This Week In Baseball – Ichiro, Judge, Bullpen Carts, Air Conditioned Balls, Trade Taxes
Homeward Bound…
In the tradition of people going back to their roots in order to find themselves, the thin free agent market has compelled Carlos Gonzalez, Ichiro and Mike Moustakas to return to their original teams for deals far less than they were hoping for. Granted, they’ll still be paid millions of dollars this year, but just not as many millions as they wanted. We hope they can find the strength to persevere.
The Verdict Is in…
Last season at the All-Star Break’s Home Run Derby, Aaron Judge was the toast of the town as he crushed the competition to be crowned the champ. However he has called it one-and-done, announcing that he will not participate in this year’s Derby due to concerns about the effect it has on his swing. This will be a welcome relief to the fans in the bleachers who were tired of dodging baseballs.
Get Your Motor Running…
The Arizona Diamondbacks, in honor of their 20th Anniversary, are introducing the OnTrac Bullpen Cart to bring in relief pitchers from both home and road bullpens. The bullpen cart used to be a league-wide tradition that helped move the game along in a fun way. But, if they really want to speed things up, bring in those pitchers with drones.
Chill Out Man…
In order to regulate how baseballs perform at all stadiums, MLB is standardizing how its 30 clubs store baseballs and have mandated that all balls must be stored in “an air conditioned and enclosed room” this season. Teams are no longer allowed to do whatever they want with their balls – like when you get married.
Read the Fine Print…
One possible unintended consequence from the new tax law is currently occupying Major League Baseball’s attention. It appears that professional sports franchises may now have to pay taxes when players are traded from team to team. Teams will probably find a way around this – maybe just getting the players from Amazon Prime.
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