New York Post | Ken Davidoff: No matter how long the Yankees play chicken with Robinson Cano, he's going to get paid and they won't find a better way to spend that money.
Players who last suited up in 2008 are on the Hall of Fame ballot. Who should go in?
The BBWAA has announced its candidates for 2014 induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The players on the ballot will be seeking to become the first elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA since Barry Larkin in 2012; the voters infamously inducted no one last year despite a large ballot of worthy candidates. Now, the ballot includes people who retired in 2008 and is perhaps the most stacked ballot since the very first induction. So who are the nominees?
The Apparent Slam Dunks
Craig Biggio - The leading vote-getter from last year at 68.2% is unlikely to have to wait another year for induction. The 3,060 hits and amazing 668 doubles (fifth all-time) stick out on his stat line and make him an easy induction choice considering he was mostly a second baseman. The fact that he was the King of Plunk with an all-time best 285 hit by pitches only makes him more awesome. Biggio was everything to the Astros' organization, spending all 20 years of his career in Houston and playing pretty much everywhere for them (he began his career as a catcher and started a few seasons in the outfield to accommodate them signing fellow 2014 Hall candidate Jeff Kent). The Pride of Seton Hall belongs in the Baseball Hall.
Greg Maddux - Probably one of the five best pitchers of all time. If not top five, then easily top ten. He won't be unanimous because lol Hall of Fame voters. (Although one slightly more logical reason I've seen floating around is that since he is almost guaranteed to get in and voters can only list 10 players, they might want to use their vote on one of the many other players who don't deserve to risk falling off the ballot for finishing with lower than 5% of votes.)
Frank Thomas - The "Big Hurt" had an 80 grade nickname, but his devastating prowess at the plate is what should make him an easy lock for the Hall. The White Sox great slugged 521 homers and ended his career with a fantastic .301/.419/.555 triple slash, a 156 OPS+, and 73.6 rWAR. Even though he spent most of his career after age 29 as a DH, I can't see any way the voters turn him down; he had absolutely no connection to steroids. Writers not voting for Maddux and Thomas need their heads examined.
The Divisive Candidates
Barry Bonds - The all-time home run king is not in the Hall of Fame, even though he was easily a Hall of Famer long before he reportedly began juicing with the Giants in '99. The best player of his generation should be there.
Roger Clemens - The all-time Cy Young Awards leader is not in the Hall of Fame, even though he was easily a Hall of Famer long before he reportedly began juicing with the Blue Jays in '97. The second-best (or best, if you prefer him to Maddux) pitcher of his generation should be there. Sensing a pattern?
Mark McGwire - Obligatory: "...or do you want to see me sock a few dingers?!"
Rafael Palmeiro - Rafi was an incredible player who was one of only a few players to reach both 500 homers and 3,000 hits, but...
About a month later, he was suspended for steroid use and his 20-year career was over by the end of August. Oops. He only made it on 8.8% of ballots last year, so Palmeiro could very well vanish from the ballot despite his Hall of Fame credentials.
Sammy Sosa - It's no secret that Sosa would have been an easy first-ballot Hall of Famer had it not been for his link to steroid use. From 1998-2002, he was absolutely ridiculous, topping 61 homers three times and leading the NL in homers with 50 in 2000 and 49 in '02. His 64-homer '01 was overshadowed by Bonds, but it was quietly far better than his famous 66-homer '98 (201 OPS+ to 160 in '98). However, we might never see Slammin' Sammy honored at Wrigley or in Cooperstown.
The Soon-to-be-Enshrined
Jeff Bagwell - Even in a high-offense era, Bagwell's 15-year career ended with a remarkable 488 doubles, 449 homers, and a staggering 79.5 rWAR and 149 OPS+. Any steroid allegations are mere hearsay and a load of speculative bullshit. He's a Hall of Famer. He just needs a boost from 59.6% last year, so induction should be coming soon for "Bags."
Tom Glavine - In almost any other year, Glavine would be the biggest name on the ballot due to his 300 winz. While he might get inducted this year anyway, the crowded ballot could force him to wait until next year. Going beyond the winz of course, he's a deserving candidate, no doubt about it.
Mike Piazza - Apparently not a Hall of Famer because blogger Murray Chass once saw him with back acne. Oh. Piazza not being in the Hall yet might be the biggest crime of hearsay we've seen yet; the combination of 427 homers and 1,630 games caught makes him worthy enough even before getting into his .922 OPS and 143 OPS+. He received 57.8% of votes last year, so it's not unrealistic to expect him to reach the Hall either this year or next.
The Overlooked but Deserving
Jeff Kent - Kent, Biggio, and Roberto Alomar were the preeminent second basemen of their era, and Kent deserves to join Robbie in Cooperstown for providing remarkable offense from a position that has rarely seen such power (560 doubles, 377 homers, and a 123 career OPS+). My step-dad (a former Mets fan) liked to bitterly say that he was too good for the Mets, who dealt him away in '96 for a declining Carlos Baerga and the horrors of Alvaro Espinoza. This also happened:
You heard it folks: "I'm a Game 7 loser... but this just sucks."
Edgar Martinez - Designated hitters belong in Cooperstown, but that's a rant for another day. I'll just leave this here: remember when everyone was calling David Ortiz the "greatest DH of all-time" and a "future Hall of Famer?" Well...
Edgar Martinez is a thing that happened, @Buck. Edgar: .312/.418/.515, 147 OPS+. Ortiz: .287/.381/.549, 139 OPS+.
Mike Mussina - Mike Mussina is a Hall of Famer. Deal with it. I will be writing more extensively about his case sometime soon, but here are two articles that nicely explain why, from Joe Posnanski and Mark Simon.
Tim Raines - There is no reason for "Rock" to not be a Hall of Famer. He was a seven-time All-Star in the '80s, so he was obviously considered a terrific player in his time. He owns the fifth-greatest stolen base total in MLB history at 808. He played for an amazing 23 years, even coming back from a lupus diagnosis in '99 to play two more seasons in the 2000s. He hit .304/.392/.443 as a regular in the '80s with a 133 OPS+. To put the cherry on top of his career, he won a pair of World Series rings as a crucial role player on the '96 and '98 Yankees. He should not be penalized for not being Rickey Henderson. He's a far better player than Lou Brock, and Brock reached the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Send Rock to the Hall of Fame, BBWAA. You know he deserves it.
Curt Schilling - Schilling is a Hall of Famer, but he's a scumbag and I don't feel like making his case. If you need to be convinced, read Grant Brisbee's article from last January. Actually, just read Brisbee anyway.
Alan Trammell - The voters have never seemed to realize that Trammell should be a Hall of Famer. The problem might be that although he, Cal Ripken, and Robin Yount began the phenomenon of hard-hitting shortstops that progressed with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, by the time Trammell became eligible for the Hall, his numbers did not look as gaudy as Jeter and A-Rod's. Yount and Ripken faced no such barriers because they reached the magical 3,000 hit auto-pass, but the slick-fielding, smooth-hitting Trammell deserves to join his peers. For a full decade from 1983-93, Trammell hit .295/.361/.448 with 54.9 rWAR and a 125 OPS+, eclipsing 135 five times. For more on why Trammell is a badass, read Jay Jaffe's 2013 write-up. Since this will be his 13th year on the ballot and he has yet to pass 37% though, he will likely need help from the Veterans Committee to reach Cooperstown.
