The Future for the Captain

Today, Jason Varitek will officially retire after 15 major league seasons. All of those seasons were played with the Boston Red Sox. Eventually, Varitek would be named the first captain of the team since Jim Rice. When the announcement was made that Varitek would be wearing the ‘C’ on his shirt after the historic 2004 season, no one questioned the Red Sox decision. Varitek deserved that honor. Unlike most people, I believe that Varitek also deserves the honor of enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

His offensive numbers do not compare to any other catcher’s in the Hall. His are far worse. But Varitek has done so much more than some of them. For one, he has caught four no-hitters, which is a Major League record. On this stat alone I think that Varitek should have a home in Cooperstown. A record like that should not go unnoticed.

Some of the things that Varitek has done for the Red Sox pitching staff don’t even go on the stat sheet. The preparation that this man put into each and every game was amazing. He knew what pitches hitters looked for and when they looked for them, when runners liked to steal and so much more. If preparation was a statistic that would get a player into the Hall, Varitek would be a first-ballot inductee.

That isn’t to say that the preparation that Varitek made did not translate into the games. When Varitek was behind the plate, pitchers were calm, composed and didn’t have to work as hard as most because Varitek did all of the thinking for them. Seldom did you see a pitcher shake off a sign that Tek threw down.

The fact is that these things don’t get noticed, numbers do. This is a special case where the writers need to look past numbers and see how much this guy did for his career-long team off the stat sheet.

Baseball and Steroids

Ryan Braun had a busy offseason. Winning the NL MVP is a pretty big deal, but Braun didn’t stop there. He tested positive for steroids. This news broke shortly after he won the MVP, which put the MLB in a sticky situation. Could he keep his title as the MVP?

Fast forward to today. 3 days ago, Braun won the appeal that he filed against the 50 game suspension for steroid use. He will not be suspended, and should be ready to play on Opening Day. The MLB has said that they are unhappy with the board’s decision. What did Braun say to the panel to convince them that he was innocent? No one will know for sure, but people all over the sports media have been speculating. A lot of people think that Braun made a case that suggested his urine sample was tampered with.

I personally think he’s guilty. I accept that I’m being cynical, but I can’t get around the fact that Ryan Braun talked about his innocence for 25 minutes after the suspension was overturned. That screams guilt to me. Another reason that I think could have been a contributing factor is the PR issue that the MLB would have had on their hands if Braun was not acquitted of the charges. Even though the MLB has said that they disagree with the panel’s decision, I think that the panel saved the MLB’s face. If you take the reigning NL MVP out of the season for 50 games, you’re going to have upset fans, players and the media is going to go on a frenzy covering it. The panel that reversed the decision had to be thinking about this. From a PR standpoint, I think it was the best way to handle things.

While the MLB may have come out ahead, they still have a huge problem on their hands. They need to take a stand and rewrite their drug policy. Any player can appeal a drug hearing? I understand that this is something that the Player’s Union demanded, but they need to renegotiate this aspect. In the NFL you can be charged with a crime, be acquitted of said crime and still be suspended by the NFL. This seems like a real tough policy, but it makes sense. If you want to be a member of the league, behave. Make sure you don’t get caught up in those situations. Don’t be associated with drug use.

I understand that you cannot do the exact same thing in the MLB. But in the case of Ryan Braun, I think that this kind of action was necessary. He tested positive and that should have been the end. Now his name will forever be linked to steroid use. Even though I think that he should be out for 50 games, association is still a severe punishment for a player with such a promising career.

Why Not?

It’s official. Manny Ramirez is back in baseball. He unretired a few weeks ago in hopes of getting signed, and the A’s GM Billy Beane saw an opportunity. Beane signed Manny to a one year minor league deal worth $500,000. Manny will have to serve the rest of his fifty game suspension for violation of the MLB drug policy before being eligible to play. The first game he is eligible to play in is on May 30^th.

Some people think that this wasn’t a great move by the A’s. I think this pickup is genius. They didn’t sign him for that much, so those who are saying this is anti-Beane philosophy are wrong. Maybe the Cespedes pickup earlier in the offseason was, but this is right on track with his usual signings. After May 30^th, if Manny is ready to play, Ramirez is going to put people in seats. Not sellouts, it’s still Oakland, but people are money and ‘Manny being Manny’ will bring some people.

Of course, you can also look at the other side of this. After leaving the Red Sox, Manny wasn’t so great. In the past two years he’s had only 18 homeruns. He only played in five games for Tampa Bay last year before getting suspended but he only had 1 hit in those five games. This could be, and probably is, a sign of Manny’s age. But hey! Jose Canseco is doing it in Mexico at 47!

Yankees, AJ Burnett and Raul Ibanez

A lot has happened in the weeks leading up to spring training. Finally, I get a chance to write about it. It took a long time, but yesterday the deal that sent AJ Burnett to Pittsburg finally got done. The commissioner has signed the necessary papers and Burnett has passed his physical. In the deal, the Yankees get two minor leaguers and will be relieved of some of Burnett’s contract.

