Choose Your (Closer's) Own Adventure!

Let's say you're the general manager of an unnamed Major League Baseball team. Let's say that you have a closer who has perfect control, allows virtually no hits or walks anytime he's on the bump, and regularly throws faster than Prince Fielder knocks out several dinners at Golden Corral. Let's say that same closer is a few months shy of turning 26, is a former Rookie of the Year (as well as a top-10 Cy Young finisher the past 3 seasons), and can be controlled by any team until after the 2016 season. Let's say you have a giant, vacuous hole where your second baseman should be, a mirage at third base, and an outfield that just can't seem to be healthy all at the same time. What would you do?

If you choose to hold on to your closer and refuse to entertain the idea of trading him, skip to the paragraph labeled A.

If you choose to hold on to your closer for now, with the implication that you may be willing to discuss him later on, skip to the paragraph labeled B.

If you choose to trade your closer to fill your needs, skip to the paragraph labeled C.

A - So you hold on to Craig Kimbrel, dominant hurler of the Atlanta Braves, and retain the best closer in the post-Mariano Rivera era. Not a bad decision. Kimbrel has a career 15.1 K/9 in just 4 seasons and still throws fire at will. He's led the National League in saves all 3 seasons that he's been the full-time closer, and led all of MLB last year with 50. Why trade him when you have such a strong bullpen with him? Sure, you have plenty of palatable options (Jordan Walden, Eric O'Flaherty, Jonny Venters, etc.), and more starting pitching than you know what to do with (don't forget, Kris Medlen was a reliever before joining the starting 5), but you don't see how you could possibly trade Kimbrel back and get what he's worth. Still, as good as the Braves are WITH Kimbrel, they still have roster spots for Dan Uggla, Chris Johnson, and BJ Upton, and as we saw last year, that's not a playoff-ready team. It's like wasting the prime years of Mike Trout with the current incarnations of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. Kimbrel languishes away and suffers through continuous first-round playoff exits until he reaches free agency, and all you have to show for one of the best closers of the past decade is a compensatory draft pick.

B - Great closers are hard to come by, and when you have a homegrown, price-controlled one like Kimbrel, you're better suited keeping him as long as you possibly can. But now it's the middle of July and the Nationals are finally as good as advertised, with the Mets and Marlins knocking on the door of relevancy. The Braves are doing fine but are rapidly falling out of contention, and it looks like postseason baseball isn't really happening in Atlanta this season. So you make Kimbrel available, hoping to get an established second baseman and a top position player prospect, as well as some lottery tickets or extra parts. The usual teams come calling with the usual offers, none of which sound good (Howie Kendrick? Dustin Ackley? WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!), until finally, by the grace of God H. Selig, a sucker appears, most likely the Royals (got you again, Dayton Moore!), with an offer that isn't fantastic, but is far better than what the Braves brass had been hearing. Kimbrel is shipped out of town, and while his presence is certainly missed, the Bravos might finally have a second baseman who can hit above the Mendoza line without sacrificing anything on defense. Uggla is demoted to backup bullpen catcher, Andrelton has a much more reliable double play partner, and a quick return to October baseball seems likely, if not this year.

C - Fortune favors the bold. Not only is this the move that smart baseball executives should make, but if Frank Wren really wants to advance past the first round of the playoffs before moving to Cobb County, this is a big step in the right direction. Kimbrel's value will never be higher than it is at this moment, while he's still untouchable, young and healthy. There are no indications that he could break down, but we see freak injuries in baseball so often, they can't really be called "freak" injuries anymore. A screaming line-drive comebacker from Andrew McCutchen or a rampaging Giancarlo Stanton and Craig is out of commission for an undetermined amount of time. So why wait until the middle of the season, when anything can or could happen? You decide to get as big of a return as possible, which means getting Kimbrel to another team before pitchers and catchers report in February. Of course, this is easier said than done. As mentioned above, the pickings might be slim on the trade market for what the Braves need. The Padres, however, might be a potential fit. They've got Jedd Gyorko, a natural third baseman displaced by extension candidate Chase Headley who smashed 23 long balls in his first taste of major league action last season while playing slightly below average in the field. He's still young at 25, though, and still has tremendous upside. If the Friars throw in outfielder Hunter Renfroe (to spell BJ/replace Justin when he inevitably walks) and current closer Huston Street, that's a deal you should grab onto and never let go of.

In all likelihood, Kimbrel will still be pitching in a Braves uniform in 2014. Don't get me wrong, that's absolutely fantastic and stands to only make the entire team better as a whole. But the cracks aren't just beginning to show; they're growing larger every day that the Uggla/Johnson/Upton tandem is still on the roster with no clear fixes or alternatives. Giving up the game's best closer for players that could help the Braves is a tough move to justify, but one that has to be made if they even hope to sniff a World Series before Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward and the rest reach free agency.

Is This The Dumbest GM In Baseball?

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr is, quite possibly, the stupidest executive in any front office across Major League Baseball. I know this is a bold statement to make, and one that's not entirely founded. I'm not just saying this as a Braves fan and Atlanta resident; Lord knows Frank Wren's recent signings (read: BJ Upton and Dan Uggla) have been, shall we say, incredibly terrible. And arguments, very strong ones, could be made for Jerry DiPoto (Angels; the Pujols and Hamilton mega-busts), Jack Zduriencik (Mariners; Robinson Cano and recent reports of incompetence), Brian Cashman (Yankees; seriously? Vernon Wells AND Alfonso Soriano last year?) and several others. But none of these men have done or said things that have made me think less of them than I already did. And yet, every time I hear something about the Phils, my immediate thought is, "Boy, Ruben Amaro must have lost his damn mind."

I suppose I should start with the current thing that's setting me off. In recent days, we've heard that Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, i.e. the only two starters of worth in Philadelphia, could be had by any interested team in a trade. Of course, news of this kind would be enough to make most organizations foam at their collective mouths, as both Lee and Hamels are workhorses who are rarely injured, keep their ERAs well under league average, throw strikeouts with apparent ease, and are controllable for at least the next 2 years. However, both are signed to somewhat eye-popping deals: Cliff has 2 years (and $50 million) remaining on the 5-year, $120 million deal he signed after the 2010 season, while Cole is about to enter the second year of the lucrative extension he signed in the summer of 2012, which was 6 years and $144 million. So, just to be sure we're clear, the 33 year old Lee is still owed the aforementioned $50 million, while soon-to-be-30-year-old Hamels is scheduled to make $22.5 million annually from now until 2019. Did I mention that both have a vesting option? Cliff's is worth $27.5 million (because most teams are already clamoring to pay a 35 year old $25 million, why not give a 36 year old a $2.5 million raise?) in 2016, and Hamels's is worth $19 million in 2020. Admittedly, these are considered premium prices, especially with the way the free agent market is trending. Still, as good (and great at times) as these two are, any team trading FOR them would most likely not even come to the negotiating table unless Amaro and his buddies are planning to eat most of the salary for either one. I mean, that should be a given, right?

