Yesterday, Florida signed 1B-L Carlos Delgado to a four-year, $52M contract that includes a $4M buyout on a $12M option for 2009. The contract sets Delgado's salaries at $4M in 2005, $13.5M in 2006, $14.5M in 2007, and $16M in 2008. If he accumulates a score of 30 or more under the points system the Marlins included in the deal, he will guarantee the option year at $16M. The system assigns from one to ten points based on his finish in each season's MVP voting with a first place finish netting 10 points and a 10th place finish earning one point. He also can collect points with post-season MVP awards, as an LCS MVP is worth 10 points and a World Series MVP merits 20 points.

Knee and oblique problems cut into Delgado's production in the first half of 2004, but once healthy, he finished the season with a bang. The 32-year-old possesses excellent plate discipline and strong power skills. Moving off the SkyDome turf should take some stress off his knees, however he still carries substantial injury risk. Provided he remains healthy, I believe Delgado will provide sufficient production to justify his salary, but I'm not certain this contract was the best investment for Florida. The Marlins should have stepped up their attempts to deal OF-R Juan Encarnacion before the Delgado acquisition reduced the strength of their negotiating position. Meanwhile, Delgado's presence leaves promising first base prospect Jason Stokes without a place to play in Florida once he conquers AAA.