Monthly Archives: December 2013

Rounding the Bases: More deals

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The week of the MLB Winter Meetings had a lot to live up to after the transaction bonanza of the preceding week.

Consequently it was a slightly underwhelming few days relative to what had come before, but there was still a series of signings worth catching up on.

Hello Cano

The major event of the week came in Seattle where second baseman Robinson Cano was officially unveiled as a Mariner, having agreed a staggering 10-year, $240m contract with the AL West team.

Such monumental investments carry a significant amount of risk, as discussed a week ago, but any concerns can be pushed to one side right now for Mariners fans as the revel in the excitement of their team acquiring one of the very best players in the Majors.

It is great to see a team like Seattle making a bold signing and further shows how competitive MLB is.

Every year, the vast majority of teams will start the season with genuine reason for optimism that they could be in the running for a playoff place, with the main exceptions being teams, such as the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins, who have deliberately chosen to take steps backwards to reload for better days in years to come.

Only ten teams can make it to the postseason in a given season, so those hopes will not be realised for many, but it is hope that keeps fans going and MLB has done a great job in creating an environment where most teams can offer this.

The Mariners’ next big task is to make further improvements to supplement the addition of Cano, particularly in the batting lineup. Former Milwaukee Brewer Corey Hart has been signed on a one-year deal after he missed all of the 2013 season due to knee surgery. If he’s healthy, Hart should add some much-need power to the lineup, and he’ll be joined by Logan Morrison, who was acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins.

Seattle are unlikely to end their recruitment drive there and they continue to be linked with outfielder free agent Nelson Cruz, although his price tag may prove to be too rich following their spending so far this offseason.

Yankees still shopping

The sight of Robinson Cano smiling in a Mariners uniform didn’t just drive home the impact of his signing for Seattle, but also for his former team in the Bronx.

The Yankees have a Cano-shaped hole to fill at second base and that hasn’t started very well, with one potential target slipping away from them this week.

Omar Infante has reportedly agreed a four-year, $30.25m contract with the Kansas City Royals after the Yankees refused to increase their offer of a three-year deal worth $24m. The 32-year-old isn’t a superstar and holding firm at three years isn’t an overly questionable decision, but solid second baseman aren’t easy to find and there’s no doubt that the Yankees have a pressing need for such a player.  There were rumours of a potential trade with the Cincinnati Reds for Brandon Phillips early last week, but no deal was agreed and apparently talks have ceased for now, with New York turning their attention to Darwin Barney of the Chicago Cubs.

The Royals presumably will take a modicum of satisfaction from outbidding the Yankees for Infante after the Bronx Bombers did the same thing to them with Carlos Beltran.

Three teams, six players

We did get one Winter Meeting specialty last week: the three-team trade. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels combined in a deal including six players.

The best-known name of the bunch was Mark Trumbo. He will take his homer-hitting skills (although arguably supplemented with little else) from the Angels to the D-Backs, whilst Adam Eaton moves from Arizona to Chicago. The Angels are reunited with young pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who they drafted in the first round of the 2009 amateur draft but then traded to Arizona in August 2010 as part of a deal to acquire Dan Haren, and received another starting pitcher in the form of Hector Santiago from the White Sox.

Back to where they were

Several teams and players have decided to stage a reunion.

Juan Uribe has agreed a two-year, $15m deal to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Uribe struggled badly with the Dodgers in 2011 and 2012 and his hack-happy approach at the plate has never endeared him to connoisseurs of the science of hitting. However, he did a good job for the Dodgers in 2013 and, with limited options available, a reunion was always a decent possibility.

Former Dodger James Loney has also rejoined his 2013 team, agreeing a three-year, $21m contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. Loney doesn’t offer much power for a first baseman, yet he’s a good hitter and he enjoyed a comeback in 2013 with the Rays as a change of scenery from L.A., where he looked a little weighed down by not meeting the lofty expectations placed on him, worked out well.

That could have proved a problem for the Rays as good players tend to end up moving out of their price range (David Price being a prime example, although at time of writing his expected trade away from the Rays hasn’t materialized), yet in this case they’ve been able to come to an agreement to keep hold of one of their free agents.

Elsewhere, Clint Barmes has returned to Pittsburgh, whilst Mike Pelfrey has decided to stay in Minnesota. The Twins have now added three pitchers to their rotation, Pelfrey being joined by Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes, and they may still be in the conversation to sign former Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo too. None of these hurlers are aces, but they all have their plus points and if they can find some form at Target Field then the Twins may be able to reverse their recent run of disappointing seasons and at least get back on the right path.

