We’ll cover some news and notes from the game’s central divisions.
- Cardinals’ reliever Jordan Hicks is recovering as expected from his Tommy John surgery last June, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). He remains on target for a midseason return, Goold adds. Should Hicks return at full strength, he and his 102 MPH fastball figure to have a good shot at reclaiming the ninth inning for manager Mike Shildt. Carlos Martínez, who took the closer’s role in Hicks’ stead last year, is preparing for a return to the rotation this spring.
- The White Sox have been among the offseason’s most active teams in free agency. While the additions of Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, Edwin Encarnación and Gio González (among others) figure to help Chicago next season, they’re all under team control through at least 2021, GM Rick Hahn points out to James Fegan of the Athletic. That jibes with the franchise’s long-term plan, the exec notes. The Sox have myriad prospects and young players at or near the MLB level, particularly on the pitching staff and in the outfield. Plugging some immediate holes with veterans buys Hahn and the rest of the front office additional time to sort through those largely unproven options.
- Jorge Bonifacio stands a good shot at earning a spot in the Tigers’ corner outfield mix, observes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. Bonifacio, who’ll be in camp on a minor-league deal, has struggled in recent seasons with the division-rival Royals. That said, he’s still just 26 years old and showed some promise in an extended run in 2017 with Kansas City. McCosky breaks down further position battles in the piece, which could be of interest to Tigers’ fans.
There’s been a lot of cardinals news lately which is been all boring
That’s because they been dormant virtually all winter…which continues to be boring.
Don’t birds fly south for the winter?
You must not be a cardinals fan or you’d be used to it by now
Cardinals win without flare. Plain and simple. The only Hot stove news we get out of St Louis comes when the birds are bidding just to drive up the prices on their competition. Like Heyward, Pujols, and Stanton.
So you’re saying they are playing games in the off-season? These guys never give up!
Yeah that Goldschmidt trade was a real snoozer.
I hope Hicks still has that blazing fastball too. Not a Cardinals fan, but I love hard throwers.
You could always watch the Padres Munoz. He shows 102 pretty regularly.
Not sure how regularly you think Munoz hits 102, but not according to anything official.
Aroldis Chapman hit 105.1 in 2010 (when he was with the Padres)
Jordan Hicks hit 104/105 multiple times in 2018/2019 (and supposedly had 9 of the 10 fastest pitches of 2018/2019).
m.mlb.com/statcast/leaderboard#avg-pitch-velo,r,20…
I didn’t know Aroldis ever had played for the Padres…
Chapman was never with the Padres
This comment is amazing
Chapman was
never with
the Padres…..
Odd, according to the report I read, he did it in 2010 with the Padres (which, I agree, stuck me as odd). Let me see if I can find it again.
Ya, skip that noise, I’m not sure where it said Padre’s, but Chapman’s pitch was against the Pirates. per one report, and against Padres per another.
huffpost.com/entry/how-aroldis-chapman-threw-the-f…
Interesting that they don’t show Jordan Hicks tying him for fastest pitch at 105.1 (in 2018, he did it), according to statcast.
2019 was Munoz rookie year. I watched him hit 102 over 10 times last year. I watched him hit 103. Supposedly he hit 104 but I didn’t see it. Anyway, he averaged 99.9 overall after averaging over 100 most of the year. He took over the leaderboards after Hicks went down.
STLJonny, try looking on mlb.com. Bring up the Andres Munoz page. He has 7 videos under “View more videos”. Both of the SD@MIA video’s show him hitting 102 several times. In fact, only 1 fastball in all of those videos is under 100, and that one is 99. Or you can just type “Andres Munoz fastball” into google. That shows him hitting 104 in the minors and 103 in the majors. Your statcast page must not be updated.
Come on buddy! You just sent a link to average fastball to disprove him. No one claimed Munoz threw 102 on average. And Aroldis Chapman was a Padre?
One things for sure, you don’t watch EVERY SINGLE game!!
he was in Cincinnati 2010-2015.
St Louis is boring
Says your 3rd baseman who is going to be traded. Lol. Back to the factory of sadness for the cubbies.
Username is cubsnomore. You don’t think maybe he’s a Sox fan?
I love Cardinals!
