Now that the Red Sox have triumphed over the Dodgers to secure the World Series title, the MLB offseason is officially upon us.
It didn’t take long for the hot stove to heat up either. Immediately following the World Series, Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw
indicated that he was still mulling over whether or not to exercise the
opt-out clause in his contract to test the free agent market.
News trickled out in the coming days that the two
sides were likely to work out a mutually-beneficial short-term extension
that would keep the left-hander in Los Angeles for another couple of
years.
On Friday, the two sides were able to reach an
accord, with Kershaw inking a three-year, $93 million contract. The deal
also contains incentives. In essence, Kershaw used his opt-out as
leverage to get another year and at least $28 million added on to his
contract.
Kershaw hasn't made 30 starts in season since 2015
due to injury and his velocity was noticeably down in 2018, but he was
still highly effective with a 2.73 ERA and 155/29 K/BB ratio over 161
1/3 innings. He will turn 31 next March.
It’s a great deal for both sides, as it keeps the
Dodgers’ World Series window open for a few more years while maintaining
the ace atop their pitching staff.
From a fantasy perspective, there’s no denying
Kershaw’s continued effectiveness when he has been on the hill, though
the game-breaking strikeout numbers may be a thing of the past. He
hasn’t logged more than 175 innings in a season since 2015 though and
given his chronic back issues, durability is going to continue to be a
concern going forward.
A perennial first round draft pick in most formats, I
would expect Kershaw to begin to slide into the middle of the second
round in most 15-team drafts, somewhere in the 20-26 range. If he gives
you a full season without missing any starts from that draft spot, he’ll
deliver ample profit.
All that Glitters
Major League Baseball handed out some hardware on Sunday night, announcing the winners of the Rawlings’ 2018 Gold Glove Awards.
Here’s a look at the winners, with the number of Gold Gloves that each player has won in parentheses.
American League
C - Salvador Perez
(5) - Perez has been the gold standard of the position in the American
League, winning the award five times in the last six seasons.
1B - Matt Olson
(1) - Not bad work for Olsen, winning his first Gold Glove in his first
full season on the job. He led all MLB first baseman with 14 defensive
runs saved on the year.
2B - Ian Kinsler (2) - It's the second win for Kinsler, who also took home the award with the Tigers during the 2016 campaign.
SS - Andrelton Simmons (4) - Francisco Lindor
was certainly deserving of consideration here, but Simmons is in a
class of his own as a defender. It's a treat to watch him play the game.
3B - Matt Chapman (1) - The first-time winner is very deserving,
as Chapman racked up a jaw-dropping 29 defensive runs saved at the
position in 2018, which is 19 more than any other third baseman in the
league. He has to be considered the favorite to take home the Platinum
Glove in the American League.
LF - Alex Gordon
(6) - It's the second straight win for Gordon, and sixth overall, after
he won the award in four straight years from 2011-2014 as well.
CF - Jackie Bradley
Jr. (1) - This one was definitely a long-time coming, as Bradley has
played phenomenal defense for years in Boston, but has always had to
battle Angels' superstar Mike Trout for the award.
RF - Mookie Betts
(3) - Betts led all MLB outfielders with 20 DRS on the season, en route
to his third straight gold glove. He's the gold standard by which other
right fielders are currently judged.
P - Dallas Keuchel (4) - It's the fourth win in the last five years for Keuchel, who will hit free agency this winter.
National League
C - Yadier Molina (9) - It's the ninth Gold Glove for the Cardinals' star backstop, but his first since winning eight straight from 2006-2015.
1B - Anthony Rizzo (2) & Freddie Freeman (1) - It's just the fourth time in history that there has been a tie for a Gold Glove.
2B - D.J. LeMahieu (3) - This one was a mild surprise, as many predicted Kolten Wong
(who led all MLB second baseman in DRS) to take home the honor. It's
the third win for LeMahieu, who has snagged the award in each of the
last two seasons.
SS - Nick Ahmed
(1) - The first-time winner has long been considered one of the top
defenders in all of baseball, all it took was getting a full-time job
for the first time in his career to land the Gold Glove.
3B - Nolan Arenado (6) - Arenado has now captured the honor in each of his first six seasons in the big leagues. He also surpassed Larry Walker
(5) for the most Gold Gloves in Rockies' franchise history. He's also
in the running to take home his second straight Platinum Glove in the
National League.
LF - Corey Dickerson
(1) - Long considered to be an all-hit, no-glove outfielder, this one
has to be especially rewarding for Dickerson, who finished second in DRS
among National League left fielders.
CF - Ender Inciarte
(3) - It's the third straight year that Inciarte has taken home the
award. While he's obviously a terrific defender and deserving of the
honor, you really have to feel for Lorenzo Cain who continues to get overlooked here each and every year.
