The single-dimensional slugger did not go extinct this week, but the species received a loud message about its status.
Pedro Alvarez (11th), Chris Carter (14th) and Mark Trumbo (19th) rank among the top 20 in the majors in combined homers over the past four years. Yet, on Wednesday, Alvarez (Pirates) and Carter (Astros) were non-tendered, and Trumbo (Mariners) was all but non-tendered when he was traded to the Orioles in exchange for a third-string catcher out of options (Steve Clevenger) – and Seattle had to further sweeten the deal by including reliever C.J. Riefenhauser.
In addition, the A’s and Padres decided to non-tender Ike Davis and Will Middlebrooks, respectively, rather than see if their power ever re-surfaced.
Executives will say the toughest thing to find in the game right now is power, particularly righty power. Yet, three of the game’s top power hitters – two of them righties, Carter and Trumbo – had their current teams dispatch them for nothing or next to nothing rather than commit to one-year contacts for between roughly $6 million and $9 million.
Why?
1. There is increased attention to defense.
Clubs value fielding ability more than ever as advanced analytics better calculate how many runs strong defenders save. Even five years ago, power hitters such as Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes probably would have gotten more in free agency than would Jason Heyward. But Heyward likely will get the high offer this offseason because, yes, he is younger and a good baserunner, but mainly because he is considered among the best defenders in the game.
The Pirates, for example, watched Alvarez play himself off of third base and first. Carter and Trumbo are not strong in the field.
2. There is increased attention to roster maneuverability.
Most teams carry 12 pitchers, so they can have just 13 position players. Add in the large amount of injuries with which every team copes. Add in that using the whole roster has become more pertinent with players wearing down in an era when there is stricter testing for amphetamines and steroids.
This all has made having bad defenders with no positional versatility a larger problem. The Astros, for example, could have one defensively challenged slugger such as Evan Gattis, but once you add to it with Carter, suddenly you are severely hamstringing your manager’s ability to make moves.
One of the Yankees’ problems is having both Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez, two players who should be serving as DH. Instead, the Yankees have to put an inferior defender in right field (Beltran) to have both bats in the lineup, and using the two roster spots limits Joe Girardi’s ability to maneuver.
3. There is increased attention to athleticism.
This has to do with understanding the value of defense in a greater way and seeing how the sterner drug testing has defused some of the value of sluggers. Again, a team can have a non-athlete or two, but does not want to have too much duplication. Notice under new GM Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners have tried to get way more athletic in their big home outfield by retaining Franklin Gutierrez and adding Leonys Martin, Nori Aoki and prospect Boog Powell.
4. There is increased attention to lineup diversity.
When the Astros were trying to maintain a bottom-tier payroll and couldn’t afford well-rounded players, they took a bunch of all-or-nothing hitters as a way to try to win. Now that they are growing their payroll, they can be more judicious.
Yes, power is incredibly valuable, but when it is attached to high strikeouts, low average and problematic defense, it loses value.
Now, as Trumbo did with the Orioles, Alvarez and Carter will find employment because of that power. A team such as the Rays that cannot afford to get the well-rounded player will give a one-year contract for a player who might be able to bring power to the DH spot.
But the field of teams willing to do even that – as we learned this week – is contracting as the power of just power is not alluring as it once was.
