Playing Fact or Fiction with MLB's Hottest 2016 Spring Training Buzz, Week 2
Fact: Spring training has gotten off to a hectic start in 2016.
A three-team trade nearly came to fruition; a former All-Star was disciplined under MLB's domestic-violence policy; and Dexter Fowler, Yovani Gallardo and Juan Uribe all found new homes in the American League.
With a slew of notable players still available as free agents, including Ian Desmond, Austin Jackson and Tim Lincecum, and multiple teams still looking to fill offseason holes, chances are things won't slow down anytime soon.
Could a slugger become his team's leadoff hitter? Will an injured star with little chance of playing in 2016 sign a new contract? Is a rebuilding club so desperate to shed salary that it would give away a player in his prime?
We'll hit on all of that and more in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.
Fact: Cincinnati Will Wait to Trade Jay Bruce
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If we didn't know any better, we might think that Jay Bruce had watched a cursed video and would lose whatever trade value he had left in seven days. It'd at least be a reasonable explanation as to why Cincinnati is so intent on giving him away.
Sources tell ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that the Reds want to trade the 28-year-old outfielder over the next week, with Buster Olney of ESPN adding that some members of the team's front office are worried that they won't be able to trade him.
Sure, carrying his $12.5 million salary isn't ideal for a team that's trying to rebuild, and his .222/.288/.406 slash line over the past two years is U-G-L-Y. But by trading him now, the Reds would be moving him when his trade value is at its absolute lowest point. It can't possibly get any lower.
But a halfway decent first half of the regular season could easily boost Bruce's value, especially when he'd cost half as much financially. The Reds have absolutely nothing to lose—and everything to gain—by heading into the season with Bruce as their right fielder.
Fiction: Jose Bautista Won't Negotiate with Toronto
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Nobody has hit more home runs over the past six years than Jose Bautista, who has drawn a line in the sand that he says he will not cross when it comes to a possible extension with the Toronto Blue Jays.
"I didn't want to waste their time or their effort, so they can start planning ahead, and if it's not going to happen, they have plenty of time to [respond]," he told MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. "They asked me about two weeks ago, and I told them, that's it. There's no negotiation, I told them what I wanted. They either meet it, or it is what it is."
Toronto's response to the bat-flip king's demands was to try to acquire Jay Bruce from the Cincinnati Reds in a three-way deal that also involved the Los Angeles Angels, but the deal fell apart for a number of reasons, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
Multiple reports put the 35-year-old Bautista's asking price at more than five years and $150 million, though according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the annual average value of the deal Joey Bats is after is less than $30 million.
You can't blame the Blue Jays for not jumping at the chance to ink Joey Bats to a deal that would take him into his early 40s. If Bautista believes another team will make that kind of investment in a player who will likely have to spend the latter part of the deal as a designated hitter, he's kidding himself.
Eventually, Bautista will realize that there's a deal to be made that keeps him in Toronto, one that pays him fairly while giving the team the financial flexibility it needs to maintain a competitive roster around him.
Fact: Trevor Story Will Be Colorado's Opening Day Shortstop
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With Jose Reyes out on paid administrative leave until the situation surrounding offseason allegations of domestic abuse are settled, names like Cristhian Adames, Daniel Descalso and Rafael Ynoa have been bandied about as possibilities to be Colorado's Opening Day shortstop.
Barring injury, that job will go to 23-year-old Trevor Story, whom Baseball America ranked as the Rockies' eighth-best prospect.
"I think my inner competitor tells me so," Story told the Denver Post's Patrick Saunders about whether he'll be the last man standing in the competition. "I think I had a good year last year, and I think I'm ready to compete up here. I have the inner confidence that I can do it."
Story split time between Double-A and Triple-A last season, hitting a combined .279/.350/.514 with 70 extra-base hits (20 home runs), 80 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 25 attempts. While the Rockies aren't expected to contend in 2016, they're not looking to delay the start of Story's service-time clock.
"That's not really a consideration," general manager Jeff Bridich told Saunders. "I haven't thought about that one second. I hope he, and every player, makes all of these decisions difficult."
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Fiction: Carlos Santana Will Be Cleveland's Leadoff Hitter
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In an effort to spark his team's offense last May, Cleveland manager Terry Francona moved Carlos Santana out of the cleanup spot and into the two-hole. It didn't work—Santana hit only .196 with a .711 OPS—but that hasn't stopped Francona from thinking about moving him to the top of the order this spring.
"Because of his skill set, I think he'd be one of the best leadoff hitters in the game," Francona told Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. "I know it's a little unique. Maybe out of the box, and you've got to have somebody who can hit cleanup."
Francona's not necessarily wrong. As one of only two players to draw at least 500 walks over the past five years (Joey Votto is the other), Santana's penchant for getting on base consistently (he owns a career .365 on-base percentage) makes him an ideal leadoff candidate.
But he's a better hitter when he steps to the plate with runners on base than he is with the bases empty, and it makes little sense to take one of the team's most consistent sources of power out of a run-producing lineup spot.
Santana's staying where he belongs—in the heart of the order.
Fact: Greg Holland Will Re-Sign with Kansas City
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Despite filling his spot in the bullpen with former closer Joakim Soria and the fact that he'll miss all of 2016 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, Kansas City remains interested in re-signing Greg Holland to a multiyear deal, according to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.
“He’s a homegrown player,” general manager Dayton Moore told Dodd. “We’ve always believed in him. He’s been a very successful part of our team. We would love to be able to have him here as part of our future.”
Holland, 30, has spent his entire six-year career with the Royals, pitching to a 2.42 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 145 saves over 309 relief appearances. While he'd likely prefer the opportunity to close upon his return to action, there's no guarantee other teams will offer him that chance.
Re-signing with the Royals makes sense for both Holland and the team.
He'd be able to rehab from surgery under the team's watchful eye while collecting a paycheck and ease his way back into action in 2017 without significant pressure to perform at an All-Star level as he has in the past.
The Royals would add another potentially dominant arm to the trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Soria at a reasonable price, further shortening the innings they'd need from their starting rotation.
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 all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
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