Playing Fact or Fiction with All of MLB's Hottest Week 24 Buzz, Rumors
Last week, we were focused on the goings on out East, with an eye firmly affixed on 2016 and beyond.
This week finds us back in familiar territory, as we make the rounds from coast to coast breaking down the buzz and rumors floating around the baseball universe.
Will a hotshot rookie fall victim to one of sports' "unwritten rules," that a player doesn't lose his starting job due to injury? Has a once-dominant reliever become too much of a liability for his team to trust any longer? What does the future hold for one of baseball's all-time greats?
We'll tackle all of that and more in this week's edition of "Fact or Fiction."
Fact: Yoenis Cespedes Isn't a Legitimate MVP Candiate
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This isn't a knock on Yoenis Cespedes or a poorly planned attempt to diminish the impact he's had on not only the New York Mets, but the playoff picture in the National League.
Because you can replace Cespedes' name with those of Paul Goldschmidt, Anthony Rizzo, Joey Votto or anyone else you believe to be the National League MVP—and still be wrong.
For the fact is unless your name is Bryce Harper, nobody is a legitimate candidate to take home the award. Washington's outspoken slugger deserves it, of course, as he's in the midst of a historic season and, at least for one season, has surpassed Mike Trout as the best player in baseball.
As for the narrative that Cespedes is somehow unworthy of the honor because he will have spent only two months in the National League, it's nonsense. I turn your attention back to 2008, which found not one, but two players traded at the end of July factoring into the NL Award races.
Fiction: Corey Seager Will Sit When Jimmy Rollins Returns
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Shortly after Jimmy Rollins was sidelined by an injury to his right index finger, Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said the veteran would go back to being the Dodgers starting shortstop when he was healthy enough to return, displacing top prospect Corey Seager in the process.
Just about a week later, Mattingly's tune had changed, as he told MLB.com's Steve Bourbon:
"Everything is always evolving. Right now we've got to get guys back healthy. There's plenty of playing time right now for Corey. He doesn't need to worry about what's going forward, he just needs to play today. We don't need to worry about what's going forward, we need to win today.
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If winning today is the ultimate goal, then there's simply no way Mattingly can take Seager out of the lineup once Rollins returns. For it's the 21-year-old rookie and not the 36-year-old veteran who gives the Dodgers the best chance to win on a nightly basis.
Seager is batting .426 with seven extra-base hits, a 1.143 OPS and 221 wRC+, reaching base safely in all but two of the 13 games in which he's played. Rollins, on the other hand, had hit .220 with 38 extra-base hits, a .634 OPS and 77 wRC+ in 133 games before getting injured.
Mattingly isn't a stupid man. At the very least, he recognizes Seager is swinging a hot bat right now and there's no reason for him to be the one who cools it off. He also has to recognize pulling Seager out of the lineup would be a distraction, one the team doesn't need as it gears up for what it hopes will be a deep postseason run.
If Corey Seager finds himself out of the Dodgers lineup, it'll be because he played his way out of a starting spot, not because his manager unjustly took it away from him.
Fact: Barry Larkin Will Be Cincinnati's Next Manager
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A last-place finish in the NL Central wasn't what anyone in Cincinnati had in mind when the season began, and while all the blame can't fall on the manager's shoulders, all signs point to current Reds skipper Bryan Price not getting a chance to turn things around in 2016.
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman was the latest to report Price is likely to lose his job after the season ends, noting rumors persist Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin will be the person who replaces Price in the dugout.
While Larkin has no managerial experience, he's ready to embrace the challenge, as he recently explained to Forbes' Alex Reimer:
"I would be interested in doing that (managing) in the right situation. I have committed to working with the Reds in the minor leagues and developing some of their minor league talent.
I was asked about managing a few years ago, but I had a daughter in high school, my son was just starting his NBA career and I had a daughter graduating college. But now I have the liberty and freedom in my schedule to put in the time commitment. If there were an organization interested, I would certainly listen.
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Larkin, who spent his entire 19-year career with the Reds, remarked on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio he had previously interviewed in Tampa Bay, which ultimately hired Kevin Cash, and Detroit, which went with Brad Ausmus.
While George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reports the Detroit job will become available once again, it's hard to envision Larkin winding up anywhere but Cincinnati.
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Fiction: St. Louis Can't Afford to Re-Sign Jason Heyward and Add a Power Bat
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Despite Jason Heyward never developing into the 30-home run, 100-RBI machine many believed he'd be at this point in his career, the 26-year-old is poised to be one of the most sought-after—if not the most sought-after—bats on the free-agent market.
Whether Heyward makes it to free agency or re-signs with St. Louis, one thing is certain: He's going to be paid very well this winter.
"One personnel man said he thinks Heyward never hits the free-agent market and re-signs with St. Louis for seven years and $140 million," Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan wrote. "Another GM agrees, though at a much higher valuation: eight years, $175 million, with an opt-out after four seasons."
Let's say for a minute Heyward inks a multiyear deal to stay in St. Louis at the midpoint of those two predictions—$157.5 million. Such a deal would lead most to believe St. Louis would be done in terms of adding anything substantial to its roster for 2016.
That'd be the wrong conclusion to jump to, said 101 ESPN's Bernie Miklasz in, of all places, the comments section of an article he penned on Heyward:
"And another point (that I failed to make in the piece): Even if the Cardinals spend a lot of money on Heyward, this shouldn't preclude them from trying to reel in a big fish that can hit for power. They can afford to do both. This is an especially lucrative time for the franchise. Money is rolling in."
Could we see the Cardinals keep Heyward while adding, say, Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes? It may not be as far-fetched an idea as it appears, though the team certainly has other areas of need besides the outfield, where youngsters Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty look like keepers.
If nothing else, we should expect a far more active offseason in St. Louis than we've become accustomed to.
Fact: Greg Holland Will Be Kansas City's Closer in the Playoffs
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It's been anything but a banner year for Royals closer Greg Holland, who missed time early in the season due to a pectoral strain and has pitched to a 3.56 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, walking five batters per nine innings of work while dealing with significantly reduced velocity, per Brooks Baseball.
Not only is Holland unconcerned about that drop in velocity, he thinks those who focus on it are making something out of nothing, as he explained to MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan:
"I don't let the way I go about my business be dictated by my velocity. If I can pitch, I can pitch...hitters will let you know if you're not fast enough.
The harder you throw means you can make more mistakes. But it doesn't mean you're going to get everyone out. I've given up plenty of runs throwing 97 in my career so I'm really not too concerned about velocity.
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Someone else who remains fairly unconcerned is Kansas City manager Ned Yost.
"Being fair, Holly's velocity has dropped," Yost told the Kansas City Star's Andy McCullough. "But he's always been a guy who has done it. Until he proves he can't do it, he's going to get the opportunity to do it. He's earned it, over the years."
It's not as if the Royals don't have other ninth-inning options, as both Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera could be shifted into the closer role, with Holland taking one of their places as a setup man.
Despite Holland's less-than-stellar showing this season, the Herrera-Davis-Holland trio, in that order, is a major reason why Kansas City sits atop the American League and why the Royals will be making their second consecutive playoff appearance for the first time in 30 years.
It's a winning formula—and one that we shouldn't expect Yost to change anytime soon.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through September 16. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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