Dodgers /Padres vie for Mookie Betts

Wait a minute now, do we have a bidding war brewing out west.

I think we do indeed.

Let's recap what has transpired.


Jan. 30: Six days after reports emerged that the Padres were discussing a trade for Mookie Betts, San Diego remains actively engaged in trade talks involving the 2018 American League MVP Award winner, sources tell MLB.com's AJ Cassavell.

But one of their NL West rivals, the Dodgers, is also still holding discussions with the Red Sox about Betts, per The Athletic's Andy McCullough ( no relation ) who adds that "dialogue with Boston has approached a resolution on Betts."
The principles of a Padres-Red Sox deal are in place, but Wil Myers appears to be the sticking point. The issue, more specifically, is just how much of the $61 million remaining on Myers' contract the Red Sox are willing to take on.

Meanwhile, Andy McCullough of the Athletic speculates that the Dodgers would likely balk at the prospect of taking on the entirety of David Price's contract ($96 million over the next three years) despite their considerable financial resources. Los Angeles' lineup as currently constructed already ranks among the National League's best. But adding Betts at the top could be a difference-maker in finally getting the Dodgers over the October hump.

MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Dodgers will not deal shortstop Gavin Lux (MLB's  second ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline) in a Betts trade package, but they are willing to include outfielder Alex Verdugo -- a former top 100 prospect himself. That kind of depth in the Dodgers' system is a big reason why Los Angeles could ultimately get a Betts deal done, says MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.

Jan. 28: Trade talks involving Betts have picked up steam over the past week or so, and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman gets the sense that the Red Sox are "more serious than ever" about moving the 27-year-old outfielder.
Per Heyman, some rivals are starting to think a deal will happen, which is a stark change from the industry consensus earlier in the offseason.

The Padres and Dodgers are the two clubs that have been most heavily connected to Betts lately, but it's unclear if there's a front runner to acquire the 2018 American League MVP Award winner.
a San diego repotersaid that on Monday that multiple people within the Padres organization aren't optimistic about the team's chances of acquiring Betts. That feeling is due to the Dodgers' presence in negotiations, as well as the belief that the Red Sox are unwilling to take on more of the $61 million owed to Wil Myers over the next three years.
Per Acee, the Padres have offered to send the Red Sox multiple young Major Leaguers and at least one prospect along with Myers in exchange for Betts, but they want Boston to assume roughly 75 percent of Myers' remaining salary in the deal, while the Sox have offered to pick up about half. It's assumed that the Dodgers, given their deep pockets and strong farm system, can offer a comparable package of young talent without requiring the Red Sox to take back significant money.

Jan. 27: The Padres are still pushing for a Betts trade  reports out of San Diego  that money is impeding a potential deal., but San Diego is willing to package two young Major Leaguers -- Manuel Margot or Josh Naylor and Cal Quantrill or Joey Lucchesi -- plus one prospect in exchange for Betts, with Boston also taking on Wil Myers, who is owed a guaranteed $61 million over the next three years. However, the Sox are only willing to assume about half of Myers' remaining salary, while the Padres want the team to take on roughly 75 percent.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are also discussing a Betts trade with the Red Sox, per a report from the Boston Globe on Sunday. If Los Angeles is willing to assume all of Betts' $27 million salary in 2020 without requiring Boston to take back significant money in the deal, the Red Sox may prefer trading with the Dodgers over the Padres. But in that case, the package of prospects going to Boston likely wouldn't be as good.

Jan. 26: The Red Sox are still discussing Betts trade scenarios with the Dodgers and Padres, according to a report by a reporter from the Boston Globe.
That doesn't make a Betts trade certain, but the fact that Boston is still considering both clubs' proposals -- each reportedly containing combinations of Major Leaguers and top prospects -- with Spring Training on the horizon signals that the club is still open-minded to a swap. Speier reports that the Red Sox's willingness to trade Betts "appears serious."

While the Red Sox could compete for the American League East title this year, MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal notes in his Sunday column from The Athletic  that clearing Betts' salary -- and getting a prospect-laden return for him before he departs via free agency -- would potentially give Boston a more flexible future.

The Dodgers have the financial wherewithal to take on Betts' $27 million salary this year, and possess multiple highly regarded prospects besides shortstop Gavin Lux and pitcher Dustin May, who appear to be untouchable. Los Angeles could probably take on the remaining $96 million left on David Price's contract as part of a deal, too. A deal with the Padres could involve the Red Sox acquiring outfielder Wil Myers, who is owed $61 million over the next three years. San Diego would probably need to tack on significant prospect talent to convince Boston to take on Myers in a swap. Rosenthal reports that the D-backs, with former Boston ties in manager Torey Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen, have also shown at least some interest in trading for Betts. However, on paper, Arizona doesn't appear to have either the financial or prospect resources to compete with the Dodgers or Padres in a bidding war.

Jan. 23: The Padres have discussed a trade with the Red Sox involving Betts, with recent talks focusing on a package of Wil Myers and prospects going to Boston, sources told a reporter from MLB.com confirming what was initially reported by Dennis Lin of the Athletic. People familiar with the discussions consider a trade to be a long shot at this juncture, but there's at least legitimate interest on both sides, Lin notes.
Myers is owed $61 million guaranteed over the next three seasons, including a $1 million buyout of his $20 million club option for 2023. However, the average annual value of his contract is only $13.8 million, which would help Boston in its goal of getting under the $208 million.

Betts will earn $27 million in his final year before free agency. Cot's Baseball Contracts projects that the Red Sox, as currently constituted, will have a CBT figure of roughly $225 million this season.
The Padres' front office is entering a critical campaign. The team has yet to register a winning record during general manager A.J. Preller's tenure, despite his penchant for aggressive moves. Although they signed Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million contract last winter and got stellar rookie seasons from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack, the Padres ended up winning only four more games in 2019 than they did the previous season. Exchanging Myers and prospects for Betts could go a long way toward helping San Diego reach the postseason for the first time since 2006.

The Padres have one of the best farm systems in baseball and could present an enticing package to the Red Sox, even with the team unwilling to trade Mackenzie Gore, Luis Patiño, CJ Abrams and possibly others..

Buster Olney recently reported that the Red Sox were asking for multiple high-end prospects in exchange for Betts, and for the acquiring team to take on David Price -- and most or all of the $96 million owed to the left-hander over the next three years -- in any deal. However, Boston's talks with the Padres perhaps show a willingness to lower its demands.
According to Lin, the Padres and Red Sox kicked around a Myers-for-Price swap earlier this offseason, but San Diego has limited interest in that scenario.

Jan. 19: Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom may still be exploring trades for Betts, but ESPN's Buster Olney reports in an article that some rival evaluators view the team's asking price as overly steep.
Per Olney, any deal for Betts must include David Price, with the acquiring team taking on most or all of the $96 million still owed to the left-hander over the next three seasons. And that's not all. The Red Sox also are asking for two high-end prospects.

Principal owner John Henry said at the end of the 2019 season that he wanted the club to get under the $208 million threshold to reset the penalty rate, leading to speculation that Boston would look to move Betts this offseason. The 27-year-old can become a free agent after the 2020 campaign, during which he'll earn $27 million.

However, Henry told The Boston Globe earlier this month that the Red Sox are "focused on competitiveness over the next five years over and above resetting" the CBT penalty rate.
Given Boston's lofty trade demands, it's looking more and more likely that the 2018 American League MVP Award winner will be with the club entering the upcoming season.

Well , Boston have ultimately what they wanted....a bidding war from two teams chock full of young protectable players.  Let's see where Mookie ends up.