Pitchers changing places

Pelfrey wasn’t the only pitcher agreeing terms on a new contract this past week.

Bartolo Colon will try to continue to defy the ageing process after signing a two-year, $20m contract with the New York Mets. Colon performed brilliantly for the Oakland A’s over the last two seasons and a move to another pitcher-friendly home ballpark should increase the odds that he can keep that run going, although moving to the non-DH league where he may have to find his way around the basepads may be a problem for the Mets, and a source of laughter for the rest of us.

The A’s have continued their recent activity by trading away Brett Anderson to the Colorado Rockies and Jerry Blevins to the Washington Nationals. Anderson has been beset by injuries in recent seasons and Coors Field isn’t the first place a pitcher would pick to get their career back on track, but A’s fans will wish him well whilst hoping that former top prospect Drew Pomeranz (selected fifth overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 2010 draft) is a gamble that pays off in return. Blevins should usefully fill a hole in the Nats’ bullpen as a reliable lefty, with the A’s receiving speedy outfield prospect Billy Burns in return.

Another reliever changing teams this week was Joba Chamberlain. Much-hyped as a New York Yankee prospect, Chamberlain never quite lived up to his billing in the Bronx and a move to the Detroit Tigers as a free agent could be just what he needs to get his career going again.

Doc calls it a day

Finally, Roy Halladay announced his retirement this week, signing a one-day deal so that he could retire as a Toronto Blue Jay. His dominating run of seasons from 2002 to 2011 were the equal of some of the very greatest the game has seen and although he doesn’t have all of the impressive counting stats that you’d normally associate with a Hall of Fame player (‘only’ 203 career wins, for example) he was an exceptional pitcher for a significant period of time and should receive serious consideration for a place in Cooperstown.

Rounding the Bases: Deals completed with more on the way

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The New York Yankees may have been leading the way, but there were plenty of other MLB teams making moves last week.

Seattle stunner

No one made a more impressive statement of intent than the Seattle Mariners. The 10-year, $240m contract agreed with Robinson Cano is the joint-third highest in MLB history, matching the contract the Los Angeles Angels agreed with Albert Pujols two offseasons ago and only trailing the Alex Rodriguez contracts of $252m and $275m.

Although they’ve been down on their luck in recent seasons, the Mariners are not a small market team and so the fact that they believe they can afford such a lucrative contract should not be shocking. The element of surprise came in part through them outbidding the Yankees and in part by the timing. Even adding a great player like Cano leaves them with an underwhelming batting lineup to go alongside an admittedly impressive 1-2 starting pitching punch of Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. Why invest so much money in Cano if there isn’t the talent around him to win?

Well, the simple answer is that if you want to improve, adding one of the best players in baseball is a good way to start. The Mariners are now being linked with a host of other names – including a potential trade for the Rays’ David Price – and whilst money certainly talks loudest when free agents decide on their new home (and understandably so), players do want to win too and Cano will be a very handy selling point to show that they are serious about being contenders.

The other point to note is that this is a multi-year commitment, not a one-year rental. Of course the Mariners will want to make the playoffs in 2014 and they’ll attract some criticism if they don’t, but it will be far from disastrous if 2014 sees the Mariners take a positive step forward to then set up an offseason recruitment exercise in a year’s time to make them genuine contenders.

And finally it’s worth learning a lesson from the recent trade of Prince Fielder to remind us all that nothing is ever as certain as it may seem. The Cano contract is a monumental commitment by the Mariners, but it’s quite possible (maybe even probable) that he will not be a Seattle player for that entire period. If one of the biggest risks is that he won’t be worth the money in the last few years of the contract – and it is – well, the chances are the Mariners might only be on the hook for a percentage of that salary while he plays for someone else anyway.

The Mariners need some more pieces to give themselves any chance of a playoff push in 2014; however it looks like they’re trying to add them and, even if they don’t, Seattle fans have every reason to be excited about what the coming years may bring.

A’s add several pieces

The Oakland A’s are two-time reigning AL West champions but it’s their lot to continue to go under the radar and be overshadowed by their rivals. Whilst they haven’t signed Robinson Cano or traded for Prince Fielder, the A’s were the most active team of the week and made a series of moves that should all prove beneficial in their quest to make it three division titles in a row.

Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour are set to leave the A’s as free agents, so General Manager Billy Beane filled those holes with the signing of free agent Scott ‘comeback kid’ Kazmir and trading for the Baltimore Orioles’ closer Jim Johnson. Reliever Luke Gregerson (from the Padres) and outfielder Craig Gentry (from the Rangers) were also acquired in trades.