Amen to the Cards news being boring! I love the History of the Cardinals!!! However, there hasn’t been a Stan Musial type player since Albert Pujols. The then General Manager, Ealt Jockerty, brought in Jim Edmonds, Matt Holliday, and Scott Rolen to build around Their home grown Pujols. They had may NL titles and several World Series and W. S Championships during their tenure. I know the Cardinals Owners won’t release the money to trade for or sign a current star player, (Of which the Cards have None at all). Or, John Mozeliak doesn’t have the ability to put together a deal to land a current All Star Hitter. Oh yes he gets in widely published talks(?) with teams such as for Arenaldo. Always when Season Tickets go on sale. Then…. the Cards take to Spring Training the team they had the year before. Boring and predictable is absolutely correct!!!!!
Lol uncle mike John Mozeliak signed Matt Holiday not Jocketty…also have you already forgot that they just traded for and signed Paul Goldschmidt? Don’t let the hate blind you
Boni better get a new source of spinach for that to transpire. Dude is wretched as a player…
White Sox top 2B prospect Nick Madrigal will debut early this coming season with 1B Andrew Vaughn likely following him at a similar time frame in 2021. That should complete the White Sox core of position players outside of RF with another left-handed hitter preferred there although signing a right-handed hitting free agent like Mookie Betts or George Springer next offseason would be just fine by me and the majority of the southside faithful.
As a Cubs fan the I hope the Sox management doesnt do the samething that Cubs management has done. Spend most resources on hitting and no pitching.
Yes the Sox have some good young P but none are proven.
And soft tossing Gio and Dallas arent going to help your cause!
Not sure what you’re talking about. The Sox have good young pitchers locked up for years. You couldn’t ask for a better situation for a rebuilding team. The only limiting factor is the organization’s inability to acquire an elite free agent to accelerate their path to contention.
What good young pitchers do they have locked up for years?
@maximumvelocity
In a roundabout way, Cease, Kopech, Giolito, and Lopez are locked up until they reach free agency (or in the worst case scenario, get non-tendered).
Phrasing it “under team control” instead of “locked up” is better, but it leads to the same result.
@83sox94win05
I’d be willing to bet he understands that. He probably takes issue with the “good” part. Some people put way too much focus on last year’s stats instead of looking at the talent/potential.
What do you mean? The cubs have spent a ton on pitching: Darvish, Lester, Chatwood, Hammels was around $20mil, Quintana $10mil, That had to be a top half of the league spend on starters last year (Chatwood primarily in pen i know but that was a spend on the rotation when he was signed).
right. And when you remember that Quitana “cost” the equivilent of what would be Vaugh + Stiever from the white sox right now, the Cubs certainly spent.
(and despite all the meathead takes in these comment sections, it was the right choice. Without that trade the cubs don’t make the post season in 2017, or 2018 and don’t even come close in 2019!)
As a Cubs fan the I hope the Sox management doesnt do the samething that Cubs management has done. Spend most resources on hitting and no pitching.
Yes the Sox have some good young P but none are proven.
And soft tossing Gio and Dallas arent going to help your cause!
Betts and Springer? I don’t know anyone who wants either of those those cheating bums. And if they didn’t cheat, the hush hush routine ain’t scoring any points.
They have top notch shirt buzzers, though.
I’ll happily take either one.
Aaron, there are two reasons you won’t have to stay awake at night worrying about Springer nor Betts.
1) your team owner would never consider spending anywhere near what it would take to sign either of them, and 2) why would either of them ever consider playing for a deadbeat organization like that. There is no indication that ownership would ever spend what might be necessary to sustain a competitive team.
They just spent $73MM on a catcher. Pay attention junior. The problem is no longer a cheap owner, it’s getting top players to sign. Every major league team in the midwest has the same problem, so it’s not just the Sox.
White Sox would have to guarantee Betts $400M for 10 years, just to get him to ‘consider’ signing with that ship wreck of baseball organizations.
Only reason for hope, is the person running them – Hahn, is a Cub fan.
JuSt To GeT hIm To CoNsIdEr SiGnInG wItH tHaT sHiPwReCk Of BaSeBaLl OrGaNiZaTiOnS.
Cool stuff.
For one thing, you forget that the Sox were in on Machado last year and offered up a 300 mil contract. They thought they had the better offer and while they were obviously wrong and a bit stupid about it, the idea that they would “never consider spending anywhere what it takes” has already been debunked.
As for why other players would play for “a deadbeat organization like that,” how about because they have one of the best young cores in baseball, they’re done with their rebuild for the most part, they still have young prospects coming up, they’re spending money to get better, they have solid veteran leadership and their window for contention is just beginning to open?