Not so, says Ruben. If a team wants either one, they will have to cover a portion of their salary. All right, that seems fair; you can't expect the Phils to not get anything back if they send one or both of their best pitchers out of town. But how big of a portion are we talking here? ALL OF THE MONEY. That's right, Amaro has made it clear that anybody who wants 'em can have 'em, but they better be willing to foot the entire bill. It's salary relief at its finest. But wait! There's more! Amaro would expect back 2 to 3 major league-ready prospects or other controllable players. Now that's insanity at its finest.

These guys are worth a lot. They're not worth nearly as much as Amaro thinks they are.

This isn't the first time Amaro's said something like this, and it's not the first time he's said this in regards to Lee. We heard a similar rumor during the trade deadline last year, and during the last offseason. The mind reels. With the way prospects are regarded in today's game, as future superstars instead of trading chips, the possibility of dealing several top young players for an effective starter who's only going to get older is outrageous. But to expect the team sending away their talent to also take on all the financial responsibility of the incoming, well-traveled player? Ruben's no Branch Rickey, but I'm starting to wonder if he's even as sharp as a tree branch.

If this was the dumbest thing he's done all offseason, as we Jews say during Passover, it would have been enough. But oh, no, Amaro's stupidity goes even further. You know how pretty much every regular that Philadelphia has is well over 30 (and, in most cases, well over 33), and their barren farm system has so far produced Darin Ruf and the streaky Dominic Brown (who, just for good measure, Amaro's also dangling for a ridiculous price) and little else? That sounds like a team that needs to get a serious youth injection. So how did Ruben kick off this Hot Stove season? By signing 36 year old Marlon Byrd to a 2 year deal, and resigning 35 year old Carlos Ruiz to a 3 year deal. In case you were wondering, both players were slapped with a drug-related suspension (Byrd for PEDs, Ruiz for amphetamines) in the last 2 seasons. Sure, Ruiz has spent his entire career with the Phillies, and it would look bad to let their longtime catcher go (although Atlanta didn't seem to have a problem with their similar situation). Of course, Byrd was originally drafted by the Phils, so this is a nice homecoming after a great bounceback year. But these should be complimentary pieces added to a team, not your grand offseason "additions". These signings should be buried underneath reports that the team has come out of nowhere to sign Masahiro Tanaka (when and if he's posted) and magically traded Ryan Howard for Giancarlo Stanton or something (Jeffrey Loria's even crazier than Amaro, but that's an entirely different article). But Byrd and Ruiz? THAT'S the offseason?! No wonder Roy Halladay recently retired, I wouldn't want to keep pitching for this team either.

Look, it's easy to criticize any team, any GM and any move made while we're waiting for the glorious moment that is Opening Day. With the right bias or biases, you can criticize anyone and anything in baseball. But when someone in control is making this many bad moves, coupled with this many ludicrous trade demands, it takes a special kind to defend someone like that. While Ruben Amaro may not be the worst GM in baseball, he sure as hell isn't the brightest or anywhere close. If the Phillies are ever going to rebound and get back to perennial contender status, they'll need a new man at the helm.

Jay-Z's 99 Problems Got Nothing On Jack-Z's 240 Million Problems.

This week has been insane. I mean, just absolutely crazy. I can't even begin to delve into the moves made since Monday afternoon without going off on the big one, so here, let's just get these other huge news stories out of the way:

• The Athletics received closer Jim Johnson from the Orioles for second baseman Jemile Weeks
• The A's didn't stop there, acquiring Craig Gentry and Josh Lindblom from the Rangers for top prospect Michael Choice and someone else
• And the A's ALSO traded for reliever Luke Gregerson, sending outfielder Seth Smith to the Padres in return
• But wait! The A's signed starter Scott Kazmir too! Because, really, why not?
• The Tigers traded starter Doug Fister to the Nationals for spare parts
• The Rays received catcher Ryan Hanigan from the Reds and "reliever" Heath Bell from the Diamondbacks for some minor leaguers
• The Astros traded for centerfielder Dexter Fowler, formerly of the Rockies, for starter Jordan Lyles and outfielder Brandon Barnes
• The Yankees officially announced their deal with catcher Brian McCann
• The Yanks also signed centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to a contract I don't even want to think about right now
• The Twins signed beleaguered starter Phil Hughes to a 3 year deal
• The Twins also officially announced their deal with starter Ricky Nolasco
• The Red Sox signed catcher A.J. Pierzynski to a 1 year pact
• The Marlins signed Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a 3 year deal, with heavy implications that he won't finish the contract in Miami
• The Tigers signed closer Joe Nathan to a 2 year deal
• The White Sox resigned Paul Konerko for one last go-round
• Hell, just for good measure, the Mets signed Curtis Granderson to a 4 year deal, and the Astros signed Scott Feldman to a 3 year deal, both of those signings coming on the heels of what we're about to discuss

But none of that is what we're here to talk about today. We'll get to them all in time. No, we're here to talk about the third largest contract in baseball history. It was offered by the Seattle Mariners, and the terms are breathtaking: 10 years, $240 million, all guaranteed. No options, no buyouts, all in.

And it was given to Robinson Cano.

Go ahead, take a minute to collect yourself. I'm trying to do the same.

"Yep, Jay-Z really came through for me! Got me my $240 million AND I get to stay in the Bronx! Really looking forward to-wait, what? Seattle? What the hell is Seattle?"

Cano is just (that word is hugely subjective, mind you) 31 years old, and will play all of next season before turning 32, pegging him at only a single year younger than Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez 2: Electric Boogaloo were when they signed their outrageous, decade-long, $240 million+ deals. These are all powerful, dominant infielders, all of whom are or were on a Hall of Fame path, in their very early 30s. What could possibly go wrong? The answer, as it turns out, is a lot. Since signing the largest deal in baseball history, A-Rod has seen his numbers across the board drop to Jeff Francoeur-like levels, and his reputation has fallen even further thanks to multiple steroid allegations. Pujols, the owner of the second largest contract (considering all his incentive clauses kick in, otherwise he's guaranteed as much as Cano), was considered the greatest player of the last 20 years, and now...well, his 11 years with the Cardinals? .328/.420/.617. His first 2 with the Angels? .275/.338/.485. He went from feared hitter to sad sack almost overnight. As far as Cano, there's no guarantees or implications that his deal will end up being as repugnant as the first two. But who's willing to take that chance? The Mariners! Of course!

