Here’s a quick look around the American League:
- In terms of name value, Adam Jones ranks among the majors’ most prominent free agents, thanks to a successful 11-year run with the Orioles. Jones is coming off a below-average season, though, and as a 33-year-old corner outfielder whose best days as a hitter and defender are gone, he hasn’t drawn much reported interest in free agency. But there’s at least a glimmer of a chance the longtime Baltimore fan favorite will end up back with the Orioles, Joe Trezza of MLB.com relays. Asked Saturday about the possibility of re-signing Jones, rookie general manager Mike Elias said, “I don’t think anything is a dead issue,” and added the Orioles are “monitoring everything.” At the same time, however, Elias suggested the rebuilding club may continue to avoid major league free agency, as it has done so far this winter. Should that prove to be the case, it seems likely to rule out a return for Jones, who figures to command a big league deal.
- The Indians ran a franchise-high payroll in every season from 2016-18, each of which included an AL Central title, but that degree of spending “was unsustainable,” president Chris Antonetti said Saturday (per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com). “So we did need to reposition ourselves financially, which we were able to do with a series of moves earlier in the offseason and provide ourselves that necessary financial flexibility that we needed (for 2019 and beyond).” After opening last year with a payroll in the $135MM range, the Indians are projected to begin 2019 near $119MM, according to Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. Obviously, then, Cleveland hasn’t been aggressive in upgrading its roster this winter, though it’s still the favorite in its division. If the Indians find themselves in contention during the summer trade season, they should be in position to bolster their roster from outside, Antonetti noted. For now, though, any further offseason additions will be modestly priced, Hoynes writes.
- The Tigers claimed infielder Kaleb Cowart from the Mariners on Thursday with the idea of using him as a two-way player, general manager Al Avila confirmed Saturday (via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News). “We felt there was a possibility of a two-way guy here,” Avila said. “We’re going to put him on the mound and see if he can recapture what our guys saw when he was drafted.” Cowart was a first-round pick of the Angels in 2010 as a position player, but he impressed Tigers scouts back then as a high school pitcher. “I always followed his career because of what I saw him do on the mound,” said assistant GM David Chadd, who was the Tigers’ director of scouting during Cowart’s draft year. At the time, Cowart offered a 92 to 95 mph fastball “with heavy life and a slider he threw for strikes,” in addition to a splitter, Chadd recounted. Now, given that Cowart has been a woeful hitter in the majors, has no minor league options remaining and is set to face plenty of competition for an infield spot, the 26-year-old’s best hope to make the Tigers may be to show he can be a viable MLB pitcher, as McCosky points out.
Two way players are the new norm. Awesome?
Yet, the one guy who got the trend “started” barely pitched and needed TJ.
Do you think that was because he was a DH as well as a pitcher? I hate to say it, but TJ is fairly common. Ohtani was very successful in his limited innings pitching, and on a larger scale, in his hitting. If a guy rakes like that, and also throws 100 and can make MLB hitters look like that in his first taste of action, are you really going to deny him the chance to do both and make him pick a position?
at this point? no. he’s inexpensive. however, as soon as he’s commanding market value I think that changes everything. there’s too much of a risk asking him to pitch and hit on a high level while paying him longterm big money.
Unfortunate but guys throwing too hard, instead of pitching, that leads to big radar gun scores and short term success but also, eventually injuries
There is no evidence that shows that throwing with more velocity increases the likelihood of TJ. Any pitch over 90 mph puts enough force on the UCL to tear it. Any pitcher at any point could get TJ if their training and conditioning slips. It’s a random time bomb.
Is it random or is it due to training and conditioning issues? And if 90mph pitches cause a certain amount of stress(enough to tear the ligament, as you say) don’t 95mph pitches cause more stress, thus making it likely that hard throwers are more prone to UCL issues?
There are actually numerous studies on that very topic. Velocity correlates with risk of elbow injury more than any other on-field factor.
Here’s one such study: tht.fangraphs.com/velocitys-relationship-with-pitc…
I do feel that Ohtanis workload over the years has contributed to his injury.
But he also already had a tear when he signed, and very few pitchers ever successfully avoid surgery after a UCL tear… Chances are his fate was sealed before he ever touched the field, and his workload in 2018 was thus a limited factor.
Chicks dig the longball
There’s no evidence? What? As velo’s incrsase TJ has increased as well. That’s like saying when they invented the car didn’t have seatbelts and as the cars speed increased more falaties occurr saying speed isn’t related to more deaths. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest the velo pitchers are training for all offseason is the cause of the increased TJs.