Larry Walker - Consider the following player: a .278/.370/.495 hitter with an OPS+ in the 120s who was widely acclaimed for his surprising speed, terrific defense, and rocket arm in right field. His career OPS of .865 ranks higher than easy Hall of Famers George Brett, Reggie Jackson, and Wade Boggs. Given his all-around talent, he would have to receive some Hall of Fame consideration, no? Well, the previous player described is Larry Walker, road version. People like to discount Walker for inflating his numbers at home in Coors Field for 10 years, but if we do that with everyone from there, how will any Rockie ever reach Cooperstown? Even with numbers adjusting for the Coors offense inflation, he ended his 17-year career with a 141 OPS+ and 72.6 rWAR. Walker was a superb enough player to warrant consideration merely from his road stats, and even a smaller fraction of his home numbers is enough to push him just over the top for me.
The Hall of Very Goods
Don Mattingly - This is Donnie Baseball's 14th year of consideration, and with such a crowded ballot, there's a decent chance it could be the last. He only garnered 13.2% of the vote last year and hasn't received more than 20% since his second year in 2002. Like Dale Murphy, his 1984-87 peak sadly just wasn't long enough.
Fred McGriff - "Crime Dog" was another 80 grade nickname, but even though he finished just seven dingers shy of 500, he is not quite a Hall of Famer. There are better slugging first basemen more worthy than McGriff. Maybe one day I'll change my mind on McGriff, but not this year.
Jack Morris - Arguments of dissertation length have been written on why Morris is not a Hall of Famer. Sorry, Jon Heyman, but he's really not. The funny thing about it is that even his biggest supporters forget that they didn't even support him earlier during his 15 years on the Hall of Fame ballot (this year is his last)--it took him six years to reach higher than 30% on the ballots. There's a chance that he'll receive a final year boost from his 67.7% last year to reach the Hall, but that would require at least 42 more voters to change their minds. Whatever. The veterans will probably induct him in a few years anyway... Oh well.
Lee Smith - Smith somewhat randomly receives praise for being the all-time saves leader until Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera easily usurped him, and in 2012, he actually appeared on just over half the ballots. Is Smith a Hall of Famer though? Only five relievers have made the Hall of Fame: Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Dennis Eckersley, and Goose Gossage. Both Jaffe and Wendy Thurm have been unsure about Smith's qualifications. If elected, he would not be the worst reliever there (that would be Sutter), but in this packed ballot, he'll probably get lost in the shuffle. Until we can better evaluate elite relievers, perhaps it's for the best.
The Just-Happy-to-be-Heres
Moises Alou - Six-time All-Star who played on seven different teams and hit an impressive .303/.369/.516 with 421 doubles, 328 homers, and a 128 career OPS+. Won a World Series ring in '97 with the soon-to-be fire saled Marlins. Also pissed on his hands to get a better grip on the bat and made the infamous Bartman play a bigger deal than it needed to be so... yeah. Had Alou played in a less offense-heavy era, he might warrant brief consideration, but he is quite overshadowed.
Armando Benitez - Hahahahahahahaha. Rumor has it that Tino Martinez will personally deliver the news of him falling off the ballot to him.
Sean Casey - Three-time All-Star who had a nice 12-year career mostly with the Reds from 1997-2008. Most well-known for being a chatty first baseman nicknamed "The Mayor," and for getting thrown out at first base from left field one time. Many lulz were had.
Ray Durham - The switch-hitting second baseman was small at 5'8" but quite productive in a 15-year career (104 OPS+). He mostly played on the White Sox and Giants but made four different playoff appearances with four different teams. Steady career, but obviously not a Hall of Famer.
Eric Gagne - Steroids or not, his streak of 84 consecutive saves with the Dodgers from 2002-04 remains an absolutely ridiculous record that will probably never be broken. The record in 32 saves longer than Jose Valverde's 52 straight saves, the second-longest streak. Unfortunately, those three years represented a short apex to his 10-year career. Just four years after the streak ended, he was out of baseball. Remember when the Red Sox traded David Murphy to the Rangers for him in '07 and he was hot trash? Good times.
Luis Gonzalez - Blooping jackass. Apparently someone was upset with Yasiel Puig this year because he didn't recognize Gonzalez. That's just hilarious; who outside of Phoenix actually gives a damn about Luis Gonzalez?
Todd Jones - The all-time saves leader in Tigers history at 235. Hey, at least it's not Valverde.
Paul Lo Duca - Was annoyingly considered good for being a scrappy catcher until the Mitchell Report outed him for juicing.
Hideo Nomo - It feels like Nomo should have fallen off the ballot long ago, but three random games in '08 with the Royals (his only appearances since '05) pushed him back a few years. "Nomomania" only actually lasted a couple years, as after his '95 NL Rookie of the Year campaign, he fizzled out for a few years until a comeback with the Red Sox and Dodgers from 2001-03. He struck out nearly 2,000 men in fewer than 2,000 innings (8.7 K/9) and threw no-hitters in two of the most difficult parks for pitchers in MLB history ('90s-era Coors Field and Camden Yards), but ultimately, he's not a Hall of Famer. Maybe one day he should be honored for being an innovator as the first successful Japanese player in MLB (and second overall), but he is not a Hall of Fame player.
Kenny Rogers - His 20 years in the majors indicate that lefties truly do pitch forever. He only made one All-Star team during his first 15 years, then oddly made three All-Star teams in a row at the ages of 39-41. Rogers was a big disappointment in New York in '96 and '97 with the Yankees and '99 with the Mets, but he still had a commendable career. Not a Hall of Famer, but I don't think anyone is really arguing his case.
Richie Sexson - Hit a startling 262 homers in a mere eight-year span, and that was with missing almost all of '04. However, he struck out a ton, and his career quickly fizzled out at age 33 after a forgettable 22-game stint with the '08 Yankees. At least that led to this:
J.T. Snow - In an alternate universe, perhaps Snow became Mattingly's successor at first base for the Yankees. He was drafted by the Yanks in the fifth round of the '89 draft and played his first seven games with them near the end of the '92 season. After the season though, he was dealt along with two other players to the Angels for Jim Abbott, a trade that yielded an amazing moment when Abbott spun a no-hitter on Labor Day '93, but was ultimately a bust for the Yankees. Snow spent four years in Anaheim before moving on to a quietly productive nine-year career with the Giants, where he hit .273/.369/.438 with a 112 OPS+ by the Bay. His career ended with 36 games on the '06 Red Sox and an honorary one-game appearance on the Giants in '08 to mark his retirement. Snow's not a Hall of Famer, but he's an interesting "could have been" case for the Yankees had they not traded him for Abbott. I'm fine with what happened since Tino obviously was obviously a terrific fit to succeed Donnie Baseball.