Hey, remember that James Shields-Wil Myers trade last year? I know, I know, it's hard to remember things from 12 months ago in a game where yesterday's news is already ancient, but for those of us around back then, it was a confusing move on the part of  the Royals. They thought they were a win-now team, an organization on the cusp of being perennial contenders. Those of us who live on Earth, though, saw a team full of young position players with great upside but little to show for it and a rotation that kept Jeremy Guthrie employed. It wasn't a move that a team like that should have made, especially when moving a top prospect. To give up someone of Myers' caliber, they should have gotten David Price. Instead, they took Shields, who was quite good, and admittedly, Kansas City did record their first winning season since 2003 (for a frame of reference, Carlos Beltran was still a Royal back then), but was it worth giving up the current AL Rookie of the Year? Too early to tell, but early opinions say "Absolutely not, are you crazy?!"

So the Mariners, who have a nice lineup and some fine pitching coming down the pipeline, take a look at what happened in Missouri and think "We could bring some of that over-.500 magic to the Great Northwest! Even though we have young, price-controlled middle infielders who have shown some pop in their limited big league action, let's throw just shy of a quarter of a billion dollars at an aging second baseman! Does it worry us that the team he came from, a team that gave up the equivalent of Ecuador's GDP for 3 mediocre years of A.J. Burnett, suddenly discovered Bartolo Colon-sized holes in their pockets when it came time to pony up for a good player? Why, not at all! IT'S ROBINSON CANO!!!!" If Bret Boone was dead, he'd be spinning in his grave right now.

I mean, what in the hell is Jack Zduriencik (yes, spelling's correct) thinking? Is he thinking? I know the man's job security is about as safe as Jason Donald was in Armando Galarraga's near-perfecto, but was this the best he could come up with? Throw an indefensible amount of money to a great player for the right to have him wear the baseball-compass-whatever monstrosity during the anticipated downslide of his career? What, did Jack not have Jay Buhner on speed dial?

"Seriously? THIS is Seattle? And THIS is Safeco? I should have never dropped Boras..."

Let's assume, erroneously I'm sure, that Cano ages gracefully and retains his impressive skill set well into his middle and late 30s. It's rare that it happens (so rare, in fact, that the only ones who do it are Hall of Famers), but it happens. Let's assume Cano keeps batting well over .300 every year, continues to play in almost every game in a season, retains his 25-homer stroke, and doesn't look too foolish on defense, as he is wont to do every once in a while. Who on the Mariners can bat behind, or in front of, him to give Seattle a 3-4 punch that makes us forget Cabrera-Fielder? Justin Smoak? Please. Kyle Seager? Defense first guy. Dustin Ackley? Who? Mike Zunino ain't no Mike Piazza. As we know, baseball is vastly different from basketball or even football, where one guy can carry a team singlehandedly to a championship berth. Baseball is a team-oriented sport. It's true that pitching wins titles, and the M's have that in spades, considering King Felix, Hisashi "Flying Salmon" Iwakuma, and the Great Triumvirate of Walker/Paxton/Hultzen chomping at the bit to break through the Triple-A barrier. But what happens if the guys behind those dominant starters don't score runs? Cano can't bat anyone in if nobody's getting on base ahead of him. The Mariners could (no, HAVE to) make some more moves to compliment Robinson. For instance, Shin-Soo Choo, also known as OBP Monster, would be an excellent tablesetter in that lineup. It's clear the M's have money; we know this now. So why stop with Cano? Sign Choo, move whoever you have to (name me someone in the Mariners outfield...can't do it? I figured), and I along with millions of other flabbergasted fans feel much more secure about the possibility of October baseball returning to Seattle. But unless there are a few more signings or moves that follow this one, I fear the numbing sensation in my brain won't go away.

Things will only get worse when the Reds sign Ervin Santana for $80 million or something. In these wacky times, truly anything can happen.

And a final note, pointed out to me by a close friend and fellow baseball skeptic: there is no state income tax in Washington state. That $240 million is all Robbie. Picture's getting a little less blurry now, huh?

The Daily Grind - 11/26

On today's Daily Grind, we'll take a look at another top-tier free agent who is still without a team.

Mega agent and overall schmuck Scott Boras, when asked about the perceived lack of durability of Jacoby Ellsbury, said "[Ellsbury] is a very durable player. He just has to make sure that people don't run into him." That's true, as most of Jacoby's injury history to this point is comprised of collisions with other players. Still, in both 2010 and 2012, he played in less than 80 games (74 in '12, and a paltry 18 in '10), and even though the season in between, 2011, was a monstrous year for him that saw him hit 32 long balls (by far a career high, he's never before or since topped 9 in a season), score a career high 119 runs, knock in a career high 105, and garnered him a second place finish in MVP voting behind Justin Verlander, he hasn't come close to those numbers in the following 2 seasons, and it's doubtful he ever will again. They say that once a ballplayer shows a skill, he owns that skill, but I'm willing to bet that 2011 was an anomaly. Still, Ellsbury owns a career .350 OBP, and a player like that would be valuable in any lineup regardless of his diminished power. And, of course, there's the speed. Ellsbury owns three stolen base titles, 2013 and back-to-back ones in 2008-09, when he stole 52, 70 and 50 respectively. In every season in which he's played more than 130 games, he's stolen well over 30 stolen bases. His 162-game averages of 55 steals and 10 caught stealing are extremely impressive. However, Ellsbury will be 30 at the beginning of his undoubtedly huge deal, which is commonly accepted as the point where a player slowly begins to decline, and we all know that speed does not age well. Still, Jacoby is an igniting force and would be great to have on any team, and knowing Boras, he'll get his Carl Crawford-like deal.

It may seem a little hard to believe, but there was a point not too long ago when Dan Haren was a highly sought after, top-of-the-rotation pitcher. In fact, from 2005 to 2011, he was a stud on the mound: he only posted an ERA over 4 once, was a 3-time All-Star, threw more than 200 innings every season, and struck out 200+ from 2008-2010. Surprisingly, he was traded not once, but twice: first from the Athletics to the Diamondbacks, and then to the Angels. Both deals are notable, as the first netted Oakland Carlos Gonzalez and Brett Anderson, while the second saw Patrick Corbin and Tyler Skaggs head to Arizona. However, in 2012 and 2013, his last year with the Angels and his year with the Nationals, he posted ERAs well north of 4.00 (4.33 and 4.67, respectively) while pitching less than 180 innings. Shoulder inflammation was the culprit for most of that, as he had an impressive stretch in the nation's capital to finish last year, and it was apparently good enough to parlay into a deal with the free-spending Dodgers, who just inked Haren to a 1-year, $10 million deal, supposedly to be their number 4 behind the firepower of Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu. There's a vesting option for 2015 if he pitches more than 180 innings, so it'll be interesting to see if he can get there again. This isn't a bad deal, as Haren has considerable experience in the NL West, and for the new Dodgers, $10 million is tip money. If Dan regains his form, this could be a steal.

