On this date in 1920, the secret deal made to sell Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $125K was announced publicly.  Harry Frazee, the cash-strapped Red Sox owner, also got a $300K loan as part of the deal.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Beyond The Box Score wonders why Will Middlebrooks isn’t getting more interest.
- Camden Chat looks at A.J. Burnett as a possible fit for the Orioles.
- Baltimore Sports and Life talks economics.
- The Giants Cove explains the Mobius Strip Theory.
- Outside Pitch says free agency needs to be re-evaluated.
- MLB Reports wonders who the next great AL DH will be after David Ortiz.
- Inside The Zona looks at where crowdsourcing can go wrong.
- Baseball News Source compares Gerrit Cole and Danny Salazar.
- Reviewing The Brew takes a closer look at Khris Davis.
- Baseball Stooges discusses flaws in the arbitration process.
- Brats and Baseball wonders if Daric Barton can be a fit for the Brewers.
- 101 Baseball News applauds the Astros’ offseason.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com. Â
These articles about free agency needing to be re-evaluated are completely missing the point. Draft pick compensation isn’t the reason Jimenez isn’t commanding 17-20 million. His problem is that he was fairly bad for a long time before 2013.
Players like Cruz and Morales can get jobs if they could settle for what they’re actually worth. It isn’t the owners obligation to drastically overpay nor is the system broken because they aren’t.
Will Middlebrooks isn’t getting more interest because Will Middlebrooks isn’t very good.
WMB had an excellent debut in 2012 after raking in the minors, and then he had an off sophomore season (which many have had before him) and all of a sudden he “isn’t very good”? He’s still young and he has a ton of potential so I don’t get why people are giving up on him already.
My original response seems to have disappeared? So summary:
2012: high BABIP
always: no plate discipline
I drew an analogy to Wily Mo Pena
So you’ve basically given up on him after just 660 ABs, he’s 25, and is under team control through 2019. I’ll take a young, cheap player who can hit around 30 HR in a full season of ABs. Especially when he isn’t even arbitration eligible yet.
The man (WMB) probably will never blossom into a consistent 25-30 HR hitter as long as he swings at everything from his ankles to his eyeballs and is totally unable to hit anything off speed. Last year (example) opposing pitchers were able to get him to K by just throwing him garbage pitches on the outer half of the plate, even off the plate for him to chase and he was a goner. The man cannot hit anything with a “bend” and it’s his weakness, a major one.
The Sox moved Reddick for this and his was not nearly as bad. A VERY good thing Cecchini is as close as he is to MLB ready for the WMB experiment to end. It’s why am kind of for a Drew deal for **1** year and WMB outta here to some team, like the Chisox, Marlins etc.. Needing a 3b and 3/4 of the other players already strike out 30%+ of their PA and WMB fits right in.
Middlebrooks is basically Mark Trumbo but with the ability to play passable 3B. Trumbo was just dealt for Skaggs and Santiago.
1) Trumbo was a 3B for all of 1 week in 2012 only and he was terrible, no one is clamming he is a 3B
2) he plays above average 1B and OF at the level Middlebrooks plays 3B
3)Trumbo has shown more HR power than Middlebrooks in a more pitcher friendly home field
Trumbo is a better offensive and defensive player than Middlebrooks
Trumbo’s defense at 1b is moot, since he will not be playing there any more
His UZR in the OF is -7.0, which is worse than -3.1. And Trumbo is arb eligible with 2 fewer years of control. Neither player is very good, but Middlebrooks plays a tougher position, is cheaper, and is controllable for longer.
Trumbo has played 3 full seasons and averaged 2.3WAR per. Middlebrooks has played the equivalent of one season and earned 2.3 WAR. (Fangraphs WAR numbers). They are very equal players, in spite of ISO differences.
I’d says Middlebrooks is becoming more like Mark Reynolds. High K rate with some power.
What’s the asking price? If they are seeking top prospect value, there’s little wonder why he isn’t drawing much interest.
wonder why Middlebrooks isn’t getting more interest? Maybe because he has a career sub .300 OBP, a sub .500 SLG, UZR/150 of -3.1, Ks a ton and has never posted an fWar above 1.9 in a single season. Middlebrooks=Trumbo-Power-Defense!
he’s not Trumbo – Power, he’s Trumbo – Not-Whiffing
Their K% are almost identical (Trumbo 27.1%, Middlebrooks 26.2), OBP is nearly identical (T .299/ M .294), Trumbo’s ISO is 20 points higher (T .219/ M.198) higher ISO=more power in my book.
