<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>C: Mike Redmond, Minnesota, $950,000 ? Filling in for the injured Joe Mauer, Redmond has hit well (a major-league-leading .412 with two strikes) and been excellent behind the plate (catching 47 percent of attempted stolen bases). When Mauer does return, Redmond will resume his part-time duties as catcher and DH, looking to hit over .300 for the third consecutive year and seventh time in 10 seasons.1B: Carlos Pe?a, Tampa Bay, $800,000 ? Few remember that Pe?a hit 27 home runs with Detroit in 2004. He lost his job midway through the next season to Chris Shelton and got only 33 at-bats last year with the Red Sox. An afterthought headed into the spring, Pe?a is tied for sixth in the American League with 10 home runs and is behind only Jack Cust and Alex Rodriguez in at-bats per home run.2B: Placido Polanco, Detroit, $4.6 million ? Among players with at least 175 plate appearances, Polanco's eight strikeouts are the fewest. The corollary is his alarmingly low walk rate, though when you're hitting .328, its consequences are not quite as drastic. Perhaps the most amazing number is Polanco's batting average when faced with an 0-2 count: .405.SS: Jose Reyes, New York Mets, $2.88 million ? OK, so maybe this is cheating a little. The Mets locked the 23-year-old Reyes up through all three of his arbitration years, plus his first free-agent season, at a closeout price of $23.25 million. (And they've got an $11 million option for 2011, too.) For that they get the most exciting player in the game, one who leads baseball with 28 stolen bases, has smacked 23 extra-base hits and sparkles in the field to boot.3B: David Wright, New York Mets, $1.25 million ? For these two deals alone Mets general manager Omar Minaya deserves a contract extension. Wright is actually still a pre-arbitration player, though he forfeited that for a six-year, $55 million that starts him off at a pittance this year. Following a miserable April, Wright has hammered eight home runs, slugged .615 and stolen seven bases in May. And he's just 24.OF: Grady Sizemore, Cleveland, $916,667 ? Same scenario for Sizemore, who snagged a six-year deal before he had two full years in the major leagues. Though his numbers tapered off in May, Sizemore still has a .400 on-base percentage, eight home runs and 16 stolen bases in Cleveland's leadoff spot. Eventually, he'll drop down to No. 3 in the lineup, and his RBIs will catch up to ? if not exceed ? his runs scored.OF: Matt Holliday, Colorado, $4.4 million ? There might not be a better pure hitter than the 27-year-old Holliday, who leads the major leagues with 71 hits and is third in the National League with a .341 batting average. He's third in RBIs, fourth in slugging percentage, fourth in OPS and seemingly impervious to the humidor.OF: Aaron Rowand, Philadelphia, $4.35 million ? Healthy again, Rowand is nearly duplicating the numbers of his career year in 2004. Already, in half as many plate appearances, Rowand has matched his 18 walks from last season. And with his .325 batting average and superlative defense in center field, he's making himself plenty of money as free agency looms following this year.DH: Sammy Sosa, Texas, $500,000 ? Uncle. There's been so much noise from people looking for Sammy to get some credit that it sounds more like Sousa than Sosa. He may be fake. He may be disingenuous. But the man is a bargain. Even if his on-base percentage stinks, Sosa's run production ? 12 doubles, 10 home runs and 39 RBIs ? makes up for it.SP: Jake Peavy, San Diego, $4.75 million ? Peavy would be a bargain at three times his salary. His 1.47 ERA is a quarter-run better than the next-best starter, his 85 strikeouts are third in the major leagues and his opponents' OPS is an unfathomable .476.SP: Chris Young, San Diego, $750,000 ? Perhaps the best trade of the decade brought Young, outfielder Terrmel Sledge and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez ? who would have been just as good a choice as Carlos Pe?a ? to the Padres for Akinori Otsuka and Adam Eaton. The 6-foot-10 Young, who spent his college career playing basketball at Princeton, is only getting better: Opponents are hitting just .214 against him.SP: Tim Hudson and John Smoltz, Atlanta, $8.5 million and $8 million ? Take your pick. Hudson's ERA is 2.79, Smoltz's 2.83. Hudson has allowed 84 baserunners in 77 1/3 innings. Smoltz, at 40, is averaging nearly eight strikeouts per nine innings. Both are cut-rate for established All-Stars.SP: John Lackey, Los Angeles Angels, $5.3 million ? The big kid who won Game 7 of the World Series at 23 years old has grown into the Angels' 28-year-old ace. He leads the AL with eight wins, ranks third with a 2.36 ERA and strikes out three batters for every one he walks.SP: Dan Haren, Oakland, $2.25 million ? The best pitcher in the AL this season, and it's not even close. His 1.70 ERA is a half-run better than the next best, teammate Chad Gaudin, who would have been the next starter on this team with a $400,000 salary. Haren has allowed just 49 hits in 74 1/3 innings, and his 10 quality starts (out of 11 total) are tied with Peavy and Smoltz for the most in baseball.RP: Takashi Saito, Los Angeles Dodgers, $1 million ? Welcome back! Unlike with Weaver, it's a privilege to join this team for the second consecutive season. After making $500,000 last season, striking out 107 in 78 1/3 innings and taking over the Dodgers' closer job, Saito has been even better this year: 22 innings, two walks, 26 strikeouts, a 1.64 ERA and 15 for 15 in save opportunities.RP: Al Reyes, Tampa Bay, $750,000 ? A scrap-heap pickup ? he was signed to a minor-league deal the same day as Gary Glover and Jason Grabowski ? Reyes won a job in the Devil Rays' bullpen and quickly proved himself their most competent reliever. Now, with bullpen help needed all over the game, Tampa Bay will have a nice trading chip come July, so long as Reyes can continue keeping hitters to a .141 batting average and striking out more than one an inning.RP: J.J. Putz, Seattle, $2.7 million ? So much for those possible arm troubles during spring training. Putz has allowed just 14 baserunners in 21 2/3 innings, struck out 20 and hasn't blown a save in 12 chances, the punctuation mark on a bullpen that features the underrated George Sherrill, Eric O'Flaherty and rookie Brandon Morrow.RP: Ryan Franklin, St. Louis, $1 million ? Franklin's career had spiraled after a positive steroid test when something happened on the way to the gutter. He has walked two batters in 19 2/3 innings, limited hitters to a .186 batting average, posted a 0.92 ERA and become so indispensable as a setup man that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa declined to move Franklin ? for almost his entire career a starter ? into the rotation despite an open spot.</div>
My only complaint is they like cheated for half of their roster. Reyes and Wright only signed their deals to avoid dealing with arbitration the next 3-4 years. If they were eligible for Free Agency they would be making at least 15 million a year each. They dont count in my eyes. People like Redmond who was eligible for Free Agency and is just completely outperforming that contract is the kind of people who should be honored IMO.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AdropOFvenom @ Jun 1 2007, 07:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>My only complaint is they like cheated for half of their roster. Reyes and Wright only signed their deals to avoid dealing with arbitration the next 3-4 years. If they were eligible for Free Agency they would be making at least 15 million a year each. They dont count in my eyes. People like Redmond who was eligible for Free Agency and is just completely outperforming that contract is the kind of people who should be honored IMO.</div>Red dawg is such a gangsta, it's crazy.I also didn't know you could make 8+ mil and be considered underpaid.
Yea, 8+ mill is definitley not underpaid. I don't care if they have under a 2 ERA, they better be pitching somewhere near a 2 flat ERA to be considered underpaid at 8 mill a year.
