Bleed Cubbie Blue: All Posts by Brett Taylor

Torii Hunter Might Be Uncomfortable And Other MLBullets

2012-12-31T13:40:28Z

I'm not much of one for goodbyes. Actually, that's not true - I'm usually incredibly long-winded about that kind of thing. But, since this isn't really a goodbye, I'll keep it brief. This is my last MLBullets for BCB (though you can look for the feature to live on), and I want to thank you all for reading them this past year. I've enjoyed it, and want to thank Al for letting me be a part of the writing group here. I'll still be around in the community, and you can also see my work over at Bleacher Nation. Thanks again, and on to the MLBullets ...

This will probably be getting some play for the next few days because it continues to be a sticky issue. New Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter was asked what it would be like to have an openly gay teammate, and he responded: "For me, as a Christian ... I will be uncomfortable because in all my teachings and all my learning, biblically, it's not right. It will be difficult and uncomfortable." For most people, the religious angle will serve as an effective shield, but it's an unfortunate view. I say this without an ounce of religious judgment, but, instead, I'm just thinking as a teammate - Hunter has previously had, or currently has, in all odds, a gay teammate. Now, that guy is going to feel even worse about who he is and about his ability to be completely honest about his life, to the extent he wanted to in the first place. I'm of the mind that, because sexuality doesn't matter when it comes to sports, everyone should just be able to be who they are, and that'll be that. In 20 years, we'll probably think this era of the "gay athletes in sports" question was totally ridiculous.
The Red Sox and Mike Napoli are still negotiating about the contract he agreed to four weeks ago. The Red Sox clearly want some protection built into the agreement about Napoli's hip, and they're keeping in contact with Adam LaRoche, just in case. They'd prefer not to go that route, though, as LaRoche would cost them their second round pick. It'd be interesting to know how many other moves/free agents this whole drama is holding up - LaRoche doesn't want to sign until the Red Sox bow out; the Nats don't want to move Michael Morse until LaRoche is done; maybe the Mariners don't want to sign a player until they know they can't get Morse; maybe that player doesn't want to sign until he knows whether the Mariners are bidding ... and on and on.
The Cardinals are having Matt Carpenter, whose bat should be in the lineup, but who had trouble finding time at his more natural positions (first base and third base), learn to play second base. If he became a passable defensive option there, that's a great bat for second base. On the other hand, with an aging Rafael Furcal at short, that's not a lot of range up the middle.
The Marlins are listening to offers for Giancarlo Stanton, which, if a deal happened, could be the biggest prospect haul in recent memory. I doubt he goes this year, though.
Beyond the Boxscore with a saber-round-up, including the affect of complete games on young pitchers.
Sportswriters, drama queens, and Hall of Fame balloting, from David Murphy. Speaking of which, Peter Gammons on the Steroid Era, and voting for Hall of Famers this year.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.

Get Ready For Another Set Of Justin Upton Rumors And Other MLBullets

2012-12-28T13:26:42Z

With the Christmas holiday firmly in the rearview mirror, it's time for the rumor mill to start churning again ...

Oh, goody-goody gumdrops: the Justin Upton trade rumor watch is back. After falling back into a deep slumber following the Rangers' unsuccessful efforts to land the 25-year-old outfielder, the rumors are going to start popping up again. Jon Heyman believes Upton could be back in play for teams approaching the Diamondbacks about an outfielder after the Cody Ross signing. It still seems far more likely that Jason Kubel or Gerardo Parra are dealt, but everyone loves them a good Upton rumor. Prepare yourself.
Speaking of rumors, the Red Sox and Mike Napoli are engaging in a bit of a public dance. After agreeing to terms on a three-year, $39 million deal at the Winter Meetings, the two sides ran into a hang up, reportedly, about Napoli's hip. Presumably, the Red Sox then sought to renegotiate the deal or at least insert some protective language, and we've heard very little since. But now, suddenly, we hear that the Red Sox are still in communications with free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche (who would make sense for the Red Sox only in the absence of Napoli), and Napoli is in communications with another team. It seems each side is trying to publicly emphasize that they have other options.
Former long-time Yankee Hideki Matsui has officially retired. He spent 20 years playing professional ball, split half and half between Japan and the States.
Jayson Stark's strange but true feats from the 2012 MLB season - it's a great read, but a long one. That 17-inning Red Sox/Orioles game that featured Chris Davis as the winning pitcher (after striking out five times and grounding into a double play) still takes the cake for me.
Maury Brown has the nitty gritty of MLB's upcoming new television deals, which more than double the take coming to MLB teams.
Joe Sheehan offers his early predictions for the 2013 season. Probably a good one: "'...in the AL East' - That phrase gets retired, as after a decade of hegemony, age and questionable management push the Yankees and Red Sox down the totem pole and bring the game's toughest division back to the pack. It's still a strong group, but no longer clearly the best in the game - the NL East, AL West and NL West all vie for the title. The 2013 postseason is the first since 1993 with neither of the AL East's scary monsters involved."
Chipper Jones, in his post-playing life, is just like us. He makes oopsies, and then publishes them for the world to see.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.

