The baseball offseason always has a way of making just a few months seem like a few millenniums. As I gathered together with family and friends over the holidays and enjoyed football on TV, it really hit me how much I am itching for our national pastime to get under-way again, and I’m sure I’m not alone.
To help ease the pain for fellow baseball enthusiasts, I have put together a comprehensive, all-inclusive, no holds barred, rock ‘em sock ‘em MLB offseason report – because after all, baseball is pretty much the meaning of life right?
Show me the Money
It has been a most happy holiday season for several of the biggest free agents in league.
Former Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano cashed in big time with the Seattle Mariners, signing a ten year, $240 million deal in early December. Seattle is hoping the five time All-Star can become the face of their long struggling franchise.
Just prior to the Cano deal, Jacoby Ellsbury made out pretty well in signinga seven year, $153 million contract with the New York Yankees. The contract includes an option for an eighth year and an additional $16 million. Ellsbury, who has lead all of Major League Baseball in steals three times in his career (2008, 2009, 2013) brings a further element of speed to a Yankees squad that was already number seven in stolen bases for the 2013 season.
The Bronx Bombers weren’t satisfied with the mammoth Ellsbury deal however, as they also lured top free agent catcher Brian McCann, as well as longtime veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Big Apple. McCann will instantly step in as the starting catcher for a team who struggled with consistency at the position last year. Additionally, on January 22nd, New York agreed to terms to bring in prized Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. After scouting Tanaka for much of 2013, the Yankees were convinced that his 1.27 ERA and 24-0 record in Japan would translate to success in the major leagues and gave him a seven year, $155 million deal.
Curtis Granderson won’t have to go very far to play for his new-found team this season. The crosstown Mets signed the
ex-Yankee to a four year contract worth $60 million. In addition, the team brought in Bartolo Colon on a two year deal to implement a veteran presence into an overall young pitching rotation.
The Texas Rangers also got in on the trend of offering big contracts to free agents as they signed Shin-Soo Choo to a seven year, $130 million contract. The Choo signing came on the heels of the Rangers acquiring Prince Fielder via a trade with Detroit that sent second baseman Ian Kinsler to the Tigers.
Clayton Kershaw proved that he didn’t need to be a free agent to make the big bucks. The Dodgers gave the two time National League Cy Young winner a 7-year, $215 million contract extension to ensure he stays in Los Angeles. The extension proved to be the most lucrative in MLB history for a pitcher, topping the 7-year, $180 million deal Justin Verlander signed last year with the Tigers.
The A-Rod Saga
The drama surrounding embattled Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his suspension for involvement in the Tony Bosch Biogenesis scandal has only increased as the 2013 season came to an end. A-Rod’s 211 game suspension was reduced to 162 games – plus any 2014 postseason games – on January 11th.
Rodriguez has since stated that he will further appeal the suspension in federal court. It is widely speculated that fourteen time MLB All-Star has played his last game as a pro.
Springing Ahead
Baseball enthusiasts in the Tampa Bay area are some of the luckiest fans in all of the world come February and March
each year. Florida, home to Major League Baseball’s Spring Training Grapefruit League, become a hotbed for a couple months every preseason as 15 of the 30 teams get loose for the upcoming season right here in the sunshine state. The
greater Tampa Bay region is especially packed with action as the Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater), Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin), Detroit Tigers (Lakeland), Pittsburgh Pirates (Bradenton), Baltimore Orioles (Sarasota), and the New York
Yankees (Tampa) all play their spring schedules within only an hour or less drive of downtown Tampa. The best news of all is that it is only a mere couple of weeks until pitchers and catchers start to report to their spring homes.
Josiah Kachelmeyer can be reached at josiah.kachelmeyer@spartans.ut.edu.