1
Picking up a retread like Kotchman is different than, say, getting somebody they will have to commit more to like Delgado. In that sense, I don't think Kotchman freezes anybody out. He will be easily benched. If they had Delgado, a lot more would ride on his success and it would freeze younger players out to a greater degree. Kotchman will provide more roster flexibility and Kotchman won't prevent Z from bringing in those young guys if they start tearing it up. I'd rather have Prince Fielder too, but in terms of freezing out, Kotchman does it a lot less than most.