Playing Fact or Fiction with All of MLB's Hottest Spring Training Buzz
The snow is finally melting, it's still sunny outside when many of us sit down to eat dinner and before we know it, Opening Day will finally be upon us.
While there's no resolution to the ongoing position battles that are raging in spring training camps around the majors and many of the biggest questions that we headed into spring training with remain unanswered, there have been plenty of developments, both on the field and off, that have the baseball world buzzing.
We'll take a look at the loudest buzz in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.
Texas Can't Make the Playoffs Without Yu Darvish
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Folks are jumping off the Texas Rangers bandwagon faster than Yu Darvish can deliver a fastball now that the Rangers ace is likely headed for season-ending Tommy John surgery, and rightfully so.
You don't replace an elite talent like Darvish, whom USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports will go under the knife next week unless renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews disagrees with the two surgeons who have already recommended the procedure to repair the damage in his right elbow.
But it's not like the team's rotation is devoid of talent. Yovani Gallardo is a proven front-line starter, while Derek Holland, Colby Lewis and Ross Detwiler are more than capable of keeping the team in games.
The Rangers also have a solid bullpen and a lineup that nobody's really talking about (but probably should). With a healthy Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo along with the ageless Adrian Beltre, Texas is going to put runs on the board pretty consistently.
Verdict: Fiction
Is the deck stacked against Texas at this point? You bet.
But we've seen teams overcome daunting odds before, and winning doesn't have to be pretty. Whether the score is 2-0 or 11-10, a win is a win.
Hector Olivera Will Wind Up in San Diego
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Arguably the best free agent left unsigned, 29-year-old Cuban import Hector Olivera has drawn significant interest from the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.
Sources go on to tell Sanchez that Olivera is weighing multiple offers, ranging from four to six years in length, and could make a decision on where to sign shortly. Clearly, teams have limited concerns about his chances of finding success in the majors.
Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan reports that the Padres are considering an offer upwards of $50 million for the free agent and have positioned themselves as the favorites to sign Olivera, though Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal cautions that, should his price creep closer to $70 million, San Diego would be out of the race.
Verdict: Fact
The third time will be the charm for the Padres, who were unsuccessful in their attempts to sign the top two Cuban-born players available this winter, Yoan Moncada (Boston) and Yasmany Tomas (Arizona).
The Yankees Were Close to Acquiring Cole Hamels
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Would Cole Hamels make the New York Yankees a better team? Of course he would.
But so would have Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields, and the Yankees passed on all three free-agent starters this winter. Signing one would have cost the team nothing more than cold, hard cash and a compensatory draft pick.
Trading for Hamels, however, would not only cost cash, but a handful of the best young talent in the organization—players like Aaron Judge and Luis Severino.
That's one reason why it's fair to be skeptical of the news that the Yanks are the team that's come closest to acquiring Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies, per a report from The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. The other? That the scoop came from a source with the Phillies.
A vast majority of the baseball universe believes that, ultimately, Hamels will find his way to Boston, a team that has steadfastly refused to meet Philadelphia's asking price for the 31-year-old ace. Which team is viewed as the bane of Boston's existence? Why, it's the Yankees, of course.
Have you connected all the dots yet?
By claiming that the Yankees were close on Hamels, Philadelphia is clearly hoping to light a fire under the Red Sox, pushing them to the point where they'd be willing to include Mookie Betts or Blake Swihart in a package for Hamels if it meant keeping him away from the Yankees.
It certainly wouldn't be the first time that a team tried to negotiate through the press.
Verdict: Fiction
Were this 10 or 15 years ago, the tactic might have worked. But the rivalry between the two clubs is nowhere near what it once was, and chances are that neither one cares much about what the other is doing.
There's no doubt that the Yankees have checked in on Hamels—they'd be crazy not to.
But trading for Hamels would go against everything that the team has tried to accomplish this winter: get younger, more athletic and less expensive moving forward.
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Toronto Can't End Its Playoff Drought Without Marcus Stroman
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Replacing Marcus Stroman, out for the year with a torn ACL, isn't the issue in Toronto. It's where those replacements are coming from that presents a major problem.
A paper-thin bullpen just became even less reliable, with both Aaron Sanchez (penciled in as the team's closer) and Marco Estrada now forced into starting duty. That leaves the likes of Brett Cecil, Steve Delabar and Aaron Loup to take the ball in high-pressure situations late in games—far from an ideal scenario.
Could the Blue Jays look outside the organization to add another starter, allowing Estrada or Sanchez to bolster the bullpen? Sure—but Toronto can't afford a high-priced addition, and the players it could afford, well, there's no guarantee that they'll be any better than the team's internal options.
"Realistically, guys that are out of options are normally available at the end spring, guys with out clauses on Minor League deals, but we'll look to fill internally," general manager Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. "We'll give these guys an opportunity. Hopefully some of the guys we have in camp emerge and we can get through it."
Verdict: Fact
Despite having one of baseball's highest-octane lineups, it's Toronto's severe lack of quality relievers—a situation that's only exacerbated by Stroman's injury—that will keep the team from ending its 21-year absence from the postseason.
Yasmany Tomas Will Start the Year in Arizona's Outfield
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As FanGraphs' Mike Petriello recently recounted, all of the early scouting reports on Yasmany Tomas that indicated that his best fit in the field long term was as a corner outfielder, not a third baseman, seem to have been accurate.
For watching Tomas play the hot corner this spring has been something of an adventure, with Arizona manager Chip Hale telling MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that his team's $68 million dollar man will need to show improvement defensively if he hopes to be the Opening Day third baseman.
But what you and I believe to be improvement and what Hale is looking for may be two completely different things.
"We don't need him to be Gold Glove," Hale told Gilbert. "We need him to catch the ball. The routine plays he needs to make. The diving plays, that's a bonus right now. He just has to make the routine plays and hit."
While he's struggled to hit for average (.227 BA, 5-for-22) or get on base consistently (.261 on-base percentage), four of his five hits have gone for extra bases (two doubles, a triple and a home run). At the very least, Tomas could be the next coming of current D-backs outfielder Mark Trumbo.
Speaking of Trumbo, Arizona's outfield is already crowded, with A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and Trumbo the starters and Ender Inciarte and Cody Ross waiting in reserve. Shifting Tomas to a corner spot would only complicate matters, not to mention leave Pollock as the only quality defender among the bunch.
Verdict: Fiction
As one scout told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick: "If he were playing for a contender, you may not want to risk him at third base. But I would give him a chance with this team."
Ultimately, Tomas offers more value to the club as a third baseman than a corner outfielder. With little chance of contending for a playoff spot in 2015, the Diamondbacks have little to lose by letting Tomas try and work out the kinks as the season rolls along.
Unless otherwise noted, all regular season statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference, all spring training statistics courtesy of MLB.com.
Find me on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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