Red Sox rally from Ellsbury departure

In the AL East, the Boston Red Sox are doing a good job of hiding any disappointment they have in losing Jacoby Ellsbury to those damn Yankees. They’ve agreed a two-year deal to bring back Mike Napoli, added former Cardinal Edward Mujica to their bullpen and replaced the departed Jarrod Saltalamacchia (who’s signed for the Marlins) with veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who will be keen to bounce back from a relatively disappointing one-year stay in Texas.

Nathan in, Fister out

The Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox’s 2013 American League Championship Series opponents, have ensured there will be no repeat of the closer confusion of last season as they signed Joe Nathan on a two-year contract. Meanwhile Doug Fister has been traded away to the Washington Nationals, possibly in part to clear some space on the payroll for Nathan.

The Tigers do have Drew Smyly as a ready-made replacement in the rotation, but it’s surprising that they didn’t get more of a return (utility player Steve Lombardozzi being the main player of three acquired) for a solid starter, one that the Nationals will be more than happy to have on their pitching staff in 2014. The Nationals made another move last week too, adding outfielder Nate McLouth.

Wilson returns

Brian Wilson was the other main closer candidate being considered by the Tigers. After Detroit opted for Nathan, Wilson decided to return to the L.A. Dodgers in a set-up role behind Kenley Jansen. That’s certainly not going to be the last move made by the Dodgers and much of their offseason plans may revolve around whether the rumours come true and they trade away either Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp.

Grandy stays in New York

Outfielder Curtis Granderson wasn’t in the Yankees’ grand spending plans this offseason but he will stay in New York regardless after signing a four-year deal with the Mets. Former Oakland A Chris Young had previously signed a one-year deal with the Mets as they seek to upgrade their outfield and start the process of getting back into contention in the NL East.

And that’s just for starters!

Last week’s transaction news may just be the first course in a baseball feast. This week the great and good of the baseball world will gather at the annual Winter Meetings, where rumours go into overdrive and, occasionally, major trades and free agent signings are agreed. If we’ve learned anything over the past seven days it’s that we should be prepared for a shock or two.

 

Rounding the Bases: The Yankees’ section

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Player transaction news can never fully replace the drama and excitement of actual games; however this past week got as close as possible to making baseball fans forget that currently we’re not able to enjoy watching any on-field action.

The most important thing to remember when following the transaction rumours and news stories is that no move happens in isolation. Each decision is the product of a series of events and has a knock-on effect too.

Over the last offseason it was the newly-cash-rich Los Angeles Dodgers that were the leading protagonist. Everyone knew they were going to be the dominant force and other teams were either trying to get in ahead of them, or waiting to see what options would be available once the Dodgers started making their moves.

This offseason it’s the New York Yankees who have returned to their seemingly rightful position of the market-setter. They wanted to get their payroll below the luxury tax threshold of $189m, but that was before an 85-77 regular season and a watching brief during a postseason that ended with their arch rivals the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series.

The Yankees are a team that wins and, just as importantly in New York, a team that wins with stars. With club legends Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte retiring, Derek Jeter battling injuries and the inevitable ageing process, and Alex Rodriguez being a one-man soap opera, there was precisely no way whatsoever that the Yankees were going to make a few helpful little deals and let their farm system of young players develop.

Robinson Cano was always going to be the intriguing storyline in all this. Cano became a free agent this offseason as arguably the Yankees’ one star still in his prime. In other words, he was exactly the type of player they wanted on their roster for 2014 and beyond and losing him to another team was almost – although not quite – unthinkable.

Yes, the Yankees were making noises through ‘sources’ that they weren’t going to stretch to a ten-year contract or anything near $200m, but ultimately this story was going to end in someone paying an excellent player a lot of money, and that was surely too much of a Yankee thing to do for them to resist.

Even when Cano arrived in Seattle for talks with the Mariners, it was seen not as the first step of him leaving New York, more the next step in pushing the Yankees to up their offer to keep him.

And yet, on Friday it was there on every MLB news site you cared to check just in case the rest had somehow got it wrong: Cano had agreed a 10-year, $240m contract with the Mariners.

Earlier in the week the Yankees had given Jacoby Ellsbury a seven-year, $153m contract to move to New York after winning a World Series with the Red Sox (the Johnny Damon path, as it should be known). It seems that this wasn’t an early admission of defeat in the Cano stakes and that in agreeing the deal they still felt they could keep their second baseman, but it was a decent consolation prize to secure just in case the Mariners’ dollars overwhelmed them (and isn’t that a strange situation to behold).