Dodgers make a pitch for Mookie

Let me show you something. 




Here is a lineup the Dodgers could unveil on Opening Da.

1. Mookie Betts, RF
2. Max Muncy, 1B
3. Justin Turner, 3B
4. Cody Bellinger, CF
5. Joc Pederson, LF
6. Corey Seager, SS
7. Gavin Lux, 2B
8. Will Smith, C

Seriously. Look at that lineup. The Dodgers could do this.
After months of posturing and preliminary discussions, the team remains engaged with Boston about a trade involving Mookie Betts, according to people familiar with the situation. The Dodgers have the financial resources and the prospects necessary to acquire Betts, the 2018 American League MVP and a consensus top-five player in the sport. As new Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom ponders how to forge his franchise’s path forward, the Dodgers and the Padres loom as the most likely landing spots for Betts, if a trade is to be consummated. 

Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers president of baseball operations, has spent all winter hunting for a star. Betts fits the bill. His bat would catalyze the offense. His skill in the outfield would aid the defense. And his mere presence would change the conversation after an unpleasant offseason spent smoldering over a first-round exit in the 2019 playoffs and dredging up memories of losing to the Astros in the 2017 World Series. Trading for Betts would demonstrate the ownership group’s commitment to ending the 31-year championship drought.
Betts plays a different position than pitcher Gerrit Cole, who was the team’s top target heading into 2020. But in a sense, he could fill a similar role. Betts wields the sort of ability which causes fans to flock to the ballpark. His talent could swing a playoff series. And considering the team’s interest in signing Betts as a free agent next winter, giving him a chance to experience Los Angeles for a year could aid the recruiting efforts. 

After crashing out in defeat to Washington in October, the Dodgers showed their thirst for improvement when they offered Cole a $300 million contract. Cole took a larger package from the Yankees, however, one without deferred money. After third baseman Anthony Rendon spurned the Dodgers’ advances, Friedman concentrated on trade talks. A deal for Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor fizzled; the Dodgers believe Colorado wouldn’t move franchise pillar Nolan Arenado to a division rival. The team appeared content to report to Camelback Ranch next month with their roster relatively unchanged from last season. 

In recent days, though, dialogue with Boston has approached a resolution on Betts.
The Dodgers lack interest in parting with elite prospects like Lux or pitcher Dustin May. But their organization features a plethora of other options — from big-league assets like Enrique Hernández and Chris Taylor to up-and-coming performers like outfielder Alex Verdugo and pitcher Tony Gonsolin to farmhands like catching prospect Keibert Ruiz or pitching prospect Josiah Gray — from which Bloom could build a reasonable package for Betts. The discussions, though, are more complicated than that. 

One scenario being discussed would involve former American League Cy Young award winner David Price. Price, 34, is still owed $96 million over the next three seasons. He logged only 107.1 innings with a 4.28 ERA in 2019. Despite their financial flexibility, the Dodgers are likely to balk at absorbing the entirety of Price’s contract. Two rival executives say they would not value Price at more than $15 million per season. The Dodgers are not incentivized to take on Price’s money just to land Betts. 

What to know why? Let me show you something else.
Here is another lineup the Dodgers could unveil on Opening Day:

1. Pederson, RF
2. Muncy, 1B
3. Turner, 3B
4. Bellinger, CF
5. Seager, SS
6. Lux, 2B
7. Verdugo, LF
8. Smith, C

The lineup featuring Betts is better. Obviously. But either lineup would be the most dangerous in the National League West. Either lineup would likely be the best in the entire National League. The industry dropped more than $2 billion in free agency this winter, and it was still not enough to dislodge the Dodgers from their position of strength. The team remains a favorite to reach the World Series for the third time in four years.
Friedman understands this. The superiority of his team plays a significant role in weighing how much to offer for one season with Betts. Betts would make the Dodgers better. He is a special talent. And they can also win a championship without him. That understanding informs all of the discussions involving Betts, especially if Boston insists on foisting another expensive contract onto the acquiring team. 

Consider how the two other division winners, plus the champions in Washington, tackled this offseason. The Nationals lost star third baseman Rendon in free agency. Atlanta made a series of maneuvers to refurbish their pitching staff, but will still take the field in 2020 without the player who led their team in wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference. The Braves hopes to replace the production of Josh Donaldson (127 OPS+ in 2019) with that of Marcell Ozuna (107 OPS+). The Cardinals let Ozuna depart, and have not done much of anything in response.
For the Dodgers, a more significant threat may loom inside their own division. Arizona lured Madison Bumgarner to headline its rotation while acquiring Starling Marte to improve their offense. A bevy of other additions — Kole Calhoun, Stephen Vogt, Héctor Rondón — deepened the Diamondbacks roster. Arizona may not be able to end the Dodgers’ reign at the top of the West. But they might at least pose a challenge. 

The presence of San Diego in the Betts sweepstakes should also galvanize Friedman — at least to a point. The Padres improved their bullpen this winter and traded for outfielder Tommy Pham. Even so, though, acquiring Betts may not be enough to permit San Diego to leapfrog the Dodgers.

So Friedman resides in a familiar position. He has the capacity to add a star without hamstringing the organization’s future. He demonstrated the ability to pull off similar deals when acquiring Yu Darvish and Manny Machado in recent years. The addition of Betts would be an even more resounding coup.

What to know why? Take a look at that first lineup. It might just become a reality.

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Big W in Big D

This Leaf team is sure hard to predict.  The flop like seals against the Black Hawks, then take the next week off and come out like gang busters against the Preds and then the Dallas Stars.

Leading the way again was netminder Freddie Anderson, whose rebound control, which has been absent, came back last night.

Also of note, William Nylander scored his 24th goal of the season to put the Leafs ahead 4-2 before Dallas scored to make it tighter.
Andreas Johnson stole the puck like stealing a runaway chicken, then high tailed out out of his own zone, and deposited the biscuit into the basket.

The Leafs for the most part of the game were in control, and limiting Dallas chances to shots from the point or to the outside.

“We’ve definitely been starting strong on the road, you score the first, you more often than not win,” said Zach Hyman. “I don’t think you change home or road, you have to play consistent, play your style. We’re an up-tempo, high paced team so we have to stick to our strengths. Make sure while we’re doing that, we’re picking our spots.”

The two hottest Leafs scored, Auston Matthews with his 36th as he battles David Boston’s Pastrnak among others for the league lead, while William Nylander made it five games in a row with a goal, one off Matthews’ team high of last season.

But it was a 200-foot tic-tac-toe tally that defined the evening for Toronto at American Airlines Center.
In the second period from behind his own net, defenceman Travis Dermott surveyed the landscape and spotted Matthews hanging around centre. Matthews knocked down the stretch pass with an eye to Mitch Marner coming through neutral ice, Marner delivering a blind backhand pass to an open Hyman.

“Just a beautiful hockey goal,” said Nylander of his prime view on the bench. “We were all just smiling watching that.

“We need to keep doing that on the road. We’re chasing in the standings, pushing for a playoff spot (still not there after their pre-break slump), so we have to be sharp every game.”

Leafs next opponent is Ontario rival, The Ottawa Senators, and make no mistake, these two do not like each other. But it will be an important test for the Leafs, taking on the lesser talented, but hard working Sens at home.  Let's hope they do not fall back into old habits and decide not to out work their  challenger, but just to rest on their talent.

The Birth of Castellanos

Aug 29:  Team 4 (Jim McCullough) reported trading 456 Evan Longoria to team 8 (#####*****) for 388 Adrian Gonzalez; 477 Lonnie Chisenhall; 479 Nick Castellanos.

