This Week in Baseball – Machado Rumors, Yankees Signings, Bauer Tweets, Upton Returns, Angels Stadium
Rumor Has It…
With no end in sight to the free agency of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, things are starting to get a little testy. Machado’s agent Dan Lozano lashed out at “reckless” contract rumors being spread on social media by baseball journalists. He claimed their sources were actually violating the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Sorry, Dan, there’s no crying in baseball.
Stocking Up…
This week the Yankees signed second-baseman D.J. LeMahieu to a two-year deal and reliever Adam Ottavino to a three-year deal. The addition of Ottavino gives that Yankees quite possibly the best bullpen in the history of the game. Meanwhile the divisional rival Red Sox are going with a combination Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier and Tyler Thornburg— a who’s who of who the heck is that?
Tweet Revenge…
Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer got in trouble for his Twitter activities again. Afterward Bauer wrote he “will wield the responsibility of my public platform more responsibly in the future.” This all came from an interaction with an Astros fan who jokingly posted that Bauer was her “new least favorite person in all sports.” Bauer definitely has a knack for getting under people’s skin. But that seems a bit harsh coming from a fan of a team whose closer was recently arrested for domestic assault.
What’s in a Name…
Outfielder Melvin Upton announced that he will once again use the name B.J. Upton. Not really a surprise move here since most guys prefer a “B.J.”
Re-Lease…
The Angels and the City of Anaheim agreed to a one-year extension of their stadium lease through the 2020 season. The Angels have a negotiating advantage because the stadium would be hard-pressed to find new tenants. They would have to upgrade the appliances, slap on a fresh coat of paint and replace the infield with hardwood floors. Would be an interesting AirBnB listing.
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