Correlation does not imply causation.
i feel like it’s got to be deeper issues than that. guys threw 95-100 back in the early 1900s. We’ve seen guys throw 300-400 innings and they didn’t have TF surgery to provide relief. something has changed in the last 50-60 years. you would think with better research, better training and there’r usage of relief pitches we’d see fewer incidents of arm related issues but we don’t.
They didn’t throw that hard back then
…statistically it does…
..then again, statistically.. the flapping bumble bee wings on an elephant allows it to fly quite effortlessly…
No, because Otani has a partially torn ligament anyway
Ohtani
The mystery team on Machado…is the Orioles.
Got it started? What are you smoking? Hey, Babe Ruth, you apparently are irrelevant.
Personally, I think it is quite awesome. I guess it’s just because it’s so different from what we have accepted to be possible from players. From an Ohtani who can be a starting pitcher and a DH, to a player looking to be a reliever and a part time OF/IF, I find it fascinating because I grew up believing you couldn’t do both at the same time at the major league level. Very economical use of roster spots as well!
Your last point is exactly why Ohtani intrigued me… To have a guy be able to do so many things for you eating up only 1 spot on a 25 man roster? That’s a value stats can’t quantify simply because it’s never been a thing before.
That’s what WAR does. He gets WAR for hitting stats and pitching.
but is his high level of performance sustainable? once he dreams big money would you want to be the team playing him a 5/$150 deal while still doing both? just seems like at dinner point he’ll have to choose one or the other and focus on being elite in that one way.
Yes JD
The chances of major league success of two way players, is the same as switch pitchers.
2 way players is the same norm as switch pitchers.
Some of the same people cheering for two way players are the same ones hoping for a universal DH. It’s so strange. EVERY pitcher in the National League is a two-way player.
That’s like saying EVERY kicker/punter/long snapper in the NFL is an all around football player.
As an AL fan, I hope the NL stays strong and has no DH ever. That’s half the league with a huge hole in their lineup, minus a handful of exceptional individual hitting pitchers (MadBum for example). I think NL fans should get a little more rowdy about the DH coming to the NL. Its a complete unfair competitive advantage. Even when allowed a DH in interleague play / playoffs, NL teams are not built with that middle of the order DH bat. Standardizing the rules is the only way to level the playing field. I give huge props to the fact that the NL has won 48 of 114 World Series and that a huge chunk of that is skewed by the Yankees (meaning the numbers are actually pretty dead on equal if you remove the Yankees and the Cardinals from each side). DH is fairly new, so I’d have to look at how it is since then.
More to your point, 2 way players are a different monster though. They allow the same luxury as the DH. More roster flexibility. Its not very outrageous to be a fan of both in my personal opinion.
This notion that all AL lineups have this huge bopper in the clean up spot is so silly. Most teams are staying away from a full time DH as they realize one of their older expensive players will inevitably get hurt and they have to stick him there for his last 2,3 yrs.
Most AL teams use the spot to get their guys a rest from playing in the field. They do this because 8 man bullpens have become the norm so they can’t really afford the roster spot a loaf who can’t play in three field.
Sounds great if there weren’t stats to dispute that claim. NL pitchers hitting stats are anemic compared to the DH stats which also contributes to padding their pitching stats since they see a fellow pitcher 3-4 times instead of a slugger.
it’s still an extra hitter in thur lineup and they still hey 500 PA despite any rest to the vets.
as for MadBum watching him slash a .500 ops i’ts not that entertaining to watch.
BTW, MadBum is considered the best hitting NL pitcher and sports a career .183BA to go with his .228OBP and .313SLG so I’m sure the .540OPS is just a little below what the DHs bring.
You should see my other comment on lineup flexibility and why Shohei Ohtani is more valuable than meets the eye. DH offers lineup flexibility, rest, etc. for players in the lineup. AL teams are STILL built around the DH even without a big bopper. 🙂
I do appreciate NL fans view though. I like managers having more influence on the game and what the lack of a DH brings to the game. Those are all valid arguments. But to say its not a huge disadvantage is being just a bit naive.
8 man pens is the number one reason for the length of games today IMHO. Force teams to teach players to pace themselves again pitching instead of overthrowing. Might cut down on injuries too. 12 pitchers max, increase roster size to 27 and get rid of the DH in the next CBA. Gives time for teams, players and agents to adjust. Combine the above with reducing the time to free agency to four years but give teams and players an incentive to resign their own. I recently suggested starting with year six of any contract, only 75% counts against the tax threshold. Rewards teams, players and fans for stars to stay with their existing organization.
