On the heels of the Tigers-Rangers blockbuster earlier this week, we have another major trade to discuss, this one between the Cardinals and the Angels. Los Angeles will receive former World Series MVP David Freese to man third base, which has been a bit of a black hole for the Halos since they sent Alberto Callaspo to the Athletics, and in return, St. Louis is getting toolsy centerfielder Peter Bourjos, a great young player with almost no opportunities to show off his stuff with the Angels' outfield being pretty full. It appears that Randall Grichuk and Fernando Salas will also be changing teams as part of the deal, with Grichuk accompanying Bourjos and Salas coming with Freese. This clears up a small logjam in Los Angeles' outfield, as Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton will probably be joined by either J.B. Shuck or Kole Calhoun, while Bourjos will probably man center for the Cardinals with Jon Jay moving to right full time, almost guaranteeing that they won't resign Carlos Beltran. David will be reunited with his former teammate, Albert Pujols, with whom he won the 2011 World Series when they were both in St. Louis. Will they be able to recreate that magic in Orange County? Sorry, I'm laughing too hard at what I just wrote to continue writing about this.
As the hot stove slowly starts to heat up, we finally have our first big signing of the offseason. Brian McCann was a staple in Atlanta since he was called up, and quickly became one of the best offensive catchers of the last decade. His 172 home runs are the 6th most all-time for a catcher in their first 9 seasons, and his game-calling abilities have been invaluable to a Braves staff that seems to magically churn out young phenom after young phenom. However, with last year's emergence of El Oso Blanco, Evan Gattis, it became blindingly obvious that McCann would most likely not be a part of his hometown team's future plans. With that in mind, the Yankees, who have needed serious stability and power behind the plate since the days of Jorge Posada (and even Russell Martin) are long gone, swooped in and snatched McCann off the market with a 5-year, $85 million contract to jump leagues and join the Bronx Bombers. There's an option for a 6th year that could push the total value of the deal to $100 million, meaning Brian could become the first catcher since Joe Mauer (who's not a catcher anymore, as of Opening Day 2014). The deal, while already infuriating most of my friends here in Atlanta, does make sense for both sides: McCann gets a lucrative deal with a team that, for all its woes as of late, is still a possible contender, and the Yankees get a left-handed power hitter to wreak havoc on that short porch in right field. Even though McCann is well traveled behind the plate already, he could stay fresh by getting some DH time, and might even transition to first once Mark Teixeira's megadeal is complete after 2016. Sorry, my fellow Atlantians, but we knew this was coming.
Relievers have long been known as the most important, yet least noteworthy, players on a team. Well, a pretty good reliever over the past few years has resigned with the team he's had quite a bit of success with, so we're going to give him his due on this blog. Javier Lopez has been extremely effective since a trade from the Pirates sent him to the Giants, who just re-upped with the lefty to the tune of 3 years and $13 million. Not only has he been on the roster for both of San Francisco's World Series titles in the past 4 years, but he hasn't posted an ERA above 2.50 since 2009, and has appeared in over 65 games every season in that same span. While his strikeout numbers are comparatively low, he has a knack for finishing games (in non-save situations, that is), and as a left hander, his presence in the bullpen is vital. This is a no-brainer for a team that could use more stability when it comes to pitching, even if the terms may be a little outrageous for a 35 year old lefty specialist.
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