Nicolas Castellanos

In 2010, I traded with another fantasy team owner principally to obtain Castellanos.  The key reason for this was because I had no future at 3rdbase. 

It was also to facilitate a trade for Adrian Gonzalez, having only 1 National League player ( we are allowed to own 2 crossovers ). This trade solve many of my problems way back when, and the other owner was ecstatic at trading for Longoria. Win Win.

Long story short, my pitching failed me once again, but I finished second.But alas out of the playoffs.

Seasons come and go, and Castellanos proves I was wrong in selecting him as my 3rd sacker of the future, as Detroit converts him to the outfield, then proceeds to fall on hard times. So, in July of 2019, the Detroit Tigers do him and myself a huge favour and trade him to the Chicago Cubs, where he begins a second half for the ages, a doubles machine, and power coming out of his ying yang.

Casty was due to be a free agent, you see, and as Detroit was in a heavy rebuild mode, the juicy morsel that was Castellanos was tantalizing for Chicago who were seeking a bat to add in their line up.  Enter Nick.
Coming up short, the Cubs dismissed Castellanos but kept the door open to a short term low number deal, but had moved on.
This left the outfielder without an employer,for the first time in his adult life. Texas, St.Louis and Cincinnati reached out and the dance began. Who would make the right offer, who would sign the doubles machine.

Onto to 2020 we trudged, Ozuna signing, scarce pickings left, but there's Nicky , the doubles machine still on the market. 

And oh, by the way, I went through 6 other 3rd baseman before landing Vladimir Guerrero jr. in the 2017 draft. 
But back to Castellanos, he was the MVP on fantasy team in 2019, no question about it, as he was only hitting .273 when traded at the deadline, then went onto hit .289, to end the season, a stark rise in his batting average.

All in all, a success story, now signing a 4 yr deal with Cincinnati, to patrol their outfield, and hopefully continue to be doubles machine.  After all he led the majors with 59 2 baggers last year.

Go get em' Casty !

Here's 10 things we learned about the Blue Jays

Vladdy and Bo

 Settle back, put the coffee on and relax, this is going to be a long blog.
With Spring Training only 3 weeks away, I thought about the upcoming season.

With current and former Blue Jays players in Toronto this weekend to take part in the fan festival known as Winter Fest, the media got a rare opportunity to check in with members of the 2020 team during what has been a busy offseason for the franchise.

How has Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s winter workouts been going? What do the players think about their new ace, Hyun-Jin Ryu? And what are the new expectations for the team heading into the new season?

---

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has slimmed down and remains the Blue Jays third baseman, for now.
When the 2019 season stretched into September, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grew tired. He told his manager he was simply out of gas.
The fatigue served as a wake-up call for the 20-year-old third baseman, who appears to have tackled the Blue Jays challenge for him to improve his fitness head on this offseason.
Since the season ended, Guerrero has been working through the plan the Blue Jays training staff built for him, as he approaches an offseason routine more seriously than he ever has. He’s already seen results, saying he feels “stronger” now than when we last saw him in Toronto.
“Basically, it’s my entire body. I feel a big change in me. I feel lighter and I will continue with that. There’s still one month to go before spring training, so I’m not done yet,” Guerrero said through team translator Hector Lebron.
Guerrero has spent the bulk of his time working out at the team’s complex in Dunedin, Fla. Typically, Guerrero spends his days running through various baseball drills, followed by weight lifting and then finishing with cardio. Guerrero’s Instagram account has frequently served as a window into these workouts as the infielder has posted videos throughout the winter months.
Blue Jays staff and his teammates said they have been impressed with Guerrero’s dedication to his regiment, with manager Charlie Montoyo saying he’s “proud of him.”
“Him working out this offseason and really committing to it, I think it’s something that’s going to take him even further, going to take him to the next level,” teammate Cavan Biggio said. “I think not even this year, but even moving forward with his whole career. He’s just going to be able to learn more about it, and learn more about his body, what’s good for him and whatnot. He’s 20 years old. He’s still a kid.”
Guerrero has committed to this plan with an eye on playing third base more regularly next season, identifying 150 games as his target. But, presumably, all the work fielding groundballs, taking swings in the cage and lifting weights in the gym is meant to improve his performance when it is on the field, too.
In 123 games in 2019, Guerrero hit .272 with a .772 OPS and 15 home runs. His season was respectable, but underwhelming when compared to the insane hype that surrounded him as the sport’s No. 1 prospect heading into the season.

 The plan, however, remains for Guerrero to continue playing third this season, although the option to move him to first remains on the table.
“There’s always going to be that conversation with the kid because he’s a big kid,” Montoyo said. “But he’s got such good hands that you’ve got to give him the chance to play third. Then if we get to the point that he goes to first, he goes to first. But right now, he’s our third baseman.”
As for Guerrero, he said the only personal goals he’s carrying into this season is to be in the lineup every day.
“The rest will come,” he said. “I don’t want to put any personal goals about hitting right now. I just want to stay healthy all year and just somehow try to help the team win.”

We know Bo

2. Bo Bichette likes to set some lofty goals.

Last season, Bo Bichette hit the ground running following his late July call-up, setting a number of rookie and MLB records as he hit .311/.358/.571 through his first 46 games in the big leagues.
His season came to an unfortunate halt when he suffered a concussion on Sept. 19. But cleared to resume baseball activities on the final day of the season, Bichette has been back at work this offseason, heading to the cages nearly every day with his dad, former major-leaguer, Dante, to make sure that when the 2020 season begins, he once again gets off to a strong start.
“It’s been really great so far,” he said of his offseason work. “I’m just trying to get in better shape, get faster, stronger, figure out how to become a better hitter, fielding — everything.”
Following his standout rookie campaign, Bichette identified areas where he wanted to improve, namely achieving more consistency in every aspect of his game, from falling into few slumps at the plate to eliminating errors in the field to becoming stronger mentally. In terms of personal goals for 2020, Bichette isn’t the type to set his sights low. And, if his play in 2019 proved anything, why should he?
“There’s definitely things that I want to accomplish,” he said. “I’d love to be the MVP of the league. I’d love to make an All-Star game. I’d love all that stuff, but for me it’s more about having goals that I can control and those goals are just making sure every day I’m getting better, becoming a better teammate, becoming a better player on the field, playing hard every day, working hard every day to put myself in a position to succeed. So that’s what I’m trying to focus on.”

Korean Import

3. You know when you learned the Blue Jays signed Hyun-Jin Ryu and you just had to text your buddy right away?”

Well, members of the Blue Jays experienced a similar feeling when news broke that the South Korean left-hander was coming to Toronto. General manager Ross Atkins received a handful of texts from his players, who were also busy texting each other, too.
“I did text Ross and I know a couple other people texted Ross,” Bichette said. “And I got a ton of texts myself from teammates, so everybody’s super pumped about it.”
Unsurprisingly, Ryu was a major talking point this weekend, with many Blue Jays expressing enthusiasm about what the 32-year-old can bring to their club after a season in which he posted a league-best 2.32 ERA with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“He can pitch. That’s the thing,” outfielder Randal Grichuk said. “He doesn’t just go out there and light up the velo and just intimidate guys. He knows how to pitch and I think he’s going to teach a lot of guys — younger guys — what he knows and I think he could be a difference-maker for the whole staff.”
Already, lefty Ryan Borucki plans to ask Ryu about his cutter, a pitch Ryu added to his repertoire in 2017 and has since been a valuable weapon in his arsenal. Meanwhile, right-hander Trent Thornton was studying Ryu’s repertoire as soon as he signed. Thornton hopes to pick his brain this spring, potentially about Ryu’s bread-and-butter changeup.
Ryu not only improves the rotation, but for players such as Bichette, the signing — along with the other additions, including right-handers Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson, and infielder Travis Shaw — also represents a confirmation that the front office believes in their talent, and worked hard to bolster it this winter.
“It’s really cool to see the front office realize what we all thought we had,” Bichette said. “We all thought in the clubhouse that we had a chance to be good this year. We wanted to take a step forward and we wanted the front office to help us with that. For them to kind of agree with us and show us that by the moves they made and all that is really exciting.”