The NL Central Is Cheap And Other MLBullets

2012-12-26T13:36:48Z

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and is ready to get back into business ...

Despite being unloaded by the Mets after very reasonable contract extension demands weren't met, R.A. Dickey wanted to make sure the fans knew how he felt, so he wrote them a long letter on his way out of town. In it, he remains deeply thankful to the Mets for giving him a chance, and wishes he could keep pitching for the Mets' fans.
We've already seen the final payrolls for 2012, but MLBTR breaks it down by division to see where the most money is being spent. As you may have expected, the AL East leads the pack at almost $130 million per team. The NL East came in second at $111.5 million, but the AL West was close behind at almost $110 million - a figure that could jump next year, depending on whether the Rangers reverse course on their failed bids. The NL West was next, at $98 million, but that will definitely jump next year with the Dodgers eager to sign everyone. The AL Central was second to last at $96 million, and the NL Central rounded things up at just $89 million. The Cubs will start to bring that number up in future years, but the figure underscores the opportunity laying ahead of the Cubs if and when they start to spend big.
Buster Olney talks about the top potential 2013 story lines, leading off with the weighty expectations of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Andruw Jones signed a $3.5 million deal to play in Japan next year, but that could be in jeopardy after he was arrested on a domestic battery charge in the wee hours of Christmas morning.
FanGraphs evaluates the Nick Swisher signing, and what it could mean to the Indians. He basically replaces Shin-Soo Choo in almost every respect, and the Indians picked up Trevor Bauer for Choo, so you could argue that the Indians are now better in the near-term and long-term with the twin moves.
Mark Faller is leaving his Hall of Fame ballot blank as a protest to the steroid era and the league that turned a blind eye to it. Somewhere Craig Biggio is saying, "Man, you suck."
Baseball Nation's "Best Of 2012" features a number of categories that are a bit different than what you might expect.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.

Nick Swisher Lands In Cleveland And Other MLBullets

2012-12-24T13:11:22Z

Happy Holidays to all, and a Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate it .May Santa treat you well.

One of the biggest remaining free agent chips dropped yesterday, with Nick Swishing signing on as an Indian for four years and $56 million. He'd been expected to end up in Cleveland for a little while now - they were, at least, the favorite - so it wasn' t a huge surprise. I'd expect that the money was a bit of a surprise to him, considering that just a couple years ago, Jayson Werth, at a similar age and with similar numbers, got a deal worth more than twice as much. Werth was better then than Swisher is now, but the difference in the contracts is stark.
Ken Rosenthal talks about the Indians' moves this offseason, and discusses how signing Swisher makes sense for Cleveland, even in the face of trading away Shin-Soo Choo, and possibly dealing Justin Masterson and Chris Perez as well. In short, they are trying to simultaneously rebuild for the long-term while also improving the team for 2013. We'll see how it works out.
The Red Sox and Pirates are working out the final details of a move that would send closer Joel Hanrahan to the Red Sox, together with another player, for outfielder Jerry Sands, pitching prospect Stolmy Pimentel, and possibly reliever Mark Melancon plus another player. The details probably won't be worked out until after Christmas.
It isn't quite the big bat the Mariners have been hoping to land, but Seattle yesterday agreed to terms with 40-year-old Raul Ibanez to a one-year, $2.75 million deal. With a mess of DH/1B/fringe-OF types already, Ibanez's fit is tough to figure, but, as I said, the Mariners were just desperate to make sure they landed another bat or two this offseason.
As Al noted on the front page, former Cub Ryan Freel died Saturday from an apparent suicide. It's a sad story about a guy who was a fan favorite in Cincinnati for a long time.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.

The Early Offseason Winners and Losers And Other MLBullets

2012-12-21T12:55:24Z

Hey, the world is still here. Neat.

