Alex Rodriguez's lawsuit against Bud Selig and MLB probably isn't going the way he thought it would. Surprising, sure, that a liar and a cheater isn't getting his way in a court of law (that's where liars and cheaters normally flourish). Earlier this week, A-Rod stormed out of the courtroom when it was reiterated that Selig wouldn't have to testify, which is why COO Rob Manfred has been representing MLB in this suit. I know it's hard to believe that the commissioner of baseball may have more pressing matters to attend to than its biggest crybaby star looking to pin the blame for his transgressions on someone else, but this is truly a new low for a player who we all thought would rank in the top 5 all time. It really is sad that such a Cooperstown-worthy career is now shrouded in so much controversy and negative perception, but the truth is that Alex brought all of this upon himself. He did steroids, he got caught, he admitted as much, then he did them AGAIN, he lied about it, but now he wants people to find him trustworthy and is suing baseball for trying to stick him with the punishment he deserves. It almost makes you feel bad for the Yankees.
Although it was a moderately slow offseason before the blockbuster trade a couple of days ago, there have been some signings that have already made a few waves. Marlon Byrd, last year's "Holy Toledo, where has he been?" story, parlayed his impressive 2013 season with the Mets and Pirates into a 2-year, $16 million pact with the Phillies. For Byrd, it's a great signing for good money in a career that has been less than memorable outside of middling stints with the Rangers and Cubs and a 50-game suspension for a failed drug test in 2012. For the Phillies, it's a confusing move for a team that was already far too old at nearly every position and nothing to get excited about in the minors. Still, a player who put up the numbers that Byrd did last season (.291/24/88, with 5 triples just for good measure) would certainly be able to justify the kind of contract he got if he repeats said stats, so it's not a given that this deal is automatically a bust...it just looks that way right now.
When Tim Hudson's season ended in a gruesome ankle injury in late July, it immediately cast his impending free agency into question. How well could a 38 year old bounce back from a shattered ankle, and more importantly, how quickly? Thankfully, Hudson is already in his normal offseason preparations after having the screw removed from his repaired ankle, and he became the first free agent hurler of note to sign a deal, joining the Giants on a 2-year, $23 million contract. Hudson has been a staple of the Braves' rotation for the past few years, and looking past his numbers while in Atlanta (not that they're bad, with a 113-72 record, a 3.56 ERA, and 997 strikeouts in 1,573 innings), his status as a time-tested veteran was certainly invaluable in the development of the young, talented hurlers in that rotation such as Julio Teheran and Brandon Beachy. It seems strange that the Giants, whose rotation went from one of the best in the game to one of the worst in a matter of 2 seasons, would sign a pitcher at the end of his career to shore up the starting staff, but it's not the worst idea. If Madison Bumgarner can keep producing at his elite level, and if Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum can match him, Huddy will be a fantastic number 3-4 starter by the Bay, just like he was during his time with the Athletics.
Stick around for tomorrow's post, when we take a look at the curious case of Robinson Cano's free agency.
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