Mike Timlin - The 18-year bullpen veteran began his career as a weapon for the early-'90s Blue Jays (he closed out Toronto's first title in '92) and ended it as a valued member of the Red Sox 'pen from 2003-08. He is one of just 15 pitchers to appear in at least 1,000 games, and his total of 1,058 ranks eighth all-time. A 125 ERA+ in an era of high offense is not shabby at all, but no one is confusing Timlin for a Hall of Famer.
***
Those are all the candidates. If I was given a ballot and asked to name at most 10 players for induction, I would first complain that I can't add more, then submit the following ballot:
Seriously, how are voters supposed to cut that down? The BBWAA needs to eliminate the 10-player limit or at least extend it. Otherwise it's only going to get more crowded next year as Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Gary Sheffield join the ballot. My ballot for this year wouldn't be permitted to include the other worthy players I mentioned above, like Schilling, Edgar, Walker, Kent, and Trammell. I frankly don't bear much ill will to McGwire, Sosa, and Palmeiro, either. The bottom line is that the limit of 10 just doesn't cut it anymore.
In the end, I can sadly see the possibility that only Maddux is chosen for induction. Voters have been weird about seemingly obvious candidates like Thomas before, and despite Biggio's strong showing last year, the large ballot could complicate matters. Although there are other candidates better than Biggio, those are my predicted top three finishers. Please surprise me and induct more than one Hall of Famer, BBWAA. There are so many worthy candidates.
Who would be on your 10-man Hall of Fame ballot? Who else would you vote in beyond the 10 if there was no limit?
For the fourth time in 10 years, the Cubs host a World Series. That's the good news.
Unlike many other seasons in the 1930s when the Cubs had late-season leads only to blow them, the 1938 Cubs had to come from behind to win. Seven games behind on September 4, the Cubs went 20-5 to finish the year, capped with the famous "Homer in the Gloamin'" by Gabby Hartnett on September 28. They won the pennant by two games and got ready to face the mighty Yankees, who won 10 more games than the Cubs and the A.L. title by 9½ games.
Thus the scene was set for Game 1 of the 1938 World Series; 43,642 jammed Wrigley Field on a Wednesday afternoon, in hope that the Cubs would end their... 30-year World Series drought. (Sigh.)
New year, same old result against the Yankees. The visitors from New York continued their dominance from six years prior, winning Game 1 by a 3-1 margin. Irving Vaughn's recap from the Tribune (non-capitalization as in the original):
Defense of the kind that carries pitchers over rough spots in the road was the big note in yesterday's world series inaugural at Wrigley field. The victorious Yankees erred once -- a harmless as well as unavoidable miscue -- and the Cubs erred once with disastrous results. But the errors were submerged under a series of brilliant, even sensational plays. The spectacular work bore out the pre-series contentions that the principals rate as the best in either major league on defense.
The play of plays, though it wasn't perpetrated when the Cubs had men on base awaiting a base hit, came from Joe Gordon, the freshman member of the Yankees' world series cast. In the fifth inning, after Gabby Hartnett had succumbed before Red Ruffing on strikes, Rip Collins tore off what looked to be a hit. The flashy Gordon charged over toward second, made a back handed grab of a short hop, and, even though off balance, made a perfect throw to first.
Hartnett, who was also club manager (replacing Charlie Grimm halfway through the season), was confident the Cubs would come back and win Game 2:
A tense silence ruled the Cubs' clubhouse as Manager Gabby Hartnett trooped in with his players after their 3 to 1 defeat in the opening game of the world series with the Yankees yesterday. Then the grumbling and snarling started.
"What the hell," Hartnett screamed. "Those guys had better look better tomorrow than they did today or they had better look out. They were just lucky, that's all. They got three cheap runs. A base on balls and an infield boot gave them a couple of them. Lee should never have had a run scored on him, the way he was pitching.
"Get this, you guys. We'll battle them silly tomorrow. They're more scared than we are."
Pulling on a big, black cigar, Hartnett went to his office and dropped into a chair. Then he mumbled to himself, "O, I have an announcement to make. I got to make this one myself."
He jumped up, dashed to the players' dressing room, and shouted:
"Dean goes tomorrow."
Dizzy Dean, hero of past World Series for the Cardinals, had been trying to make a comeback with the Cubs after some serious arm injuries. He had pitched well during the regular season -- a 1.81 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 13 games -- but he was just about done. He held the Yankees at bay for seven innings in a tense one-run game before faltering in the eighth and ninth as the visiting New Yorkers won Game 2 over the Cubs by a 6-1 count, on their way to a four-game sweep.
One more note about Game 1 -- even in that long-ago time, scalpers were everywhere, according to the Tribune:
The ball club's price for the world's series is $6.60 per box seat, $5.50 for grandstand, $3.30 for standing room, and $1.50 for a bleacher seat. During the regular season, the prices were $1.65 for box seats, $1.10 for unreserved grandstand seats, and 55 cents for a bleacher ticket.
During the previous evening and prior to 10 a.m. the highest price reported was $80 for a set of tickets -- that is for one person to attend three games.
The article went on to say that "speculators" had bought up a lot of the tickets earlier when they had gone on sale by mail, in the hopes of making profits -- and at $80 they surely would have (this inflation calculator says that $80 in 1938 is the equivalent of $1,325 today), but that downward pressure had been put on these prices close to game time:
At 1 o'clock Assistant State's Attorney Richard Devine paid $7.70 for a choice box seat at the Sherman hotel office. The elevated railroad then transported him to the baseball park just in time for the beginning of the game. Devine was about the last customer there and it was reported that there were no tickets left unsold.
I should point out a few things here. First, the mention of Devine being an assistant state's attorney isn't really relevant; the article says "no arrests were made" of scalpers. Apparently, Devine was just a fan wanting to go to the game. Second, the regular-season ticket prices reported above remained virtually unchanged into the 1960s. Part of the reason for that was the lack of inflationary times, and the rest was the Cubs not being much of a team worth watching after World War II. Finally, the article notes that the Cubs set their own World Series ticket prices. Major League Baseball didn't take over pricing of World Series pricing until the 1970s.
Here are all the 1938 World Series scorecard images. You'll recognize the style as being that of Otis Shepard, who did artwork for the Wrigley Company and the Cubs from the late 1930s through the early 1960s (click to embiggen).
The Yankees have a lot of holes, and starting pitching is one of them. Who could the Yankees plug in from free agency that won't break the bank?
Even if the Yankees back off the pursuit of a $189 million payroll, there are players on the open market that might be had at a reasonable price. As of now, only CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova are locks for the rotation, with other internal options like David Phelps, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno, and Brett Marshall in the mix. Obviously, it would be ideal if only one of that group makes the rotation. For that to happen, the Yankees will need to add two starters via free agency or trade. Japanese hurlers Hiroki Kuroda and Masahiro Tanaka could be that pair, but the Yankees are certainly perusing what else is on the shelf.
For this look at some potentially affordable rotation options, I used Fangraphs' free agent crowdsourcing and Steamer 2014 projections. Last year, the crowd was able to predict contract length and annual salary within 10% of the actual results. In addition to being the lone 2014 projection system out at the moment, Steamer has been the most accurate of its counterparts in ERA forecasts. Using these two resources gave me a decent idea of who to target in relation to their affordability.