Jayson Stark looks at the most improved and least improved teams of the offseason so far, according to computer projections, Vegas odds, and baseball executive opinion. The Blue Jays, Red Sox, Royals, Angels and Dodgers generally show up near the top of each list, with the Marlins, Astros and Mets generally showing up on the not-so-improved list (can you imagine an Astros team that isn't improved?). From the executives on the Blue Jays, who were pretty much unanimously at the top of the improved list: "They've traded for three starting pitchers (R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson) who averaged 209 innings apiece last season. They've added a dynamic leadoff man (Jose Reyes), a guy who hit .346/.390/.516 (Melky Cabrera) before the test-tube police nabbed him, and two players (Emilio Bonifacio and Maicer Izturis) who give them the depth and versatility they lacked in 2012. So what's not to like? "They've basically traded for a No. 1, a No. 2 and a No. 3 starter," said one AL executive. "And that's remarkable, in and of itself." ... "I give them a lot of credit," said another NL exec. "They recognized that right now, the Red Sox and Yankees aren't the Red Sox and Yankees. The AL East isn't the AL East like it used to be. They saw a window of opportunity, and they're going for it. A lot of teams never take that swing. At least they took it."
FanGraphs takes a look at agent Scott Boras' penchant for having his top guys wait to sign their contract, and, sometimes, take a one-year deal if the big money isn't there. Specifically, with respect to Michael Bourn this year, it's fair to wonder: did Bourn and Boras wait too long? ... probably not. Historically, Boras's plan to hold out his top players until the market settles a bit and other options go off the board has worked quite well. Odds are, it will work for Bourn, too, even if he has to accept a "pillow contract," and try again next year. (Though I'd point out that he's going to cost a draft pick, so teams may be slightly more reluctant to sign him for just one year, however cheaply he might come.)
Speaking of one-year deals, it sounds like AJ Pierzynski is going to settle for one with the Texas Rangers, who are finally making a move after an offseason of apparent misses.
Ever wonder how Kevin Goldstein went from writing for Baseball Prospectus to holding a high-level position in the Astros' front office? Well, he's interviewed here, and tells a bit of his story.
If you're looking for a transaction tracker to keep up with what moves have actually happened, here's one from MLB Daily Dish.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.

Is It Time For An Electronic Strike Zone? And Other MLBullets

2012-12-19T12:53:02Z

The latest from around MLB ...

A huge chunk of fans - a majority? - remain staunchly opposed to electronic means being employed to call balls and strikes. Despite the technology existing, which would allow us to know for certain whether that Greg Maddux comebacker really did clip the outer edge of the plate, we refuse to use it. That may sound like a judgmental statement, but it isn't - I'm not so sure I want to use that technology either. However, studies in this area are going to force us to confront the issue. For example, FanGraphs performs a study on the strike zone, and how it shifts dramatically based on the count. Specifically, the difference in the strike zone, over the course of a season's worth of data, on 0-2 counts and 3-0 counts is extreme. Check out the article for a visual that might make you rethink your position on electronically-called balls and strikes. Still, I struggle with the issue. There's something fun and intimately "baseball" about the argument that follows a close ball or strike call. Sometimes it's brutal, because the ump obviously screwed your team, but those moments all even out in the end, right? I just think I'd miss that feeling - the ups and the downs - associated with the ump jutting his arm out to the right, signaling the end of an at bat. I can't rightly redirect my anger at a computer, can I?
The R.A. Dickey trade to the Blue Jays officially went through yesterday after Dickey passed his physical and agreed to a two-year, $25 million extension with the Jays. Always thoughtful, Dickey explained his feelings on leaving the Mets: "I think it's important for me to grieve leaving New York. I had a proverbial home there. I had a home among fans. I had a home in an organization. I had a lot of success there, and I think it's important for me to be sad about that for a moment before I move on to the next feeling."
Phil Mickelson will no longer be the Magic Johnson-style face of the San Diego Padres' ownership group. He recently informed the group that is in the process of purchasing the Padres that he will not be joining them in the process. As a native San Diegoan, I'm sure locals are bummed that he won't be a part of the team.
Baseball Prospectus notes that Coco Crisp has evolved into the league's most skillful base stealer ... and digs into how exactly he's done it. By reviewing each of his stolen base attempts in 2012, R.J. Anderson discovered that Crisp isn't just fast. He's smart. He discovers patterns in pitchers' moves/pick-off attempts/deliveries, and exploits them to the point that his steals are almost never on the catcher. The catcher rarely even has a chance. It's a fascinating read, and probably a study that is going to make it harder for Crisp to repeat his feat in 2013.
Grant Brisbee does what Grant Brisbee does, which is to say he writes a fantastic piece on Hall of Fame voting. The short version? He'll call off the dogs if writers vote for Tim Raines and Alan Trammell. But don't limit yourself to the short version.
Rob Neyer evaluates the Red Sox's $9.5 million bet on Stephen Drew.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.

It's All Up To Dickey And Other MLBullets

2012-12-17T12:57:56Z

The hot stove continues to blaze ...

