Updating the Hottest Questions of the 2014-2015 MLB Offseason, Week 13
Once we get this little football game out of the way this weekend, the MLB season will be right around the corner. While we all anxiously await spring training, let's take a moment to discuss some of the hottest remaining questions this offseason.
Poor James Shields still needs a home for the upcoming season. Wait, should we really feel bad for a guy poised to make over $100 million? Anyway, what are the latest rumors concerning the final big-time free-agent piece?
While Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez are as talented as they come in MLB, there have been whispers about their futures in Colorado. Will the Rockies unload either of their two superstars some time this season, and if not, should they?
And what in the world should we make of these proposed rule changes? Which ones make sense? Will any of them ever become baseball law?
We may be running out of topics to discuss this winter, but there remain a handful of dominoes still to fall before we start the season. Let's take a trip around the baseball landscape and see where we stand with some of those situations.
Is James Shields Ever Going to Sign?
1 of 4
Why doesn't anybody want James Shields?
The right-hander is coming off another outstanding season where he posted a 3.21 ERA (3.59 FIP), struck out over seven hitters per nine innings and logged over 200 innings for the eighth consecutive year.
But that's been Shields' M.O. throughout his major league career: durable, reliable and productive. Nobody has thrown more innings than "Big Game James" since 2007, and he's done so with a sub-4.00 ERA. Despite just turning 33, Shields would be a valuable commodity for any big league rotation.
While every staff needs an innings eater, Shields' extensive workload has many organizations balking at his asking price, reported by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal to be at least $100 million over five years.
He's tossed almost 25,000 regular-season pitches in his career, and that doesn't even include the playoffs. By comparison, fellow free-agent starter Max Scherzer has thrown 20,757.
But if Scherzer's megadeal proves anything, it's that Shields will get paid. It's just going to depend on which club is willing to pick up the tab.
And that's the kicker. Depending on what day of the week you check the latest MLB rumors and rumblings, any number of teams may be in on Shields. Jon Heyman at CBS Sports wrote an interesting article breaking down Shields' potential suitors into a group of nine, showing that the market for the righty is fluid.
The Boston Red Sox have been viewed as a likely landing spot since free agency began, but Heyman believes they have cooled on the idea. Shields is a fly-ball pitcher, which would diminish his value at Fenway Park.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been linked to Shields as well, but the club isn't hurting for pitching depth. While adding Shields would give the Red Birds another front-line starter to pair with Adam Wainwright and the emerging Lance Lynn, it doesn't seem like the kind of move the methodical Cardinals normally make.
Still, that hasn't stopped pundits like Rosenthal from predicting Shields will wind up with the NL Central champions.
The team that signs Shields will likely be a squad that's right on the cusp and believes he will push it over the hump. That leaves three potential clubs as dark horses to sign the former Kansas City Royals ace: the Milwaukee Brewers, the Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres.
The Brewers just dealt Yovani Gallardo to the Texas Rangers, leaving a void in their rotation and potentially opening up the door for the pursuit of Shields, according to Matt Axisa of CBS Sports.
Meanwhile, the Marlins have showed they are ready to compete in 2015 with a busy offseason, and Shields would be a nice buffer until Jose Fernandez returns this summer.
The Padres also went through quite the rebuild this winter, and with Shields living in San Diego, he might be willing to take a little less money to stay closer to home.
Shields will ink a lucrative contract sometime before the season starts, but his market remains uncertain as we enter Feburary.
Will the Colorado Rockies Trade Troy Tulowitzki or Carlos Gonzalez?
2 of 4
Let's start here first: Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich has publicly denied that Troy Tulowitzki and/or Carlos Gonzalez will be traded before Opening Day. Jon Morosi at Fox Sports quoted Bridich as saying a deal would be "highly, highly unlikely."
While that may end up being true, trade speculation regarding Colorado's two stars has likely just begun.
On the surface, it's completely understandable why the Rockies would want to hang on to their deadly duo.
Tulowitzki remains one of the premier shortstops in baseball. He has six seasons of at least 20 homers and is a lifetime .299 hitter. He's an elite run producer, as evidenced by his .603 slugging percentage and 171 wRC+ in 2014. Oh yeah, the 30-year-old is also under contract until 2020 with a team option for 2021.
Gonzalez's career numbers are equally as impressive. The outfielder boasts a career line of .294/.351/.520 and a .226 isolated power mark. At just 29, Gonzalez too is under team control for the next few seasons.
So why in the world would Colorado contemplate shipping away two young, productive sluggers under team control? Well, because that top-tier production doesn't help the Rockies much when it's sitting on the bench.
And unfortunately for the Rockies, that's where their two best players always seem to end up.
Tulowitzki became a full-time starter in 2007 and since that time has played in over 140 games just twice. Two times. That's shocking for a player many consider to be one of the best in the game. We all know Tulo has endured his share of injury woes, but no casual fan would have ever believed them to be quite so alarming.
Gonzalez has experienced similar durability issues in his career. He's played over 140 games only one time, and he's missed nearly a full season of games over the last two years.
Colorado's lineup could be quite potent at Coors Field in the season ahead, but can the club really expect its two best players to put together healthy and productive campaigns? I know I have my doubts. And that makes trade scenarios involving Tulowitzki and Gonzalez much more plausible.
Again don't expect either star to be moved before the season, but the groundwork for a potential blockbuster could be laid in the months ahead.
