NewsCall the shots with Free Agent Frenzy
Successful predictions to earn winner Opening Day tickets
By Tim Ott / MLB.com
11/05/09 2:00 PM EST
The conclusion of the World Series may mark the finish of the Major League Baseball season, but it hardly means that baseball is put on the back burner.After all, the end of the action on the field also marks the start of the Hot Stove season, when fans keep the spirit of baseball alive with musings and arguments about the campaign to come.
Since the advent of free agency in the mid-1970s, much of the Hot Stove chatter has invariably centered around how a star player could impact a team with his big bat or powerful arm.
And because the successful prediction of a free agent's signing brings any fan a good measure of satisfaction, MLB.com is bringing back its Free Agent Frenzy game to test fans' abilities to call the shots.
The rules for Free Agent Frenzy are simple: Sign up to play, and you'll see a list of 15 of the biggest free-agent names out there. In one dropdown menu, you'll need to select the team that you think will sign a featured player. In the second dropdown menu, you'll assign a confidence level to your prediction, with 1 being the least confident and 15 being the most confident.
Each correct selection will earn you points based on your confidence level. Compile the most points, and you could win a pair of tickets to the 2010 Opening Day game of your choice.
So which marquee players are expected to field big offers on the free-agent market? For starters (pun intended), there's John Lackey, the Angels ace who went 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA in 27 outings this past season.
Outfielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay could draw the most attention from teams in need of an offensive lift. Holliday took off after a midseason trade from Oakland to St. Louis in 2009, winding up with a .313 average, 24 homers and 109 RBIs. Bay also showed he could provide plenty of thump during a season that saw him produce a career-best 36 blasts and 119 RBIs for Boston.
Jose Valverde is the lone established closer of the group. Though he was limited by a calf injury, the hard-throwing right-hander still wound up with 25 saves and a 2.33 ERA for Houston in '09, and he topped 40 saves in each of the previous two seasons.
Perhaps the most intriguing name on this list is that of Ardolis Chapman. American fans may not be familiar with the Cuba native, but Chapman is considered to be one of the top pitching prospects in the world thanks to his 100 mph heater.
The Angels could very well be the most active team this offseason, as they have three star-caliber players (Lackey, Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero) featured in Free Agent Frenzy.
Of course, nobody should overlook the drawing power of the Yankees, who are usually among the most aggressive teams in the free-agent market. The Yanks reeled in CC Sabathia, Mark Teixiera and A.J. Burnett last offseason, and with a couple of their own outfielder/DH types facing free agency (Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui), it's hard to imagine they'll go the entire offseason without signing at least one big name.
The Cardinals (Holliday, Mark DeRosa), Astros (Valverde, Miguel Tejada) and Mariners (Erik Bedard, Russell Branyan) also have two players featured in Free Agent Frenzy and will likely be looking to strike a few deals.
One way or another, the Hot Stove discussions figure to heat up in the coming weeks. If you're a fan, you'll likely find yourself paying close attention to the rumors about where the stars will sign.
And if you know how the free-agent game is played by the big boys, then you could turn that knowledge into 2010 Opening Day tickets with Free Agent Frenzy.
Free Agent Frenzy Featured Players
| Player | Pos. | '09 Team | '09 Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Bay | OF | BOS | .267 AVG, 36 HR, 119 RBIs |
| Erik Bedard | SP | SEA | 5-3, 2.82 ERA, 90 Ks |
| Russell Branyan | 1B | SEA | .251 AVG, 31 HR, 76 RBIs |
| Aroldis Chapman | SP | Cuba | 11-4, 3.19 ERA, 130 Ks |
| Johnny Damon | OF | NYY | .282 AVG, 24 HR, 82 RBIs |
| Mark DeRosa | 3B/OF | STL | .250 AVG, 23 HR, 78 RBIs |
| Jermaine Dye | OF | CWS | .250 AVG, 27 HR, 81 RBIs |
| Chone Figgins | 3B | LAA | .298 AVG, 114 R, 42 SB |
| Rich Harden | SP | CHC | 9-9, 4.09 ERA, 171 Ks |
| Matt Holliday | OF | STL | .313 AVG, 24 HR, 109 RBIs |
| Vladimir Guerrero | OF/DH | LAA | .295 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBIs |
| John Lackey | SP | LAA | 11-8, 3,83 ERA, 139 Ks |
| Hideki Matsui | OF/DH | NYY | .274 AVG, 28 HR, 90 RBIs |
| Miguel Tejada | SS | HOU | .313 AVG, 14 HR, 86 RBIs |
| Jose Valverde | RP | HOU | 4-2, 2.33 ERA, 25 SV |
Tim Ott is a writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