By whiffing I didn’t really mean K’s, I meant swinging and missing. Middlebrooks has plenty of power, but he never makes contact.
Khris Davis might be the biggest wild card in the NL. Completely unheralded as a prospect despite putting up solid minor league numbers, his .949 OPS in 53 games prompted the Brewers to deal Aoki and move Braun to RF to open up LF for him. He just pounded the Reds, and fared quite well against the vaunted Cardinal staff as well. If he can put up something reasonably close to those numbers over a full season, the Brewers can surprise people.
Its really a small sample size. Davis played more then 20 games in a month only once in 2013. It was a great month for him no doubt. Lets see how pitchers adjust to him and he adjusts to counter. Brewers won contend until they get more out of their pitching. Kinda surprised they didnt trade Loshe.
I’m still hoping the Red Sox hold onto Middlebrooks. He needs to refine his game, but I feel he has a very high ceiling. He showed a lot of potential in his 2012 debut, and even more when he returned from assignment at the end of 2013. He made a lot of progress. He wasn’t hitting as hard, but he was waiting for his pitches and using the entire field. I feel like the Red Sox are the right team for him to reach his potential. 2014 would be his deciding year though… No excuses after that. Plus I like the idea of a younger, talented Red Sox team.
I really hope that Burnett comes to the O’s. IMO it makes to much sense for both parties. Burnett’s home of residence is less than an hour from the ballpark so he can “ease” his way into retirement, and the O’s could give him a 1 to 2 year deal with high dollar value. He would give the O’s some stability in the rotation and be a veteran presence for all the young arms.
In 2008, he injured his right index finger. His contract would be voided after he took his physical.
I wonder if he’s interested in never pitching in Yankee Stadium again. Maybe he doesn’t care. Doesn’t seem to pitch well in the big moment though, and there’s plenty of those in the AL East. I thought the excuse of the humidity in St Louis affecting his grip in the NLDS game was pretty lame.
Everything about AJ to the O’s makes sense…until you consider that it’s still the AL East. I don’t think AJ forgets that.
I don’t understand why the AL East makes any difference in where Burnett signs. He is 37, has 2 rings, and will not go to the hall of fame. Go where you are comfortable and pays you the most. Also he put up good numbers for the Jays and did well in his first year with the Yankees.
AJ put up the worst seasons of his career in the AL East then put up the best years of his career at age 35 and 36 in PIT. He has made 120 Million dollars already and PIT wants him back there is no reason for him to leave PIT if not for retirement.
I think the Rangers should push for AJ. He would be a great addition to the starting rotation and is a solid player. Also the Rangers have a little money left that he could snatch up. Hoping for AJ to come to the Ballpark.
I don’t think so.
I would love to see Gerrit Cole in a Rangers Uni….Profar for Cole : )
I think Cole is gonna shove it in 2014 similar to what Harvey did.
WMB would be ideally suited to play in Houston–he would be in his home state, he would be playing in a lower profile environment and it would be great atmosphere for him. He could find himself there and be a legit power threat.
Possible even up trade Matt Dominguez for Will Middlebrooks. Add some other parts and expand to help make it happen.
One is no better than the other.. Both massive K machines with -0- Plate discipline that goes against the Sox entire system philosophy that is preached from Rookie ball up.
Boston already has Garin Cecchini headed to AAA in 2014, his OBP was (combined) .443 between high A ball and AA last year. The perfect example of plate patience Boston looks for. If Drew comes back for 1 year, or tolerate WMB and his wild swings for another year is enough rather than move him plus for more of the same.
$125K in 1920 is not even $1.5MM today. That’s crazy.
Cole has 4 pitches w/little deception. Salazar has 2 pitches w/great deception. Cole is a prized arm since HS. Salazar was a projected late innings RP until a year ago. Cole is easy arm action conducive for 200+ IP a year. Salazar is high effort 6 IP w/6K guy. I guess both found success upon promotion…not sure what else they have in common besides they are both on ML salaries. I’ll read the article now, lol.