After a very slow start, the freelance market is finally on the move. The Yankees signed DJ LeMahieu and Corey Kluber, and the Nationals added John Lester to their roster. As the market recovers, ESPN MLB reporter Jesse Rogers gives his take on the latest interseasonal news he’s hearing right now.
Veteran Pitching Seats
First, it was Corey Kluber, two-time Cy Young winner, who found a home with the New York Yankees,
Then it was John Lester, who went to Washington Nationals on a one-year contract.
Lester will not return to the Chicago Cubs, despite a stated desire to make his 200th appearance. Winning in their uniform because the Cubs are in the middle of a money crisis and decided they couldn’t afford to bring in the lefties.
2 Connected
Leicester, like Kluber, didn’t want to sign a rebuilt team, and the need for a sleeve hitter behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin arose with the Nationals. Lester will also meet many familiar faces in Washington: Manager Dave Martinez, pitching coach Jim Hickey and newcomer Kyle Schwarber are all from Chicago to Washington.
Adam Wainwright could be next. He is still available to teams looking for a pitcher this winter, although there is still a good chance he will sign with the St. John’s Cardinals.
On Monday, Mr Wainwright said the door was not closed to anyone and that he had recently received several offers in talks with different teams. Industry insiders believe Wainwright and Yadier Molina will return to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Louis for another season.
The dominoes of the second goal
Industry observers believe that the market for second basemen should develop quickly following LeMahieu’s signing with the Yankees. There are a large number of options for Veterans, so we asked a manager (who is not currently seeking help for his position) to set up a handicap where the four remaining options would be signed.
Tommy La Stella: Back to the A’s in Oakland.
Jonathan Villar: Returns to the Orioles after a year off with the Marlins and Blue Jays.
Professor Jurickson: Plates with kings
Colten Wong: Angel. In fact, he replaces La Stella, who was traded to Oakland at the deadline.
NL DH or not NL DH?
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: There is still speculation about the possibility of having a designated rider in the National League this season, but no one knows when an agreement can be reached. This will not help management much in setting up the registry if the decision is not made by the end of March or even the end of February. As for the players, they wanted to know yesterday.
Buster Olney begins the season with his annual report.
– – Top 10 Pitchers (ESPN+)
– Top 10 Fielders (ESPN+)
– Top 10 Fielders (ESPN+)
– Top 10 Teams (ESPN+)
There are a handful of offensive players like the former Rangers, Red Sox and Padres pitching Moreland who would benefit tremendously from the introduction of 15 National League teams. Moreland played outside during his 11-year career in the big leagues, but is currently a classic first goal/DG player in his career. There is reason to believe it can still reach new highs, as it has posted OPSs of 0.894 and 0.835 over the past two seasons – and had a strong start in Boston before being traded in August 2020.
The Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates are among his current contenders, but clarity will help him and several other killers, including free agent Tommy La Stella, beyond the DH options above, Nelson Cruz and Marcell Ozuna.
Some players believe that the owners are collectively dragging their feet to reduce the market: The longer it takes, the more nervous the players will be about signing.
Vaccination sites
Nearly half of baseball stadiums could become mass vaccination sites, as Bay Area teams are the latest to consider using their facilities. The Oakland Coliseum and Oracle Park in San Francisco will likely join Minute Maid Park in Houston, Dodger Stadium, Marlins Park, City Field in New York, Yankee Stadium, PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Petco Park in San Diego as coronavirus vaccination sites. Other parks in question include Guaranteed Stakes Field and Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Petco Park started vaccinating at its tailgate last week. The hope is to reach 5,000 vaccinations a day, seven days a week. The organizations that supply their stadiums are aware that the more people who get vaccinated, the more benefits baseball brings to society: fuller stadiums, faster.
