It isn’t yet clear if Joe Mauer will retire or return for the 2019 season, though if Sunday’s game was his last hurrah in the big leagues, it was a special one. Mauer went 1-for-4 in the Twins’ 5-4 victory over the White Sox, though the most memorable moments included Mauer’s two daughters running onto the field to greet him at first base for the national anthem, as well as one final appearance behind the plate. Making his first appearance at catcher since 2013, Mauer donned his old gear to catch the first pitch of the ninth inning before being substituted out of the game to a standing ovation from the Target Field fans. “It’s just been an emotional roller coaster,” Mauer told reporters, including MLB,com’s Jarrid Denney. “I’m not 100 percent sure [about retiring or not], and like I said, I want to make sure I have time just to take a deep breath and really be behind that decision. But I couldn’t have asked for a better last day of the 2018 season, and I’m looking forward to just taking a breath and spending some time with my girls, my family, and we’ll go from there.”
Here’s more from both the AL and NL Central divisions…
- Salvador Perez will undergo surgery this week to repair ligament damage in his thumb, as per an announcement from the Royals (Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star was among those to report the news). Perez said he has been playing through the injury for the last six weeks, and that while he’ll face some rehab time, it won’t keep him from being ready for Spring Training. “Twelve weeks [off], then start to hit,” Perez said of his immediate timeline. While Perez hit 27 homers this season, he contributed only a .235/.274/.439 overall batting line in 544 plate appearances, as his bad thumb and a Grade 2 MCL tear suffered in March likely kept him from operating at close to 100 percent all year.
- Harrison Bader will be the Cardinals’ incumbent center fielder going into 2019, GM Michael Girsch told MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch and other media today. “It’s pretty obvious that he’s the best defensive center fielder we have. He’s hit more than well enough to earn the first shot at it,” Girsch said. Bader posted 3.6 fWAR in his first extended stretch of Major League action, hitting .264/.334/.422 with 12 homers and 15 steals over 427 PA, while also displaying outstanding glovework (+23.3 UZR/150, +11 Defensive Runs Saved) over 607 1/3 innings in center.
- While Bader is in center and Marcell Ozuna has left field spoken for, right field is a less certain area for the Cardinals, despite several options. The Athletic’s Mark Saxon (subscription required) thinks St. Louis could even target Bryce Harper to solidify the position, since the team has the funds to make a big splash in free agency. That would be an eyebrow-raising signing to say the least, in no small part because the Cards have right field options available, though all have question marks. Jose Martinez is a poor defender, Tyler O’Neill is unproven as a Major Leaguer despite a promising start, and Dexter Fowler endured an injury-shortened and mediocre 2018 season. It would likely require trades of both Fowler and Martinez to fit Harper, which would be difficult given Fowler’s struggles and big contract.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told reporters (including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, MLB.com’s Adam Berry, and The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel) that if Jung Ho Kang returns to the team next season, it will be as a third baseman only. Forty-nine of Kang’s 187 Major League games have come at shortstop, though it doesn’t appear as though the Bucs have any interest in utilizing him even as a backup. As to the question of Kang’s $5.5MM club option, the Pirates “have significant interest in seeing if there’s a middle ground” if the option isn’t exercised, Huntington said, though no contractual decision has yet been made. Injuries and legal issues have kept Kang out of Major League Baseball for almost all of the last two seasons, so it isn’t surprising that the Bucs are seeing if they could bring Kang back at a lower price, given that his market as a free agent could be rather limited.
- Since Kang isn’t being considered for the backup shortstop role if he does return, Jordy Mercer could be a fit to return as a utility infielder. Huntington said the Pirates will “keep the door open” about possibly re-signing Mercer and Josh Harrison, though Mercer seems the better bet of the duo to return, as Mercer can fill the part-time role behind Kevin Newman at short.
I can’t see him coming back after that sendoff
I can’t either, but you can tell he wants to keep playing
Might be nice to come back for one more year, lock up another send off.
How about those cubbies
Mercer needs to go
Agreed! Too many mediocre players. Mediocre coaches and terrible front office!
And even worse fans.
It was a nice send off and a great way to end a career… maybe.
I think he still has a couple of good years left in him. And a platoon of Joe Mauer and Tyler Austin at 1B/DH would be good insurance move for the Twins (who have many holes to fill for next year as it is).
St Louis needs to sign Harper. He would be the big left handed bat they have needed for years.
Then they could trade Tyler Oneal and Carson Kelly for pitching. Preferably 1 of the Mets aces, or Bumgardner.
left or right dont matter. should have kept luke voit for the big bat
You’d need to add a lot more to that list
You do understand that select low-brow fans of gods gift to baseball think people will glady overpay for their cast offs just to touch greatness? And that original post is par for the course.
And yet you chime in everytime, just like a hemorrhoid.
Every team has stupid fans, but pal your in a class all by your lonesome.
Why would the Giants want Carson Kelly? Posey, Bart, and even Garcia looks promising this year.
Or how about Yadi for deGrom, straight up?
Kevin Newman of the -0.9 rwar in 97 PA is being handed the starting short stop gig?
no you’re right 97 PA is plenty to judge him
It’s not about judging him as a bust because 97 PA clearly shouldn’t do that . But that small sample should give people pause to just hand the starting SS gig to him as well. They should definitely have some serious competition for him in ST instead of just handing it to him.