The Daily Grind - 11/25

On today's Grind, we'll learn that crime apparently DOES pay.

I'm not a fan of Jhonny Peralta. Just wanted to start off with that. It's a selfish reason, since he hit the ball that caused Derek Jeter to shatter his ankle in Game 1 of the 2012 ALCS and consequently caused him to miss the overwhelming majority of the 2013 season. Also, he accepted a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal this past year, so there's that as well. And for all our efforts to show MLB that we, as fans, are not accepting of cheaters and liars, teams around the league are showing us that they don't give a damn about our feelings when they have a chance to sign a player. So, the Cardinals announced last night that they've agreed to terms with Peralta on a 4-year, $53 million deal that has negative implications for the fans, for St. Louis's reputation, and most of all, for Pete Kozma. Kozma looked absolutely dreadful in the Cards' World Series run this past season, committing 2 errors in a Game 1 against the Red Sox that they never really recovered from, losing 8-1 (and, as we all know, the Red Sox unfortunately won the Series in 6 games, but if I pretend that it didn't happen, for me, it didn't happen). Of course, the loss isn't entirely on Kozma, but it opened a few eyes. Pete has never been good with the bat (I'll choose this time to point out that neither has Jhonny, but his .303/.358/.457 last year were all career highs or close enough), but his defense has always been his saving grace. Doesn't appear to be that way anymore. Peralta figures to be a more solid presence both in the field and in the lineup, but nobody really appears to be happy about it.

The baseball offseason has been pretty busy so far, but there aren't big signings or trades every day, so in these slow-news times, we've got to focus on the smaller deals that don't get as much fanfare as the bigger ones. With that in mind, the Mets announced a few days ago that they signed former Athletics outfielder Chris Young to a 1-year deal worth $7.25 million. Young used to be an All-Star caliber player when he was with the Diamondbacks, when he and fellow former D-back Justin Upton made a sufficient 3-4 combo in the lineup, pre-Goldschmidt. After being traded to Oakland, though, he became the odd man out in an outfield that consisted of Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, and Coco Crisp. He only appeared in 107 games in 2013, close to a career low, and aside from runs, triples, and stolen bases, every offensive stat he put up was the worst of his moderately short career in the majors. While Young is naturally a center fielder, he'll most likely play in a corner spot, since the Mets have Juan Lagares manning the middle spot and doing quite a nice job with it. This appears to be a bargain signing, but one that could end up paying dividends for the Amazin's on offense; Young did slug 32 homers in 2007 and 27 in 2010. If he can regain his 25-homer power, he would be a nice complement to David Wright and (fingers crossed) Ike Davis.

Continuing with our "Nothing's really happening right now" vibe, the Indians signed David Murphy to a 2-year pact for $12 million, which might be something of an overpay for the long time Ranger. It's true that he's never been a big power guy, which for a left fielder is something we've sort of come to expect, but he manages to get on base at a pretty nice clip, with a career OBP of .337 in 849 games over 8 season, as well as 2 seasons in which he managed a figure over .350. He's never been a full-time player, playing in a career-high 147 games for Texas in 2012, and with an already crowded outfield in Cleveland (with Michael Bourn, Drew Stubbs and Michael Brantley all holding down starting jobs), it's doubtful he'll see more time as a starter than he will as a defensive replacement, pinch hitter, or erstwhile DH (which is also pretty crowded, with the ageless Jason Giambi still in the mix, as well as Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana getting time there as well to keep them fresh). Is a guy like that worth $12 million over 2 years? Well, considering the market, maybe. Still feels like an overpay to me, though.

The Daily Grind - 11/24

On today's Daily Grind, we'll take a look at the second huge swap of this young offseason.

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.

The Daily Grind - 11/23

On today's Daily Grind, we'll start with a look at what is, by far, the most intriguing free agent this offseason.

Robinson Cano is one of the top second basemen in baseball today. This is not now, nor has it ever been, a question. He hits for average and power, he can field and throw beautifully, and he does these things so well that you don't even mind that he doesn't run particularly well on the basepaths (in 9 years, he has 38 stolen bases out of 66 attempts, not exactly Henderson-like). He's durable, having played in 159 games or more per year since the beginning of the 2007 season. Still, the million dollar question...rather, the $300 million question, is if he's worth the largest guaranteed contract in baseball history. And the answer is not difficult to arrive at; it's a loud, resounding "Absolutely not". He recently turned 31, and if we've learned anything from the monstrous contracts given to Alex Rodriguez (twice), Albert Pujols, and even Josh Hamilton, it's that high-risk, high-reward signings of players in their early 30s are often the former far more than the latter. Cano is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, but that doesn't mean he'll be producing at the same, elite level when he's 35, much less at 38. Now, a 7 year deal for $220 million? Hell, even the suddenly cost-conscious Yankees could abide that. But it seems that Cano and his new agent, rap mogul Jay-Z, aren't backing down from their expectations of a contract 3 years longer and at least $80 million higher. The Tigers or Nationals could swoop in and make this a moot point, but as it stands now, it appears to be a staredown between the most powerful financial entity in baseball and its most prolific current star.

It's a surprisingly good market for free agent catchers this offseason, with Brian McCann, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and A.J. Pierzynski all up for grabs amongst teams sorely needing backstop help. One notable catcher, though, will be returning to the only organization he's ever known. The Phillies managed to lure longtime game caller Carlos Ruiz back to Philadelphia with a 3-year, $26 million contract. The move is a smart one, even though the Phils really do need to get younger; sure, Ruiz is 35, but he's intimately familiar with Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and the rest of the pitching staff, which is a quality in a backstop that's invaluable to the point of being unquantifiable, even with all the sabermetrics at our disposal today. Beyond that, Ruiz still adds a good bit of value at the plate when he's not behind it, as he's only a year removed from a 2012 campaign that ended with a .325/.394/.540 line with career highs in home runs (16) and RBI (68), and for a catcher, that's not bad. Ruiz apparently had a shorter, less lucrative offer on the table from the Rockies, but the Phillies were willing to go longer as far as guaranteed years, as well as adding an option for a 4th year in what would be Ruiz's age-38 season. If Carlos is still calling the shots behind the plate when he gets to that option, Philadelphia will be in worse shape than we already think they will be. Still, this is a good move for a team that needs to give their fanbase something to smile about.

