Originally Posted by
Horsehide Harry
So,correct me if I'm wrong, but you're saying that in 2016 Kemp would have equal value to Heyward (assuming Heyward is static to actual) if he had an OPS of .631+.240=.871 even taking into consideration Kemp's awful defense and Heyward's superior defense? And, if Heyward had provided the same offense in 2016 that he did in STL in 2015 (.797 OPS) while having the same defensive value then Kemp would need to hit .797+.240=1.037 OPS to be equal in value?
If that could be quantified on a broad basis (not just Kemp/Heyward) then I think that would be a very interesting way of establishing relative value.
Kemp had a combined OPS in 2016 of .803 (.855 in Atlanta)
Kemp made $21.75M (paid by a number of teams)
Heyward made $21.67M
I am certainly NOT arguing that Kemp is a better player than Heyward (he's not by a long shot). However, there are scenarios where he could be a better value.
Let's say Kemp and Heyward mirror their 2016 numbers in 2017. Kemp again makes $21.75M but Heyward makes $28.2M, the .068 OPS difference (.871-.803) probably still justifies the $6.5M payroll difference, but the value between the two is much closer. And for the Braves, on the hook for $15M for Kemp, the relative value of Kemp could be more valuable than if they had Heyward.