Paul Maholm, Jason Hammel, Bartolo Colon, and Scott Feldman appear to be feasible targets on a one or two year contract. None of these guys are spectacular, but any of them should be able to get the job done as a fifth starter.
Obviously, not all of these guys come with the same amount of risk. In my unscientific opinion, I would rank the group from least to most risky as follows: Feldman, Maholm, Hammel, and Colon. Weight and age make a reunion with Colon unlikely, despite him being the best of the bunch the past couple of seasons. Hammel's propensity to allow the longball (1.42 HR/9 in 2013) brings bad memories of Phil Hughes, despite Steamer optimistically projecting a 0.87 HR/9 rate. Nonetheless, I would be pleased with either of Colon or Hammel as a fifth starter, but would prefer Maholm or Feldman.
Maholm posted his highest ERA since 2010 last year (4.41), after his BABIP jumped from the prior two seasons in which he posted a sub-4 ERA. He keeps the ball in the park, and as a lefty, profiles well for Yankee Stadium. Additionally, with a career 52.1% ground ball rate, he could benefit from having Brendan Ryan behind him at shortstop (Jeter would DH with Maholm pitching). Amazingly, that's a defensive downgrade at the position from Andrelton Simmons, but Ryan is also one of the best in the business. One notable concern was a scare with Maholm's elbow in September, causing him to miss a few starts, but he wound up returning at the end of the month to make two more appearances after an MRI cleared him of any structural damage.
Like Maholm, Feldman gets a lot of ground balls (47.1% career), and is best suited behind a good infield. With Ryan behind him, and hopefully Robinson Cano back in the fold, the middle of the infield's defense would be rock solid. Steamer may be least optimistic about the right-hander, but I would argue him to be the safest bet of the bunch I've isolated. He's posted solid peripherals and defense independent pitching numbers the past two seasons, and has a little bit of experience in the AL East after being dealt to the Orioles this past summer.
Should the Yankees splurge on Kuroda and Tanaka, it might not make sense to bring in any of the four mentioned above. Having depth wouldn't hurt, but it might be worth taking a chance on Phelps, or another internal option, to be the fifth starter to save the $7 to $9 million that would have to be spent annually. For what it's worth, Steamer thinks Phelps can post 2 WAR in around 180 innings while posting a 4.38 ERA/4.12 FIP. That seems somewhat optimistic (and on par with the four pitchers I shortlisted), but it would certainly cut it as a fifth starter. Nonetheless, bringing in depth from free agency wouldn't hurt, but that depends on how much money ownership is willing to spend.
If something goes haywire with the posting system agreement, the Yankees' lose the bidding on Tanaka, or Kuroda winds up declining to return, it's in the Yankees' best interest to explore some of the options illustrated above. None should be terribly expensive in terms of years and salary, and all have a decent shot at providing good value in the back end.
Would you vote Don Mattingly into the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Donny Baseball is an interesting case, his career only lasted 14 seasons. At his peak he was great, maybe the best player in baseball for a few seasons, but back problems brought his stats down, so he doesn't have the counting starts that get you into the Hall.
He had 222 home runs, 1099 RBI and had a career slash line of .307/.358/.471. He was AL MVP in 1985, was named to 6 All-Star teams, had 9 Gold Glove and 3 Silver Slugger awards. Baseball Reference has him at a 39.8 career WAR.
This is his second last time on the ballot, unless, of course, he gets listed on less than 5% of the Writers' ballots. 13 times on the ballot, his 28.2% on his first try was his best number. He's been as low as 9.9%.
And, of course, he should have cut those sideburns.
Oviedo, who played under the assumed name Leo Nunez through the 2011 season, missed all of 2013 while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. He had been under contract with the Rays last season, but the team declined his $2 million option prior to this signing.
The 31-year-old Oviedo last pitched in the majors in 2011. He missed a substantial amount of the 2012 season due to visa issues after the discovery of his fake identity, coupled with the elbow problems that led to his surgery in September of 2012. The right-hander has appeared in 317 games during his career, posting a 4.34 ERA in 357 innings of work. From 2009-11, he served as the closer for the then-Florida Marlins, racking up 92 saves during that time. It is expected that Oviedo will be ready for Spring Training in 2014.
Butera is the only one of the three who played in the majors for the Dodgers in 2013. He was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in a minor deadline deal, and finished the season 1-for-10 with five strikeouts between the two teams; his minor league career includes a 607 OPS in 502 games.
Elbert was a first-round draft pick by the Dodgers in 2004, and has spent his entire career with the organization. He last pitched in the majors in 2012, when he posted a 2.20 ERA in 32⅔ innings; he appeared in eight games in the minors in 2013 before missing the rest of the season due to Tommy John surgery.
Baxter spent the last three seasons with the New York Mets, but was claimed off of waivers by the Dodgers in October. He appeared in 74 games for the Mets in 2013, batting .189/.303/.250; for his career, his line is .229/.335/.348 with four home runs in 415 plate appearances.
Yankees exploring options with catcher Chris Stewart
Now that they have signed All-Star catcher Brian McCann to a five-year contract, the New York Yankees must decide what to do with incumbent catcher Chris Stewart, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. Stewart is eligible for arbitration, so the team must decide if it wants to tender him a contract; if they do come to an agreement with him, they will need to determine whether to keep him as a backup to McCann or trade him. Jason Cohen of Pinstripe Alley reports that the Twins, White Sox, Rangers, Mariners and Cubs could all be interested in the 31-year-old. The Yankees also have Francisco Cervelli and Austin Romine as options behind the plate for 2014.
Was Brian McCann the best catcher on the free agent market? Maybe. Carlos Ruiz has fairly strong claim as well.
SBN's Steven Goldman had a nice article on Sunday about the Yankees' signing of Brian McCann. His conclusion:
In short, did the Yankees just buy the best catcher on the market? You betcha. Is it going to be a good move in the short term? Almost certainly. His presence will mean fewer batting orders with three-out certitude like the Overbay-Ryan-Stewart combo that was gracing the bottom of Joe Girardi's batting orders in September. That in itself is a blessing. But do all those positives make the move a no-brainer, no-doubt-about-it positive? No. Time will tell on that one.
That all sounds about right, but let's examine that first question and answer -- WAS McCann the best catcher on the market?
We can look at the recent years' performance for the catchers on the market. Last year, Saltalamacchia was clearly the best:
But over the last two years, no one was especially close to Chooch:
Also over the past three years -- Ruiz was the best:
And over the past four years, at least according to rWAR:
Over the past five, McCann is ahead in fWAR, but based on rWAR, Ruiz still maintains a lead:
In the end, Ruiz has been the better hitter, and more productive player overall, over almost any recent set of years one looks at.
2014 PROJECTIONS
More to the point, we can use their recent performance, weigh recent years more heavily, factor in their age etc. to project what they might do going forward. Fortunately, the Steamer projections have already done that, if only for 2014:
Steamer projects 4.4 WAR for McCann, but that's based on 635 plate appearances. The most PA's McCann has ever had in a season is 573. Over the past three seasons, he's had 527, 487, and 402. Perhaps we can say that IF he's healthy, and IF he DH's when he's not catching, 635 is not out of the realm of possibility, but that could likely be said about any catcher who hits well enough to be a viable DH.
