Playing Fact or Fiction with All of MLB's Hottest Spring Training Buzz
Spring training has finally arrived, and we can officially begin the way-too-early countdown to Opening Day—which is just over six weeks away.
As players arrive in camp, the chatter on the rumor mill continues to pick up steam. Perennial Cy Young Award contenders, current (and former) All-Stars and once highly touted prospects are all on the menu in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.
Francisco Rodriguez Will Get What He Wants
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Everybody wants something.
I want my dashboard thermometer to stop laughing at me when I get in the car in the morning. We all want Alex Rodriguez to take a page out of Marshawn Lynch's book and stop talking. And Francisco Rodriguez wants $10 million to pitch in 2015, according to a report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
It's understandable considering that he's coming off his first 40-save season since 2008, he's widely regarded as the best free agent still on the market, and a handful of teams are still looking to add a late-inning reliever.
That list of clubs includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, who expect to be without All-Star closer Kenley Jansen for the next two to three months as he recovers from foot surgery. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says that the Miami Marlins would be willing to offer a two-year deal for $10 million in total.
Rodriguez can still be an effective closer or late-inning reliever, one who routinely misses bats. While his velocity is down, he's never averaged less than a strikeout per inning over his 13-year career.
But this isn't 2008 and teams aren't getting the vintage K-Rod, a dominant force who had three top-five finishes in the American League Cy Young Award voting in a five-year span from 2004 to 2008, the latter of which included a sixth-place finish in the AL MVP voting as well.
That, along with his age (33), his propensity to giving up the long ball and his asking price have all contributed to him remaining unsigned as spring training is set to get underway in earnest.
Verdict: Fiction
Rodriguez is going to get more than the $3 million that he played for in 2014—he could conceivably double that salary if a team gets desperate enough. But his last big payday came before the 2009 season, when he signed a three-year, $37 million deal with the New York Mets. Another one is not on the horizon.
Jackie Bradley Jr. Will Wind Up in Atlanta
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While nobody disputes that Atlanta has interest in Boston center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., there's a question as to when the club reached out to the Red Sox. Peter Gammons seems to indicate that it was recently, while The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien says it was earlier in the offseason.
But the fact remains that Boston has more outfield options than it knows what to do with, blocking Bradley at every position, and Atlanta is in need of adding some talent—and youth—to the mix at Turner Field.
Cuban import Dian Toscano hasn't played competitively in over a year and is primarily a left fielder, while Atlanta's best outfield prospect, Braxton Davidson, is still years away from making an impact in the majors.
It's true that Bradley hasn't hit a lick in the big leagues, posting a woeful .196/.268/.280 slash line over 164 games spread across parts of two seasons. But he's quickly established himself as one of the game's premier defenders at a premium position, and a change of scenery might be exactly what his bat needs to come alive.
Verdict: Fact
There's a deal to be made here. Boston needs to move some of its outfield depth, while Atlanta has a number of young arms that could be of interest to the Red Sox.
Would the Red Sox be selling low on a player once thought to be the heir apparent to Jacoby Ellsbury? Absolutely. But his value isn't going to increase if he's spending time as a fourth outfielder or in the minor leagues.
As for the overpaid (and underperforming) B.J. Upton, currently Atlanta's starting center fielder, he'd be relegated to platoon duty with Bradley, picking up at-bats against left-handed pitching. While not an ideal situation, Atlanta has nothing to lose—and plenty to gain—by giving the youngster a shot.
Philadelphia Will Trade Cole Hamels Before Opening Day
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A quick recap of the Cole Hamels saga up to this point:
- First, Philadelphia had to trade him because, as the team's most valuable trade chip, moving him was the key to beginning the rebuilding process.
- Then Philadelphia had to trade him not only because it needed to rebuild, but because he was becoming less valuable with each passing year.
- Next was the idea that while all of the above remained true, the club was taking an unnecessary risk in trotting him out to the mound every fifth day. Injuries strike at the most inopportune times, after all.
Now, the Phillies still need to rebuild, Hamels is still their most valuable trade chip who would lose all value if he's injured and he's not only open to a trade, he's openly campaigning for one.
"I just want to win,'' Hamels told Nightengale on the first day of spring training. "That's all. That's all any competitor wants. And I know it's not going to happen here. This isn't what I expected. It's not what the Phillies expected, either. But it's reality."
