MVN: Most Valuable Network

Earlier this week, the Oakland Athletics signed 1B/DH Jason Giambi to a one-year deal with a club option for 2010.  Giambi is reported to be getting a $4 million base salary for this season, while the option is worth $6.5 million and features a $1.25 million buyout.  Giambi can also earn more if he reaches certain performance incentives in the deal. 

Giambi spent his first seven major league seasons in Oakland before signing a lucrative deal with the New York Yankees before the 2002 season.  He has the 2000 AL MVP while playing for the A's, as he hit .333 with 43 HR and 137 RBI that year.  He followed that up in 2001 with another terrific year, when he hit .342 with 38 HR and 120 RBI and finished second in the AL MVP voting.  That performance over back-to-back seasons led to his moving on to New York.

Giambi struggled some in recent seasons with the Yankees, as he never hit above .271 and only topped 100 RBI once in the last five seasons.  Injuries became an issue for him, and being at the center of some of the steroid controversy may have become a distraction.  .

Giambi had somewhat of a bounceback season in 2008, as he hit 32 HR and had 96 RBI while playing in 145 games.  He played 113 games at 1B last season, and he topped 450 at-bats for the first time since 2003.  2008 was the only season he played over 100 games at 1B with New York. 

Giambi will not help you in batting average, as he hit only .247 in 2008 and has not topped .300 since 2002.  He also does strikeout a lot, having topped 100 strikeouts in each of the last five seasons in which he has played more than 100 games.

Coming back to Oakland, and closer to where he grew up, may be good for Giambi.  He joins a lineup that includes newly acquired LF Matt Holliday, RF/DH Jack Cust, 3B Eric Chavez (assuming he's healthy) and 2B Mark Ellis.  He will probably serve primarily as the A's DH, while occasionally playing some 1B in relief of young Daric Barton. 

I project Giambi to hit somewhere around 25-30 HR and drive in around 85-90 runs.  Do look elsewhere for a good batting average, as he will probably only hit around .250.  Don't expect Giambi to return to the production levels of his prime years, as he just turned 38 years old.  But, he is possibly going to be undervalued in your draft and could be a solid power hitter if he can stay healthy.