The New York Mets have a glaring hole at shortstop and possess the pitching prospects to entice the Rockies to part with their top talent. As the Mets get closer and closer to contention, it'll be interesting to see if they pull the trigger on Tulowitzki and surrender some of their young arms.
Due to the emphasis teams put on shortstops, Gonzalez seems like he would be the more likely to pack his bags and play elsewhere. An American League team that can preserve his body by throwing him in the designated hitter spot on occasion may be willing to overpay for the immense upside CarGo provides.
B/R's own Timothy Rapp believes the Rockies will employ a wait-and-see attitude with both players this season, but he adds, "given their big contracts and ability to bring back a lot in a trade, Colorado likely won't hesitate to move either player if a playoff berth seems out of the question."
File this one away for later, as the trade whispers aren't dying down anytime soon.
What Team Would Be a Good Fit for Dayan Viciedo?
3 of 4
The Chicago White Sox brought back Gordon Beckham earlier this week on a one-year deal. The club needed to make a coordinating roster move, and outfielder Dayan Viciedo became the expendable player.
Despite being let go by the White Sox, Viciedo shouldn't be on the market for too long. As home run totals continue to dip around the league, power is becoming an increasingly valuable commodity in today's game. And Viciedo can still provide that thump.
The 25-year-old's first full year as an everyday player came in 2012, where he mashed 25 homers and drove in 78 runs. An oblique injury slowed him down in 2013, but the slugger still managed to hit 14 dingers in 124 games. Viciedo was healthy again last season and went deep 21 more times, but he saw his average fall to a career-low mark of .231.
Although Viciedo has never lacked pop, Dan Hayes at CSN Chicago believes his defense in 2014 may have cost him his roster spot. Viciedo made eight errors and posted a minus-19.4 ultimate zone rating in the outfield in 2014.
With the additions of Melky Cabrera and Emilio Bonifacio to the 2015 club, general manager Rick Hahn decided to part ways with the young Cuban. Viciedo signed a one-year, $4.4 million contract earlier this offseason, but Hayes reports that the White Sox are only on the hook for a small portion of that salary.
So what's next for the 240-pound thumper? There won't be a shortage of suitors willing to gamble on a 25-year-old player with 66 career homers. In a recent article, Jon Morosi at Fox Sports mentions that three AL West teams, the Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics and Texas, could be potential landing spots for Viciedo.
Seattle seems unlikely due to a plethora of serviceable outfielders, but both the A's and Rangers could use Viciedo's services. Oakland's lineup lacks power, and Texas would benefit from adding another outfield bat.
While Viciedo is likely a better fit in the AL, he will still be courted by plenty of NL teams. One of those clubs could be the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Corey Seidman of CSN Philly. Seidman notes that the Phillies "are in the market for low-risk, high-reward players," and Viciedo fits the bill.
As Morosi pointed out via Twitter, Viciedo's 60 home runs before the age of 25 ranks sixth in baseball over the last three years. He'll get a fresh start with a new club in 2015, and he probably won't have to wait too long either.
.png?w=256)
What Should We Make of All the Rumored Rule Changes?
4 of 4
Not all of the hot MLB topics these days have to do with the pieces on the field, as some eye-opening rule changes have been tossed around this winter in hopes of making the game more appealing to the casual sports fan.
New commissioner Robert Manfred seems intent on bringing some excitement back to baseball, tinkering with ideas that include installing a pitch clock, applying the DH to the National League, making relievers face more than one batter and, gasp, even eliminating defensive shifts.
Many baseball purists may not agree with Manfred's ideas, but he's formulating tactics to pick up the pace of play. In a technology-driven society, baseball must continue to evolve in order to keep the attention of the younger audience.
MLB will begin to utilize a pitch clock in the minor leagues this season, and it seems like a foregone conclusion that this will eventually make its way up to the majors. While it will change the way pitchers approach at-bats, it doesn't fundamentally alter the game.
Plus we won't have to sit through too many four-hour New York Yankees/Red Sox games, and any rule change that can help put an end to those nightmare marathons is fine by me.
I'm also OK with implementing the DH in the NL.
I understand there's more strategy for managers to think about with the pitcher in the lineup, but there are very few fans coming to the ballpark to see Cole Hamels swing the bat. Let's let the hitters hit and the pitchers pitch. We all appreciate a great pitching duel. But most fans want to see more runs, and this is an easy way to fix that.
But that's where a line is being drawn between the two sides.
Ken Rosenthal recently wrote an article advocating for a rule that requires relief pitchers to stay in the game for more than one hitter. While the constant pitching changes from the sixth inning on greatly lengthen the end of games, the lefty-on-lefty phenomenon we've seen in recent years has become part of modern baseball. To be honest, that advantage is the only reason some relievers remain on big league rosters.
Then there is the destruction of the shift, which has the sabermetricians up in arms. Taking away a defense's ability to position itself to better defend a hitter's tendencies would definitely benefit major league offenses, but it would lead to a slippery slope.
For one, how would you enforce it? How far could a defender shade one way or the other, and who would be watching to make sure those players didn't leave the required parameters?
Secondly, are we really going to eliminate intellectual advantages? If a squad is willing to give David Ortiz or Brian McCann the entire left side of the diamond, shouldn't we be more alarmed that they aren't taking advantage of all that space?
The game does need to adapt to the times to a certain extent, but there's still a fine line that mustn't be crossed. With a new regime in charge, this won't be the last time we discuss ways to potentially improve the sport we love.
Advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.
.png?w=480)