In terms of WAR per PA, these projections actually rate Ruiz higher. For example at 500 PAs, Ruiz would have 3.6 WAR to McCann's 3.5. Nevertheless, even adjusting for Ruiz's suspension, McCann has demonstrated he is somewhat more durable, and that's worth something.
When thinking about 2014 and particularly beyond next year, there are three possible concerns about Ruiz, but only one seems valid:
1) Ruiz's PED use: Chooch served a 25-game suspension at the start of the 2013 season because of Adderall use without a medical exemption. However he has since obtained that exemption and can resume using Adderall.
2) Wear and tear: Ruiz is five years older than McCann, but has actually caught fewer games professionally than McCann has:
Ruiz: 790 games caught in majors + 427 in minors = 1217 games total McCann: 1046 games in majors + 210 in minors = 1256 games total
In fact, as Steve Goldman pointed out, only 13 catchers have ever caught as many games through age 29 as McCann.
3) Ruiz is five years older, and he will have to contend (to a greater extent than McCann) with age-related issues that all players are faced with regardless of position: bat speed, foot speed, and, most importantly, injury risk.
Had the question been "did the Yankees just buy the best fit for their team and park (and league)?" I think the "You betcha" is appropriate.
Or even "did they just buy the catcher who will be most productive over the next 6 years?" -- "You betcha" seems like the right response there as well.
And admittedly, maybe this is taking Mr. Goldman's words too literally, and one of the above questions is what he actually meant.
In short, McCann IS arguably the best catcher on the market. But it's also arguably too close to call between him and Ruiz -- certainly not a clear enough answer to warrant a "You betcha."
LoHud | Chad Jennings: In honor of Black Friday, the Yankees could use a bargain for a corner infielder, left-handed reliever, and power hitter off the bench.
Coming Up Today
Yankees Lose Mike Harkey: A list of potential replacements @ 10 am
Yankees sign Brendan Ryan: What were they thinking? @ 1 pm
How can the Yankees' November minor league acquisitions help the team in 2014? @ 4 pm
Not that he was ever going to get $300 million from the Yankees or anybody else anyway...
Robinson Cano has denied ever requesting a $300 million contract, according to Andy Martino. He was in the Dominican Republic for a ceremony to honor the team that won the World Baseball Classic back in March, and he briefly talked to a reporter from the Dominican website El Dia about his contract negotiations with the Yankees. El Dia is a Spanish language website, but Martino interpreted it and produced the following quotes from Cano:
"I’ve never asked anybody for $300 million," the free agent second baseman told the Dominican website El Dia on Thursday... Cano went on to say in Spanish that "nobody has ever heard that come out of my mouth ($300 million) and you’re never going to hear it."
As Martino mentioned, this statement is probably accurate, but only when taken literally. Cano's agent is the one who asks for $300 million, not Cano himself. It seems highly likely that Cano did ask for a $310 million contract around the All-Star break this year; it was his price to avoid free agency. I don't think anyone is actually doubting that they did for a contract over $300 million at some point.
Cano's camp and the Yankees reportedly began negotiations anew at the beginning of the off-season with new, undisclosed figures. It's unlikely that his asking price is now $300 million, but the two sides are still far apart on cost. Cano's agents and the Yankees will meet again on Monday. Chances are it will still be awhile before we get any kind of resolution on Cano's future with the Yankees.
The Yankees just signed Brendan Ryan to a two-year, $5 million deal and a third-year mutual option that, if exercised, and including incentives, could give the shortstop a total of $10 million in the end. That's not really a terrible deal. You can't complain about a $2.5 million AAV, but you can complain about the length of the contract he was given.
I will say that I wanted Brendan Ryan back as the backup shortstop in order to get at least one of Jayson Nix and Eduardo Nunez off the roster. However, no one was asking for Brendan Ryan, no one was banging down his door to sign him, so why did they have to give him two guaranteed years? The mutual option is not a big deal because if he's bad, the Yankees decline, but I would have expected a one-year deal and have the second year as an option year.
In 2013, Ryan was a -0.6 WAR player, but managed to provide 0.1 WAR with the Yankees. His bat was even more useless than usual as he put up a 44 wRC+ against a career 71. That's not very surprising at this point, but his drop-off in defensive abilities was. It's possible this is all statistical noise, but I'm not sure that it is. From 2009 to 2012, his age-27 through age-30 seasons, Ryan averaged 22.25 defensive runs saved and a 26.2 UZR/150 per season. This season, at the age of 31, he only saved six defensive runs and had a 3.2 UZR/150.
Breaking down these defensive metrics even further, he averaged 2.6 double play runs saved in those four years, but only one run in 2013. Noted for his trademark range, where he can field balls hit to the right side of second base with ease, Ryan averaged 6.9 range runs saved per season, however he only managed 3.7 runs saved in 2013, his lowest since 2009. He averaged 3.5 error runs saved in the last four years, but was at -2.5 in 2013, the worst rating of his career.
The 2013 season was the first time in three years that he failed to reach 1,000 innings in the field, so if he'll be a part-time player from now on, his defensive numbers might never reach the limits that we're used to seeing again. Obviously, defensive metrics can be very fickle from year-to-year, and since there is no obvious sign of defensive decline in his numbers, it's very possible he will be fine next season.
While backup shortstop shouldn't be something to worry about, Derek Jeter and his broken ankle could make it something. I just hope the Yankees didn't add another Ichiro Suzuki-type deal to the roster. He may not have a useful bat, but his glove is where all his value lies. Unfortunately, that took a step back in 2013 and, if he shows to have lost a step in 2014, I worry if the Yankees signed a sinking ship.
Make no mistake, Brendan Ryan is a great defensive shortstop, and he will be very valuable for the 2014 Yankees, but what about 2015? Will he continue to decline in his age-32 season? What about age-33? The only way he serves any use to the team after 2014 is if Jeter doesn't retire and he can play second fiddle behind the captain for another year. They would never allow Ryan to be the starting shortstop, and anyone they sign wouldn't require a backup infielder that can only play shortstop.
Jeter returning in 2015 and beyond is the only thing that allows the Brendan Ryan contract to make any sense, but does that scenario make any sense for the Yankees? Ryan seems to be insurance for an illogical future.
Cano offered the Yankees a nine-year deal worth $250-260 million, according to a report.
Free agent second baseman Robinson Cano proposed a nine-year contract worth between $250 and $260 million in a meeting with the New York Yankees last week, according to a report from Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. The Yankees responded with a seven-year offer for between $150 and $150 million, leaving a gap of about $100 million between the two sides.
The market for Cano has been slow to develop, with the Mets being the only other team to formally meet with Cano's representatives. As Davidoff notes, the Nationals, Tigers, Mariners, Rangers have also been rumored as possible destinations for the 31-year old.
