Fact or Fiction on All of MLB Offseason Week 8's Free-Agency, Trade Rumors
Two months have passed since the Kansas City Royals celebrated their first World Series championship in 30 years, yet we sit here on New Year's Eve with more questions than answers about which team—or teams—are in the best position to take the crown from the defending champs.
While we've seen a pair of notable moves go down in recent days—Scott Kazmir became the fifth left-handed starter in the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation, while Aroldis Chapman joined an already filthy New York Yankees bullpen—there are still multiple game-changing players available.
Is one of those game-changers closer to making a decision on where his future home will be? Could one of baseball's most stubborn veterans be resolved to becoming more flexible in the new year? Will a former All-Star shortstop reinvent himself as the next coming of Ben Zobrist?
We'll tackle all of that and more in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.
Fact: Ian Desmond Should Sign a 1-Year Deal
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A multiyear deal approaching $100 million just doesn't seem to be out there for Ian Desmond, which leads ESPN's Buster Olney to suggest that it "might make sense for him to consider a one-year deal and a transition to a super-utility role," perhaps with the San Francisco Giants.
Yes, he rebounded from an atrocious start to post semi-respectable numbers, especially in the power department, ranking second among shortstops in extra-base hits (48) and home runs (19) while finishing fifth in slugging percentage (.384).
But those are well below the numbers he averaged from 2012 to 2014, as are the .233 batting average and .674 OPS Desmond finished the season with.
Teams like Minnesota, San Diego and Tampa Bay could potentially be in the market for an upgrade at shortstop. Neither the Twins nor Rays are going to spend lavishly on the position, while the Padres appear to be shedding salary and have stockpiled some prospects at the position in the process.
Ultimately, Desmond's best course of action is to bet on himself. Sign a one-year deal, prove that the first half of 2015 was an aberration, add some additional value by bouncing around the diamond and hit the open market as a super-utility player next winter.
Fiction: The D-Backs Are Going to Make Another Notable Move
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Having bolstered its rotation by signing Zack Greinke to a record-setting deal and trading Ender Inciarte and two prospects for Shelby Miller, the Arizona Diamondbacks have now turned their attention to the lineup.
“We did give away a certain amount of offense with Inciarte,” general manager Dave Stewart told the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro. “I’m not by any means thinking that (Yasmany) Tomas isn’t capable of giving us back what we lost, it’s just he didn’t prove that last year. Just to be sure, I wouldn’t mind adding a little more offense.”
But neither of the bats the D-Backs have been linked to recently—veteran second basemen Howie Kendrick and Brandon Phillips—make much sense, especially with 24-year-old Chris Owings at the position. Owings had a horrid 2015, but is young enough to turn things around rather quickly.
If anything, perhaps Arizona winds up signing a fourth outfielder—someone like David DeJesus, who can play all three positions—or a versatile infielder like Clint Barmes, who'd provide insurance at multiple positions.
But there's simply no need for the Diamondbacks to bring in another big-ticket item.
Fact: The White Sox Are Going to Sign Yoenis Cespedes
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Once again, the Chicago White Sox look like one of the winter's big winners, adding an All-Star third baseman (Todd Frazier), a young, versatile infielder just entering his prime (Brett Lawrie) and a pair of quality, veteran backstops (Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro).
But as Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times writes, the White Sox "have one big move left to make." And that's signing free-agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, a player that, per MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez, the White Sox are one of the favorites to land.
Coming off the best year of his career and entering his age-30 season, Cespedes would be a massive upgrade in either outfield corner for Chicago, both at the plate and in the field. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes, upgrading their outfield defense is a priority for the White Sox.
While signing Alex Gordon would accomplish the same thing—and stick it to division-rival Kansas City in the process—he's not quite as prolific a run producer as Cespedes is. And a heart of the order that features Jose Abreu, Cespedes and Todd Frazier—while all right-handed—could be special.
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Fiction: Brandon Phillips' Demands Will Suddenly Become Reasonable
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Walt Jocketty, Cincinnati's president of baseball operations, remains optimistic that there's a deal to be found for veteran second baseman Brandon Phillips, who blocked a trade that would have sent him to Washington, where he'd have been reunited with former Reds manager Dusty Baker.
“He said he didn’t want to leave, he didn’t want to go (to Washington),” Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer's C. Trent Rosecrans. “It’s not set (he’s here in 2016), but in all likelihood he might be."
As CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported, Phillips wanted an extension of his current deal, which has two years and $27 million remaining, to waive his rights as a 10-and-5 player to block any trade. It's the same tact he took in December 2013, when, per Heyman, he wanted more cash to approve a deal to the New York Yankees.
There's absolutely no reason to believe that a new year will find Phillips any more reasonable when it comes to approving a deal. And we know there's not a team in baseball that's going to extend a 34-year-old second baseman that, while still stellar defensively, is on the downside of his career.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
Hit me up on Twitter to talk the Hot Stove League and all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
Last, but certainly not least, Happy New Year! Wishing all our readers a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016!
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