Happy New Year, baseball fans! I took it upon myself to write a blog post today because it's a gazillion degrees below zero and I needed to think warm thoughts. Realizing that Spring Training starts in less than 40 days instantly warmed me right up with thoughts of pitchers casually tossing to catchers, rookies seeking advice from veteran players, and Adam Wainwright in a Speedo - I mean, in a uniform. So what has happened baseball-wise during the off-season? It hasn't been as exciting as in years past, but it has definitely been productive. Here's a run-down of who has been traded, who has been signed, and who is still unemployed.
The biggest news of the off-season was the signing of Japanese "phenom" Sohei Ohtani. This kid can both hit and pitch, so he was annoyingly being called "the next Babe Ruth." Don't do that, people - there's only ever going to be one overweight, difficult-to-get-along-with, womanizing alcoholic who was amazing on the field but an absolute mess in his personal life. I didn't fall for the Ohtani craze, because I think the kid has a lot of "proving himself" to do; not that Japanese baseball is inferior to Major League Baseball talent-wise (their players are just as good), but just because you kick ass in one league doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be the best in another one. The rumors of which team would sign Ohtani were all over the place - the Mariners need someone exciting, the Cardinals and Giants could use him as a pitcher who could actually hit, the Tigers could use him as a Designated Hitter... The kid ended up surprising everyone and signed with the Los Angeles Angels, so now he will team up with Mike Trout and Albert Pujols to provide some excitement to the American League fans in LA (by the way, do any of you still refer to this team as the California Angels or Anaheim Angels? I know - I'm old!). I'm OK with Ohtani being out west and I'm probably not going to see much of him because of it; I just hope he stays healthy, easily adjusts to life in the US, and if he really is as wonderful as they say he is, I hope it gives the sport of baseball a positive and uplifting boost.
Let's see... what else? Oh, Derek Jeter decided to become CEO and part owner of the Miami Marlins, and he's not being well received by the Miami media, the fans, or the players themselves. Those Marlins are going to be really really good... twenty years from now. To say that this will be a "rebuilding year" for the Marlins is quite the understatement - they got rid of MVP Giancarlo Stanton (welcome to the Yankees, Giancarlo!), second baseman Dee Gordon is now a center fielder for the Mariners, and Marcell Ozuna was sent to the Cardinals. Next on the trading block? Rumors point to Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto, and many Marlins players (current and former) have let their disapproval of these trades be known (gotta love when athletes tweet!). So who will make up the Marlins' roster this season? Let's hope they have a lot of young talent coming up for Spring Training, otherwise they'll have to ask one of the hot dog vendors at Marlins Park to grab a glove and play the outfield for a game or two. I personally think that Jeter secretly wants to come out of retirement as a Marlin and is getting rid of all his players in order to make room for himself. I say bring back Ozzie Guillen as manager, but I think I'm the only human being who wants that. Hey, Ozzie was a passionate guy - there's no denying that!
Then there's the soap opera of Manny Machado. The Orioles' best third baseman since Brooks Robinson is rumored to be either a Yankee or a Red Sox - both "Public Enemy Number One" teams of the Orioles. The Yankees claim that Machado wants to to be on a contending team, and the Red Sox just want him because the Yankees do. Machado reportedly wants to move to shortstop, but will Orioles fans allow him to achieve greatness at the position that will always belong to Cal Ripken? Here's another issue: Machado will become a free agent at the end of the 2018 season. What does that mean? Well, if I was the Orioles' GM, I would keep Machado at third base, trade him before the July 31st deadline to a contending team (since the Orioles have no pitching to contend and their closer, Zack Britton, ruptured his Achilles tendon last month), and get a bunch of prospects for him (so that us Frederick Keys fans have some up-and-coming players to watch in the Minors). I'm not bashing the O's season before it's even started; I'm just trying to be realistic. And Machado can be like Yu Darvish was this past season with the Dodgers - go to a contending team for a couple of months, play in the World Series, and then use your free agency to get yourself a hefty contract with another team right after that.
Oh wait! Yu Darvish is one of those free agents who hasn't been signed yet! He joins pitchers Jake Arrieta, Lance Lynn, and Alex Cobb, as well as J.D. Martinez, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakis in the list of top free agents who have yet to be signed by anyone. And for those of you who think that free agents never re-sign with the last team they played for, pitchers CC Sabathia and Brandon Kintzler signed to continue with the Yankees and Nationals, respectively. And rumor has it that the Nationals want to keep Bryce Harper even after he's eligible for free agency at the end of the 2018 season. So there you go - "franchise" players are still a thing!
Still unsigned and therefore unemployed are old men Jayson Werth and Ichiro Suzuki. Now, as much as I like Werth (my son dressed as him for Halloween one year, bearded mask and all), it's time for him to go and enjoy retirement (but don't drive too fast, Jayson; remember how that landed you in jail for a couple of days several years ago!). But Ichiro? Really? No one wants a 44-year-old right fielder who batted .255 with 3 home runs in 196 at-bats for the Marlins last year? Hey, the Marlins don't have ANYONE in the outfield - they may want to take this guy into consideration! If the Marlins don't want him, then someone should sign him just so he can retire with dignity and every team he visits can give him a proper farewell. Come on, Seattle Mariners - show some love to the guy who brought fans to your ballpark for many years and is likely to wear your cap in Cooperstown!
So there you have it, my friends - a recap of what has happened and what is to come for the 2018 baseball season. If Manny Machado ends up with the Yankees, make sure to check back with me because I will surely have plenty to say about that. In the meantime, stay warm, and please continue to pray for the people of Puerto Rico, who still suffer from plenty of power outages almost 4 months after hurricane María ripped through the island. Gracias, amigos! :-)
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