Seriously, be a homer Cubs fan all you want. I like the Cubs too. But the time for looking down on the Sox is over, especially given where the Cubs are at the moment.
Dogboner, the biggest moron on mlbtr at it again!
Strikefour would like a word.
Kind of wish an off-season could go somewhere between this year’s pace and last year’s. Feel like all the impact FA’s, save maybe Castellanos and Ozuna, are off the board, and most big name trade candidates have either been dealt already (Kluber) or pulled back (Lindor, Betts). Arenado seems unlikely to be dealt, so really, we’re just waiting on a Bryant trade and that’s largely it for the 2+ months until the regular season starts.
Good point but I’d still take this year’s pace over last year’s hands down.
You are assuming that other than Bryant, no other player is wanted by another team. Any team that is not satisfied with their roster will continue to look for improvement. They will just have to think outside the box.
I’m not saying there won’t be trades or other FA’s signed. I’m hoping the White Sox get Strop, for example. Just that there aren’t any other known impact moves we’re waiting for. I like this more than last year’s pace, but it’s going to be boring for a month, then a bunch of articles on guys showing up to camp in great shape and “we believe we can win this year” and then nothing for another month. Just a little eager for the season to start.
@hyraxwithaflamethrower
I agree. Unless some huge surprise comes out of nowhere, a Cubs trade is about the only major action you’ll see the rest of the Winter. Sure, you have Cast and Ozuna and other players below them in the pecking order, but none of them are really going to wow you. It’s pretty much Bryant (or whoever gets moved once his case gets resolved.
Speaking of which, if I’m a Cubs fan, I’d be up in arms about the sloth pace Bryant’s case is taking. I can’t see what the holdup is. You’d think they would have all the information needed to rule in this case. Indirectly, they’re already punishing the Cubs by holding them hostage until a ruling is made. And the longer this goes, the more the Cubs are getting punished.
Agreed, but the Cubs are punishing themselves by not doing anything. It doesn’t seem they’re keeping Bryant either way, but they haven’t tried hard to trade Darvish as a bounceback candidate, haven’t tried to move Schwarber or Rizzo or anyone else who could add some significant fresh blood to their farm. They haven’t tried packaging Heyward with someone good to cut costs; they’ve done next to nothing. The Cubs are my 2nd-favorite team (though a distant 2nd); that’s what I’m more up in arms about.
@hyraxwithaflamethrower
Even though the Bryant situation has put them in a bind, yes, the Cubs sitting idly isn’t going to solve the problem. Moving Heyward would be the best case scenario for the Cubs in regards to the tax predicament. Maybe something happens before the end of the month.
I’m not a Cubs fan, but a have a healthy respect for them. Their rebuild up through winning the WS was a thing of beauty. Theo’s problem in general is he got greedy after the WS and made some moves he would take back in a heartbeat.
Can we please get a major change in the next CBA to the MLB offseason timeline? This is exhausting! Why are we still discussing arbitration?
With so many young sp’s in the DET system, would it make sense to trade one of the big four for positional talent? Especially if Emerson Hancock emerges as the clear-cut number 1 of the ‘20 class.
Royals fans liked Boni, but he’s not a real good defender. That sure that bat is good enough to justify playing him much.
Runs in the family.
The tigers still need to sign another OF this offseason. Bonifacio has decent upside but he can’t be relied upon at all.
Dustin Peterson, Danny Woodrow, and Jacob Robson eventually deserve a shot.
I watched all 3 of the aforementioned OFers play at Toledo this year and came away unimpressed. Although Peterson’s position flexibility gives him a chance to win a job in ST.
Well there’s Troy Stokes, Daz Cameron, and Derrick Hill too. Might as well put them in and see what they can do. I’m not in the clubhouse and purely speculating, but this team looks like they’re lacking a positions leader. Puig doesn’t scream leader and teacher to me, I’ve heard him called a clubhouse cancer. Which is the last thing this young team needs.
Puig isn’t the only option on the market. They can sign players like Kevin pillar, Cameron maybin, Domingo Santana, Hunter pence, Steven Souza jr, Curtis granderson.
And all those other options would be way cheaper then puig and would all come on a 1 year deal and are legit major league options for this season verse the players you listed(Woodrow, Robson, stokes, hill and not Cameron yet)
I agree, but eventually the retooling/trade baits needs to stop. And with the exception of Mike Fiers, it’s never panned out in DET favor. Maybe none of these 6 are ‘legit ML’ options, but to write them off and not let them compete goes completely against the rebuild.