The Royals made a pretty interesting move recently, signing former Angels starter Jason Vargas to a 4-year, $32 million deal. Vargas is by no means a power pitcher, as his "fastball" usually tops out around 87, but he still manages to miss bats with his curveball and, most importantly, his changeup. If nothing else, Vargas does have the ability to eat innings, having topped 200 in 2011 and 2012, his last two years with the Mariners. That will go a long way in preserving that great Kansas City bullpen, and will help Vargas fit right in with de facto ace James Shields. Beyond those two, the Royals will most likely rely on talented young hurlers Yordano Ventura and Kyle Zimmer (or they may even give Danny Duffy another look) to slot into their rotation, as well as forgotten man Jeremy Guthrie, and it's doubtful that they'll resign Ervin Santana after extending him a qualifying offer following an unexpectedly solid 2013. Vargas's home run numbers are cause for concern, though: even in pitcher's parks like Safeco Field and Angel Stadium, he has averaged 0.99 HR/9 or higher (and in a few cases, far higher) in 3 of the last 5 seasons. While Kauffman Stadium is somewhat detrimental to power hitters, it is by no means a place that a guy who gives up so many long balls wants to be. If Vargas can keep his impressive ground ball percentage (40.2 percent the last 2 seasons), he might just be what the Royals need to keep working towards ending their long postseason drought.

In closing, we here at TBF would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of former MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner, who lost his battle with brain cancer late Thursday night at the age of 51. Weiner's accomplishments and impact on the game cannot possibly be understated, as he negotiated the latest collective bargaining agreement, which extends the longest period of labor peace between MLB and the players' union in history. Beloved by players and front offices alike, Weiner's time as the representative for the players has left an indelible mark on the game. He will be missed.

The Daily Grind - 11/22

Welcome to the second day of The Daily Grind, friends. Let's start off today with something we've discussed far too often.

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.

The Daily Grind - 11/21

Here at TBF, we've been a little apathetic over the past few months in regards to keeping tabs on what's been happening in the national pastime. It may have something to do with our main writer transitioning into a new job in the real world, but the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series didn't help.

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.

Forever (Cy) Young, or The Follies Of A Matt Harvey Fanboy.

Last season, we saw an incredible race for the AL MVP between winner Miguel Cabrera and runner-up Mike Trout. If you don't remember it, there are 3 "Cage Match: Cabrera vs. Trout" posts hidden in the alcoves of this very blog to jog your memory (and raise my view count). While we're seeing a calmer version of the same race this year, the most intriguing award run this season is by far that for the NL Cy Young award. As it stands today, there are 3 serious candidates for the honor: Clayton Kershaw, Adam Wainwright, and Matt Harvey. In this post, I'll do something that's personally testing, which is putting aside my irrational obsession with Harvey, and try to break this race down without bias. I doubt I'll succeed, but here we go.

Clayton Kershaw: When the Dodgers signed Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu this offseason, both moves made some serious waves. A top of the line, former Cy Young winner, and a Korean import who was looking to electrify fans this side of the Pacific, are pretty huge improvements to any rotation. When they joined Los Angeles, though, it was clear neither would be starting on Opening Day. That's because Clayton Kershaw exists. Let's not even take into account Kershaw's amazing numbers from last year, when he was the runner-up for this award to R.A. Dickey's knuckleballing campaign. Let's not acknowledge the dominant numbers he put up in 2011 when he won the award for the first time. Simply focusing on 2013, here's what Kershaw has done through the middle of August: in 190.1 innings, he has a 12-7 record, which works very hard to mask the 1.80 ERA (leads all of baseball), 0.85 WHIP (leads the NL), and 182 strikeouts (good for second in the NL, 9 ahead of Wainwright and 8 behind Harvey). His FIP and xFIP, more specific measures for how well a pitcher is at preventing runs, are 2.39 and 2.92. Even if he pitched more in line with those numbers, he'd still be one of the top 3 pitchers in the NL (!). He's been compared to another Dodgers lefthander you may have heard of...Sandy Koufax, who himself has said Kershaw is one of the greatest pitchers he's ever seen (!!). And he's only 25 (!!!). Forget Cy Young, we may be looking at this year's NL MVP.

Adam Wainwright: Another hurler in contention for an award he's already won once, Wainwright's path back from a lost 2011 season has been fantastic. After undergoing Tommy John surgery right before the Cardinals stunned the baseball world. Adam put up a nice season in 2012, which now appears to be an appropriate precursor to 2013. Thus far, he's shut down opponents at a frightening rate, with 4 complete games (most in the NL) and 2 shutouts (only Kershaw has as many). His 189.2 innings are just behind Kershaw, and his 173 strikeouts are third behind Clayton and the young Harvey. His 14-7 record is more indicative of the defense behind him and the offense supporting him, but his presence on the mound is enough. When Chris Carpenter, the workhorse who picked up the slack left behind by Waino's rehab in 2011, went down this offseason with a debilitating injury of his own, Adam had a chance to pay Carpenter back in kind, and he has certainly done that and more. Because of his veteran experience, young phenoms like Shelby Miller and Trevor Rosenthal have been rock steady on the way to another potential playoff appearance, while going deep into games prevents the bullpen from taking on too much. It's hard to believe that Wainwright is just a few weeks shy of 32, as it seems like he's been a force for St. Louis for much longer than 8 seasons. While a second Cy Young might not be in the cards for this Card in 2013, there's no doubt that he's still in top form, and still one of the best hurlers in today's game.

Matt Harvey: Man, I love Matt Harvey. It's still so weird for me to say, because even though I'm a fan of all things baseball, I'm primarily a Yankees and Braves fan. Rooting for a Met is tantamount to blasphemy in my world. But against my better judgment, and knowing full well the flack I will catch from my brethren and sistren who root for the aforementioned franchises, I will say this: Matt Harvey is one of baseball's best pitchers. Consider this: in his age-24 season, his record is 9-5, which is MUCH more on the shoulders of the, pardon my language, Mets than it is on his. That aside, his 190 strikeouts currently lead the NL, his 0.92 WHIP just barely misses out on giving him the top spot in that category, and his 33 walks give him the second best K/BB ratio in the league as well. While Wainwright and Kershaw may be trading blows for the top spot in most stats, the fact that Harvey is entrenched at second behind them both may be all he needs to end up with the hardware in November. The biggest blow against him, though, will be when he's shut down at 200 innings (which he's rapidly approaching with 177.2 as of this writing), at which point Kershaw and Wainwright will be able to surge further past him while he's out of action. But it says quite a lot about Matt that, with this in mind, he's still being touted as a serious contender for this award in his first full season in the major leagues. While he may not take it home this year, he'll certainly be in the conversation for years to come. And I will continue unabashedly touting my new hurling hero until he wins.

