Contract Crowdsourcing 2020-21: Ballot 6 of 10

Free agency begins five days after the end of the World Series. As in other recent offseasons, FanGraphs is once again facilitating a contract-crowdsourcing project, the idea being to harness the wisdom of the crowd to better understand and project the 2020-21 free-agent market.

This year, we’ve added a few new features to the ballots based on reader feedback. You now have the option to indicate that a player will only receive a minor-league contract, or won’t receive one at all. We’ve elected to show averages from the 2017-2019 seasons so that this year’s shortened slate doesn’t skew the numbers, but we’ve also included 2020 stats as a point of recent reference. 2020 salary figures represent players’ pre-pandemic contract amounts. Statistics are prorated to full season where noted; the projected WAR figures are from the first cut of the 2021 Steamer600 projections.

Below are ballots for nine of this year’s free agents — in this case, another group of relievers.





Meg is the managing editor of FanGraphs and the co-host of Effectively Wild. Prior to joining FanGraphs, her work appeared at Baseball Prospectus, Lookout Landing, and Just A Bit Outside. You can follow her on twitter @megrowler.

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Doug Lampertmember
3 years ago

I think I was way more generous than most people on all the previous ballots, but is there anyone here who isn’t “MiLB contract”? These are guys you want to take a look at in spring training, and maybe call up when you need them.

bluerum29
3 years ago
Reply to  Doug Lampert

O’Day was the only one I gave minor league to, due to age.

sadtrombonemember
3 years ago
Reply to  Doug Lampert

I gave them all 1-year deals between $3M and $8M. No doubt there is some team out there that sees them all as MiLB deal-worthy but I’m going to guess that there are at least 2-4 teams out there that are interested enough to force a major league guarantee, and for a few of them (mostly McGee) I think you could see contracts in the high single digits.

Joe23
3 years ago
Reply to  Doug Lampert

I had quite a few MiLB contracts here, as well. So many bullpen arms end up there in normal years that is makes sense more will end up there in down and uncertain financial times. But I think sadtrombone is right- teams will take a chance for $3-5M on a solid bullpen arm to give them depth.

TKDCmember
3 years ago
Reply to  Doug Lampert

I think a few will get contracts, but I wonder how the now shrinking bullpens will factor into this. There are a lot of guys with MLB experience in 2020 that won’t make rosters in 2021. It’s a numbers game. With so many pre-arb, cost controlled arms that now have big league experience, why pay a veteran for a backend of the bullpen spot?