This Week in Baseball – Winter Meetings, Goldschmidt Traded, Harper Out, White House, RIP Valbuena-Castillo
Winter Is Coming…
Major League Baseball will be gathering in Las Vegas this year for their annual Winter Meetings. There’s all kinds of league business to discuss as well as the Rule 5 Draft. But what fans really care about are the free agent signings and trade rumors that abound. Everyone wants to know what moves their favorite teams will be making that they will almost immediately regret.
Gold Diggers…
The St. Louis Cardinals traded for All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cardinals had to give up two major league quality players, but the move significantly transforms their lineup and improves their defense. Last year the team had 20 errors at first base in addition to the error of having Mike Matheny be the manager.
Bye Bye Bryce…
After signing pitcher Patrick Corbin to a 6-year, $140 million contract, the Nationals owner Ted Lerner has gone on-record saying that the team no longer has the funds available to pay Bryce Harper even the $300 million he already turned down. This is the same owner that Scott Boras talked into signing Matt Wieters for two years, so it’s safe to assume they’ll be offering Harper $400 million.
Playing House…
The Boston Red Sox have accepted an invitation to go to the White House to acknowledge their World Series championship. Manager Alex Cora who has been critical of President Trump says he will attend. It’s nice to see some accord between people with opposing views. Maybe there’s hope for the Yankees and Red Sox after all.
RIP…
Former Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Valbuena and former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jose Castillo died in a car crash Thursday in Venezuela. Initial reports look like they might have been targeted in a robbery. They were both well-regarded teammates and their loss is felt by many.
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