4.  And an old friend helped catcher Reese McGuire compile an early scouting report on Ryu.
 
Former Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin caught 20 of Ryu’s 29 starts with the Dodgers last year. With Martin behind the plate, Ryu’s ERA was 1.52 in 130 2/3 innings.
McGuire, who was impressive down the stretch for Toronto last season, joined the Jays in a 2016 trade with the Pirates and got to know Martin over the next two years in spring training. They spoke again by phone last Friday.
“He’s the perfect guy to reach out to because he caught Ryu last year,” McGuire said. “That’s something Russ has always been good at, is having an open line of communication. It was fun when he was here.”
In particular, McGuire asked Martin about Ryu’s repertoire. Without sharing state secrets, the young catcher said he thinks he’ll enjoy working with the left-hander.
“He’s easy-going,” McGuire said. “He’s definitely a master of his craft. He’s not a guy that just chucks it and hopes his stuff plays. He’s dialed-in when he’s out there. He does his homework. I’m really looking forward to getting down there (in Florida) and meeting him.”

The shoemaker

5. Matt Shoemaker feels playoffs are a ‘very realistic’ goal for the Blue Jays.

With the moves the club has made this offseason, they undoubtedly are a better team than they were a year ago. Improvements from their own players should also lead to better results on the field, too.
But, on paper, the Jays still look to be in the bottom third of the league. An improvement to a .500-ish ballclub looks the most likely. That, according to Bichette, wouldn’t necessarily be a bad outcome. But he believes the team should — and could — perform better than that.
“If we ended the season at .500, I don’t think we’d be happy, but I think it’d be a good building block,” he said. “We fully expect to compete and I think that a successful season in our view would be competing for the playoffs late into September and I don’t see any reason why we can’t.”
That sentiment was shared by some of his teammates, such as starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker, who pointed to the improvement the club experienced late in the season, including a 12-13 mark in the month of September, when most of the club’s young stars were in the lineup every day.
“Watching what this club was capable of doing, I was like, we need to take that and build off that because it was exciting,” said Shoemaker, who spent most of last season watching from the sidelines after tearing his ACL in April. “We all saw it. It was super exciting, the talent level, what the team could do and go out there and win. Like I said, we’re just going to build off that.”
Of course, hope always springs eternal at this time of year. But the Blue Jays appear quietly confident they may surprise this season.
“Realistically, the goal is to make the playoffs,” Shoemaker said. “That’s our goal — to go out there and win. And we know with the pieces that we added and potentially more pieces that we could be adding, we know that’s always the mindset and we know that it’s very realistic. We just have to go out there and do it and play as a team and do it together.”

6. It’s been a long time since Cavan Biggio played some centre field.

From the 24-year-old’s point of view, he’s long maintained he’s willing to put the team first and play any position his manager needs him to.
“I just want to be able to provide Charlie with the best possible team and the best chance to win,” he said.
Biggio primarily played second base for the Blue Jays in 2019, logging 85 games at the position. But Biggio has long been tagged a utility-type player. He spent some time at first base and right and left field last season, too. However, to find the last time Biggio played centre field, you have to go all the way back to his high school days.
“I played one game in centre field in high school and that was only because my brother, who was the centre fielder at the time, got ejected the game before and was suspended for our next game,” he said. “So, I had to go and play centre field in the playoffs.”
Based on comments from Montoyo, Biggio in centre appears to be nothing more than a contingency plan. Maybe he’ll get reps there during spring training. But if he doesn’t, Montoyo won’t play him there in-season. “That’s not fair for the kid,” he explained.
So, who then will be in centre field for the 2020 Jays? It’s currently under discussion. Barring a major upgrade on the trade front, the team will likely go with either Teoscar Hernandez or Grichuk in centre. Meanwhile, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has the inside track on left field, while Derek Fisher, Jonathan Davis, Anthony Alford and Billy McKinney will fight for the remaining outfielder jobs.

Rowdy

7. Charlie Montoyo is still firmly in Rowdy Tellez’s corner.
Even if Biggio doesn’t play centre field, he’s still a guy that can move around the diamond — and the same can be said for a few of his teammates. The front office has built a roster that is easy for Montoyo to mix and match, which is to his liking.
Travis Shaw, who signed a $4-million, one-year deal, is a versatile infielder who can play first, second or third base. The expectation is that Shaw will primarily play first base, but he can swap in at another position, too, should he need to. If Brandon Drury makes the team out of camp, he’s a candidate to take over a utility role. Santiago Espinal and Breyvic Valera are options for that job, too.
The DH spot will also likely cycle through the team as a way to give players a day off from playing in the field, Montoyo said.
So, what does all this mean for Rowdy Tellez, who hit 21 home runs with a .742 OPS through an up-and-down 2019 season?
“Rowdy’s going to have a chance,” Montoyo said. “I’m a fan of Rowdy and you guys know that. And he’s still a young kid. Some guys take a little bit longer, sometimes they do it faster. That’s above-average power that he’s got and you don’t find that everywhere, so Rowdy’s going to get a chance to make the club also, for sure.”

8. Shoemaker is healthy and excited to pick up where he left off.
His knee feels great. And his arm feels even better.
“I’m ready to go,” he said.
For three straight years, Shoemaker has seen his season interrupted by injury, with the latest being a freak ACL tear that ended his 2019 in April. It was even more heartbreaking considering Shoemaker had got off to a blistering pace on the mound, pitching to a 1.57 ERA through five starts.
But after about six months of gruelling rehab, Shoemaker was cleared to throw off a mound in October. It’s been a normal offseason routine for him since and he is expected to be a key piece of the rotation this season.
“I think as much as injuries really do suck, you just come out a stronger, better person because of it,” he said. “You come out stronger physically and mentally. You just got to mentally stay strong each day when you’re down in the dumps, not playing. It’s not fun. But something about fighting through that and then now being great, just having a fresh mind and, like we just talked about, fresh arm, fresh body. Really excited.”

Mr. Giles

9. It doesn’t sound like we should expect a Ken Giles extension anytime soon.
Blue Jays closer Ken Giles has made it known that he’s enjoyed his time in Toronto, especially as he’s experienced a career renaissance following his trade from Houston in 2018. But so far, talk of staying with the Blue Jays beyond 2020 doesn’t seem to have gained much ground.
Giles was in his final year of arbitration-eligibility this winter. In theory, the days leading up to the Jan. 10 deadline for teams and players to exchange salary arbitration figures seemed the prime time to discuss a long-term deal. But Giles said his focus was on getting a one-year deal done. The Blue Jays agreed to pay the 29-year-old closer $9.6 million in 2020.
“I just wanted to focus on this year, and just make sure we come out with an agreement,” said Giles, who is scheduled to become a free agent following the season. “That was the main priority for me.”
The Blue Jays certainly welcome him back. When Giles was on the mound last year, he was among the best relievers in baseball. He pitched to a 1.87 ERA over 53 innings. His 14.09 K/9 ranked seventh among all qualified relievers, while his strikeout rate of 39.9 percent was fourth. He went 23-for-24 in save opportunities.
But Giles also spent some time on the injured list with various elbow ailments, most critically around the trade deadline, which in all likelihood is why he remains with the Blue Jays today. But after resting his arm this offseason, Giles said his body feels “fantastic.”
“I got into the gym a little bit earlier to try to strengthen up a little bit sooner and we’ll see how the results come out,” he said.

