reasonable amount of money:
"Jay fits our need for a right-handed hitting outfielder," said Mike Flanagan, the team executive vice president for baseball operations. "The fact that he hits for average against both lefties and righties and his versatility to play all over the outfield is a real plus."
The 34-year-old Payton gets $4.5 million next year and $5 million in 2008.
Unfortunately, Payton does not fit the need for an outfielder who can actually contribute much offensively. Outside of his time in Colorado, Payton doesn't get on base much nor does he hit for power. His .284 batting average represents the majority of his offensive ability. To the Orioles credit, they're not overpaying for what they're getting.
I don't know, I think $8M+ is a LOT to pay a player who doesn't contribute anything offensively. You should be able to find any number of cheap OFs that can't hit for the league minimum.
Yes, 4+ million per year for an aging non-producer, who won't be part of the future plans seems rather steep. You could get kind of production of a AA guy for the league minimum. It could have been worse, though.