Still, it's our responsibility to bring our readers (all 6 of you) the up-to-date, hard-hitting analysis you've all come to know and love, which is why we're introducing a new series here called The Daily Grind. Gone are the days of long, winding posts on a single topic (well, not entirely), and in their place, we'll be taking a look at all the goings-on in baseball on any given day with as much voracity as you please. Let's jump right in.
So, as you've probably heard by now, the Rangers and Tigers pulled off a stunner of a trade last night. Detroit sent first baseman Prince Fielder and cash to Texas for second baseman Ian Kinsler in a swap of what many believe to be two untradeable contracts. Forget for the moment that Kinsler's contract is extremely team friendly and Fielder's is also commensurate with his value, this is a move that makes a lot of sense for both teams, on the surface and under it as well. The Rangers get the power lefty bat and first baseman they've been chasing for quite some time now, and they get to give hotshot prospect Jurickson Profar a full-time spot, which can only be good for his expected development into the next Michael Young (hopefully sans the constant position changes). The Tigers, meanwhile, get a large amount of money freed up to use as they please, a solid second baseman who can still hit, run and field well, and the opportunity to negate Miguel Cabrera's horrible fielding at third base by moving him back to the cold corner. It'll be interesting to see if this deal skews into the favor of one team, but as of now, this is a very smart and fair trade.
In other baseball news, Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter quietly announced his official retirement yesterday, after 15 years in the majors. Carpenter spent 6 seasons with the Blue Jays before signing with St. Louis, and although he missed two full seasons (2003 and 2013), he was a true dominator when healthy. He won the Cy Young award in 2005 and finished in the top 3 two other times, and his efforts during the 2011 season that saw the Cardinals improbably win a World Series title will certainly never be forgotten, especially since it appears to have led to the recurring shoulder problems that limited him to 3 forgettable appearances the following season and none this year. He's expected to stay on with the Cards as a special advisor, something that will benefit the electric young pitching in the organization greatly.
Speaking of former Toronto pitchers, the embattled Josh Johnson signed a one year deal with the Padres a couple of days ago in the hopes of rebuilding his value and getting a multi-year pact next offseason. When he was healthy with the Marlins, Johnson had the potential to be one of the best pitchers in today's game, like in 2010 when he led the league in ERA (2.30, also a career best), ERA+ (180, second best of his career), and HR/9 (0.3, by far a career low). However, he's missed time in nearly every season he's pitched with elbow and shoulder problems, and has only made 30 or more starts in just 2 seasons since he first came up in 2005. His home run and fly balls numbers have never been spectacular, but moving to a stadium like Petco Park, notorious for being a haven for fly ball hurlers, might just do wonders for his career. If he can stay healthy and regain his control, this deal could look like a steal for San Diego.
Well, we hope you've enjoyed your first taste of the Grind. We'll be back tomorrow to talk more baseball, shockingly.
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