RF - Nick Markakis
(3) - It's the third time that Markakis has won the award, but the
first time since 2014. It caps off a phenomenal year for the free agent
outfielder who also earned his first All-Star nod.
P - Zack Greinke (5) - It's the fifth straight win for Greinke, who is widely considered the top fielding pitcher in all of baseball.
Nats Strike Quick
The Washington Nationals also struck quickly on the free agent market, inking former Cardinals’ closer Trevor Rosenthal to a one-year, $6 million contract.
The deal also includes an option for 2020, rumored to
be at least $7 million with a $1 million buyout, making it $7 million
guaranteed for the right-hander. The deal also includes incentives that
could take the deal to $28 million over the two seasons, per Joel
Sherman of the New York Post
Rosenthal didn't pitch in 2018 but isn't far removed
from being one of the league's premier closers. It's a nice low-risk,
high-reward move for the Nats. It’s expected that Rosenthal will work in
a setup capacity in front of closer Sean Doolittle.
Tragedy hits in Dominican Republic
Unfortunately, tragedy struck the baseball world in the Dominican Republic when
Reds minor league pitcher Jairo Capellan died in a car crash early Saturday.
Fellow minor leaguers Raul Hernandez and Emilio
Garcia were also injured in the crash; Hernandez is in critical
condition, and Garcia in stable condition, both in Dominican hospitals.
"We received this terrible news and send our condolences and support to
the families, friends and teammates of Jairo, Raul and Emilio," Reds
Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini said in a news release. "Our
Dominican operations are an integral part of the Reds organization, and
this tragedy affects us all. We will remain closely involved to help
everyone through this difficult time." All three players are 19 years
old.
Rangers tab Woodward as manager
The Rangers didn’t waste any time narrowing down their search for a replacement to former skipper Jeff Banister, reaching an agreement with Dodgers’ third base coach Chris Woodward.
Woodward will get a three-year deal, with a club option for 2022, becoming the 27th manager in Texas Rangers’ history.
He’ll be officially introduced at a press conference in Arlington on Monday.
The 42-year-old has no prior managerial experience.
He began his coaching career as the minor league infield instructor for
the Mariners before working his way up to the big league staff. He has
spent the past three seasons as the third base coach under Dave Roberts in Los Angeles.
Qualifying Offers
Friday marked the deadline for MLB clubs to extend
$17.9 million qualifying offers to impending free agents. This time
around, a new record-low seven players were issued qualifying offers.
Under the current system which began in 2012, the previous low for
players issued qualifying offers in a season was nine.
Here’s the list of players who did receive the qualifying offer, all of whom are expected to decline:
Patrick Corbin - Diamondbacks
Yasmani Grandal - Dodgers
Bryce Harper - Nationals
Dallas Keuchel - Astros
Craig Kimbrel - Red Sox
A.J. Pollock - Diamondbacks
Hyun-Jin Ryu - Dodgers
There are a couple of players who were expected to
receive qualifying offers, but didn’t, which came as a mild surprise.
Among those, were Astros’ right-hander Charlie Morton, Rockies’ second baseman D.J. LeMahieu and Indians’ outfielder Michael Brantley.
American League Quick Hits: ESPN's Buster
Olney reports that the Orioles have been in contact with former Red Sox
general manager Ben Cherington regarding their front office opening… The
Astros claimed Chris Herrmann off of waivers from the Mariners… The Orioles re-signed left-hander Sean Gilmartin to a minor league contract… Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports the Rays are likely to trade designated hitter C.J. Cron
this offseason… The Blue Jays fired hitting coach Brook Jacoby...Steve
Phillips of MLB Network Radio reports that the Yankees "will not be in
on (Bryce) Harper" this offseason… White Sox’ general manager Rick Hahn
noted that the organization has discussed a possible position change for
Yoan Moncada…
National League Quick Hits: The Pirates hired Rick Eckstein as their new hitting coach… Cubs claimed Jack Reinheimer
off waivers from the Mets… The Reds announced the hiring of Derek
Johnson as their new pitching coach… Jon Heyman of Fancred reports that
the Dodgers have started contract extension talks with manager Dave Roberts…
The Brewers have hired Andy Haines to be their hitting coach, taking
the place of Darnell Coles who resigned last week… Derrick Goold of the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals "intend to explore"
the market for Bryce Harper
"and see how they fit."... Despite not making him a qualifying offer,
Rockies' general manager Jeff Bridich still plans to reach out to free
agent right-hander Adam Ottavino...According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Cubs have yet to make a decision regarding the future of Addison Russell.
