This Week in Baseball – Cano Trade, Non-Tenders, Beltre Retires, Oakland Ballpark, Matheny Returns
Start Spreading the News…
The Seattle Mariners are rumored to be close to trading the bloated contract of Robinson Cano along with All-Star closer Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets. This move is part of the Mariners’ plans to retool the roster to get back into contention and the Mets’ plans to acquire dubious talent at positions where they already have players. In other words, to continue being the Mets.
Love Me Tender…
Every winter teams have to decide whether or not to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players who then become free agents earlier than originally planned. There were surprises including stolen base expert Billy Hamilton and the recently traded-for Jonathan Schoop. Teams will be doing this more and more each year as they get smarter about wasting money on mediocre players, so they can find other ways to waste money.
Yo Adrian…
After a 21-year career in Major League Baseball, Adrian Beltre has decided to retire. He does so as the all-time leader in hits by a third baseman with 3,166. Beltre also has 477 home runs, 636 doubles, a .286 average and won five Gold Gloves. He is headed to the Hall of Fame. Not right this minute. In five years when he gets voted in. He’s probably going on vacation with his family. Which could be to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Home Sweet Home…
The Oakland A’s announced they plan to build a futuristic ballpark on the Howard Terminal waterfront to replace the aging multi-purpose Oakland Coliseum by 2023. The ballpark is being designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, a Danish architectural firm, so you can expect the stadium to have a flaky outer crust and a delicious cheese and fruit center.
Subtraction by Addition…
Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny joined the Kansas City Royals as special adviser for player development. Fans of the Royals may have been worried whether the team would ever return to their winning ways. But now that Matheny is on board at least they have certainty they’ll lose a lot.
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