Every sport has offensive, defensive and two way players. If scoring is so important, why not eliminate defenders in soccer or require NFL players to go both ways like 60 years ago? MLB has added so many commercials to the TV game and now complains about the length. Going back to the original way the game was played theoretically should shorten the time. Again, force players to adjust and limit the number of pitchers on a roster.
I disagree with you completely. First off, OPS is basically OBP + Slugging. Add up .228 + .313.
Who cares if he’s the best among the absolute worse hitters in baseball? There are low A hitters that could hit better than MadBum.
Also, to say that .540 is a “little below” what the DH might bring is a completely insane statement. A DH can literally be anyone you want it to be. That being said, out of the hundreds of mlb players in the league in 2018 only about 25 posted an OPS under .600 so almost ANY hitter would be a better offensive performer over any pitcher in baseball, MadBum included. If I wanted to watch a professional sport where athletes fumble the basic plays I’d sign up for the WNBA TV package….if one exists.
I cited the leading hitting pitcher and proved his numbers suck compared to a normal MLB hitter which was in response to the above comment about the AL and lack of hitting out of the DH spot. To even compare pitching to a DH to a fellow pitcher is insane.
The DH was enacted in 1973. Since then the A.L. has won 25 World Series & the N.L. has won 20.
New norm? Theres one in the majors and a handful of them in the minors
Lorenzen might be one. Cowart might be one. Davidson might be one. More guys are being drafted than ever. There’s a clear trend starting.
I believe this is called an amphibious pitcher
He’ll be DFA’d before the season opens. Dang you Avila!
Avila and his team are many executives that used to be elite scouts. Hope to see them find more gold. Like JD Martinez.
I’d like to see the Tigers add a couple more veterans. Then put these young kids to the test for a title run. Not likely, but if things fall into place you never know.
The tigers would have to sign like 17 veterans for a chance at a devision title. Just let the rebuild happen, my man.
I get what 68 is saying… look at the tigers 40 man roster. It is absolutely dismal, at best. We need to add something for life or to flip at least one veteran at the deadline. MLB just announced top 100 and that’s looking good so we got to add young pieces to surround those pitchers. We need a catching prospect.
As a Jays fan, I’m looking forward to the smoldering mess that Duquette leaves in Boston in a couple years
Dombrowski?
Hope this works for Cowart! Can’t wait to see how it turns out !!
With Brauns injury history I would love to see the Brewers to sign Jones to a one year contract
Shoutout to Jason Martinez!!!
Jones to the Indians
Elias also hinted today that Jones having 10/5 rights this year might also be a hindrance to re-signing him. (Regardless of numbers Jones has has a terrific O’s career.)
he’s not going to get a deal longer than maybe 2 years. the aav won’t be prohibitive anyway. and are 10-5 rights still valid? i can’t imagine vets on 1 year deals getting no trade privileges.
That seemed to be what was suggested in an interview with Elias today. Thinking out loud here but I wonder if those 10/5 rights would exist because the deal would be with the Orioles, with whom he had just had five consecutive years.
If he signs with Baltimore 10/5 are still in effect
I wonder if part of the reason that there is a lack of interest in Jones is the comments he made a couple of years ago about mlb being a white man’s game?
i don’t think that will matter at all. it wasn’t a racist or ill intended comment. he might relate his personal experiences but he hasn’t played out any social agenda. seems like he’s one of the well liked and respected players in the game. also has been very community oriented. im sure color isn’t an issue, good or bad, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have him as a vet on certain teams to serve as a mentor. i would also apply that to vet latin players and maybe Asians too, especially for international players adjusting to the U.S for the first time.
Adam Jones is considered a stalwart competitor and clubhouse presence the baseball world over.
Then why is he still unsigned and have such little interest thus far? His skills have eroded and his unwillingness to get traded to a contender shows he might be more of a me guy than thought.
His god awful ObP has more to do with not being signed than some comment he made 4 years ago that nobody remembers.
So the idea that he likes Bmore and wanted to stay makes him a bad person? i don’t agree. in addition, he’s still available because the market usually has a pecking order. he’s a corner vet whose age is catching up with him but can still offer value to the right team that uses him appropriately.
Well right now most teams look pretty good on paper. Everyone is in the best shape of their lives. All prospects will be great and then camp starts and you see what you have lol
Well, he ain’t wrong. It’s the only major sport with a majority white player base.
Yeah because hockey doesn’t…
No problem with him stating a fact, but what would happen if a white player just stated a fact about NBA or NFL….that it’s a black mans game. The snowflakes and race hustlers would be out in force. So what if MLB is mostly white. This happens to be a majority white country where black kids tend not to play baseball. What’s the problem? Where is it written that everything has to be split down the middle half white half black?
