New Angels righty Tim Lincecum has consented to an optional assignment as part of the arrangement, GM Billy Eppler tells reporters including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). That’s obviously designed to give him a chance to ramp back up, but also means that the team won’t face the time pressures inherent in a rehab stint (thirty days, for pitchers). The Halos are playing a man down tonight since Lincecum technically needs to clear revocable option waivers before the move can be made, the Times’ Pedro Moura notes on Twitter. Regardless of the logistics, Eppler says that he expects that Lincecum will be ready for the bigs within twenty to thirty days. Lincecum also addressed his decision to sign with the Angels, noting that he had multiple MLB offers, as MLB.com’s Fabian Ardaya tweets.
Here’s more from the American League:
- White Sox ace Chris Sale is exhibiting diminished velocity and a lower strikeout rate, and he’s even better than ever, Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated writes. Certain ERA estimators are just a bit down on his efforts — at least against his amazing career figures — and none think he’s quite supported his sparkling 1.58 ERA, but Reiter explains that the master of “stuff” has learned how to think on the hill. Sale cites the desire to be more efficient and to save his highest gear for when he truly needs it. He also suggested that taking something off at times allows him to “get more movement” and keep the ball down. Sox pitching coach Don Cooper suggests that it’s something of an evolutionary transformation. “It’s a characteristic of the top, top guys,” Cooper explains. “They’ve got stuff in their tank when they need it, but they’re managing the game, handling the game, knowing when to add, when to subtract. I do believe this is pitching at the highest level.” The piece is well worth a full read.
- Midway through his first game off the DL, Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo departed with a tight left hamstring, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Choo had been sidelined by a right calf injury, so at least it’s not a re-aggravation of the prior issue, but that’s certainly disappointing news for the veteran. Texas still has plenty of options in the corner outfield, of course, and the severity of the injury remains to be seen.
- The signals on Red Sox reliever Carson Smith are somewhat mixed as he hits the 15-day DL. On the one hand, skipper John Farrell says that all indications he’s been given suggest that surgery would be a surprise, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports (Twitter links). On the other, he’s already had an MRI and the results are being reviewed, with Smith set to visit noted elbow surgeon David Altcheck on Monday, per MLB.com’s Ian Brown (via Twitter).
- Lest there be any confusion, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he’s entertaining no thoughts of staying around past the present season, in spite of recent comments that seemed to leave the door cracked a bit. “Listen, the thing is that people need to understand, in my mind I’m 100 percent sure I’m going to retire,” he said. “There are so many reasons for me that I want to retire. That is what is my mind right now. I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.”
Even if Ortiz puts in a career year, he should retire at the end of the year for a variety of reasons:
1) He does not want to be the Brett Farve of baseball. Unless he has a great 2017 season, the sports media community will turn him into a punchline.
2) Going out on a high note will guarantee great optics for the HOF.
3) If he returns and isn’t a superstar then Sox fans will start grumbling he should have left on a high note. And this isn’t a shot at Red Sox fans, every fan isn’t too happy when an older player who isn’t producing isn’t benched.
4) Let’s face it, the question of Williams or Ortiz has already begun. Ortiz is no longer just thought of as the being part of the Boston sports pantheon, the question is about to be “is David Ortiz the greatest sports figure in Boston history.”
First off Ortiz IS NOT a hall of Famer. Cheaters shouldn’t be allowed in.
Second, anyone who compares Ortiz to Ted Williams is crazy. Ted Williams is one of baseballs greats, David Ortiz is not even in the top 50 of baseball greats.
So we should kick out Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, too? Both have admitted to using amphetamines throughout their careers (as did virtually every other player who played in the ’60s.) Do we throw out Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, who bet on baseball games they played in? Where do you draw the line. Since baseball has implemented its drug testing and penalty system, Ortiz has never tested positive. He isn’t on the Mitchell report.
Lol! A Yankee fan throwing out the “C” word!!!
Your an idiot.
You’re*
Ortiz should be in the HOF in 6 years time.
I would agree, however, that comparing Ortiz to Williams is foolish. Ortiz is only catching Williams on counting stats because WIlliams served in two wars during his prime. Had Williams been playing through those years, nobody would be suggesting that Ortiz is comparable.
Time will tell whether any current player is worth comparing to Williams. Trout and Harper might get there if they keep on going like they are now. It would take another 8 to 10 years before that conversation becomes credible.
Regarding the Boston “pantheon”, Papi belongs in the conversation but so does Yaz and neither of them are at the level of Williams, Ruth, Brady, Orr, Bird, or Russell.
Agreed. Papi is a Boston Sports great but doesn’t rank with those others. Ortiz has been an extremely productive player but if you allow him in the HOF after using drugs, then McGwire, Sosa, Clemens, Palmiero, ARod and several others have to be put in as well.
He used in 2003, before drug testing or any kind of anti-doping policy was even enacted in MLB (As Ortiz himself admitted “I was using what everybody else was using.”). The notion that the last 13 years – in which Ortiz has never failed a test – are somehow the result of that 2003 use is absolutely absurd.
If you want to put Ortiz in the HOF, fine. I have no problem with that. But Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa & Barry Bonds also deserve that same consideration because they never failed a test or admitted to taking illegal PED’s, either.
Have you heard of Ted Williams?
Perhaps Larry Bird?
Bill Russell?
Maybe you’ve heard of Tom Brady?
Bobby Orr?
The Babe. Lol
I admit I’m a Yankee fan, but to suggest Ortiz might be better than Williams seems out there, Williams is the all time leader in OBP, second in SP, second in OPS+, and has 2 1/2 times the career WAR that Ortiz has, He also led the league in hitting six times, in HR 4, RBI 4, And a triple crown. And…you could keep going–just looking at his stats again this morning reminded me how ridiculous they were. The definition of an inner-circle HOF.
Every fan is entitled to his heroes, and if Ortiz is your guy, fine. But as a player…no comparison to Williams.
I agree but at some point bringing a championship to Boston is more important then being the best hitter on a team that doesn’t win.
I’m not saying it’s right but both players have some accolades that could be brought into argument.
3 championships
Yea I know, I just meant championships in general.
There is no comparison to make really. I love both guys (Ortiz, Williams) being a Sox fan, but it’s different eras, different competition, different positions. They both had great careers, let’s stop this BS about even trying to compare guys who played before even black people could participate in the league, and just enjoy the players for what they were in their time. Teddy, one of the greatest hitters ever, and Ortiz, one of the most clutch hitters ever.
Steve
Why wouldn’t a team like TEX or HOU claim timmy on waivers to prevent him from getting adequate tune-up time and force LAA to throw him into the fire unprepared?
Because TEX or HOU wouldn’t want to be stuck with Tim.
1. Ortiz is not better than Williams
2. Ortiz is not better than Yaz
3. Ortiz is not better than Fisk
4. As for first basemen were better than Ortiz that are not in the HOF, I am sure there are many that could be named including Hodges, Cepeda and McCovey
Cepeda and McCovery are both in the HOF. I don’t know why Hodges isn’t.
Why don’t they just send Smith for surgery now? If they keep putting it off they”ll lose him for next year too.
Ok… for those of you who felt I was comparing Williams to Ortiz, I was NOT. It has been mentioned on a handful of sports talk radio shows by people who have a tendency to not know sports past.