It's highly likely we'll see Kershaw win his second Cy, so we'll go with him to take the award, with Harvey a close second and Wainwright an even closer third. Of course, now that it's been said on this blog, it'll automatically be wrong, so we'll just have to wait until November.

The New Bronx Zoo, or Bronx Boo Hoo!

A couple of days ago, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters that he "no longer feels comfortable talking to A-Rod", which of course refers to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman is not alone. The New York Yankees, as a team, no longer feel comfortable talking to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. In an ongoing public feud between grown men, we've come to an incredibly childish climax. This is the state of the 2013 New York Yankees.

Boy. Where is Billy Martin when you really need him?

How I pine for those simpler times...

We've seen plenty of examples where players are vilified not only by the media or fans, but by the team themselves. Barry Bonds was hated in the Giants clubhouse during his challenge of the home run record. Rickey Henderson often referred to himself in the third person and alienated teammates. Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, and Nolan Ryan were as intimidating in the clubhouse as they were on the mound. But we've never seen anything like this. Not even during the original Bronx Zoo, the period of time in the late 1970s when George Steinbrenner, Martin and Reggie Jackson lit a fire under the collective asses of the Yankees by, well, flaming each other mercilessly, was there anything like this. No "Straw That Stirs The Drink". No Bucky Dent. No eventual justification with a World Series win. This is just sad. We're not watching big personalities engage in big clashes that make for big stories. We're watching millionaires, professional athletes and high-ranking executives, making comments to the media that paint a much different picture. It feels like we're seeing two 8th grade girls spread nasty rumors about each other because one of them took performance-enhancing drugs and the other wants to get out of their contractual agreement. All right, maybe that analogy got away from me, but the point still stands: this is not a power struggle so much as it is a two-way smear campaign between one of the most respected and simultaneously hated franchises and one of the most respected and simultaneously hated players.

So who do you root for in this situation? Do you root for anyone? I've been a Yankees fan since I was 6, so for what it's worth, here's my two cents (coincidentally, my two cents is worth much less than that): if you must absolutely pick a side here, don't. Alex Rodriguez is a cheater with an ego for the ages, and the Yankees are trying to find an easy and immoral way out of their stupid financial blunder. There is no hero here, no good guy to be found. A-Rod could have been honest and played the game the right way, and George's genius progeny could have not signed a 32 year old to a 10-year contract. Alex could have been more forthcoming with his connection to Biogenesis or accepted his suspension, and Cashman could have fought harder in 2007 when he was against resigning the man. Rodriguez could stop shooting his mouth off and paying lipservice to God knows whoever is still rooting for him, and the Yankees could have saved $275 million and a decade's worth of headaches by letting him walk before the 2008 season. Instead, both sides are getting exactly what they deserve.

This...doesn't look the way I expected it to.

Understandably, neither side bargained for this in December 2003 when the Yanks stepped in at the eleventh hour and acquired Rodriguez from the Rangers, preventing the Red Sox from doing the same (a failed trade that looks brilliant in retrospect). The Yankees thought they were trading for a player that would wind up breaking the home run record while in pinstripes, and A-Rod thought he was going to spend the rest of his illustrious career playing for the team he loved. While the deal didn't really pay dividends for either side until culminating in a championship win in 2009, it was marred the prior offseason by Rodriguez's admission that he had, in fact, taken steroids while in Texas. He asked everyone for forgiveness, and also pleaded with us to only judge him based on what he did after that. "What did he do after that?" you may be asking. Well...

2009: 124 games, 30 HR, 100 RBI, .286 AVG, .934 OPS

Those are pretty good numbers, but indicative of a slump for A-Rod. No matter, he's still one of the greatest players of all time, and he was only 34 at the time. A player naturally starts to see his abilities decrease, so that's not necessarily the product of no longer taking steroids, meaning he was being honest when he said he only took steroids up to 2003. Right?

Here's what A-Rod did the next 3 seasons:

2010: 137 games, 30 HR, 125 RBI, .270 AVG, .847 OPS
2011: 99 games, 16 HR, 62 RBI, .276 AVG, .823 OPS
2012: 122 games, 18 HR, 57 RBI, .272 AVG, .783 OPS

That's a big dropoff. And he missed more time with injuries than he ever had before (specifically, injuries to his hip and knee that fall in line with those suffered by steroid users). But even with his stats serving as tangible proof, as well as this whole Biogenesis thing, Alex continues to deny he used steroids after 2003, even though it would appear that he not only kept using them after that, but that he kept using them until his 2009 admission. And after that, apparently.

It's up to each one of us, individually, to decide whether we side with the Yankees, A-Rod, or neither. But one thing seems certain: if this is to be the next chapter in the decades-long saga of the Bronx Zoo, let's hope 2045 holds some more interesting drama than this.

Don't Kid Yourself, We're All To Blame Here.

So, if you have a pulse (or an Internet connection), you've probably become aware of the supposed conclusion to the Biogenesis debacle: Ryan Braun was suspended for 65 games, Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera and 9 others were suspended for 50, and Alex Rodriguez was suspended for 211. Everyone except A-Rod, predictably, accepted their punishments without appealing. Understandably, the public outrage is overwhelming, as fans, writers and even players are voicing their opinions (Twitter is collapsing in on itself as I type), and it's clear that everyone involved in the game, as well as those who follow it, are extremely disappointed and angry. And to everyone, I have just one thing to say:

Shut the f**k up.

Already shaping up to be my best post yet.

I've written at least two posts on the matter of steroids and the years-long scandal, or at least on the players involved in them, so my opinion should be well-known by now. But considering this blog only gets around 300 views per post, most of which I assume are from people who don't work for Major League Baseball (shocking, I know), I'll reiterate for those who still don't know: when it comes to steroids in baseball, there's no one who's right. Nobody. All of us who love this game, play this game, analyze this game, write about this game, argue with our friends about this game, is at fault. If you've even read a box score since 1989, you're a part of the problem. I'm part of the problem. My dad's part of the problem. Derek Jeter's part of the problem. Rick Ankiel's part of the problem. Theo Epstein's part of the problem. Bruce Bochy's part of the problem. The guy who scrubs the toilets at Petco Park is part of the problem. The guy who makes the Boomsticks at Rangers Ballpark is part of the problem. The Phillie Phanatic is part of the problem. My buddy who just joined our fantasy league and never really paid attention to baseball before last season is part of the problem. We all know what was happening. Since the home run chase of 1998, when Sports Illustrated, ESPN and every other media outlet explained to us that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were saving baseball after the hugely negative impact of the 1994 strike left baseball in shambles, there has been no excuse for us to pretend like we didn't know what steroids were doing to the game, or that we were strongly against them. For the writers, team executives and former players, it's even more despicable to publicly spew their vitriol towards the one thing that gives us a reason to ever pay attention to them. They were around it longer (it's commonly accepted that steroids entered the game via Jose Canseco in the late 1980s, but 1991 was when commissioner Fay Vincent sent out a piddly little memo that basically said, "Uh, hey, guys? Could you not do drugs of any sort that might enhance your performance? Pretty please?"). They were in the clubhouses. They saw these guys injecting something into their asses. Even if you don't know what it is, when you see someone jabbing a needle into their butt and pushing the plunger, I feel like it should raise a few red flags.