Where is it written? On every affirmative-action agenda.
you’re kidding right? you really think anyone in the nba or NFL doesn’t know that already? and you really are taking his comment out of context.
“We already have two strikes against us already,’’ Baltimore Orioles All-Star center fielder Adam Jones told USA TODAY Sports, “so you might as well not kick yourself out of the game. In football, you can’t kick them out. You need those players. In baseball, they don’t need us. “Baseball is a white man’s sport.’’
68% of nfl players are AA
74% of nba players and just 8% in the mlb. nothing racist about that fact nor his comment.
“Players of color” make up of almost 50% of MLB.
blacks, asians and Latinos don’t all have the same life experiences and to suggest it’s the “white man” vs others seems peculiar.
Also, the numbers i heard were 43% poc and 57% white.
furthermore, in comparison, i’ts…
57% white vs 8% black, 31% latino (so much diversity amoung Latinos too) and 3% other.
Tell that to the experts who have come up with “The 2018 MLB Racial and Gender Report Card”. Whites in baseball have been declining for years, despite Jones’s comment.
Perhaps his comments pertain to looking beyond the clubhouse, into the ticket-holding fan base.
@ canocorn;
Good point.
The government should mandate a program in which more blacks buy season tickets, else risk a fine and other penalties.
Huh? You guys are getting carried away with this whole issue. It was never about the flag itself. It’s supposed to bring light to a much deeper issue. Somehow, the politics made it into simply the flag and the anthem.
Jones has also made comments about certain cities being racist. You burn bridges, you pay the price.
hos Skin colour has nothing to do with him being unsigned. He has a below average OBP and I’m pretty sure it’s been that way for awhile. Stop trying to make everything about race. All these baseball GMs are all college educated and all they care about is numbers and winning.
Because Boston surely had a spot for Jones…..Get off your soapbox.
Very interesting to consider now that you mention it.
Could sabermetrics and advanced statistical analysis “hide” racism or another form of discrimination?
Even if there was some sort of conspiracy (which I don’t think there is), stat-inclined front offices can point to any number of advanced statistics and say that’s why they aren’t interested in a player…even if there is a more sinister motivation.
It’s unfortunate everything can be analyzed or calculated now in baseball. I miss the emotional attachment not tied to a number.
I’ll never say that racism doesn’t exist on some levels in ANY organization or department, but I definitely don’t see it as an issue in mlb that effects personnel decisions. If anything, it would more likely be an issue with regards to field managers and the front office and perhaps ownership access. But even then I wouldn’t think it would be a league wide issue.
a good hitting coach should be able to teach cowart how to hit big league pitching.
awesome in theory…
isn’t that the responsibility of every mlb hitting coach?
So if a player fails to hit at the MLB level their pitching coach can’t be good?
Cowart cannot hit. Why teams aren’t just full on converting him to a pitcher is confusing me.
I don’t think the Tigers are converting him to a pitcher with the thought he will be an above average pitcher. The value of Cowart ( and similar players like Davidson for the Rays) is all in the flexibility. IF these players have the skills to occupy both the last seat on the bench and the last spot in the bullpen they have more value. I would imagine him in mop-up, low leverage situations for the Tigers pen, which will probably give him plenty of chances.
Regarding the injury risk, didn’t Ohtani have a slight tear before coming over to the U.S.?
Unless he shows he can earn a spot on the team as a pitcher, I see them trying to move Cowart to the minors by passing him thru waivers. Rosters are currently rather full for most teams. I doubt Detroit would have claimed him if they had to cut someone to do so.
I think Jones ends up in Boston…I think not…I think he chooses to retire first…
Jones and Cargo to fill the corners in Cleveland
Never happen.
Baltimore should make Adam Jones an Oriole lifer ! He doesn’t want to leave , that was obvious at the trade deadline . I can’t think of a better player to mentor our young guys during the rebuild ! He plays the game with passion , he plays hard !
But they wanted and needed him to leave so the team could get something in return for him during the rebuild as well as open up ABs to see what they have waiting in the wings. By refusing a trade to a contender shows he was after the $ and not the ring like most players winding down their careers.
How was it about the money? The team he got traded to would still have to pay him.
He wanted to be paid to accept a trade.
How was he after the money when he was getting the same pay whether he played in Baltimore or anywhere else ?
