The market for relief pitchers is out of control this off-season. After seeing Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bell sign lucrative, long-term deals, the Twins chose to re-sign Matt Capps to a one-year $4.75 million deal. While handing out short-term deals to relievers is typically a smart strategy, Capps wasn’t particularly good last season. Did the Twins make a mistake bringing him back?
Chris Iannetta is finally free. After employing the worst starting catcher in baseball last season (min 250 plate appearances), the Los Angeles Angels decided to seek out an upgrade. Despite some success in the majors, Iannetta never endeared himself to the Colorado Rockies’ front office. After seasons of speculation, the Rockies finally gave up on the 28-year-old catcher, trading him to the Los Angeles Angels for Tyler Chatwood. With the full backing of his new organization, will Iannetta make the Rockies look foolish?
Matt Murton deserves another chance. Despite a .286/.352/.436 slash line over his major league career, Murton was sold to the Hanshin Tigers of the NPB in 2009. In his rookie season, Murton batted .349 and broke Ichiro Suzuki’s record for most hits in a season. He didn’t disappoint in his sophomore follow-up, batting .311 with 13 home runs, and a .339 on-base percentage.
Major League Baseball has recently seen former castoffs return to the States and revive their once promising careers, and many expected Murton to at least test the waters this off-season. With reports of Murton returning to Japan in 2012, major league teams may have just lost the opportunity at employing the next Colby Lewis/Ryan Vogelsong.
Justin Verlander won the Cy Young and the MVP award after a tremendous 2011 season. Roy Halladay — who posted similar numbers — went home with nothing. Whether or not you agreed with Verlander’s selection as the MVP, he was considered a strong candidate for the award. Halladay couldn’t even beat out Clayton Kershaw for the NL Cy Young, making his chances to win the NL MVP miniscule at best. A glance at the award results might lead one to conclude that Verlander was a vastly superior pitcher last season. The truth is, Halladay was just as good — if not better.
Clint Barmes might be the new “Most Interesting Man in the World.” According to many analysts at the GM Meetings, Barmes’ agent was out in full force Wednesday. Perhaps surprisingly, Barmes is drawing a lot of interest from multiple teams. While Barmes isn’t the sexiest name on the shortstop market, he might actually be one of the better bargains at the position this off-season.
Jeremy Hellickson is the 2011 AL Rookie of the Year. Despite the fact that Hellickson finished with just 1.4 WAR — good for eighth among AL rookie pitchers — he managed to beat out some other very qualified candidates for the award. The BBWAA has come under fire for some of their selections in the past, and Hellickson’s selection might spark the same debate once again. That said, Hellickson did have a fine season, and there were obvious reasons to select him as the most valuable rookie in the league. Whether or not you agree with the methodology, this is how Hellickson managed to take home the award.
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What’s gotten into the Marlins? First, a new name. Next, a new ballpark and uniforms. Now, the desire to spend money on free-agents. For the first time since their inception, it appears the Marlins are willing to spend money to win. This strategy is a stark departure from their “trade anyone who is due for a raise” approach throughout their history. While that approach has worked out for the Marlins in the past — they did win two World Series — it’s definitely interesting to hear them being linked to every free-agent on the market.
Since the free-agency period began, the Marlins have already met with Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes. Over the past couple days; they’ve been linked to Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Yoenis Cespedes and Carlos Zambrano. The Marlins obviously cannot sign all of those players, but it’s fun to finally see them involved in free-agency. If the Marlins are finally going to open up the checkbook, which free-agents should be the priority?
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Angel Pagan is a man of extremes. If his name isn’t the perfect indication of that, his stats are. According to Jon Heyman, the New York Mets plan to offer Pagan a contract before the Decemeber 12 arbitration deadline. While this decision would have been a no-brainer as recently as a year ago, the 30-year-old outfielder is coming off a down year — where he failed to replicate the success of his 2010 breakout. With the Mets hoping to get younger — and cheaper — is keeping Pagan around the best decision?
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One of the best pitchers available this off-season may have just been pulled off the market. With Matt Moore expected to grab a spot in the rotation, many expected James Shields to be available this off-season. That may no longer be the case, however, as CBS Sports’ Danny Knobler reported the Tampa Bay Rays are “dead-set against trading Shields.” While the Rays could choose to trade a starter other than Shields to free up a spot for Moore, Shields would provide the best return. With Moore ready to enter the rotation, are the Rays making a mistake by taking Shields off the market?
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The Cleveland Indians love ground balls. After the acquisition of Derek Lowe on Monday, the Indians now have three of the most extreme ground ball pitchers in the majors. With this added focus on ground ball pitchers, the Indians’ infield defense will play a huge factor in the team’s success next season. Problem is, the Indians don’t have particularly strong defenders on the infield. With three-fourths of their infield set entering 2012, will the Indians’ ground ball strategy be their undoing?