And, as I love to point out as often as I can, no one wrote a single article. No one. Nothing. Not a word.

Had Twitter been around back then, I guarantee that not a single player would have broken baseball's unwritten code in 140 characters or less. We'd see millions of retweeted GIFs of Barry Bonds home runs, most likely posted by pitchers who gave them up.

Bud? He just smiled, waved his hand, and presented trophies. For years. For decades, now.

The first time I looked at this picture, I thought it was the reanimated, somewhat displeased corpse of Branch Rickey.

Look, I'm not saying that steroids aren't bad for the game. They are. They have the potential to turn regular players into superstars, and superstars into monsters. They give players a competitive edge by helping them heal from injuries faster, increase their stamina, and add muscle mass where needed. Steroids are drugs, they do enhance your performance, and they do give some players a completely unfair advantage. But amid all the talk of revoking MVPs and appealing suspensions and negative Internet comments (good luck avoiding those, Jesus Montero), let's not forget the most important thing here...we're all hilariously stupid hypocrites. Every last one of us. If we weren't, Roger Maris would still be the "legitimate" home run king (and don't you dare try to tell me that the Steroid Era is the ONLY time when drugs have been a problem in baseball, because I'll shove a bowl of greenies in your face and tell you a few stories about Keith Hernandez and cocaine). If we weren't, Ken Caminiti wouldn't have entered 1997 as the reigning NL MVP. If we weren't, Roger Clemens would have retired 6 years earlier than he did. If we weren't, Selig wouldn't still be commissioner. If we weren't, this public outrage would have occurred in 2003, not 2013.

But we are. We're hilariously stupid hypocrites. Fans, writers, executives and players alike. Every last one of us.

And if no one else is going to point this out, I'm glad I'm the only one doing so. It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it (sit at their desk at home and type words onto a screen).

Disco Apparently Isn't Dead.

Ahh, the 1970s. I have no personal recollections of the decade, as I was born in 1990, but believe me, I've studied baseball history ravenously (if you hadn't noticed), and to say the least, the 1970s were quite an interesting era. It was the time of Mr. October, the time of Hammerin' Hank shattering the home run record, the time of the creation of the DH, further solidifying the AL as a different brand of baseball than the NL, the time of revolutionizing (and for the first time, clearly defining) the closer role, the time of the true inception of free agency. But we're not here to talk about any of that. There are strong 70s overtones in today's game, and not just because of the lasting effects of many of those events. For nearly the entire decade, the Orioles, Pirates, Reds and Athletics dominated the baseball landscape, each team appearing in at least 2 World Series and winning at least 1 between a man walking on the moon and the creation of the moonwalk, with those pesky Yankees sneaking in a few championships as well. And beginning with last season, we may shortly see a repeat of those crazy times.

The Orioles have had a tough go of things since Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence in 1996. Since then, they hadn't even sniffed a postseason until last year. Cal Ripken, Jr. eventually ascended into the ranks of the all-time greats, and it's no coincidence that the O's quickly became wholly irrelevant after that. Gone were the glory days of Jim Palmer and the Robinsons (Brooks and Frank, no relation), with the late Earl Weaver also a relic of the past. Seemingly out of nowhere in 2012, they miraculously sprang back into baseball relevance, going 93-69 and clinching a Wild Card spot in the first season featuring two. They beat the Rangers to advance to the ALDS against the Yankees, where they put up a good fight but ultimately went down in 5 games. There's so much to love about this team, though: Adam Jones is becoming an all-around stud that has an ongoing love affair with the Baltimore faithful; Chris "Crush" Davis set the baseball world on fire by sending baseballs flying out of Camden Yards at a potentially record pace; speaking of record paces, 21 year old Manny Machado could possibly break the single-season doubles record while quickly becoming one of the best players in baseball under 25. Their rotation is comparatively weak, but holdovers like Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez have kept the starters steady while Wei-Yin Chen works back from an injury and recent addition Scott Feldman gets reacclimated to the American League. Their bullpen has looked good as well, with Jim Johnson's 9th inning dominance from 2012 continuing into this season. For a team that's rivaled the Pirates in mediocrity for the last 15 years, it's nice to see them rise back to the top.

The Pirates gave their division rival Cubs one of the greatest gifts: over the past two decades, they made even the pathetic North Siders look like contenders. I have a younger brother who just turned 20 and a younger sister who's a few weeks shy of 17, and when I visited my family this weekend, something dawned on me...neither of my siblings have been alive for a season in which the Pirates actually posted a record over .500. Hell, I've only been around for a few myself, and I was too young to realize that this once-venerable franchise was about to implode spectacularly. For the past 5 years, Andrew McCutchen has been doing his best to put the team onto his back, but it hasn't done much to stop the bleeding. In both 2011 and 2012, the Pirates were leading the NL Central at the All-Star break, only to record losing records down the stretch both times. There were a few bright spots, of course: Starling Marte proved he could help Cutch secure the outfield while providing similar power at the plate; Pedro Alvarez continued to show tantalizing signs of life; the trade that sent A.J. Burnett from the Bronx almost immediately revitalized his career; and the combination of Jason Grilli and former closer Joel Hanrahan made the bullpen a black hole for opposing teams' offense. That being said, this year's Buccos team has a chance to end the futility. Hanrahan left for Boston, but Grilli hasn't missed a step and has become one of the best closers in the NL, Russell Martin has solidified the team's catching dilemma, and Cutch/Marte/Alvarez are mashing again. A playoff run this year might be a little much to hope for, but it's encouraging to finally see the Jolly Roger being raised with high frequency.