New Uniforms, old uniforms,eh

10. Count Bo Bichette among fans of the Blue Jays new (polarizing) alternate jerseys.
By now, you’ve surely seen that the Blue Jays have re-introduced a powder blue alternate jersey to their uniform rotation for this season.
The Blue Jays first revealed the new threads on stage on Saturday, with Biggio, Bichette, Grichuk and Guerrero acting as models.
The updated uniform, which includes a powder blue button-up shirt and pants featuring navy accents, pays tribute to the road jerseys the Blue Jays wore from 1977 till 1988, but with a modern twist.

Astro's Players - Apologize or not to Apologize

Agent Scott Boras does not believe the Astros’ players should apologize, not when their superiors promoted the team’s illegal use of electronics to steal signs.

“I’m doing what my organization is telling me to do,” Boras said on Wednesday, describing the hypothetical mindset of a player. “You installed this. You put this in front of us. Coaches and managers encourage you to use the information. It is not coming from the player individually. It is coming from the team. In my stadium. Installed. With authority.”
The analogy Boras used was the speed limit.
A man driving 55 mph in a 35-mph zone only believes he is speeding if the limit is clearly posted. Likewise, Boras said Astros’ players who committed infractions only should apologize if they were properly informed of their boundaries.
Boras, citing commissioner Rob Manfred’s statement announcing the Astros’ discipline on Jan. 13, said the players were not.
“Players were not given the latest state of the rules,” said Boras, who represents two current Astros — second baseman José Altuve and right-hander Lance McCullers. “To suggest players violated rules that were withheld from them is a false incrimination of players.”
Opposing players certainly seem to disagree, expressing their disgust with the Astros’ actions through various outlets. Many fans also believe the players should take responsibility for their conduct. While players avoided discipline from Manfred, and might not be culpable by the letter of the law, they still could apologize for their roles in damaging the sport.
The Astros declined to comment on Boras’ remarks, which came in response to Astros owner Jim Crane saying on Tuesday that the players might issue “a strong statement of apology” during spring training. Altuve and third baseman Alex Bregman spoke with reporters on Saturday, but drew criticism for failing to show contrition.
“Quite frankly, we’ll apologize for what happened, ask forgiveness and move forward,” Crane said.
The question of accountability continues to fester with the Astros, who received unprecedented penalties for illegally using electronics to steal signs in both 2017, when they won the World Series, and 2018.
Though Manfred said the Astros’ schemes were “player-driven,” he also placed blame on general manager Jeff Luhnow for failing to ensure that his team complied with two memos baseball issued in September 2017 and March 2018.
The Astros fired both Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch after Manfred suspended them for the 2020 season on Jan. 13. No player was disciplined; Manfred previously had determined he would hold a club’s GM and manager responsible for sign-stealing violations.
In that sense, Manfred’s assessment of culpability is not all that different than Boras’.
“Luhnow did not forward the memoranda and did not confirm that the players and field staff were in compliance with MLB rules and the memoranda,” Manfred wrote. “Had Luhnow taken those steps in September 2017, it is clear to me that the Astros would have ceased” their illegal sign stealing.
In Boras’ view, the Astros not only neglected to provide the players with limits, but also gave tacit approval of their misconduct, which broke norms established by the long-accepted practice of players using their own wits to identify and relay an opponents’ signs.
Manfred’s report states that former bench coach Alex Cora arranged for a video room technician to install a monitor displaying the center field camera feed immediately outside of the Astros’ dugout.
The operation, Boras said, left players with the perception that the form of sign stealing employed by the Astros was permissible.
“Why would a player think that the organization is setting up a system that is violating MLB rules?” Boras said. “That’s the first question every fan should ask.”
Manfred, however, did not completely exonerate the players of responsibility. His report identified only one player: Carlos Beltrán, who apologized in a statement released to multiple news outlets after the Mets announced on Thursday he no longer would be their manager. But even while acknowledging the lack of oversight by club officials, Manfred cites numerous examples to show the players understood — or should have understood — they were breaking rules:
• The “panic” in the Astros’ dugout after White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar appeared to notice the banging trash-can sound the Astros used to identify the coming pitch to their hitters.
• The players’ removal of the monitor from the wall in the tunnel and the hiding of it in an office before the end of each game.
• Hinch’s damage to the monitor on two occasions, which signaled his disapproval of the system even though he admitted he did not stop it or notify players that he wanted them to stop.
“Many of the players who were interviewed admitted that they knew the scheme was wrong because it crossed the line from what the player believed was fair competition and/or violated MLB rules,” Manfred said. “Players stated that if manager AJ Hinch told them to stop engaging in the conduct, they would have immediately stopped.”
To Boras, therein lies the problem.
Players, Boras said, “follow the authority given from their managers, coaches, general managers and the organization. If the perception was that it was disallowed, then the players clearly would not have done it because they would have understood the rule.
“This is no different than PEDs,” Boras continued, referring to baseball’s crackdown on performance-enhancing drugs. “The minute we legislated a compendium of specificity, players were on notice. And then the accountability went directly to them. And it should.”
So, should the Astros’ players apologize?
The issue is complicated by the passage of time. Some members of the rule-breaking Astros teams — including three of Boras’ clients, left-hander Dallas Keuchel and super-utility man Marwin González (2017-18; hired Boras after ’17) and right-hander Gerrit Cole (’18) — are now with other clubs.
Boras said the accountability should extend beyond the players.
“This is a general baseball apology,” he said. “There are failures at every level for not understanding that this process was a violation of the integrity of the game, (not) making sure rules are posted in the locker room, making sure that all of this is communicated to the players. And it was clear — and the fans need to understand — that this specific ruling and guideline was an action from MLB, but not communicated to the players. Therefore, their perception was that there was no specific rule or guideline, that this gray area existed.
“Players need to apologize for what they had notice of. Their perception of this process is that when an organization sets up a system and directs them to use the information, (then) coaches and managers are directing them to use this information. There are many players who rejected it outright. I’m not going to speak specifically. They did not use it. They were uncomfortable with it (some players prefer not to receive such information).”
“But to suggest players make a team apology … the reality of it is that the apology from the people who had notice, not from the people who didn’t have notice. And the people who are responsible for providing notice. That’s who the apology should come from.”

Larry Walker steps into the Hall

Larry Walkeras an Expo

Larry Walker is going into the Baseball hall of fame wearing a Rockies cap. Based on the resumé alone, it’s a decision that should have been easy. Walker’s 1997 MVP season took place in Colorado, as did all three batting titles and all but one of his five all-star nods.

The choice seemed obvious enough and yet it wasn’t. The Expos were the team that gave Walker his first opportunity in 1984, and Montreal is where he spent the first six years of his career. He knows what the organization meant to the city, and more important he’s aware of what his accomplishments meant to an entire country.

Walker has never been the kind of guy to turn his back on any of that. He proudly represented Canada as a player, and he remains involved as a coach with the national team program. Perhaps that’s one reason why, even as Walker stated the obvious that he would become the first Rockies player to enter the hall, the native of Maple Ridge, B.C. seemed slightly conflicted.