The Yankees had already agreed a five-year, $85m contract with former Atlanta Brave Brian McCann to make a big upgrade at the catcher position and they’ve now successfully convinced pitcher Hiroki Kuroda to sign on for another year on a $16m contract.

Additionally it looked like free agent Carlos Beltran would be making a return to his first team, the Kansas City Royals but as soon as Cano was a lost cause, the Yankees relented and improved their two-year contract offer to three years to match the Royals. Beltran will now be wearing pinstripes and testing out the theory that the short right-field porch in Yankee Stadium will be tailor-made for him, whilst Royals fans can bemoan the Mariners’ largesse for ruining Beltran’s KC homecoming.

Checking the Yankees’ offseason roster on MLBDepthCharts (an essential offseason resource) tells you that they’re not finished with spending money either. We can expect another good everyday infielder, starting pitcher (possibly Japan’s Masahiro Tanaka depending on whether he’s posted by his team) and reliever or two.

The Yankees are back being the Yankees again, despite losing Cano. There are many other teams looking to improve their rosters too this offseason and they will be the subject of tomorrow’s article.

Rounding the Bases: The Drugs Don’t Work?

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The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft once sang “now the drugs don’t work, they just make things worse”.

Whether the drugs that condemned Jhonny Peralta to a 50-game suspension in this past season actually worked in the sense of significantly enhancing his performances is up for debate.

One of the problems with the issue of so-called ‘performance-enhancing drugs’ is that no one, not even the people taking them, can accurately determine what effect they had (although if the substance is banned, the act of taking it regardless of any benefit may well deserve punishment).

So Peralta’s story doesn’t help us with validating or dismissing the first part of Ashcroft’s statement, but the St. Louis Cardinals’ decision last week to give him a four-year, $53m contract presents a strong case against the claim that they “make things worse”.

The contract has provoked a considerable amount of debate, not least due to relief pitchers Brad Ziegler and David Aardsma taking to Twitter to point out that it doesn’t do much for the awareness campaign to discourage drug use.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick wrote an excellent article summing up the various parts to the debate and it’s sure to be a topic of conversation again this offseason (when Nelson Cruz comes off the free agent market, for example) and in future winters too.

The Cardinals have had to mount a defence of their decision to sign Peralta, although the questioning will soon disappear if he’s a success on the field for the Red Birds. When it comes down to it, that’s what fans really care about. The current drug-testing programme leaves a first-time offender in Peralta’s situation with a 50-game suspension and once he’s served it there’s no reason for a team to penalise him. He was a good fit for the Cardinals’ offseason plan and they knew if they didn’t sign him to a four-year deal, someone else was going to instead.

The only way to increase the deterrent, and to reduce the obvious embarrassment of someone getting caught in the drug-testing programme and then soon after walking off with a multi-million dollar deal, is to introduce longer suspensions of at least one year.

Crasnick’s article notes that there’s a feeling among many players that there are different scales of drug-programme contraventions and that banning someone for a whole year for a minor transgression would be unjust. Aligning that position with harsher penalties may be difficult, but you suspect that Peralta’s contract may be a catalyst for further discussions on the matter.

Hall of Fame

The current dilemmas for Front Offices on awarding contracts to those labelled as ‘drug cheats’ is nothing compared to the problems caused by ‘suspected drug cheats’ on the Hall of Fame process.

Last year’s voting, in which no candidates were elected, was a miserable experience and the memories came flooding back when the 2014 ballot was announced. It includes a whole host of some of the biggest stars from the last 20 years or so, in fact so many that the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s rule that a ballot can only contain a maximum of ten players seems greatly restrictive this time around.

That’s probably not going to be reflected in the voting results though as voters grapple with the candidacies of players that were part of the so-called steroid era. Due to the lack of testing during this period, whether someone was a user or not really comes down to suspicion in most cases.

Pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine are on the ballot for the first time and it’s expected that they will be (rightly) elected, yet is it fair that they make it to Cooperstown whilst others (Jeff Bagwell being a prime example) are left in limbo on the basis of innuendo and suspicion based on no proof whatsoever?

The only fair way to treat the group is to disregard those suspicions and approach each player’s case for what it is; however the obvious problem with that is it may well lead to drug-users being voted in. The Hall of Fame is not exactly the Hall of Saints as it is, so perhaps that’s something that just has to be accepted.

We’ll find out what the voters think on 8 January.