Playing Fact or Fiction with All of MLB's Hottest Spring Training Buzz
The weather outside is about to get frightful for parts of the baseball universe, and the delight of watching meaningful baseball remains just out of reach. Spring training is finally starting to wind down.
With just over two weeks separating us from Opening Day, there's a palpable buzz emanating from front offices around Major League Baseball. Filling roster holes created by injury and dealing with contract issues with implications in both 2015 and beyond are only some of the issues teams are facing.
We'll tackle all that and more in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.
John Lackey Will Get a New Contract
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One thing you'll never see me do is criticize a player for looking to maximize his value. A professional athlete has a short career, relatively speaking, and when a team is willing to pay you an obscene amount of money to play a game, you don't ask for time to think it over.
You sign the contract and then immediately break into the "Happy Happy Joy Joy" dance with your agent.
John Lackey has been getting paid an obscene amount of money for a long time. It's been six years since his yearly salary dipped below $10 million and nearly a decade since he was earning less than $1 million a season.
But thanks to a clause in his current contract, which he originally signed with the Boston Red Sox, Lackey is set to earn the major league minimum in 2015—a salary of $507,500.
While that's still a hefty chunk of change, it's a massive pay cut for the 36-year-old hurler, who is holding out hope that the Cardinals will look to rework his deal. “I'd love to hear something from the Cardinals," he told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I’d listen to any offers. The ball is in their court.”
Verdict: Fiction
What motivation do the Cardinals have to make Lackey a new offer? He's been good, not great, during his time in St. Louis, and there's a ton of risk in extending the deal of a pitcher that will celebrate his 37th birthday before Opening Day 2016.
Additionally, anything the Cardinals commit to Lackey would take away from what they could spend after the season, when a free-agent class potentially loaded with starting pitching hits the open market.
Philadelphia Has Discounted Ryan Howard Enough to Make Him Tradeable
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Philadelphia is willing to eat $50 million of the $60 million left on Ryan Howard's deal to facilitate a trade, reports Sports on Earth's Anthony Castrovince, and it just might be enough to finally end what has become a tumultuous relationship.
Back in January, I floated that $50 million figure—speculatively—as a number that would enable the Phillies to move the veteran slugger. For as one-dimensional a player as he is, Howard at $5 million a year is a bargain, especially with an American League club where he can serve as a designated hitter.
The days of Howard producing at an All-Star level are well behind him, but his power is still there, and as Castrovince points out, Howard is feeling (and looking) better than he has in years this spring:
"Scouts have noted that Howard has looked more fleet of feet and bat alike. On Sunday, he went deep for the second time this spring. Manager Ryne Sandberg noted Howard has found a stance and a swing that allows him to utilize the whole field.
This winter marked the first time in a long time that Howard was able to train the way he wants. You combine that with baseball's ongoing offensive drought, and you might have the seeds of a swap.
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Verdict: Fact
The Phillies aren't going to get anything substantial in exchange for Howard, even if they pick up nearly all of the money left on his contract. But there's such a need for offense in the game that some team is going to take a flier on the former National League MVP.
The Mets Will Trade for a Left-Handed Reliever
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Josh Edgin and Zack Wheeler are out for the year with elbow injuries, Dillon Gee is back in the rotation and the New York Mets will head into the regular season with Dario Alvarez and Sean Gilmartin—who have a combined 1.1 innings of major league experience (all Alvarez's)—on their resumes.
So it comes as no surprise that the Mets have been on the hunt for a more established option, with Baltimore's Brian Matusz the most popular name linked to the club.
But sources tell Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal that the reliever's $3.2 million salary (and one remaining year of arbitration) may be an issue for New York and could prevent a deal from being struck, despite Baltimore's willingness to include cash to facilitate a trade.
Verdict: Fiction
If the Mets are having trouble figuring out how to fit Matusz—at a reduced price, let's say $2 million for argument's sake—into their budget for 2015, it's fair to assume the team can't take on any additional payroll at all.
That makes a trade for a left-handed reliever nearly impossible, and it's far more likely they'll look in the scrap heap at the end of spring training for a southpaw who didn't make the cut elsewhere.
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The Cubs Are Doing Wrong by Kris Bryant
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Sadly, the Chicago Cubs have already begun laying the foundation for a baseball-related excuse as to why Kris Bryant won't break camp with the club.
"You never have a second chance to promote somebody the first time. You want to make sure they're in the right place," team president Theo Epstein told USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "In Kris' case, we know he's ready offensively, we just want to get him in a good rhythm defensively."
Bryant's defense at the hot corner may still be a work in progress, but nobody's buying what Epstein is selling. Keeping Bryant off the Opening Day roster is about money and control, as Nightengale breaks down:
"Sure, Epstein and the Cubs realize that keeping Bryant in the minors for at least 12 days will assure he won't have the service time to become eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season. If they keep him in the minors until June, it will save them millions by not granting an extra year of salary arbitration.
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While Bryant's agent, Scott Boras, is merely doing his job when he lambasted the Cubs for (potentially) not breaking camp with Bryant, he's stretching a bit when he tells Nightengale that doing so would be "damaging the ethics and brand of Major League Baseball."
The only thing that decision will damage is Boras' pockets, which will have to wait an extra year before collecting a hefty commission on a lucrative free-agent deal for his client.
Verdict: Fact
Bryant has nothing left to prove in the minors, and the assertion that his defense is enough of a liability that Mike Olt gives the Cubs a better chance to win is absurd.
Chicago's pockets are deep, and worrying about saving some cash down the road should have no impact on the team's decision-making process in 2015. Bryant and the team's long-suffering fanbase deserve better.
Boston Will Trade Allen Craig Before Opening Day
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Just over a week after Boston manager John Farrell told the Boston Herald's Jason Mastrodonato that he "fully expected" Allen Craig to be a member of the Red Sox on Opening Day, word comes from The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo that the Sox are actively trying to move the veteran.
Coming off the worst season of his five-year career, the former All-Star has looked more like his old self this spring, hitting .292 with a pair of extra-base hits and an OPS of .804 over eight spring games, though we know better than to fully buy into any spring performance, good or bad.
Cafardo notes that the Red Sox have had some of their top scouts checking out the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, though the defending champions believe that Boston won't "sell low" on Craig, according to Peter Gammons.
Finances, of course, could play a large part in whether Boston is able to move Craig, who is due a minimum of $26 million over the next three years, which includes a $1 million buyout of a $13 million team option for 2018.
Verdict: Fact
Something has to give when it comes to Boston's overcrowded outfield, and the 30-year-old, with his track record of success and ability to play a corner outfield spot or first base, is the most valuable trade chip among the team's excess outfield options.
The Red Sox may not get exactly what they'd like in exchange for Craig, but he'll be wearing a different uniform by the time April rolls around.
Unless otherwise noted, all spring training statistics courtesy of MLB.com and are current through games of March 18. All other statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.
Find me on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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