There's another reality in play here: Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. can be a very stubborn man. He's listened to what teams have to offer and shook his head no each and every time.
That includes recent overtures from the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres, the latter of which reportedly offered a package including a pair of its top prospects, catcher Austin Hedges and outfielder Hunter Renfroe, as Nightengale reported.
But Hamels' recent statements changes everything, right?
Verdict: Fiction
Back in November, when Nightengale first reported that Philadelphia's ace wouldn't mind being traded, the Phillies head shot-caller wasn't fazed—not even a little.
"There's no pressure to move him and no necessity to do it, and frankly I'm not dying to move him. If there is an opportunity that is going to make our organization better off, then you have to consider it because we're considering everything."
Amaro isn't going to be pressured into a Hamels trade by anyone, including the 31-year-old ace himself. Does Hamels' remarks hurt Philadelphia's bargaining power in trade talks? Absolutely. But that doesn't matter to Amaro. He'll drag things out as long as necessary to get the package—and prospects—that he wants.
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Everth Cabrera Will Be Baltimore's Opening Day Second Baseman
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Baltimore is close to signing former All-Star shortstop Everth Cabrera to a one-year deal in the neighborhood of $2.4 million, tweets Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun, which raises the question: Where does Baltimore plan on playing him?
He could serve as the team's primary utility infielder, but it's a role currently shared by Ryan Flaherty and Jimmy Paredes, who both play a little bit of outfield as well. We know he won't be the team's starting shortstop, with J.J. Hardy entrenched at the position.
That leaves second base, where Jonathan Schoop flashed an above-average glove but struggled to produce at the plate, ranking last in wRC+ among the 21 second basemen with at least 450 plate appearances in 2014.
Cabrera brings with him a history of off-field baggage, from a 2012 domestic violence charge (which was dismissed) to a 50-game suspension he received for his involvement in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal.
Currently, Cabrera faces charges for driving under the influence (and possession) of marijuana and resisting arrest—the trial for which begins in April and, if convicted, could find him spending a year in jail, per Dennis Lin of UT-San Diego.
A major league source recently told The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo that the 28-year-old had "made great strides personally," which is encouraging. It's safe to assume that Baltimore has done its due diligence when it comes to Cabrera as well, both in terms of his maturity and pending litigation.
His speed is a legitimate weapon, resulting in a 78 percent career success rate on stolen base attempts (136-for-174), and could make Cabrera an intriguing option as Baltimore's leadoff hitter as well, though his career splits atop the lineup (a .247/.315/.316 slash line) are anything but impressive.
Verdict: Fact
Despite hitting 16 home runs, Schoop looked completely overmatched at the plate in 2014. Only Philadelphia's Ben Revere posted a lower walk rate (2.3 percent) than Schoop (2.7 percent), and Baltimore's second baseman also struck out more than 25 percent of the time.
Cabrera will beat him out in spring training for the starting nod, allowing Schoop—who was unquestionably rushed to the big leagues—to hone his skills at the plate with far less pressure on his shoulders at Triple-A.
Should Cabrera have to miss time for his trial, Flaherty or Paredes is capable of holding the position down for a few days.
The Dodgers Are Going to Add an Established Closer
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Even before news of Kenley Jansen's injury news broke, sources told Fox Sports' Jon Morosi that Los Angeles was still looking to add another reliever.
With Jansen out, speculation has picked up that the team would ultimately sign the aforementioned Rodriguez or Rafael Soriano, who has ties to President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman from their days together in Tampa Bay, as a short-term replacement.
But it's not as if the Dodgers are without in-house options.
David Aardsma, Brandon League and Sergio Santos all have prior closing experience, while youngsters Pedro Baez and Yimi Garcia—and even former Colorado starter Juan Nicasio—could all be in the mix, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
Verdict: Fiction
Friedman indicated to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that the team was going to look at its in-house options first, and it's hard to imagine a scenario where every reliever in camp proves to be inept in the ninth inning.
Even if the Dodgers have to go with a closer-by-committee approach for the first month or two of the regular season, it would be better than adding an expensive veteran free agent who, upon Jansen's return, could become disillusioned with his role.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.
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