 “It’s a hard decision, being a Canadian, but I feel with all the at-bats, games played in Colorado, the years spent there, it really seems like the right decision and we all agreed on that,” said Walker, who finished his career with the Cardinals. “All three teams will be on that plaque represented and I’m honoured that I got to put all three of those uniforms on.”

Walker always represented the best of what Canada had to offer on the world stage. He was an elite talent without a hint of ego. Funny, self-deprecating, humble and grateful for his opportunities. A laid-back personality without any noticeable signs of insecurity. The type of guy we all aspired to be if fame suddenly struck.

His first passion, like so many people in this country, was hockey. Walker dreamt of becoming an NHL goaltender, but the desire began to wane in his teens. He turned to baseball almost on a whim, first through Baseball Canada and later a deal with the Expos. When Walker’s minor-league career began in 1985, he still didn’t even have a firm grasp of all the sport’s rules.

In a sign of just how gifted an athlete Walker was, it didn’t take him long to figure things out. By age 23, Walker was the Expos’ starting right fielder. At 25, Walker was an all-star. He would go on to play 17 seasons while batting .313 with 383 home runs and 1,311 RBIs. He’s one of only 19 hitters in history with a plus-.300 average, .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage across 5,000 or more plate appearances.

“You’re born in Canada, you come into the world with a hockey stick and skates on and that’s what you do,” Walker told reporters in New York on Wednesday afternoon. “Baseball was something I never really did. I played more softball than I did baseball growing up, until I was 16 and got an opportunity with Team Canada and got scouted by (Montreal’s) Jim Fanning and Bob Rodgers. The minor leagues are what I used to figure out how to do the game and how to play it.”

Larry as Rockie

Walker did these things at a time when Canada was known for hockey and little else. There were moments of Olympic glory, but within the professional sporting community the country’s impact was almost inconsequential. Steve Nash had yet to emerge. Two high-profile athletes — boxer Lennox Lewis and tennis player Greg Rusedski — abandoned the country in favour of the British flag. Tennis stars Denis Shapovalov and Bianca Andreescu weren’t even born.

Prior to Walker’s stardom, Canada’s non-hockey athletes had been relegated to bit roles. In basketball, it was Bill Wennington, Mike Smrek, Leo Rautins and Rick Fox. Baseball had a Hall of Famer in Ferguson Jenkins, but for kids growing up in the late 1980s and early 1990s he was more folklore than a source of real pride. Instead, part-timers such as Rob Ducey and Doug Frobel were the ones left carrying the flag.

 For those who weren’t interested in becoming the next Wayne Gretzky, Walker offered an alternative. Someone they could look up to. Talk to any Canadian who broke into the majors during the early 2000s and they typically credit two things for their passion of the sport: Walker and the Blue Jays’ back-to-back World Series titles in 1992-93. His impact was that big. 

Larry Walker, Canadian, eh

MLB comes down hard on the Astros, then owner fires manager and GM

You know the old baseball axiom that if you're not cheating, you're not trying.

Well, the ASTROS are pushing that logic a little.

And oh boy, the sh** done hit the fan.

On Monday, Major League Baseball and commissioner Rob Manfred announced punishments for the Houston Astros  stemming from the club's alleged sign-stealing scheme.

 It was revealed in November that the team devised a system to illegally steal signs throughout their 2017 World Series championship season.


Here is a recap of the discipline

· Manager A.J. Hinch suspended for one year. Hinch was the dismissed by the Astros.
· GM Jeff Luhnow suspended for one year. Luhnow was then fired by the Astros
· Former assistant GM Brandon Taubman suspended one year.
· Astros forfeit their first- and second- round draft picks the next two years.
· Astros fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under MLB's constitution.

Manfred released a nine-page report detailing MLB's investigation and explaining how he arrived at the discipline. "I believe transparency with our fans and our clubs regarding what occurred is extremely important, and this report is my attempt to achieve that objective," he wrote.

Here are 10 key items detailed in Manfred's report.

1. The Astros fully cooperated

The investigation covered the 2016-19 seasons and included interviews with 68 witnesses, 23 of whom are current or former Astros players. Some were interviewed multiple times. MLB also reviewed email and phone records, including text messages, and video clips. Manfred says the Astros fully cooperated with the investigation and provided "all requested electronic communications and making all requested employees available for interviews."

2. Crane was unaware of sign-stealing scheme

In the very first paragraph of Manfred's report, he states the investigation revealed no evidence Astros owner Jim Crane had any knowledge of the club's illegal sign-stealing efforts. From the report:

At the outset, I also can say our investigation revealed absolutely no evidence that Jim Crane, the owner of the Astros, was aware of any of the conduct described in this report. Crane is extraordinarily troubled and upset by the conduct of members of his organization, fully supported my investigation, and provided unfettered access to any and all information requested.

During a press conference Monday afternoon, Crane said he spoke to Luhnow when MLB issued memos throughout 2017 and 2018 warning clubs not to use electronics to steal signs, and told him to ensure the club did not engage in any such behavior.

3. The sign-stealing system evolved

Media reports alleged the Astros stole signs using a camera fixated on the catcher's signs, a monitor with a live feed in the tunnel between the dugout and the clubhouse, and by banging nearby garbage cans to relay the signs to the hitter. MLB's investigation found the sign-stealing scheme evolved over time. Here's the timeline:

• 2016 season: MLB's investigation did "not reveal any other scheme or method utilized by the Astros" to steal signs.
• Early 2017: The center field feed was used to decode signs when the Astros had a runner on second base. Once decoded, the sequence would be relayed to the dugout, and the runner at second would decode the signs and signal to the hitter at the plate.
• Two months into 2017: The garbage can method was implemented and the team began to pump a live feed to a new monitor in the tunnel. The Astros initially tried whistling and clapping before settling on the garbage can. The scheme is called "player-driven," with current Mets manager Carlos Beltran mentioned by name. Both systems were used throughout the 2017 season.
• Postseason 2017: Manfred's report says the club continued using their systems to steal signs during the postseason, even after all 30 clubs were warned that September to not use electronics improperly to steal signs.
• Prior to 2018: With MLB's approval, the Astros relocated their video room to a room closer to the dugout at Minute Maid Park, to a location similar to ballparks around the league.
• 2018 season: The Astros continued to use their video room to decode signs and relay them to the dugout. At some point during the season they stopped decoding signs "because the players no longer believed it was effective."
• 2018 postseason: MLB's investigation uncovered no evidence the Astros used electronic equipment to decode signs during the 2018 postseason.
• 2019 season: MLB's investigation "revealed no violations" during the 2019 regular season or postseason.

Long story short, the investigation revealed the Astros illegally used electronics to steal signs throughout the 2017 regular season and postseason, and also early in 2018. The report indicates the cheating starts and ends there.

4. Cora is heavily implicated

Alex Cora, Houston's bench coach in 2017 and the  Red Sox's manager since 2018, is heavily implicated throughout the report He's said to have called down to the video room to get signs early in 2017, which constitutes improper usage of a dugout phone, and he is also the only non-player mentioned by name who had a role in devising the garbage can system.
"Cora was involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the replay review room to decode and transmit signs. Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players' conduct," the report says. The Red Sox are currently under investigation for a 2018 sign-stealing scheme in and Cora's punishment will be announced at a later date.

