Giving A Home To The Top Remaining MLB Free Agents
Is it Scott Boras's fault? Is it non-competitive teams' fault? Is it the luxury tax? Is it the 2019 class? Young players quickly rising to the top of the baseball world? Blame has been bouncing around for the last 3 months as the slowest free agent market in baseball (maybe even in all of sports) history has led to many free agents still being without a team, with spring training rapidly approaching. On the off chance a player or GM comes across this blogpost, lucky for them, I know exactly what should happen, with some of the players who are still free agents.
1. YU DARVISH- Apparently, Darvish is holding out for a return to the Dodgers. Who wouldn't want to play for the Dodgers? They should be one of the best teams in baseball yet again. But with the Dodgers unwilling to pay up at the moment, he should take the next best choice, and head to the Cubs. A 3rd straight NLCS showdown is not out of the cards for these two teams, so if winning is what is important to Darvish, he should be a very happy man at Wrigley Field.
2. JD MARTINEZ- The stalemate between Martinez and the Red Sox has lasted seemingly forever and shows no signs of going away. He would be a great fit for the BoSox, but already packed with a talented outfield, and a probable DH in Hanley Ramirez, the Red Sox would probably have to swing a trade of a young outfielder in order to accommodate Martinez. The answer? Go back to the Diamondbacks . 29 home runs in 62 games, Martinez was an integral part of making the Diamondbacks into a legitamite contender last year. There is reportedly mutual interest in a short term deal, and even though it is not quite the mega-deal he was after, it is the smart choice for both sides, especially if he can recreate the magic he displayed last year.
3. ERIC HOSMER- Hosmer reportedly has two 7-year offers on the table. One from the Royals, the other from the Padres. As I'm sure you can tell from the bold lettering format, I think he should go to San Diego. The Royals are about to embark on another rebuild, the Padres started a couple of years ago, so they are definitly closer to contention, being loyal is great, it is certainly a rarity nowadays, but he was close to being traded last year, and its no guarantee that if he signs in K.C. again, he plays out all 7-years as a Royal anyway.
4. JAKE ARRIETA- I am of the belief Jake should have taken whatever money was offered to him by the Cubs after his Cy Young season. There was no way he would duplicate it, and his value would never have been higher. Nonetheless, he was hell-bent on reaching the open market, and the results, could not be what he expected. So far we know the Cubs have given him an offer, but it seems like he won't be coming back. That leaves another team who were said to give him an offer, the Brewers. The suddenly dangerous Brewers are an ace away from being considered for a serious playoff run, especially when Jimmy Nelson returns from injury. Concessions will have to be made, but if Milwaukee can make it work, they will be a popular pick when the season rolls around.
5. MIKE MOUSTAKAS- I'll just say it. The Yankees. WAIT, STOP, HOLD ON, I know, I know, why? They don't need him. Right, but they do need a third baseman, and who better, than the best guy left? They have money, they don't need to worry about paying Judge for a couple years, so why not just go all in.
6. GREG HOLLAND- He turned down a $15mm option to test the open market (that is what Aroldis Chapman makes by the way). I wonder who talked him into that, [cough] Scott Boras [cough]. The Rockies replaced him with Wade Davis, so a new team is needed. If only to prevent him from going to the Cardinals, the Cubs should have signed him the very second they lost Davis. If the Cubs think they can hold enough leads, especially come playoff time, with Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek as thier closers, good for them, but it makes no sense with a proven, quality closer still sitting out there untouched.
7. TONY WATSON- It should not be as hard as it has for a very good left handed reliever to find a team. He was great for the Dodgers after coming over from the Pirates last season. There is a team ready to go for it this season, who could definitely use a bullpen upgrade. The Angels currently have Jose Alvarez as their only left handed reliever, his 3.98 lifetime ERA does not justify him being the only lefty option out of the bullpen, so this would make a perfect fit onto a team that looks primed to win now.
Here is a few more just to run down quickly...
Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn, have been subject to the waiting game mostly due to Darvish and Arrieta not signing yet, the Twins should be in on Lynn if they miss out on Darvish, the Cardinals would have a hole to fill if Lynn splits, so Cobb makes sense to go there. Jonathan Lucroy should go to the Mariners, because he would be an upgrade over Mike Zunino. Logan Morrison could play a role similar to the one Mark Reynolds played for the Rockies, if Reynolds doesn't head back that is. Speaking of the Rockies, the Pirates would be an interesting fit for CarGo, he wouldn't exactly replace McCutchen, except he wouldn't have to. He could still be just productive enough to flip at the deadline. Jon Jay went to college at Miami, and the reliable outfielder could return home to the Marlins. If he would be a starter instantly, and could be easily shipped to a contender at the deadline.
It should be an interesting couple of weeks as we inch towards spring training, the floodgates will hopefully fly open soon, and perhaps even more important, hopefully, I was right about everything I said. But I'm not really worried about that.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed My Four Cents.