No it showed he had leverage and tried to use it to get himself a better deal and sign a contract extension. If your team or you have a problem with 10/5 right do what the rays did with Longoria and trade him before he gets to that point. And I’m on the owners side with every CBA. If a team gives a no trade clause in the contract don’t come on here spewing nonsense about how the player is only after the money, he should do the right thing and accept a trade. No he should do the actual right thing and take full advantage of his contract rights and decide what is best for him. No trade clauses are a way to get the player to sign for less money. You can’t get the player to take less than expect him to give up his rights too.
Sounds great but players that already banked millions chase that ring when they realize they’re almost done. Being a key veteran addition to a winner will lead to demand and therefore more money, but this guy would rather stay in Baltimore when they didn’t want him or need him anymore and he was taking up a spot they wanted to use to see their future, of which he is not a part of.
Polish hammer: he didn’t want to leave his family for two months and as a five and ten player, he had every right to stay put. Why is this on Jones? The O’s should have privately approached him and once he said no, they should have moved on and not continued to pursue a Jones trade.
It’s on Jones because he chose to stay, which he had every right to do so. That said, it’s not surprising he’s not signed yet.
Like mostly everyone else, his price v. expected abilities is why he’s unsigned. My guess is he doesn’t want to move and eventually will sign as a reserve with Baltimore or Washington and if not, he’ll call it a career. It might have been he didn’t want to move last year during the season because he had options. Time will tell if family is number 1 and if nothing local comes his way, will he call it a career?
I agree and as a fan he has earned that right. He is a very good person. He has done a lot for his community, never gotten in any trouble been nothing but a class act.
How in the world was it about money? There was no financial benefit to rejecting a trade. He wasn’t asking for a financial incentive to waive the no-trade. He simply stated he didn’t want to leave Baltimore. He would’ve earned the same amount of money trade or no trade.
I think in the end it came down to his family I believe. As fans we sometimes forget that. I know now that I’m older I hate change too
The Dolans have plenty of bread. GTFOH with the payroll excuses.
Because they’re rich they should continue to lose money every year? They have put a good competitive team out there the past few seasons and fans still didn’t come out to see them.
Two years of investment versus decades of neglect. Fans aren’t stupid. The Dolans make enough money to invest in a competitive team and still make a nice profit
They’ve been losing money the past few years to put a division champ product on the field and get into extra innings of game 7 of the Workd Series and the fans still don’t come out.
Fans don’t go out because the Dolan’s have shown no loyalty to them or any player the fans may like or get behind. They have a HISTORY of low-balling and trading their good players so they can continue to be cheap.
In 18 years of ownership, Cleveland has seen 3 good teams. That’s pathetic.
You must not have ever had an Economics class, or you’d realize what it takes to juggle that roster with payroll short term and long.
It takes cheap owners, no doubt.
Name the last all star that we resigned after they were going to be a free agent.
The dolan’s care about money, not the fans, the players, etc. Plain and simple. Dan Gilbert is a guy that cares about winning. Exact same market.. Guy spends money. They’ve brought the city a title.
Yup, basketball and 1 legendary player wanting to return home is the way baseball should run. Especially when you need 25 players and not just Bron and 4 guys that pass him the ball and get out of his way. Brilliant!
Dan Gilbert did such a bang up job everybody should follow what he did. He lucked out Lebron felt guilty and came back home to win that one title before getting sick of him again before leaving. They should have been a dynasty and won several titles but he screwed that all up.
The post wasn’t about LeBron. It was about an owner willing to spend in a small market vs cheap owners not willing to spend in the same market.
The Dolans are worth multiple billions of dollars. Either get good talent here and keep it or sell the team to someone that will.
The tigers rebuild is going to be SO MUCH LONGER than what their front office is letting on. I absolutely loved Mike Illitch when he was owner but have a feeling that with his son Chris running the show they are not going to spend. I really hope that the Illitch family ends up selling to a Dan Gilbert, as he has already inquired bout a possible transition and he will do what is necessary to put more of the millions he makes back onto the field and not into his pockets.
I think the bigger issue u s the Indians think a 135 million dollar payroll is under sustainable. I’d love to see the books and find out if that’s true.
Or buy your own team and spend a fortune on a contender while fans still stay home…
The owners will never open up the books. If they do that, mirage of profitability will disappear. Every baseball team is turning a profit at least twice over. No owner would continue to invest if that were not the case.
They’re not making the profit you believe they are, however the value of the franchise climbs so when hey sell it will be at quite an increase.
Done one should pick up Adam Jones. Good corner field spot that could give you 1-2 WAR as well as 15-20 home tuna with .800 ops
Orioles should give Adam Jones a 1 year / $5MM offer with a no trade clause. Try to deal him in the summertime if he rebounds.
Btw. Not sure if 10-5 rights means Jones can only be traded with Jones’ approval/waiver.