I agree.I think that is why you will see Mercer or Hechavaria back next year.
MLB’s talent development is a joke and the Pirates are among the worst teams in that regard.
They draft 21-year-old college juniors (Newman, Kramer) in the first two rounds, let them rot in the Minors for almost another four years and promote them to the Majors at the age of 25. But as extensive as their Minor League stints might have been, it doesn’t replace the playing experience gained at the highest level.
Highly regarded college prospects have to be put on the fast track, like the White Sox did with 2B Nick Madrigal. He started his short season with a few AB in rookie ball and finished with 103 PA in A+. He could see Big League action as early as one year after winning a College World Series with Oregon State.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Blue Jays kept OF Cal Stevenson in rookie ball for the rest of the season after picking him in the senior round (10th rd.) of the 2018 draft out of the University of Arizona. Coming from an elite program in college baseball’s most decorated conference (Pac-12), playing in Bluefield was like going back to high school for a guy like him. While slashing .369/.514/.523 with 73 runs and 21 SB in 278 PA might have been fun, the franchise wasted his time by not challenging him.
Players like Newman and Kramer, whose development had been hampered by a lack of timely promotions, will need an adjustment period in the Majors. Their performances should improve with regular appearances.
Sunday was kind of a boring day for competitive baseball, in meaningful games at least. But it was a very bittersweet day to watch several franchise icons seemingly move on. It may have been the last time we see Mauer with the Twins, David Wright with the Mets, Adam Jones with the Orioles, and Mike Scioscia with the Angels. Those are all team Hall of Fame players that spent their entire careers with one franchise. Jones was with the Mariners for a couple of games, but he is an Oriole lifer. Mauer and Scioscia might get into the National Hall of Fame, but even if they don’t, they along with the others deserve to be commemorated by their teams just as much.
I don’t think Mauer wants to commit to anything yet but I really highly doubt he’s coming back after that.
If he doesn’t come back the questions will begin… HOF? My gut just says no… he doesn’t look like a HOFer at a glance. However his career stats favorably compare to several existing HOFers. Including Kirby Puckett, who was a borderline candidate himself but, even if it was a case of HOF inflation, once you’re in, you’re in. Their career lines are quite similar, down to sharing a career 124 OPS+. And Mauer has the advantage of having accomplishments as a catcher that were either firsts-of-all-time or firsts-since-ages-ago.
Under a combination of the “so-and-so got in” and the “unique accomplishment” doctrines… you can make a believable case for Mauer.
Three batting titles and I think he’s the only catcher to even have one. If I were a voter he’d definitely be getting a vote.
not the only catcher. been done a few other times
Mauer is one of those very-good-but-not-HOF players that are really only special to one franchise, like Dale Murphy, Will Clark or Kent Hrbek. Definitely should be in the Twins HOF if they have one. (I don’t actually understand why every team doesn’t have their own museum with busts for their favorite players.)
He’s actually not even the only active player with a batting title – I believe Buster Posey won it in 2012.
Ok he must be the only catcher to win three. Something like that.
Only catcher in the AL to ever win a batting title.
keep the door open? those guys were ghosts in september
Save $350M by going with O’Neill in RF, ditching Fowler/Martinez for pitching.
Exactly, save the big bucks for Arenado when he becomes available
Arenado is not going to St Louis. He is a west coast guy and grew up a Dodgers fan. I KNOW the Rockies are not trading him to the Dodgers, but they might trade him to the Angels.
It takes two to trade. No one is giving up anything but a bad contract for Fowler. You might be able to dump Fowler on a rebuilding team for a shorter bad contract if you threw in a prospect or two.
Maybe Fowler and a prospect to the Reds for Homer Bailey. Bailey is due $21 million less than Fowler, so the prospect would probably have to be a good one like a Gorman or Hudson. That might even be worth it because Fowler just isn’t going to work out in STL and he has a history of being a bad clubhouse presence when he is not happy.
Fowlers contract will have to be paid
Whatever the Cardinals do …. Don’t trade Martinez. One of the best hitters on the team.as far as Fowler….. give him away to the Royals or something, but he likely has a no trade clause. I agree with whoever said save $350 million and put O’Neill in right,agreed… not that Harper would even consider St Louis anyway.He’s an ass. Trade Carpenter, to inconsistent, his base running sucks ,trade Ozuna, his arm cost as many games as his bat won.
The Cardinals are going to sign Josh Donaldson. He’ll be a stopgap until Nolan Gorman is ready to take over 3B.
Donaldson is not going to sign with someone to be a stopgap. He is going to sign a long term deal with someone. My guess is Seattle with Kyle Seager getting traded somewhere. We know how DiPoto loves to trade. Plus, staying in the AL will give Donaldson a chance to DH if his body lets him down in the field.
I think it wise to limit Kang to third base as I never really was impressed with his fielding ability enough at shortstop.I would hate to lose him at $5.5 M although they may be able to bring him back at a lower guaranteed rate with incentives to increase his salary to say $8M if he meets certain parameters next year.I think that that would be a fair way to keep him and reward him if he can add to his 2015 and 2016 statistics.
If he plays third base full time what would they do with Moran?