Author Archives: @flani_23

Darvish Signs, What Does This Mean for MLB?

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Finally. Another big name comes off the free agent board as Yu Darvish pens a six-year $126M deal with the Chicago Cubs. The deal comes with an opt-out clause in 2019 and the deal will go through his age 36 year. Darvish had been drawing interest from teams such as the Twins, Dodgers, Yankees, Astros, and the Brewers. He is coming off a season having posted a 3.86 ERA, 209 punch outs and ending with a 10-12 record (career worst). He was still considered the top pitcher in the free agent market ahead of Jake Arrieta. This comes despite performances in both the regular season and the postseason.

Darvish is joining a Cubs pitching staff that is heavily stacked with Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, Jose Quintana, and new addition Tyler Chatwood. With the squad Chi-Town has this season, they are yet again favorites to win the NL Central, despite Milwaukee stocking up. The Brewers hauled in Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain. They are now more of a threat at the plate with Thames and Braun. So now we leave ourselves with the question:

Where does this leave the MLB?

Only time will tell when the current free agents that are left are going to find a home. Hopefully the Darvish signing will spark the free agent board and we’ll begin to start seeing more signings. We’re still waiting on whether Eric Hosmer is going to be the new face of San Diego or if he will stay with Kansas City. JD still hasn’t signed and I personally don’t want to get into that at the moment. Jake Arrieta hasn’t signed with ANYBODY yet. Anything can happen really now that pitchers and catchers are reporting for Spring Training and other position players are making their way down there. We could see multiple big signings in the next week or two. However the way this offseason is going I’m not getting my hopes up.

My predictions: Arrieta to Milwaukee or Washington, Hosmer to KC and JD….. Honestly I don’t really care where he goes. I’m over it at this point.

Why Alex Cora May Be the Best Offeason Pickup

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Let’s face it, this past offseason was as boring as watching David Ortiz run a forty-yard dash. The only exciting moment was J.D. Martinez signing with Boston for a $110 million deal. With the offseason concluded and the Red Sox underway with the season, we arrive at the question: “Who was the best pickup this offseason?” Well, believe it or not it’s Alex Cora. Not Mitch Moreland, not Keith Moreland, or Matt Moreland, but their new manager Alex Cora.

Dave Dombrowski’s goals this past offseason were to hire a new skip and to add power to the lineup. He achieved those two goals, one in which was hiring Alex Cora. As we all know, this is Cora’s first stint as a manager, coming off a World Series title with the Houston Astros this past season. Being one of the youngest managers in Red Sox history, connecting with the young talent the Sox have made Cora an ideal fit. Cora has also had stints as teammates of Dustin Pedroia and briefly Mitch Moreland while with Texas (which everyone forgets). Cora finished his career with a .243 batting average, cranking only 35 homers and driving in 286 RBI’s. Don’t forget folks, he was part of our World Series title team back in 2007, so he knows what it takes to win both on the filed and in the dugout.

Entering this season I was excited. Cora brings youth and great baseball know-how to a team that can make some noise this season. The Red Sox are off to a hot start, winning eight of their first nine games. Their only loss occurred on Opening Day. His goal as a manager is to just be himself. Mainly, he wants to build a close relationship with his players. Find out what’s going on with each players lives both on and off the field. He believes a close, positive relationship with his players will lead to success and so far, it’s working.

There seems to be only positive news and results coming from Boston since the start of Spring Training. This team has become more fun to watch and it seems they’ve become more intertwined as a team. No, it’s not because they’re playing Fortnite in the clubhouse every day. It’s because of Alex Cora, and the good vibes he brings to the ball field each and every day.

Designated Hitters Are People Too

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Designated Hitters Are People Too

Listen, the designated hitter position in baseball is just as important as any other position on a roster. The position was adopted in the American League in 1973 after many years of debate on whether to allow a position player to hit for the pitcher in the batting lineup. The DH role in baseball has molded the careers of many great hitters such as “The Big Hurt” Frank Thomas, Travis Hafner, Paul Moliter, and Harold Baines.

Of the “elite” players in the DH role we have Boston’s own David Ortiz, one of the most clutch hitters in baseball history. He is one of, if not the best, hitters to play the game. But what if I told you that even though Ortiz was a clutch hitter, he wasn’t the best DH. Why would I tell you that you may ask? Because Edgar Martinez is the best DH to play the game. This guy’s call to the Hall is very much overdue.

Martinez vs. Ortiz

Martinez’s stats set the bar for current and future designated hitters in Major League Baseball. Yet due to the power and home run totals we see out of designated hitters today he’s behind the mark. Writers often talk about how Ortiz has a better Hall of Fame case than Martinez. This is due to how “clutch” Ortiz was in certain situations with his immaculate home runs and playoff accolades. Martinez doesn’t possess kudos like that, and it’s not really his fault. I think it’s flat-out ridiculous, unless I missed the memo on the league changing the position name from “designated hitter” to “designated home run guy”.