5. Top baseball operations officials were not involved

Manfred's report says the sign-stealing scheme was almost entirely player-driven, with Cora the only non-player implicated. "The attempt by the Astros' replay review room staff to decode signs using the center field camera was originated and executed by lower-level baseball operations employees working in conjunction with Astros players and Cora," the report says.
Two emails were sent to Luhnow regarding the sign-stealing scheme and "there is conflicting evidence about conversations with Luhnow on the topic." Here's Manfred's statement on Luhnow's involvement:

Luhnow adamantly denies knowledge of both the banging scheme and the efforts by the replay review room staff to decode signs and transmit them to the dugout. The investigation revealed no evidence to suggest that Luhnow was aware of the banging scheme. The investigation also revealed that Luhnow neither devised nor actively directed the efforts of the replay review room staff to decode signs in 2017 or 2018. Although Luhnow denies having any awareness that his replay review room staff was decoding and transmitting signs, there is both documentary and testimonial evidence that indicates Luhnow had some knowledge of those efforts, but he did not give it much attention.

Luhnow was suspended because Manfred attributed the scandal to a "failure by the leaders of the baseball operations department and the field manager to adequately manage the employees under their supervision."
Manfred left the discipline of "lower-level Astros employees" with knowledge of the sign-stealing scheme to the Astros.

6. Hinch went so far as to damage monitors

Manfred's report states Hinch "neither devised the banging scheme nor participated in it," and on two occasions he signaled his disapproval by damaging the monitors used in the scheme. That said, the report says Hinch "did not stop it and he did not notify players or Cora that he disapproved of it," which led to his suspension.

7. 'Most' players on 2017 Astros were involved

"Most" position players on the 2017 Astros were involved in the sign-stealing scheme, either by decoding signs or relaying signs or receiving signs while at the plate, according to the report. "Many of the players who were interviewed admitted that they knew the scheme was wrong because it crossed the line from what the player believed was fair competition and/or violated MLB rules," the report says.
Furthermore, the report says many Astros players said they would have ceased stealing signs immediately had Hinch told them to stop engaging in improper conduct. Also, some players said they did not believe the sign-stealing scheme was effective, and more distracting than helpful to hitters, and there was a sense of "panic" when Astros players believed White Soxpitcher Danny Farquar picked up on the garbagecan banging.

8. Players were not disciplined

Manfred's report calls the sign-stealing scheme "player-driven" and yet no players were disciplined. What gives? Within the report, Manfred notes that in a Sept. 2017 memo he warned teams that the general manager and manager would be held responsible for any such sign-stealing allegations. There's also difficult logistically to discipline players.

I will not assess discipline against individual Astros players. I made the decision in September 2017 that I would hold a Club's General Manager and Field Manager accountable for misconduct of this kind, and I will not depart from that decision. Assessing discipline of players for this type of conduct is both difficult and impractical. It is difficult because virtually all of the Astros' players had some involvement or knowledge of the scheme, and I am not in a position based on the investigative record to determine with any degree of certainty every player who should be held accountable, or their relative degree of culpability. It is impractical given the large number of players involved, and the fact that many of those players now play for other Clubs.

In a nutshell, MLB would need hard evidence a player played a significant role in devising and carrying out a sign-stealing scheme to even remotely begin considering discipline. Manfred shifted the blame to the general manager and manager in 2017 and is sticking with it.

9. Wearable and handheld technology was used

At various points in 2017, the Astros used various handheld devices to relay signs from the video room to the dugout. From Manfred's report:

On at least some occasions, the employees in the replay review room communicated the sign sequence information by text message, which was received on the smart watch of a staff member on the bench, or in other cases on a cell phone stored nearby.

The Red Sox were fined in 2017 for using Apple Watches as part of a sign-stealing system. Apparently the Astros had a similar method.

10. Manfred called the team's culture 'problematic'

The culture of the Astros has been a hot topic since Taubman was fired in October after harassing female reporters in the clubhouse following an ALCS game. In the report, Manfred expressed concern over the club's culture in his report and went as far as to call it "problematic."

(While) no one can dispute that Luhnow's baseball operations department is an industry leader in its analytics, it is very clear to me that the culture of the baseball operations department, manifesting itself in the way its employees are treated, its relations with other Clubs, and its relations with the media and external stakeholders, has been very problematic. At least in my view, the baseball operations department's insular culture - one that valued and rewarded results over other considerations, combined with a staff of individuals who often lacked direction or sufficient oversight, led, at least in part, to the Brandon Taubman incident, the Club's admittedly inappropriate and inaccurate response to that incident, and finally, to an environment that allowed the conduct described in this report to have occurred.

Manfred's observation is "gleaned from the 68 interviews my investigators conducted in addition to the nine interviews conducted regarding a separate investigation into former Assistant General Manager Brandon Taubman's conduct during a clubhouse celebration."

 Karma is a bitch, and it just bit Jeff Luhnow squarely in his ass.

Imagine if Terry Francona and Chris Antonetti were suspended for a year by Major League Baseball for cheating, and then immediately fired by the Indians, because Paul Dolan couldn’t abide such behavior. Imagine all that, and then imagine the World Series victory memories shoving aside some of that angst.

Would you make the trade, Cleveland? Houston did.

Astro manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Kuhnow ,building a winner that I have cited as once examples of ,an example of hope for the Browns were suspended and then canned Monday, because the Astros cheated their way to the 2017 World Series. That’s a pretty harsh punishment ... but, unlike the Indians over the last 71 years, they do have that World Series win.

I was going to say that cheating comes from desperation, but the modern-day NFL equivalent of the cheating Houston Astros is the cheating New England Patriots. Both teams didn’t cheat because they lacked talent. They cheated because they had talent.

Why cheat to go from 72 wins to 76 wins in baseball, or five wins to seven wins in football? You cheat when it might make a difference. You cheat to get over the top. You cheat to win it all.

The 2016 Indians were as close as any team in baseball history to winning a World Series they didn’t win. What if stealing a few signs would have made the difference between losing in the 10th inning of a World Series Game 7 and winning? The Cubs and Indians, two talent-laden and longtime title-less franchises, were even more eager for a championship than the Astros. Either could have used an edge in a 2016 series that tight.

But it’s the winners of the following World Series in 2017, the cheating Houston Astros, who are tainted and tarnished. As far as we know, the Cubs and Indians played it straight. The Cubs won anyway. The Indians lost. 

What has playing by the rules done for the Indians, who haven’t won a World Series since 1948, 14 years before Major League Baseball even existed in Houston?

The Astros saw dire individual consequences for Luhnow and Hinch -- imagine if the Patriots had fired Belichick for any of this -- but the World Series title wasn’t revoked, and the team wasn’t banned from the next postseason. This isn’t the NCAA.

So the Astros, who may have won it all anyway in 2017 with a team that featured Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, George Springer, Carlos Correa, Dallas Kuechel and the late addition of Justin Verlander, cheated to enhance their shot at history. That was a 101-win team during the season.

The Indians, who featured Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, Edwin Encarnacion, Carlos Santana, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco in 2017, might have won it all as well if they’d done the same. That was a 102-win team during the season.

Stay tuned, Alex Cora is up next. Boston Red Sox, remember that tea party you had, you might want to ready your legal team for a dumping that will rival the Boston Tea Party.And to NY Mets fans, Carlos Beltran was also named as a co -conspirator sp watch the skies for another bombing run by MLB.

Climbing Mount Olympus

Larry "Booger" Walker

 I think that he has a lot to climb over.

Limited playing time.
Coors Field effect.


As the countdown continues to the announcement from Cooperstown to officially share the names of the players who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in July, there is perhaps no more captivated audience than the Canadian Baseball community.

