MLBTR Originals

Rounding up the latest in original content from the MLBTR staff . . .

• Jeff Todd wrote in fascinating detail about the curiously team-friendly Whit Merrifield extension.
• Colorado’s Kyle Freeland turned in one of 2018’s most polarizing statistical outputs, notching 8.4 rWAR despite middling peripherals, even when adjusting for park (his 104 xFIP- checked in below the 100 league-average mark). Our Tim Dierkes took a closer look at potential extension figures for the 26-year-old lefty.
• The Red Sox have straddled the top bracket of the luxury tax for the offseason’s entirety, reluctant to eclipse the $246MM threshold and pay the hefty 75% tax for offenders. But couldn’t their shaky bullpen – arguably the defending champs’ only weakness – use a major upgrade? Steve Adams explored the situation and its many nuances on Friday.
• Connor Byrne’s piece on the worst bullpens of ’18 includes three teams with serious playoff aspirations in the upcoming campaign. Connor also took a peek at Nolan Arenado’s future in Colorado, where a major payday could severely hinder the team’s financial flexibility in the years to come, and asked readers to project the suddenly-imposing Luke Voit’s 2019 output. Judging by the early poll returns, most MLBTR readers are not yet converts.