Davidoff notes that Cano's representatives and the Yankees will talk again on Monday, with each hoping that the other has come closer to a compromise in the week between discussions. Due to their many current roster holes, the Yankees have expressed that they are not willing to wait for Cano this offseason, and will use their financial resources on other players who can help the club.
After signing Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million contract that could reach $100 million due to a vesting option, the Yankees have been had discussions with Carlos Beltran, Shin-Soo Choo, Jacoby Ellsbury and Stephen Drew, according to Davidoff. Davidoff's colleague Joel Sherman wrote earlier today that the Yankees are the strong favorite to sign Beltran, and the other outfielders remain as lesser possibilities.
The Yankees have also been considering alternatives at second base in case Cano signs elsewhere. According to reports, New York has expressed interest in free agent Omar Infante and Brandon Phillips of the Reds.
As Davidoff notes, the Yankees are waiting on an answer from Hiroki Kuroda and a resolution on the Masahiro Tanaka situation before looking for rotation help on the free agent market. A source confirms that the team has expressed preliminary interest in right-hander Bronson Arroyo, but are waiting to hear on the pair of Japanese pitchers before aggressively pursuing him. The Yankees have also been linked to Scott Feldman and Dan Haren this offseason, although Haren's agreement with the Dodgers takes him out of the running.
In a meeting before Thanksgiving, Cano's representatives — including Jay Z and Brodie Van Wagenen — proposed a nine-year contract for the second baseman, though Davidoff reported the Yankees' latest offer was a seven-year deal between $160-175 million.
Cano has played all nine of his MLB seasons in New York, but the Yankees have other irons in the fire and won't necessarily wait for Cano to make a decision, per Davidoff:
If they spend their allotment before Cano decide on his future, Yankees officials have vowed to industry folks, they’ll give up on Cano (or get him to agree to a dramatically reduced contract) and come up with a cheaper solution for second base. They reached out early to free-agent second baseman Omar Infante and also checked in with Cincinnati regarding a trade for Brandon Phillips.
Keep tabs on all of baseball's free agents with our handy tracker.
Though Cano and the Yankees are between $75-100 million apart in their negotiations, it is closer than the earlier rumors of Cano seeking in excess of $300 million for his big payday. A source told Davidoff that Cano hasn't sought $300 million since becoming a free agent after the World Series, and that those discussions occurred in May, during the season.
The 31-year-old second baseman hit .314/.383/.516 with 27 home runs and 41 doubles in 2013, his fifth straight season hitting at least .300 with a .500 slugging percentage, at least 40 doubles and at least 25 home runs. Cano has also been one of the most durable players in baseball, averaging 160 games per season for the last seven years. From 2007-13, Cano is one of just four players in MLB to play in 1,100 games, along with Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez and Ichiro Suzuki.
The Yankees and Cano are expected to meet again on Monday, per Davidoff.
It's long been thought that Robinson Cano has been asking for a 10-year, $310 million contract and the Yankees have been waiting for his price to drop significantly. Now it seems that those numbers have not been accurate for six months now, as that was the contract Cano wanted in return for avoiding free agency. Now that he's on the open market, his agents, Jay-Z and Brodie Van Wagenen have never asked for anything in the $300 million contract.
When the two sides met earlier this week, a source says that Cano named his price at $250-$260 million over nine years. The Yankees countered with a seven-year, $160-$175 million deal in return, which would still make the All-Star second baseman one of the highest paid players in baseball. The two sides are still $100 million apart.
While Cano was never going to get a $300 million, it's good to see that he's not so deluded to think that he could. Free agency is a negotiation process and it seemed like Cano and Roc Nation weren't going to buy into any of that, they had their demands and they needed to be met. A $250-$260 million contract is much better to work with, however it is still highly unlikely he gets a deal that lucrative. Cano's new deal would give him an AAV of $27-$28 million, which is still one of the most expensive contracts in baseball. The Yankees' seven-year contract would give him an AAV of $22-$25 million, which is a lot more realistic. I still believe he will end up with an eight-year, $200 million contract that will give him the same $25 million AAV.
LoHud | Chad Jennings: Chris Stewart and Jayson Nix are the most likely to be non-tendered on Monday, but there are plenty of other players who could also become free agents too.
Batting Leadoff | Matthew Provenzano: Throughout the years, there have been many Yankees who have won the MVP undeservedly, like Joe DiMaggio, and others who deserved it, but didn't get it, like Lou Gehrig.
Coming Up Today
Where does Brian McCann rank among MLB catchers? @ 10 am
The deal is pending a physical, Neal reports, and could be announced early next week. Hughes will join Ricky Nolasco, who agreed to a four-year, $49 million contract with Minnesota on Wednesday, as the Twins try to improve a starting rotation that was near the bottom of the American League in 2013.
Minnesota starting pitchers in 2013 were last in the league in ERA (5.26), innings (871), hits allowed (1,072), strikeouts (477), quality starts (62) and complete games (one), and were second-to-last in wins (39).
Hughes, who will turn 28 in June, was 4-14 with the Yankees in 2013 with a 5.29 ERA, 121 strikeouts and 42 walks in 145⅔ innings. On the surface that campaign looked like a slump compared to 2012, when Hughes was 16-13 with a 4.29 ERA in 32 starts, but peripherally Hughes has been consistent for three years straight, putting up FIPs of 4.50 (2013), 4.56 (2012) and 4.58 (2011) in the last three years.
While Hughes and Nolasco are improvements to the rotation, the Twins are looking to upgrade in other areas as well. Neal reports that Minnesota is "making progress" in bringing back catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who was drafted by the Twins and played for them from 1998-2003.
"The Twins want to bring in players with winning backgrounds, and Pierzynski, who won a World Series in 2005 with the White Sox and played in 14 postseason games with the Twins, brings that as well as an edge in the clubhouse that the club believes is missing," wrote Neal.
Brian McCann is now the second highest paid catcher in baseball on a per-year basis. Have his numbers earned him that placement?
Brian McCann's brand new five-year, $85 million Yankee contract makes the 30-year-old former Brave the best compensated free agent catcher of all-time. His yearly largess falls in ahead of Yadier Molina's $15 million and a notch behind Buster Posey's $18.55 million. Joe Mauer officially no longer resides behind the plate, but he did when he signed his eight-year deal with the Twins, which pays him $23 million per season.
McCann has joined the fiscal elite of big league backstops, but does he deserve it? He hasn't won an MVP like Mauer and Posey or multiple World Series rings like Posey and Molina. Here's a look at where his on-field prowess ranked in 2013 among the top catchers in baseball in fWAR, homers, OPS and wRC+.
McCann's numbers don't exactly stand out. While he was second out of all MLB catchers in home runs in only 102 games played, he was eighth in OPS, sixth in wRC+ and eighth in wOBA at .347. He threw out 24.2 percent of potential base-stealers which was middle of the pack, though he's generally regarded as a good defender. His three passed balls were the fewest of catchers with more than 90 games behind the plate. Projecting that total out over a full season would keep him in the top ten. It's worth noting that Mauer will be playing first base in 2014 and that others on this list, namely Carlos Santana and Wilin Rosario will probably transition to new positions within the next couple of years as well.
McCann has a longer track record of success than most of the competition above. Here's how he compares with other catchers over the past five years.