The big news over the weekend was the agreement on a trade between the Blue Jays and the Mets, in which the Mets would send R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole, and a lesser prospect to the Blue Jays for top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, top 100ish pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard, John Buck, and a lesser prospect. The trade is merely "agreed upon" at this point, as opposed to "consummated," because it is pending an agreement on an extension between Dickey and the Jays, with a 1pm CT deadline on Tuesday. Dickey, 38, will make just $5 million in 2013, and is coming off a Cy Young season in 2012. His skill set - that of a knuckleballer - tends to be one that ages well, so this isn't your average trade for a 38-year-old journeyman.
Jeff Passan says that Dickey wields all the leverage here, and will probably use it to get an extension from the Jays better than the two-year, $26 million deal he was seeking from the Mets. Ken Rosenthal says it could be a painful deal for the Jays, but he understands why they're doing it - after they made the huge trade with the Marlins, they were committed. With the Yankees aging and the Red Sox retooling, the time to strike in the AL East is probably right now. Richard Justice says that, if the Jays pull this deal off, they will be so good on paper that you can't rightly pick any other team to win the AL East. Dave Cameron explains why this deal is not the same kind of thing as the Royals trading top prospects for James Shields.
The Pirates have come under fire for having prospects in their organization train with the Navy SEALS, which has reportedly led to an injury or two. Pirates GM Neal Huntington defended the training, saying, "Collegiate and Olympic teams have gained valuable insight, gained valuable experience from the Navy SEALs. We‘re not alone in our belief that these techniques work. As a matter of fact, these are the scientifically proven techniques that help young men grow, that help young men develop."
MLB has released 2012's final payroll numbers, which are the actual, final calculations of "40-man rosters and include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing bonuses, earned incentive bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions." The Cubs came in at number 10, with a total official payroll of $107,708,021. The Yankees were up top, with more than $223 million in payroll.
Speaking of which, that payroll cost the Yankees an extra $18.9 million, thanks to the luxury tax. The cap was at $178 million last year, and will hold firm there for 2013 before increasing to $189 million in 2014.
Looks like the Red Sox are going to pick up Stephen Drew on a one-year deal, per Jon Heyman. He'll try to rebuild some value, and they'll buy time for their shortstop prospects.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.

Josh Hamilton Gets PAID And Other MLBullets

2012-12-14T12:46:30Z

Who needs the Winter Meetings, right? This week has already surpassed last week's activity, and it looks like there's more to come ...

Obviously the big news yesterday was Josh Hamilton finally re-signing with the Rangers ... er, heading northwest to the Mariners ... er ... the Angels? We shouldn't be too shocked given the surprising Albert Pujols move last year, but the Angels caught a lot of folks off guard yesterday when they landed Hamilton on a huge, five-year, $125 million deal.
The reactions to the Hamilton signing have been mixed, to say the least, with the Angels being accused by some of "panicking," and swooping in on Hamilton (to whom they were not connected until late last week at the very earliest) in order to reclaim some of the LA spotlight from the Dodgers, even though he may not have been a good fit for their needs. Jonah Keri says the Angels will be great fun to watch, but he wonders how will Hamilton will play in their pitcher-friendly ballpark. Jeff Sullivan points out that Hamilton's contact rate was terrifyingly low last year, which could portend some trouble. Glenn DuPaul says that, even after adding Hamilton, you have to make some assumptions that are seriously in the Angels' favor to say that they project to be better in 2013 than they were in 2012.
The question now is, what do the Rangers do after missing out on Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton, and probably Justin Upton, too?
Lost in the Hamilton mania was a lesser signing, but of note around here - Ryan Dempster reportedly inked a two-year, $26.5 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. He'd hoped to stay in the NL with a team who Springed in Arizona, but I guess he wasn't getting as many calls as he would have liked. Good luck to Ryan in Boston.
The Yankees are reportedly set to re-sign Ichiro for two years and $12 to $14 million, which seems like an awful lot of money for a guy whose career has been trending so solidly downward. He was very good in his time in New York, though, so maybe there's something magical about those Yankee pinstripes.
Rob Neyer isn't sure the Dodgers are doing anything that teams before them haven't tried to do - i.e., spending a whole lot of money. The real test of their financial resolve will be when their roster starts to age: will they dump those players, eating the salary, AND go out and buy brand new shiny players?
Remember those anti-Mets comments R.A. Dickey supposedly made at a Christmas party when he was airing his grievances about not getting an extension? Well, here are some of the comments, and they are all kinds of tame, fair, and even-handed. Not a big deal. Makes you wonder if the Mets are just trying to lay the foundation to explain a trade to their fans.

Brett Taylor is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation, and a Contributor here at Bleed Cubbie Blue.