Stewart/Reyes, Jacoby(only for his Defence) and Demeritte looked positive last year when he came over. The you have Bonifacio, and Stewart/Reyes(whoever doesn’t start) on the bench. Possibly Daz coming up sooner than later also.
There are no Tigers fans.
Idiot
Yes I’m stunned Tiger fans aren’t commenting on Bonifacio……
Oh really?
I expect Victor Reyes to be one of the starters, probably RF. I see JaCoby Jones getting first crack at CF, and Christan Stewart in a platoon in LF.
Gross, puke my guts out! The cure? Please Billy Hamilton for CF. Jarrod Dyson for LF. Jones for RF. Catch all the balls. Steal all the bases. Pay small.
@Ejemp2006
LOL, good idea to replace Reyes and Stewart with 2 scrubs who are at best 4th OF’s. The Tigers are in full rebuild mode and are still trying to figure out who stays and goes in the next few years. Why would they stunt any growth of their younger players with older players who were never good to begin with?
The Tigers have nothing meaningful to play for this year except pride, the smart thing to do is give the youngsters long looks to either keep them or weed them out. Maybe Stewart and Reyes turn out to be turds, but you’re still smarter to give them the chance instead of 2 guys who are nothing more than late inning replacements.
Billy Hamilton can’t get on base to save his life. Speed doesn’t help you when all you do is jog back to the dugout.
I wonder why baseball reference doesn’t have Jorge and Emilio listed as brothers. They normally have all of that info on the page.
Off topic here but I’m still scratching my head over Ryu signing w jays
Jays figure Ryu is what you’d get if you spliced Asian genes into the love child born of Jack Morris and RA Dickey. Jays couldn’t refuse adopting the cutie pie.
What’s confusing about it? There’s the injury risk, but he’s one of the best pitchers out there if he’s healthy. The Jays see their young core of Guerrero, Bichette, et al, and think that if they develop quickly, that offense will be scary enough to contend for a WC if they get a little pitching help. Ryu certainly qualifies as that. I don’t think they’re good enough for a WC spot this year, but they might be next year.
I have been thinking the same thing. I would think that if he is worth by ANY contending team it would have been his former team the Dodgers. Maybe the Dodgers know something about Ryu that the rest of baseball don’t know; YET.
Cards are very secretive and they always have a good season. Im putting $$$ on them to win it all.
“The Sox have myriad prospects and young players at or near the MLB level…”
Every team does, all the time.
Emerging from a rebuild calls for filling the few remaining holes with affordable, established talent to help foster a winning environment for the youngsters (both at ML and at MiL levels) to grow into. Yes it also buys time for prospects to develop, but the primary goal is to be a better team in the meantime. (IMHO)
After Robert and Madrigal, the only prospects of note left will be Kopech (didn’t exhaust his rookie eligibility, so technically a prospect), and Andrew Vaughn. After that, it’s a pretty significant dropoff. It’s fine, and I hope some guys develop and make the leap into the top 100, but the rebuild is nearly done.
I partially agree on the purpose of FA in a rebuild. Veteran stopgaps (and hopefully player coaches) are useful, but ideally, a team signs a true difference-maker, like Strasburg or Betts. The White Sox’ off-season has certainly been successful, but I think the team is still missing an elite-level veteran, preferably a RF or SP, to bring them up to the level of a real contender.
Vaughn will be a top 25 prospect by next summer probably. And there is a decent chance he will be a top-5 prospect by the end of the year.
Stiever will be a top 100 prospect by next summer easily, and floating around top-50 if things go well
Dunning will be at the very back of the top-100 if he is healthy and performing 1 in 3 odds.
Rutherford could break out and push his way into the top 100 again. I’d give him 1 in 4 odds.
Sheets could also push his way into the back of the top 100, his odds are a bit better, maybe 1 in 3.
And if Collins has an OPS over 1000 again I can’t imagine he isn’t a top 100, prospect, even just as a platoon 1B. MLB Pipeline is really low on him but you can’t deny when a lefty first round pick bats near 1000 multiple years in a row.
Combine that with Thompson, Dalquist, Beard, & Bush + the 2020 draft class — and you’ve got a small bit of depth with a top heavy farm system. AKA basically that describes the same system we have now, but a little worse.
If we can sign Colas, so much the better. Our farm might even be in just as good shape next winter as it is now.
Not as big a drop off the cliff as everyone is predicting right now with the graduations of Robert/Madrigal/Kopech.