We find that 2013, other than the time he missed due to injury, was a pretty typical season for McCann when weighed against what he's done over the last half-decade. He climbs the list in some categories because consistency is difficult too come by in a catcher. Since 2009, McCann's second in homers with 106 - second to Mike Napoli, who no longer catches. He's fourth in fWAR, sixth in OPS and seventh in wRC+. Defensive metrics for catchers can be sketchy but for what it's worth, his Fangraphs defensive rating is third. He's also caught the sixth most innings of any catcher in that span.
McCann doesn't blow you away in any particular aspect of the game, but his well-roundedness and dependability are rare assets among today's catchers. There aren't a lot of quality defenders who also hit - they're a valuable commodity, especially with a manager like Joe Girardi, who prefers glove-first backstops. Of the players who'll play primarily behind the plate in 2014, only Molina and Posey are easy bets to be better, though Jason Castro and Salvador Perez have bullets beside their names.
The Yankees set out to buy themselves one of the top catchers in baseball, and in that they succeeded. McCann's salary might slot in slightly higher than his on-field worth, but $17 million per year doesn't buy what it once did. If Molina and Posey were free agents today they'd be looking at AAV's in the twenties. The cost of good, but not great, has gone sky high. Brian McCann is to catching, roughly what Hunter Pence is to the outfield, or what C.J. Wilson is to pitching. In that respect, the price the Yankees paid was more than fair.
The Yankees are going to need to find someone to play third base, whether it's to play full-time when Alex Rodriguez gets suspended or part-time when Alex Rodriguez doesn't get suspended. For the last few years the Yankees have gone with injury-prone players like Eric Chavez and Kevin Youkilis to fill in, but so far it's been a mixed bag. While Scott Sizemore has had his share of injuries, he's also much younger.
At the age of 28, Sizemore is still looking to play a full season of major league baseball. He never had less than a 120 wRC+ at any level in the minors, but he was slow to progress through the Tigers' system before making his debut in 2010. The Tigers traded him to the Athletics after a disappointing 17-game streak, but then he thrived in Oakland. He hit .249/.345/.433 (118 wRC+), with 11 home runs, and a good 12.1% walk rate, all for a 1.5 WAR. Sizemore looked poised to become a regular in the 2012 lineup, but then injury derailed his career.
He tore his ACL in spring training and missed the entire 2012 season. The next year, he made the team and played in a total of two games before he tore the same ligament again, missing his second season in a row. Now he's heading into his age-29 season with only 598 major league at-bats.
There's very little sample size to analytically make a decision on his fielding abilities. He's played 820 innings at third, though most of that came in 2011, and he has 477.2 innings at second base and has provided negative value at both positions. He's probably not a very good fielder, but he really just needs to be league-average or just better than what Mark Reynolds can provide.
He can likely be signed to a minor league deal at this point in his career and can compete for a job in spring training. Worst case scenario, if A-Rod is suspended, the Yankees sign Sizemore and Reynolds to compete and then stash Sizemore at Triple-A. If he makes the team, he can be used as a right-handed bat off the bench against lefties.
A Yankee has been named the AL MVP 22 times since the awards inception. Here's a look at the first 11 and whether or not the winner deserved it.
Debates about which player was most valuable at the end of a given season are always fun. The past two years alone have gotten the collective undies of the BBWAA in a bundle as the war wages on between lobbyists for Miguel Cabrera versus those for Mike Trout. These arguments aren't a recent phenomenon, so let's take a look at the Yankees who have won the award throughout baseball history and see if they really earned it. All data courtesy of baseball reference.
Babe Ruth in 1923: .393/.545/.764, 41 HR, 131 RBIs, 239 OPS+, 14.0 WAR
In leading the Yankees to their first World Series win, Ruth set a career high in WAR for a season. This was also the year that Old Yankee Stadium opened, so after a showing like this it's no wonder they continued to call it "The House that Ruth Built".
Who should have won: No doubt about this one. The Bambino was on another stratosphere when compared to the league. Harry Heilmann, who hit over .400, was the nearest competition but Ruth was still 4.7 WAR better than him. To put that in perspective, Ichiro Suzuki, Jayson Nix, Alfonso Soriano and Mark Reynolds combined for 4.7 WAR for the Yankees in 2013.
Lou Gehrig in 1927: .373/.474/.765, 47 HR, 175 RBIs, 220 OPS+, 11.8 WAR
The Yankees second championship was a doozy as Gehrig and his Murderer's Row pals slugged through their competition with ease. This was the most brilliant in a career full of brilliant seasons for Gehrig.
Who should have won: It's important to note here that up until 1930, previous winners were deemed ineligible for subsequent MVP awards. That takes Ruth and his 60 home runs out of the running and makes this an easy decision. Gehrig nearly matched Ruth's gargantuan production and finished 4.6 WAR ahead Heilmann, who only hit .398 this time around.
Lou Gehrig in 1936: .354/.478/.696, 49 HR, 152 RBIs, 190 OPS+, 9.1 WAR
Another Hall of Fame season for Gehrig and another World Series win for the Yankees. The Iron Horse matched his career high in home runs and lead the Yankees to what was actually the first of four consecutive championships.
Who should have won: Gehrig was probably the best position player in the AL ahead of infielders Charlie Gehringer and Luke Appling who had fine seasons but couldn't match his power numbers. However, if you believe that pitchers are worthy of MVP awards, then Lefty Grove and his league-leading 10.5 WAR should probably have taken it.
Joe DiMaggio in 1939: .381/.448/.671, 30 HR, 126 RBIs, 184 OPS+, 8.1 WAR
A young DiMaggio was the key player in the Yankees fourth straight World Series title. He won the only batting title of his career and earned his now famous nickname by patrolling center field with speed and precision.
Who should have won: DiMaggio outproduced a pair of Red Sox, a still-in-his-prime Jimmie Foxx and a rookie named Ted Williams, to stake his claim as the best position player in the league. Like Gehrig three years before, though, a pitcher could easily have won as the flame-throwing Bob Feller lead the AL with 9.8 WAR.
Joe DiMaggio in 1941: .357/.440/.643, 30 HR, 125 RBIs, 184 OPS+, 9.1 WAR
After missing the World Series entirely in 1940, the Yankees came back with a vengeance in 1941 behind DiMaggio's best season as a pro. He put a cherry on top in the form of a 56 game hitting streak, a record that still stands and has been in no danger of being broken to this day.
Who should have won: Despite a season for the ages from DiMaggio, the voters probably let the shine of that hitting streak get the best of them. Ted Williams also had a career season in 1941 as he became the last player to hit .400. He also lead the league in all three slash stats and was worth 10.6 WAR, the league's highest mark.
Joe Gordon in 1942: .322/.409/.491, 18 HR, 103 RBIs, 154 OPS+, 8.2 WAR
Gordon sparked the Yankees to another AL pennant with the greatest season of his Hall of Fame career. It was the only time he would bat over .300 and he continued to impress at second base as one of the best fielders in the game.