The Reds are one of baseball's longest-running franchises, but let's not kid ourselves. They're most famous for one period of time, and for one collection of men that made things very difficult for the entire baseball world. I'm speaking, of course, about the Big Red Machine. There are plenty of viable options for the best team in baseball history. The 1927 and 1998 Yankees generally take top honors, with the 1907-08 Cubs and 2001 Mariners usually settling for runners-up. For my money, though, I'd want to see a team of Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Pete Rose and Joe Morgan over nearly any other team in history. Today's Cincinnati club is threatening to make the Big Red Machine look like a Smaller Red Plaything: OBP monsters Joey Votto and newly-acquired Shin-Soo Choo have combined with masher Jay Bruce to strike fear into the hearts of all opposing pitchers; Homer Bailey and Mat Latos keep throwing strikeouts and shutouts to cover up for Johnny Cueto's bad luck this season; and Tony Cingrani is acting as a pitching jack-of-all-trades, both starting in Cueto's place and securing the bullpen behind flamethrowing closer Aroldis Chapman. Just like every other team in this post, the Reds experienced a period of irrelevancy, not reaching the playoffs from 1995 until Bruce's walk-off homer in one of the last games of the 2010 season, although they were swept by the Phillies in the NLDS that year. After getting edged out in 2011, they also fell to the Giants in the first round last season. With any luck, they could push through this season in a similar way to the aforementioned Big Red Machine and regain their throne.

The Athletics are another of baseball's most storied teams, experiencing much success in both Philadelphia, where they began, and in Oakland, where they've been since the mid-1960s (with a mostly forgettable stop in Kansas City). From Connie Mack's fabled "$100,000 Infield" that won pennants and World Series left and right to the dynasty that saw Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers dominate the early 70s to the artificially-created prominence of the "Bash Brothers" in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the A's hadn't had many seasons in which they found themselves out of the mix, but for most of the last decade, they have squarely been outside the realm of contention. Even the Academy Award-nominated revolution of Moneyball instituted years ago by a frustrated, sabermetrically-minded GM in Billy Beane, had done little to assuage the team's woes. Coming into 2012, they were expect to hold steady to last place in the AL West. Someone forgot to tell them that, though, as they managed to clinch the division on the final day of the season, and this year, they've wasted no time defending their title: Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes are powering a young offense full of no-namers quickly making names for themselves; Bartolo Colon, the ageless wonder, is blowing fastballs by opposing hitters confused by how his unassuming repertoire is still so effective; and Grant Balfour gives the bullpen an extra ounce of swagger with his cocky demeanor (and an increasing reliance on sliders and curveballs to trip up opponents in the later innings). Every self-respecting baseball fan wants to see Moneyball finally deliver a championship title to Oakland, and 2013 could be the final step in that direction.

Gettin' Miggy With It.

The story of Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera is, to say the least, an underrated one. After quietly debuting 10 years ago last week as a 20 year old for the last Marlins team to resemble a contender, Cabrera has spent the last decade slowly but surely putting together a surefire Hall of Fame career, seemingly right under our collective noses. Most baseball fans paid him little mind until last season, when he led Detroit to a World Series berth, won the MVP in one of the most scrutinized races in years, and became the first man to win the offensive Triple Crown since Carl Yazstremski in 1967. But the truth is that Cabrera's 2012 season was simply a microcosm of the consistency he's shown in his entire career, and this year is a further refinement of his craft.

You cannot stop Miggy...you can only hope to contain him. Even then, your chances don't look good.

Cabrera's career triple slash line is .321/.398/.565. Assuming he's ranked as a third baseman among the all-time greats when all is said and done, instead of as a first baseman like he was from 2008-2011, he could stand a chance of joining Chipper Jones as the only men to post a career .300/.400/.500 at the hot corner. He's already got 343 homers, over 1,000 runs scored and batted in (1,020 and 1,201 respectively), and he's closing in on 2,000 career hits, standing at 1,912 at the time of this writing during a Tigers-Angels game on Wednesday. His career accolades are nothing to scoff at: he was part of the Marlins' championship in his first season, he's a 7-time All-Star, he has 4 Silver Sluggers to his name (never known for his defense, the only thing lacking from his otherwise pristine resume is a Gold Glove), and before he led the league in all 3 of the big offensive stats, he led the league in home runs (2008), RBI (2010), and batting average (2011) before putting it all together last year. He's just 2 months into 30 years of age.

What makes his Triple Crown win last year even more amazing is not the fact that he had already led the league in those stats in different seasons, but the year after doing it all at once, he has more than a legitimate shot of doing it again. He's batting .370 at the end of June (tops in the AL and the majors), has 22 homers (third in the AL and tied for the same in the majors), and 78 RBI (tops in the AL and the majors...do you see the pattern developing?). While I've always looked at season projections for a player as mostly conjecture (can't use the word I'd really like to use, trying to keep this blog family-friendly), Miggy's numbers at the end of the year, if he keeps this level of production up, would give him a line of .347/.436/.616 with 41 long balls and 144 runs batted in. Aside from that pesky Chris Davis, he could make a run at his second consecutive Triple Crown, which would put him in the same rarefied air as Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams as the only men on planet Earth who've won it more than once, and would make him the only player in baseball history to achieve this in back-to-back seasons. Did I mention that he's still only 30? I feel like that's very important to remember.

Love him or hate him, Cabrera's bound for Cooperstown.

More importantly, of course, is the picture that sabermetrics paint of Miggy: Isolated Power, or ISO (determined by subtracting a player's batting average from their slugging percentage), measures how often a player hits for extra bases. Any ISO over .250 is considered top-notch. Cabrera's career ISO is .245, meaning he's not just getting these hits on piddly little singles up the middle. His BABIP, which determines how often or far a player gets on base on balls in play, has never dropped below .310. Normally, when you see a player with a BABIP, whether season or career, above .320, they're usually just lucky and some regression is due. Cabrera's BABIP as we wrap up the first half of this season is .396. That's not luck, that's insanity. His WAR, Wins Above Replacement (the most comprehensive, all-inclusive measure of how important a player is to their team) varies depending on the source, as all WAR does. Baseball Reference gives him a WAR of 51.7, which puts him ahead of Hall of Famers Kirby Puckett, Lou Brock, and Ralph Kiner, among others. Fangraphs pegs him at 58.2, outshining legends like Hank Greenberg, Willie Stargell, and Luis Aparicio. Considering those men are all enshrined in Cooperstown and have completed careers, keep in mind that Cabrera turned 30 years old back in April.

So go ahead and fawn over the Trouts and the Harpers of the day. Be amazed by the Machados and the Puigs. Speak of the Jeters, the Ichiros, and the Pujolses (Pujoli?) in revered tones. But if you're looking for the best example of a Hall of Fame career in progress, if you're truly searching for a player who's destined to stand at the podium in Cooperstown on a warm July day as one of the game's best, look no further than Cabrera. Because his star, after 10 full years in the majors, is still somehow on the rise thanks to his abilities and his shocking youth (did I mention he's only 30?), and like one of his mammoth home runs, he won't be falling any time soon.