Both of these teams benefited in this trade. The Pirates needed an inning-eater and they got one in Burnett. He can be expected to throw 200+ innings during the course of the season, if he manages to stay healthy. I think it will be interesting to see how well Burnett plays for Pittsburg. You have to remember: any move away from the AL East is a good one, in terms of a pitcher. The Yankees on the other hand are just glad to be rid of him. Aside from a few good starts, Burnett was not what New York expected. After this deal, the Yankees now had enough money to sign Raul Ibanez. It seems that he will be the new DH in New York after agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million.

Yoenis Céspedes

Yoenis Céspedes is America bound. The Oakland A’s have agreed to terms with the 26 year old Cuban outfielder for 4 years worth $36 million. For much of the signing process, The Miami Marlins seemed to be the front-runner for Céspedes, but his agent has said that it seemed like Oakland wanted him more.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see him play well in the MLB. He played excellent in the World Baseball Classic and has only had more time to mature and get playing experience. Sources say that he has all 5 tools that could make him an MLB player right away. But the A’s must be wary. Not everyone who plays well on the international stage translates that level of play into the MLB e.g., Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The question from the outsider’s perspective is why did the Athletics do this? Céspedes has yet to play in a MLB game and he’s now the highest paid player on the Oakland roster. It seems almost...Reverse Billy Beane theory. It’s hard to fathom, but in Oakland, it’s tough to sell tickets. I don’t think this is just a publicity stunt, but it must be by some level. If Céspedes does perform like he has in the past in other parts of the world, the A’s could become relevant in another two to three years.

The Guthrie Trade

Last night the Baltimore Orioles traded starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for reliever Matt Lindstrom and starter Jason Hammel. Despite going 9-17 in 2011 for Baltimore, Guthrie pitched quite well. He struck out almost two men for every one that he walked and pitched a total of 208 innings. Playing in Baltimore clearly has something to do with how many games he wins considering he only got 3.88 runs in support per 9 innings.

It’s pretty obvious why the Orioles would do this. They knew that after the season Guthrie would be a free agent and Baltimore would not be on his wish list. Instead of having Guthrie for one more season, a season in which they probably won’t be making a trip to the playoffs, they decided to deal him for two pitchers who can help them win in the future as well as today. Matt Lindstrom will be an excellent addition to the back end of the Orioles bullpen and could even see a few save chances thrown his way if he proves he can pitch the way he has in the past. Jason Hammel will be a lock in the Oriole’s rotation after being demoted to the Rockies bullpen last season due to lackluster performances.

I think that this is a really good deal for both of the teams involved. Jeremy Guthrie has a chance to pitch in an easier division and essentially has a “try-out” to land a deal for next year. He should get better run support and will be able to showcase what he can really do for a contending team. The Orioles have two pitchers that should add something to their pitching depth this year and win them at least a few more games than last year.

Oswalt's Options

Spring training is fast approaching and free agents are running out of time to sign with new teams. This is especially true for Roy Oswalt, who is supposed to report as a pitcher in just nine days. At 34 years of age, and with health risks, no team is looking to give him a long term deal. He needs to prove that he can pitch close to a full season to land something in the next offseason. The Cardinals, Rangers, Red Sox, Reds and Phillies all have some level of interest in the right hander. Oswalt has expressed extreme interest in St. Louis and Texas, but consistent talks have been ongoing in Boston as well.

Even though Oswalt has made it known that he wants to pitch for Texas or St. Louis, both teams are tight on money at the end of this offseason. While everyone knows that the Red Sox have money, ownership has shown some restraint in signing free agents this offseason because of the luxury tax. If they can pick Oswalt up for $7-8 million, they’ll do it. But Oswalt faces a tough decision playing in the AL East, also known as the toughest division in baseball. If he wants a longer deal after this season, he needs to pitch for a team in an easier decision.

That makes Cincinnati an excellent choice for him. He would be playing in the NL central division. A division that only saw the Brewers and Cardinals had winning seasons last year. The Brewers, were dealt a crushing blow this offseason when Prince Fielder left for Detroit. The Cardinals won the Series in October, but they too lost a huge piece to their postseason run in Albert Pujols.

If Oswalt is serious about pitching for multiple years, Cincinnati is the team that he should get a deal done with. On the other hand, if he wants to win a championship as the opportunities become fewer, he should seriously look to the Red Sox, seeing that the Cardinals and Rangers seem unwilling to sign him. Whatever the case, expect a decision in the next few days, so he can get into camp focused and ready to pitch.

The Beginning

With the football season over, baseball fans turn their eyes towards the spring after a long winter season. This season, I am trying something new; blogging about it. I have never blogged before, so for the first few times I post, please bear with me, I hope it gets better. The blogging is going to be the tough part about this, the baseball comes natural. Not to steal the MLB's signature playoff phrase, but I really do live for this. So maybe this will turn into something I do a lot, and maybe I'll forget about it. But I'm sure I will have a lot of fun along the way