Who should have won: Teddy Ballgame deserved this one too. Williams once again lead the league in all three slash stats, once again was worth 10.6 WAR, and once again rubbed sportswriters across the country the wrong way. Still, if flashing the leather is your thing, Gordon was one of the all-time best at second base.
Spud Chandler in 1943: 20-4, 1.64 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 253 IP, 134 K, 198 ERA+, 7.3 WAR
A Yankee M-V-three-Peat! By 1943 many of the league's superstars had gone overseas to serve in the military. Chandler took advantage of the weaker competition and pitched lights out en route to another World Series win for the Yankees.
Who should have won: It's hard to argue against Chandler here. Future Hall of Famers Lou Boudreau and Luke Appling had great seasons for decent teams but did nothing to distinguish themselves from Chandler's dominance. Plus, the Bud Light mascot would be proud.
The Yankees have traded Chris Stewart to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later or money. Stewart will be reunited in Pittsburgh with Yankees castoff Russell Martin and will likely compete with Michael McKenry (if he isn't non-tendered himself) and Tony Sanchez for the backup job.
After signing Brian McCann to a five-year, $80 million contract, the Yankees were left with Chris Stewart, J.R. Murphy, Austin Romine, Francisco Cervelli, and Gary Sanchez on the 40-man roster. They needed to get rid of someone, and since Stewart was a non-tender candidate, it made sense to try to at least get something for him. The Yankees will still have five catchers on the 40-man roster, so it's possible they might still try to trade someone.
This ends Stewart's third stint in the Yankees' organization, as he was previously picked up in 2008, traded for in 2009, and then traded for again before the 2012 season. He played the most games in a season by far when he played 109 games and got 340 at-bats for the 2013 Yankees. With him gone, the Yankees will likely give Cervelli a contract and let him compete with Murphy and Romine for the backup job this spring.
For those of you hoping for something great:
Stewart's an almost 32 y/o light hitting backup catcher who is arb eligible, so needless to say that PTBNL should be a very low level MiLBer
Scott Boras would like us to believe that Stephen Drew is a hot commodity, but who is in the running for the top remaining shortstop?
Just weeks after MLB Trade Rumorspredicted Stephen Drew would land with the New York Mets, it looks like the Mets will be priced out of the market for the best shortstop left on the free agent market. It's become common knowledge that Sandy Alderson is somewhat averse to long-term deals, and Jhonny Peralta's shiny new four-year, $53 milllion pact could become a benchmark in Drew negotiations.
Scott Boras, who represents Drew, will likely draw out negotiations as long as he can. The Mets might only have a limited amount to spend this winter, and already over $7 million of their budget has been committed to Chris Young. Long story short, it would appear that Stephen Drew is set to sign a five-year megadeal with a team other than the Mets.
But is this really the case? Is Stephen Drew going to sign a contract that exceeds the value of Peralta's by tens of millions of dollars? It's highly doubtful. Comparing Drew to Peralta may be convenient because they were the two top shortstops available on the open market, but other than that the players are radically different, with Peralta outperforming Drew in just about every facet of the game.
2011-2013
Peralta
Drew
Games Played per Season
134.3
96.3
Offensive Runs Above Average per Season
5.5
-1.9
UZR/Season
8.5
0.9
Not only is Peralta a better player than Drew, but his bat and durability made him an option at third base and potentially in the outfield. This increased the pool of potential teams for Peralta drastically, driving up his price tag. Due to his superior play and positional versatility, Peralta was a significantly more valuable free agent than Drew is. When considering that Drew will cost a new team a draft pick on top of that, it seems as though the two names should not even be mentioned in the same breath.
So if Peralta isn't a good comparison, how do we assess Drew's potential contract? First, we need to assess just how good Drew actually is. 2013 was a phenomenal bounce-back year for Drew, who managed to post a 3.4 fWAR and flash some impressive leather during Red Sox' World Series run.
Still, based on his volatile past, Steamer projects Drew to be a precisely league average player in 2014 with a 2.0 fWAR and a .306 wOBA. While this certainly isn't bad, "league-average" is already a strong divergence from how Stephen Drew is being portrayed this off-season. Based on Steamer projections, these are the teams that would seem most likely to receive an upgrade at shortstop by adding him.
There does not seem to be a clear fit. The Royals, Tigers, and Diamondbacks could improve with the addition of Drew, but all three have options at short that they believe in and stand to lose a significant draft pick. Additionally, these teams have very limited budgets that they likely will be spending on bigger needs elsewhere. The Astros are far from contention, have severe revenue issues from their broken regional sports network, and only stand to lose by spending significant dollars on a marginal upgrade at shortstop.
This narrows down the market to the Twins and the Mets. Both teams have similar needs for a shortstop and minimal cost in terms of a draft pick. Still, a scenario where Drew signs with the Twins is unlikely. After the Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes signings, the Twins have limited available funds to work with. There has been little connecting the Twins to shortstops in the first place, and they seem more interested in acquiring a catcher or perhaps yet another veteran arm for the rotation. This leaves the Mets as the most logical fit for Drew, with very little competition.
Still, there is a lot of hearsay connecting Drew to other clubs. Although they have yet to extend an offer, the New York Yankees have been linked to Drew as a possible replacement for Derek Jeter. The fit may not be perfect, but a scenario could exist where the Yankees move Jeter off of shortstop to either third base—provided that Alex Rodriguez serves a suspension—or designated hitter. This would enable the Yankees to slot Drew as a starting shortstop.
Many contending teams could find themselves in a position to add Drew, but all of them are considerable stretches, and most would need to move another player off of shortstop. In all likelihood, Drew is not many of these teams' first choice, and they will have to lose out on other upgrades before turning to him as an option. Many of these teams are also more likely to pursue utility infielder Omar Infante, who is projected to post a .315 wOBA in 2014.
Infante is offensively similar to Drew, has experience at just about every position, and is not tied to draft pick compensation. These characteristics make him likely to have a market similar to Jhonny Peralta, attracting contending teams in search of shortstops, third basemen and second basemen. Infante should have a thriving market of contending teams looking to add a reliable piece to their infield, and the loser of that market could turn to Drew as a contingency.
The bottom line is that if Stephen Drew were to sign a contract right this second, he'd likely sign with the Mets, and not for all that much. No other team has as strong of a need at shortstop, the available payroll, or the protected first round pick that the Mets have, and there is no indication that the Mets intend to pay any more than is absolutely necessary.
This is probably why Buster Olney opined that Drew was better off accepting the Red Sox' qualifying offer. It's apparent, however, that Boras is poised to wait. Wait for Alex Rodriguez to be suspended, for the Pirates to lose out on a first baseman, for the Dodgers to lose out on their first choice at third base, and, finally, for Omar Infante to sign. Soon, the market for Drew will have another contender or two, but don't count on a five-year megadeal. It's not going to happen.
*Estimated free payroll takes the team's 2013 payroll, multiplied by 1.01 if the team is one of the ten worst records in baseball, or 1.11 if the team is not, and subtracts payroll commitments based on information from Cot's Contracts and Matt Swartz Arbitration Estimates for MLB Trade Rumors. For the Mets specifically, information was also used from Toby Hyde's assessment of the Mets' payroll.
