What if I told you that there was an outfielder who has a .261/.320/.496 batting line over his past four seasons, is capable of playing passable defense, and is probably available for a contract similar to (or less than) what Pedro Alvarez got from the O’s this year? Sounds ridiculous, right?
As it turns out, that guy is out there. He’s available on the free agent market right now, is getting virtually zero press, and is someone who I honestly forgot existed until a couple days ago. His name is Franklin Gutierrez.
There’s obviously a catch to all this: Gutierrez is a part-time platoon bat.