The game of the position originally was to hit the ball and get on base. If you knock one out well then good for you. Edgar Martinez identified what it takes to be a successful DH in the MLB. He hit a lifetime average of .312 (not to shabby) with a OBP of .418 and a WAR of 68.3. Yes, you can argue Ortiz had a higher RBI, home run and slugging percentage total. But Ortiz also played two more seasons and had more at bats than Martinez, so there really isn’t an argument other than playoff accolades. Martinez was surprisingly five percent short of the votes to get in the Hall of Fame this year, only receiving 287 votes out of 422.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Big Papi with all my heart and soul. I’m not debunking his case for the Hall. He’s the greatest clutch hitter in baseball history and produced when it mattered most. But if you ask me who the greatest designated hitter in baseball history is, one hundred percent of the time I will say Edgar Martinez. Get this guy in the Hall already. Not just for his success as an individual in baseball, but for molding and being a pioneer for the designated hitter role in Major League Baseball.

Side Note: Edgar Martinez had 49 stolen bases during his tenure in the league. Ortiz had 17.

What if JD Doesn’t Sign with Boston?

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Holding Until Spring Training

It’s the end of January. The MLB offseason is reaching its end and the Boston Red Sox haven’t made any notable moves besides the return of Moreland. The Sox are the front runners in the JD Martinez sweepstakes and he has yet to sign. The five year $100 million dollar deal the Sox offered has been on hold. The Scott Boras client even went on to say he would hold out until Spring Training to accept an offer. That’s flat out ridiculous, and this should make every Red Sox fan annoyed. The more I think of it, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if JD doesn’t sign with Boston. It may save the Red Sox some cash if they don’t sign Martinez, looking toward next offseason.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Contract Years

Craig Kimbrel, Drew Pomeranz, and Joe Kelly are all potentially becoming free agents next year. It would be ideal for the Sox to sign back at least Kimbrell, who’s going to be asking for a hefty contract. If Pomeranz produces similarly to last year, then you can expect him to receive around a three or four year offer. Adding to that David Price, Chris Sale, and Hanley Ramirez are in their respective “opt-out” years, where it will depend on how well they perform in 2018. With players going into arbitration, Matt Barnes and Heath Hembree are entering their first years. Mookie, Bradley, and Bogaerts are also entering their second and third years so they will be expecting more money.

This also comes at a time where players in the likes of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado hit free agency. Clayton Kershaw and Elvis Andrus are entering “opt-out” years as well. If you really want to look ahead on it, Boston might want to start planning on possibly resigning Chris Sale next season as well as Paul Goldschmidt hitting free agency.

So to be honest, I would be totally fine on not signing JD this offseason. As long as we have Chris Sale and Paul Goldschmidt in 2020 (I can dream, right?).

Hosmer and JD Still Don’t Have Homes

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Three Weeks ‘Til Pitchers and Catchers Report

Put yourselves in the shoes of JD Martinez. You have been presented with an offer by the Red Sox for a whopping five years, $125 million. Not many teams have shown that much interest in JD, but he was given an offer he and Boras shouldn’t refuse.

Now you’re in the mind of Eric Hosmer. You have two seven year deals awaiting you. The Padres offering seven years for $140 million, and Kansas City is matching their offer but for $147 million.

Life is looking pretty good right? The only issue with these offers is that Hosmer and Martinez have yet to sign.

There are three weeks until pitchers and catchers report, and the top two hitters in the free agent market have yet to sign with a club. For JD’s case, this guy should just sign already. His bat speaks for himself. He’s coming off a season compiling an average of .303, mashing 45 homers, tallying 104 RBI’s and a slugging of .690. Needless to say, this guy can rake. Aside from his lower expected fielding percentage throughout his career (.980 lifetime), JD should definitely be able to believe he’s worth the amount he’s asking. JD willing to hold out until Spring Training may end up causing a team to jump out and give him a deal, but teams may want to really consider what he’s worth.

For Hosmer, it’s only a matter of time he finally decides what $140+ million dollar deal he chooses. If he chooses wisely he’ll go back to KC. Coming off a season hitting .318 with twenty-five homers, and 94 RBI’s, Hosmer is deserving to earn a big contract by KC. By simply “one-upping” the Padres deal, Kansas City do not want to lose Hosmer. His positive impact towards the community and his leadership role also seems to make the most sense on why he would return as their franchise guy. They also won a World Series and a few pennants with him.

So please, Eric and JD just sign already. End this horrifically boring offseason and just find a place to play for like the next five or seven years.