 1997 was his zenith year, hitting .366, smashing 49 homers,slugging to a .720 ave. and 409 total bases. 

In Larry Walker’s 10th year on the ballot, this is the final opportunity for the best position player the country has ever seen to be voted into the Hall. Should he be elected, the 53-year-old would become just Canada’s second member and first in almost 30 years, after Ferguson Jenkins was inducted in 1991.
“It would be a big moment for all of us,” four-time All-Star and 2006 American League Most Valuable Player Award winner Justin Morneau said on Saturday at Baseball Canada’s annual banquet and fundraiser. “Fergie Jenkins is in there -- but to have a position player in there who represents Canada so well, I would obviously not be as proud as him, but I would be as close as you can get because he means that much to everybody who’s come into contact with him.”

Beyond a 17-year Major League playing career with the Expos, Rockies and Cardinals that saw the right fielder from Maple Ridge, British Columbia win three National League batting titles, take home one home run crown, amass seven Gold Glove Awards, three Silver Slugger Awards and the 1997 NL MVP honour, Walker has represented his home country on and off the field with Team Canada.
It is because of all that he has done for the hockey-loving nation and his dedication to future generations of Canadian baseball players that everyone who is part of the family that Baseball Canada has created would love nothing more than to see its hero recognized by the game’s wider audience.

“It’d be important because you know Larry Walker the person, and obviously the fact that he is a real person and a genuine person, and somebody who we all connect with and call a friend,” Baseball Canada’s director of national teams Greg Hamilton said. “He cares so much and so deeply about the next generation of the game in this country, and it really would resonate because the guys know him.
“Sometimes you have star personalities who you don’t really see and aren’t involved, and he’s connected with us and touched us all. He’s genuinely involved with us, and every one of us will champion this and hope he gets this deserved honour.”

Captain Canada

Walker’s on-field resume is highlighted by more than a decade of dominance in which he was one of baseball’s best all-around players. He amassed a career WAR of 72.7 over a big league career that spanned from 1989 to 2005.

 During that time, only four players produced higher WAR -- Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Jeff Bagwell. Derek Jeter -- who is likely to be elected into the Hall of Fame this year, his first on the ballot -- totaled a career WAR of 72.4, and took 759 more games to reach that number.

“Larry was a guy who went about his business at everything he did. But when you saw him in a game environment, that’s when you really noticed how special he was,” said Joe Siddall, Walker’s former Expos teammate and fellow countryman. “It wasn’t the obvious things. It was the game within the game … all the little intricacies of the game that I appreciated so much as a catcher.

 “Those are the things that I think of more than anything about Larry Walker that other people overlook a little bit because of the great things that he did. The guy was a pretty darn good player all-around, and the numbers back it up. It’s not a subjective thing. It’s frustrating to see a guy like that and the numbers he’s put up get overlooked this long.”

Added Morneau, “He could do everything. He could take the game over in any aspect. If you need him to steal a base, throw a runner out, he had as good an arm as anybody, he had a quick release, Gold Gloves, he was so impressive. And then he could hit with anybody in the league. He really was a five-tool player who could impact the game in so many different ways.”

The  will be announced on Jan. 21. In order for Walker to be included, he would need to make the 2020 Hall of Fame class biggest three-year surge in voting since Herb Pennock went from 18.2 percent to 77.7 percent in 1948. The slugging Canuck received 54.6 percent of the votes last year, a jump from the 34.1 percent he received the previous year, but he needs to reach the elusive 75 percent mark in order to make it.

“It would be amazing to have a player of his calibre representing Canada in the Hall,” former Rockies hurler and fellow BC native Jeff Francis said. “I grew up playing on Larry Walker Field, so it was just a fact of life that he was a star. But you look at the wave of Canadian players coming into the big leagues, and they’re all young now. So to be able to start that wave with one of our older generation players going into the Hall of Fame would be huge.”

Better words were never spoken,  Larry Walker represents all of Canada , a BC native who played in the Belle Provance.

Larry  Walker, Mr. Colorado

It's still cheating, even if you don"t get caught

Major League Baseball has a serious issue on its hands with rampant sign stealing plaguing the game, and the Astros are no longer the only team that can be saddled with the blame.

On the same day that word leaked that MLB is nearing a decision on disciplinary action for Houston’s alleged practice of watching video and banging on a trash can to relay pitches in 2017, another crisis emerged. This time it involved the Red Sox during their 2018 run to a World Series title.

The Boston allegations aren’t quite as severe, but they are still noteworthy and if true would violate league rules. According to a report from The Athletic, multiple unidentified players stand accused of using the club’s video replay room during games to learn the sign sequences of opposing teams.

Unlike Houston, the Red Sox are not charged with using that information in real time. The Astros allegedly watched a live feed and identified pitches by making a loud bang to tip off the batter. By comparison, Boston has been accused of cheating in a somewhat more traditional way, by using the information gained from video to later relay pitch types from second base.

“The commissioner made clear in a September 15, 2017 memorandum to clubs how seriously he would take any future violation of the regulations regarding use of electronic equipment or the inappropriate use of the video replay room. Given these allegations, MLB will commence an investigation into this matter,” MLB said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.

That a second team emerged as a possible cheat is no surprise. When the initial Astros report came out, one of the notable admissions was that Houston allegedly started cheating at the behest of a player who benefitted from a similar system with another team. Based on the evidence, it was reasonable to think the Astros scandal was just the tip of the iceberg. Historically, baseball has never earned the benefit of the doubt.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to come down hard on the Astros As outlined in a report by ESPN, former and current Astros employees — front office and on-field personnel — are likely to face harsh punishment for their involvement. At least one common denominator is Alex Cora, who was the Astros’ bench coach in 2017 before joining the Red Sox as manager the following year. Houston manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow also figure to face discipline. Unmentioned so far has been Blue Jays bench coach Dave Hudgens, who was the Astros’ hitting coach from 2015-18.

“We were recently made aware of allegations suggesting the inappropriate use of our video replay room,” the Red Sox said in a statement. “We take these allegations seriously and will fully co-operate with MLB as they investigate the matter.”

The best way to scare teams off from cheating the system is by setting a precedent with sanctions severe enough to give everyone pause: suspensions and fines for the guilty parties, luxury tax payments and the loss of draft picks for the organizations they represent. The players reportedly are being spared from punishment this time, but a statement should be made that they won’t be so lucky with future transgressions. MLB needs to be open and transparent about the findings of its investigation, not only for the public good but to embarrass its own teams into compliance.

Part of this apparent crisis was unavoidable. Teams are always looking to get a leg up on the changed is that the methods have become more complex. What MLB should have expected, however, was that the video replay booths installed prior to 2014 would be used for nefarious purposes. That decision, coinciding with the debut of manager challenges, did a few things:opposition, and cheating has been around baseball since the game was invented. The only thing that

• It slowed the game down by causing delays any time there was a close play, with managers permitted to call their replay specialist for advice on what to do.

• It took a strategic element away from managers who otherwise would have to make a gut call on whether he trusted the emotional reactions of his players.

• Finally, and most damning, it created a direct and open line of communication with off-field personnel who had advanced technology at their disposal. The system intended for video replay was almost begging to be exploited for something else. 

 I have held off writing about this topic, the accusations about the Houston Astro's organisation, particularly because I heard that another team was under investigation.  I did not know which team it was, but wanted to give MLB a chance to come out with further evidence of wrong doing.

Now that Boston has surfaced as the team accused , I feel more willing to write this blog.

Houston we have a problem.  And in Boston, it is oneth by land , twoith by sea.